I am here for a purpose and that purpose is to grow into a mountain, not to shrink into a grain of sand.
Og Mandino
*********************
Hello Ken
*********************
What style of a mountain are you? Or are you just a grain of sand like millions of others on the remote and secluded beaches of the world? I fear I'm becoming that grain myself One unfortunate but undeniable truth which perforates a hole in a person's sense of themselves is that if you think you are a humble grain of sand other people will treat you that way, crushing you under foot as they move along their pretended mountain trails.
I personally feel that I'm becoming more like a grain of sand everyday. I've lost some friends and readers. I owe so much money I can't afford health insurance so I live with my infirmaries. I live in a place where there is nothing for my talents and abilities except at the keyboard. I seem to have some readers at various places around the world: the US, Europe, Saudi Arabia, Asia.. But I don't know who they are. I sure would like to hear from some of them. Thee may be mountains out there I don't know about.
Well I'm not a grain of sand yet, in spite of the grinding down I've been subjected to in my life. The right and possibility to grow back into the mountain direction is the best cure for sand mentality. So how does one achieve mountainhood? I think there are at least two seemingly opposing geological techniques. One is to persist in doing the best one can do, never giving up. And the other is not repeating oneself, doing the same thing over again, no matter how good it is. Appetizing inspirations generally go stale after a while if they aren't subjected to constant renewal. Persistence and innovation. Those are the two horses hooked up to the wagon.
After one gets those two beasts of burden going in harmony, then it's time to decide on where you're going. Mark down mountain on your map of buried treasure and then draw lines to it labeled "talent," "imagination," "passion,' and one of the most important lines called "today."
Now why do I want to be a mountain? Because a mountain is a mighty and inspiring thing. It's slopes, meadows and streams provide sustenance, some people will always want to climb to your summit to learn what you know and a mountain also provides shade to the grains of sand below.
I am not a grain of sand, I'm not just another pebble on the beach, I'm not a stone wall, a pile of rocks or even a boulder. I'm hitched up, with map in hand and on my way at growing into a mountain. Join me?
Dana Bate - The Vagabond
Never Give Up
*************************
Showing posts with label readers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label readers. Show all posts
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
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
****************
Saturday, May 16, 2009
Optimum Outreach 5/16/09
You should never give up on anybody.
David Ortiz
********************
Smile, you're on Candid Camera.
-------------------------
One of my Vagabondisms reads "Don’t give up on people – every road goes somewhere."
Yesterday I had one of those days you never want to have. It started out bad, got worse and ended up drowned in beer. After struggling all morning to install some statistical sites on my journal page, I was dismayed to find I had a lot fewer readers to it than I thought I did. I wanted to toss the whole thing in my local Dumpster as a wasteful, useless example of futility. Hence, you didn't get one of my verbose entries, my meager attempts at purple prose and pink poesy, my staggering, trembling observations about life. I was FED UP with life.
But when I woke up this morning, too early, hungry, hung over and with a bewildering headache, I managed to make myself a cup of coffee and to think about things,
The first step in my reasoning was that I write because I want to. There is almost nothing obligatory about it. I enjoy it and therefore should continue, no matter what. Secondly I do have a few people who enjoy reading my journal and if I can easily stuff them all into the back of a Chevy pick-up, so what? And why should I give up on one neighbor just because the neighborhood is alien, As my quote says, I don't believe in giving up on people. Some good friendships and interesting discussions have come from folks reading and responding to what I write and from my reading and responding to what they write.
But the most surprising and significant arrival of thought into my hung over head was that if I closed the cover on my journal and tossed it on a bottom shelf to gather dust, I would be giving up on myself. (It takes a genius like me to figure that one out.)
One thing a vagabond knows is that the journey continues. There are still adventures to be had, problems to be solved, mysteries to be unraveled, landscapes to be investigated, bridges to be crossed, a magic lamp to be rubbed, a conduit of truth to be opened and a higher self to be discovered, in everyone's life. In my life they appear out of the fog as I write.
There's no point in giving up on myself, or anyone else, because the roads keep going somewhere. One destination leads to another.
DB - Vagabond Journeys
____________________
Practice joy.
************************
SPRING QUIZ
THIS IS NOT A CONTEST
What do you think was the most important event of 2008? and
What was the most significant event in your life last year?
You have all Spring to answer if you wish.
15 responses so far.
Leave answers on my email dbdacoba@aol.com or on my journal
http://vagabondjourneys.blogspot.com/. Thank you. DB
David Ortiz
********************
Smile, you're on Candid Camera.
-------------------------
One of my Vagabondisms reads "Don’t give up on people – every road goes somewhere."
Yesterday I had one of those days you never want to have. It started out bad, got worse and ended up drowned in beer. After struggling all morning to install some statistical sites on my journal page, I was dismayed to find I had a lot fewer readers to it than I thought I did. I wanted to toss the whole thing in my local Dumpster as a wasteful, useless example of futility. Hence, you didn't get one of my verbose entries, my meager attempts at purple prose and pink poesy, my staggering, trembling observations about life. I was FED UP with life.
But when I woke up this morning, too early, hungry, hung over and with a bewildering headache, I managed to make myself a cup of coffee and to think about things,
The first step in my reasoning was that I write because I want to. There is almost nothing obligatory about it. I enjoy it and therefore should continue, no matter what. Secondly I do have a few people who enjoy reading my journal and if I can easily stuff them all into the back of a Chevy pick-up, so what? And why should I give up on one neighbor just because the neighborhood is alien, As my quote says, I don't believe in giving up on people. Some good friendships and interesting discussions have come from folks reading and responding to what I write and from my reading and responding to what they write.
But the most surprising and significant arrival of thought into my hung over head was that if I closed the cover on my journal and tossed it on a bottom shelf to gather dust, I would be giving up on myself. (It takes a genius like me to figure that one out.)
One thing a vagabond knows is that the journey continues. There are still adventures to be had, problems to be solved, mysteries to be unraveled, landscapes to be investigated, bridges to be crossed, a magic lamp to be rubbed, a conduit of truth to be opened and a higher self to be discovered, in everyone's life. In my life they appear out of the fog as I write.
There's no point in giving up on myself, or anyone else, because the roads keep going somewhere. One destination leads to another.
DB - Vagabond Journeys
____________________
Practice joy.
************************
SPRING QUIZ
THIS IS NOT A CONTEST
What do you think was the most important event of 2008? and
What was the most significant event in your life last year?
You have all Spring to answer if you wish.
15 responses so far.
Leave answers on my email dbdacoba@aol.com or on my journal
http://vagabondjourneys.blogspot.com/. Thank you. DB
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