Though hosts encamp around me
Firm in the fight I stand.
James Montgomery
********************
Hello Marty
********************
"Watchman, tell us of the night."
The night is bad, and so is the day.
*********************************
Never give up. This, evidently, is turning out to be one the bleakest years of my life. Not too long ago I was driving the highways of the northeast. I was riding the subways of New York. Now, there is nothing close to me, I walk with halting steps. But I walk the walk of a good man. Never give up.
Not too long ago I was treading the stages of eastern America. Or I was on the air at a major New York radio station, entertaining people, many people. Now I rarely see any one. No one around here knows what I've done, or cares. But I will again have close friends who know my work who respect me and whom I respect. Never give up.
On February First I found out I was living right next to a dope dealer, and that my only friend in this town was sneaking into his apartment for drugs and being dishonest and deceptive with me about it. So I moved to get away from both of them. I had to wait 20 days with all of that going on. But I finally did it. Never give up.
It cost me a whole month's income to move. I'm still getting out from under debts. The cost of moving put me in a financial dump from which I haven't recovered. There will come a day, a month, a year of solvency. Never give up.
Then I found that I moved into an apartment that is even closer to the drugs and that the false friend whom I moved to get away from now is a regular visitor next door which causes me a lot of distress. Now I yearn with all my heart for a home where I can at last have peace, comfort, safety, beauty and nice people around me. Never give up.
My neighbors also have screaming fights with each other beginning in the morning and continuing all day. Their language is foul and they have a little girl with them at the time. Sometime they scream at her. I feel sorry for that little girl. I feel sorry for myself. I long to be with people who are kind, gentle, good to each other and who know how to treat children. Never give up.
My neighborhood is a nasty one for other reasons. It's enough to say I am not happy, comfortable or at peace here. One has to know and hold continually in thought that good is stronger than evil and it will win. NGU
I would like to do more paintings but I have run out of some important colors. I will soon run out of ink for my printer. Now, it's certain that I will run out of coffee and food before this month is over.. I have no more money. My next income isn't until August 1st. I stand with a clenched fist and shake it at the heavens, at the destiny that has brought me to this misery and I utter the shout that I once gave to a particularly bad New England Winter when my car wouldn't start and the snow was relentless:
"Some day I'm going to beat you , you son of a bitch."
Dana Bate - Vagabond Journeys
Never Give Up
*******************************
Showing posts with label a good man. Show all posts
Showing posts with label a good man. Show all posts
Monday, July 23, 2012
Saturday, December 3, 2011
60 Years Late
Even the fear of death is nothing compared with the fear of not having lived
authentically and fully.
Frances Lappe
**************
Hello Jon
***************
How do we authenticate a life? What yardstick do we use to measure a life's worth? What map do we have to chart a life, even a short one, that is lived to the fullest? I'm such a humanitarian that I believe the only way we can take the dimensions of anyone's life is in how it affects, directly or indirectly, other people's lives.
There have always been a few people in my life that I look up to and think about whenever I'm involved in any project or activity. Even if they never know about it, I want to make sure they would be pleased if they did.
About twelve years ago I worked on a play about two old vaudevillians who flee the city in retirement and live in a cabin in the woods. When neighbors come to call who recognize them, they ask the two old guys to do one of their routines. So they do.
The other actor and I got along very well on stage. We were a real two man team. But backstage he was a problem. He was one who liked to criticize, and make jokes at other people's expense. Sometimes I was the butt of his jokes, but I refused to let it bother me. Instead I treated him with equality, equanimity and respect.
Because there was a song and dance number in the show we had a choreographer. One day in rehearsal during a ten minute break, instead of going outside as I usually did, I took a seat in the house directly in front of him. He leaned over and said "I really am impressed by what you are doing and I admire the way you are with (the other actor).. You treat him with respect. You're a good man Dana."
I turned, smiled and thanked him. Then I went out to the park in back, sat by myself on a bench and wept.
Why did I weep? Because something occurred to me right then that I had never realized before. No one had ever called me "a good man" in my entire life. They said I was a good actor, or a good announcer or I did a good job. But never the plain, simple, genuine recognition that I was a good man. I had to wait until I was 60 before somebody actually said that to me. I will never forget that choreographer and that moment. It brings on a tear just now, thinking about it.
If you know someone who is a good person, don't just keep it to yourself, tell them so. And be genuine about it. You will never know what it means to them
DB - The Vagabond
Never give up.
******************
authentically and fully.
Frances Lappe
**************
Hello Jon
***************
How do we authenticate a life? What yardstick do we use to measure a life's worth? What map do we have to chart a life, even a short one, that is lived to the fullest? I'm such a humanitarian that I believe the only way we can take the dimensions of anyone's life is in how it affects, directly or indirectly, other people's lives.
There have always been a few people in my life that I look up to and think about whenever I'm involved in any project or activity. Even if they never know about it, I want to make sure they would be pleased if they did.
About twelve years ago I worked on a play about two old vaudevillians who flee the city in retirement and live in a cabin in the woods. When neighbors come to call who recognize them, they ask the two old guys to do one of their routines. So they do.
The other actor and I got along very well on stage. We were a real two man team. But backstage he was a problem. He was one who liked to criticize, and make jokes at other people's expense. Sometimes I was the butt of his jokes, but I refused to let it bother me. Instead I treated him with equality, equanimity and respect.
Because there was a song and dance number in the show we had a choreographer. One day in rehearsal during a ten minute break, instead of going outside as I usually did, I took a seat in the house directly in front of him. He leaned over and said "I really am impressed by what you are doing and I admire the way you are with (the other actor).. You treat him with respect. You're a good man Dana."
