If...

If

If you can keep your head when all about you

Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;

If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,

But make allowance for their doubting too;

If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,

Or, being lied about, don't deal in lies,

Or, being hated, don't give way to hating,

And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise;



If you can dream - and not make dreams your master;

If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;

If you can meet with triumph and disaster

And treat those two imposters just the same;

If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken

Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,

Or watch the things you gave your life to broken,

And stoop and build 'em up with wornout tools;



If you can make one heap of all your winnings

And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,

And lose, and start again at your beginnings

And never breath a word about your loss;

If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew

To serve your turn long after they are gone,

And so hold on when there is nothing in you

Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on";



If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,

Or walk with kings - nor lose the common touch;

If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;

If all men count with you, but none too much;

If you can fill the unforgiving minute

With sixty seconds' worth of distance run -

Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,

And - which is more - you'll be a Man my son!



~Kipling

The Difference

While walking along a beach, an elderly gentleman saw someone in the distance leaning down, picking something up and throwing it into the ocean.


As he got closer, he noticed that the figure was that of a young man, picking up starfish one by one and tossing each one gently back into the water.


He came closer still and called out, “Good morning! May I ask what it is that you are doing?”

The young man paused, looked up, and replied “Throwing starfish into the ocean.”


The old man smiled, and said, “I must ask, then, why are you throwing starfish into the ocean?”

To this, the young man replied, “The sun is up and the tide is going out. If I don’t throw them in, they’ll die.”


Upon hearing this, the elderly observer commented, “But, young man, do you not realize that there are miles and miles of beach and there are starfish all along every mile? You can’t possibly help them all!”


The young man listened politely. Then he bent down, picked up another starfish, threw it back into the ocean past the breaking waves and said, “It made a difference for that one.”

It's A Carnival

Everywhere I turn something is different... Some kids are eating cotton candy and some are crying cause they dropped the top scoop of their icecream cone and some rides are being repaired and the ferris wheel has a really long line and some people just want to eat or play in the arcade. Some couple is holding hands and some employee is cleaning the grounds and birds, birds are flying above and some clouds are puffy and white and some are dark and dismal and noise is everywhere at this carnival and in the midst of it all there is a photographer taking pictures of different sights and attractions and groups of people and there are firebreathing performers and clown jugglers and mimes who say not a word yet their body language says everything.

and it's unreal how the sounds from the chatting and the screaming and the laughing all blend together to form the response to this one seemingly simple attraction

It's unreal to see everyone's face... to see their enjoyment and the immensity of it all....

It's unreal to see these fairgrounds being used for the benefit of society whether it's for relief, fun, excitement, meeting others, or winning some prize.

It's unreal but it's happening simultaneously and here i am, waiting at the top of the of the shakiest rollercoaster of them all... the slow ride up was pretty intimidating-this seat is cold and the buckles don't seem as tight as they should be...not to mention, not many people have ever even dared to ride before... I can almost see the whole park from up here- The initial and steepest drop is only seconds away and i can feel my seat edging over as a teaser... There's nothing I can do to prepare for these coming corkscrews, loops, quick turns, and drops and I wonder what my picture will look like half way through the ride...All i can do is make sure i'm strapped in, hold my breath, raise my hands up high, laugh for comic relief and hereee weee .....

"Ring Ring"

There is a call to see something more important than what I've already seen before. To feel something more meaningful. To be something more encompassing. This presses me to continuously press on. That is the wind that hits my sails.

Verbal Slave Drivers

putting a limitation on another is what slavery is all about.

People are often verbally enslaved by others. Enslavers will use phrases like "you will never blank" or "you are this" or "you don't blank."

If one doesn't have a firm grasp on what they truly are, they can easily be verbally enslaved by taking phrases like those listed above to heart.

Verbal enslavers believe they know what they are saying is right without a shadow of a doubt. OR, they know what they are saying isn't true, but say it as a means of control or to watch negative effects on another. Thus they are the types of people who will argue until they get the "last word."In all reality, the enslavers are the ones enslaved. They feel hurt and limited and feel the need to take that out on others.

A victim of this abuse can only look away and smile, appear dumb and belittled to the enslaver, but be free mentally and emotionally.

Stressfull Why?

when in this position, no one can see me even wince. Nobody is allowed to see me tear up. I can't rest my head in public. I feel overwhelmed. I feel paranoid. I feel pressured beyond belief. But i can deal with it alone. It's everything thrown into the mix that throws me off balance.

The broken bike. No car. No money. No job. feeling hopeless for all thee above.