I turned, smiled and thanked him. Then I went out to the park in back, sat by myself on a bench and wept.
Why did I weep? Because something occurred to me right then that I had never realized before. No one had ever called me "a good man" in my entire life. They said I was a good actor, or a good announcer or I did a good job. But never the plain, simple, genuine recognition that I was a good man. I had to wait until I was 60 before somebody actually said that to me. I will never forget that choreographer and that moment. It brings on a tear just now, thinking about it.
If you know someone who is a good person, don't just keep it to yourself, tell them so. And be genuine about it. You will never know what it means to them
DB - The Vagabond
Never give up.
******************
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Yesterday's Yank 10/08/09
It's definitely a struggle to prove yourself just as a good human.
Tina Yothers
****************
Hello.
___________________
Yesterday my life changed. It felt like a sea change or a tectonic movement. In some way and in some degree I'm not the man I was yesterday.
I have been known in the past as a generous person. I was generous with my money whenever I hade any. I was generous with my time and energy. I took a year off from my career to administer a program to help New York City kids improve their arts programs. I took supporting roles in productions that other actors wouldn't bother with in order to offer my talent, enthusiasm and ability to help make it a good show. I always took time to talk with young actors about their careers and give them advice and coaching. Some older actors don't want to do that.
Ten years ago I was doing a play with an actor who was contentious and difficult to be with. I tried to treat him with respect and friendliness. We were the two leading players. Because there was a musical number in the play, we had a choreographer. One day in rehearsal he said to me "I admire the way you handle him. You're a good man." I thnked him and went out behind the theatre and cried. I cried because I was 60 years old and that was the first time in my life anyone had ever said that to me. I had to wait until I was 60 to hear someone tell me I'm a good man.
I can't explain why but sharing has always been one of the foremost motives of my life. To share what I have, what I know, my ideas, my thoughts, my feelings, my stories, my jokes, my love. Sometimes it isn't appreciated. But sharing with others has been from the start the main purpose of Vagabond Journeys and my other blogs.
I've had a lot of trouble lately, financial, physical and legal, and I see more on the horizon. Maybe as a result my writing isn't as sparkly as it used to be and my words don't carry the spirit and enthusiasm they used to. No doubt that's true. For that reason and also because my readership has been severely and saddeningly declining over the past several weeks, I'm rethinking my whole commitment to what I'm doing here. I read more journals than I get readers. There are 86 journalists that I read regularly, some with more than one blog. Like most people I may not always leave a comment but if there's a new entry I read it and look at the pictures. It says at the bottom here that I have 82 followers, plus I have 16 regular email companions. But if almost all of them are not reading me I wonder why I'm writing. It's a big fabulous world full of interesting people and I like to keep in touch with as many of them as possible.
Yesterday was a very windy day here. As I was coming back from the market I stopped to rest by a fence next to a tree filled field. I heard a loud cracking noise and a large branch from high up on one of the tress broke off and crashed on the ground in front of me. The tree was no longer interested in the branch. The wind took it over and handed it on to gravity which threw it on the ground. Nature's epiphany. I am not the man I was yesterday. I feel I might soon have an epiphany of my own.
DB
****************
Tina Yothers
****************
Hello.
___________________
Yesterday my life changed. It felt like a sea change or a tectonic movement. In some way and in some degree I'm not the man I was yesterday.
I have been known in the past as a generous person. I was generous with my money whenever I hade any. I was generous with my time and energy. I took a year off from my career to administer a program to help New York City kids improve their arts programs. I took supporting roles in productions that other actors wouldn't bother with in order to offer my talent, enthusiasm and ability to help make it a good show. I always took time to talk with young actors about their careers and give them advice and coaching. Some older actors don't want to do that.
Ten years ago I was doing a play with an actor who was contentious and difficult to be with. I tried to treat him with respect and friendliness. We were the two leading players. Because there was a musical number in the play, we had a choreographer. One day in rehearsal he said to me "I admire the way you handle him. You're a good man." I thnked him and went out behind the theatre and cried. I cried because I was 60 years old and that was the first time in my life anyone had ever said that to me. I had to wait until I was 60 to hear someone tell me I'm a good man.
I can't explain why but sharing has always been one of the foremost motives of my life. To share what I have, what I know, my ideas, my thoughts, my feelings, my stories, my jokes, my love. Sometimes it isn't appreciated. But sharing with others has been from the start the main purpose of Vagabond Journeys and my other blogs.
I've had a lot of trouble lately, financial, physical and legal, and I see more on the horizon. Maybe as a result my writing isn't as sparkly as it used to be and my words don't carry the spirit and enthusiasm they used to. No doubt that's true. For that reason and also because my readership has been severely and saddeningly declining over the past several weeks, I'm rethinking my whole commitment to what I'm doing here. I read more journals than I get readers. There are 86 journalists that I read regularly, some with more than one blog. Like most people I may not always leave a comment but if there's a new entry I read it and look at the pictures. It says at the bottom here that I have 82 followers, plus I have 16 regular email companions. But if almost all of them are not reading me I wonder why I'm writing. It's a big fabulous world full of interesting people and I like to keep in touch with as many of them as possible.
Yesterday was a very windy day here. As I was coming back from the market I stopped to rest by a fence next to a tree filled field. I heard a loud cracking noise and a large branch from high up on one of the tress broke off and crashed on the ground in front of me. The tree was no longer interested in the branch. The wind took it over and handed it on to gravity which threw it on the ground. Nature's epiphany. I am not the man I was yesterday. I feel I might soon have an epiphany of my own.
DB
****************
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