And i just kissed the sun. I feel burned and branded. Now i'm afraid of only losing it all. What a terrible way to live. Out of fear of losing what you work so hard to claim. On one hand, I have it all... on the other i have nothing.

I feel undefined. I feel like a piece of garbage sometimes. Easily dispensable and discarded.

I encourage everyone else... who is here to encourage me? When i feel like giving up. When i feel hopeless. When my world is distorted and nothing makes sense anymore and everything i thought was isn't and everything i thought wasn't is.

But alas, nobody can see me like this... and nobody will. I'm bigger than that. At least that's what i'm supposed to be.

Action Reaction

Flatter me, and I may not believe you.
Criticize me, and I may not like you.
Ignore me, and I may not forgive you.
Encourage me, and I will not forget you.
Love me and I may be forced to love you.

-William Arthur Ward

The Map To Move By

As long as we have hope, we have direction, the energy to move, and the map to move by.

We have a hundred alternatives, a thousand paths and an infinity of dreams.

Hopeful, we are halfway to where we want to go;
Hopeless, we are lost forever.

Leader...Why?

i asked myself today... Why do i like taking responsibility. Why do i like leadership positions?

a.) it helps me build character and grow
b.) it lets me live a life full of fulfilled desires, dreams, and emotions
c.) it gives me the opportunity to make a positive impact in peoples' lives
d.) it's challenging and keeps me on my toes
e.) A good leader knows he or she is not the perfect leader... A leader is who i want to be. Always striving to be the best. Consistently striving for integrity. That is what it is all about. The striving. The effort. The desire to be something more. Aiming for a target and taking a shot. The experience. The rush. This is a tricky one to understand but crucial all the same. i like the responsibility not just because it tells me who i am, but rather it shows me who I could become.
f.) In every way it benefits me, i want to see others achieve those benefits themselves. Most importantly, i lead because i want to see others learn to take responsibility. i want to see others lead. i want to see others grow.

Physically Homeless Met Mentally Homeless

The moon was nearly covered by clouds completely. Only fragments of hazy light glowed through and I'm not sure what was worse... not knowing where i was or not knowing where i was going.

Like every summer preceding, i found myself with a squeaky bike on a lonely dark road isolated from the city. I didn't want to make too much noise so i got off the 2 wheeler and walked alongside it instead. What drew me here? Where was I? Even more odd, why did my feet keep moving without me knowing the answer to that question?

Everywhere i looked i saw swirling fog like one of those scary movies. That on top of the fact that everything just seems so surreal in the middle of a black summer night anyway - it all gave me this eerie feeling and desire for more while having a desire for it to stop at the same time.

And how strange, when alone in nature, some people find the beauty of it all. When alone, some people think profound thoughts and make wonderful discoveries. Not me... i find myself in a state of nervousness. I find myself in a place i can't control. A place full of possibilities. A chance of good possible scenarios mixed in with an equal chance of bad. Cause that's all anything is anyway right? One huge fuckin' game of chance?

Places like that remind me of home... or rather, the lack thereof. Flashbacks of a friend i once knew hit me.

~Sleeping on park benches in the night. Searching for interstates in the morning because around them you know you're going to find some food and a couple of public restrooms somewhere. Not to mention along the way you'll find other homeless folks to give some interesting stories and insight. Of course they have insight. You think insight is only reserved for those intelligent schoolgirls and boys who's parents pay thousands of dollars for them to pencil in a-b-c or d? Hell, they might talk "about" us in those social classes saying how they should gives us money and food stamps and help, but they never know "about us" and how we see the world she said. They don't understand it from this perspective. Where nothing substantial is given. Nothing substantial can be expected. "We see nothing but the need to survive...but what's the point in surviving in a world where no one cares if you survive?"

That's all what Mary told me at least... Mary didn't have a home either. She roamed most the same places i did. Usually people can tell you're a stray. You can just see it from a mile away - wandering aimlessly, shifty eyes, hesitation to approach or be approached, fear and eccentricity all at once. The most identifiable trait is being a chameleon. The attempt we gave to blend in with the environment anytime we felt threatened... which seemed to be all the time. We just wanted to be background characters, nothing more and nothing less. Funny how we got along. She was physically homeless and i was mentally homeless. In those days, I'm not sure what was worse: not knowing who i was or not knowing who i was going to become.

It was only 15 days we kept each other company. Nobody knew about it or probably wouldn't have even cared. I barely remember any of it except the 15th day. Police cars burned rubber as its sirens blared and there I was riding toward the interstate - riding my bike to meet a friend. I followed the lights to a back road.

I saw in the distance an ambulance and a firetruck and a combination of flashing lights this way and that it could have caused a seizure to someone if they weren't careful. Curious i walked up to the scene of the crime... apparently there was a hit and run. No car but a victim in an ambulance and chalk lines around where her body used to lay. Blood scattered on the pavement.

Mary never made the paper or the news... that's only for the income makers. And who knows where homeless people get buried if at all?

I guess i've figured out why i find myself on this road today. It's where the accident happened. I see those flashing blue and red lights surround me still and it brings a shiver from skin to bones.

These days i'm not sure what's worse: not knowing where my home is or not knowing if I'll ever find one.

Spinning

rivers. Rocks. narrow passageways. Dreams of fallen leaves. Sanity. Despair. Melancholy. Missing items. Missing friends. Missing. When everyone seems like an acquaintance. Nobody knows about the physical surgeries. Nobody knows about the mental surgeries. No time to even write it down. My family is quiet. My room is quiet. The world is quiet and unaffecting me. I've accomplished great things. I've grown. I've loved. I've lusted. I've drowned. Meaning. Missing meaning. Purpose. Needing purpose.

It's as though I've decided to spin spin spin spin in circles this entire year. And for this moment, one moment, i'm stopping. I'm nauseous. I'm disoriented. Every step i take forward now i stumble and i can't even focus on which way is straight. I can't see 2 feet ahead since everything else is still spinning around me.

Do i sit until i find my bearings? Do i remain standing and trudge through the dizziness? Do i wait for someone to put their hand on my shoulder?

This field I'm in is huge and no one will ever bother me as i spin away. I can spin until i die. But that's not what i want. It has seemed fun at first, but too much of anything will kill.

I have super strong beliefs about beliefs.

Belief, for me, is like a theory or assumption of what one "thinks" or "feels" the truth is. It's an emotional or logical response to data or opinions handed to us.

Truth is something one knows. Example 2+2=4.

sure, 2+2=4... but doesn't 2+1+1=4? how about 6-2?

I feel like often times, humans are given only part of the math problem causing the need for belief: 2+2+blank+blank-blank=500.

You can fill in the blanks, with multiple answers (beliefs)...would any ONE of those be the only truth though?

Limiting truth to only one possibility seems kind of weird to me when everyone has different perceptions. Everyone's truth is derived from different #'s. We all have different personalities, cultural upbringings, genetic makeup that draws us to different beliefs.

Will we ever know the total truth about an apple? about dogs? about a God? about ourselves? Does that lack of knowing matter? Does our belief, based on that lack of knowing matter? What if the only thing that Does matter is that the apple is red or green. Dogs Bark and chase cars. God wants people to love.

I like to say that total truth is irrelevant when it comes to belief. Otherwise it wouldn't be belief... it would be knowledge! You don't need to know every number that solves the equation. That's just a bunch of data. I'm more interested in leaving the possibility that others have numbers that could work in the equation that i don't even know much about. I enjoy humbling myself to the point that i say "i know very little to nothing." I hold one puzzle piece to a grand mural of a puzzle. Or maybe my piece doesn't even belong to the right puzzle? who can prove me truthfully wrong and who can prove me truthfully right? no one.

There is no set standard of truth with anything.
there is no 2+2=4 spelled out anywhere.

The majority of our being/ our purpose / who we are comes from what we believe. What we believe is not spelled out. There are so many possibilities for belief!

aside to Katlyn (the sky is based on visual perception-some animals see different colors than others, some don't even see the spectrum. Some people are blind. Some people are color blind. Some people's visual neurons are hooked in with their hearing senses. Some people "hear things" or "feel things" when they see color. To them, the sky is more of a sound or emotion. With different perception comes different belief.)

Many people say their beliefs are true. I like leaving the option that my beliefs are completely wrong because with so many varying perceptions, any belief can seem reasonable based on perception.

So I feel like i know nothing/ believe in a lot. I don't know whole truths. I don't even know if i know part of truths. I do believe though. And I believe, it's okay to believe without knowing the truth. Otherwise you would call it knowledge...

Can someone's belief matter if it is false? I say, you can't have a true or false belief. You can have true or false knowledge, but not belief. Belief is a mere stab at the truth based on perception, regardless of how strong or how weak.

-ph

Grammy for Year's Best Products

Of course music for the masses and product have entwined with each other from the start. But when did creativity and authenticity lose its say? Why do flashing lights, dance crews, and earned dollar bills factor so highly into judgement of award deserving music nowadays? It's a popularity contest. An image. Nothing more. In a nutshell, that was the Grammys which is parallel to the quality of our music industry.

people can argue which performances were better than others and who deserved what....but i could care less at which model strutted down the runway the best.

Where is Creativity? Where is the Art? Where is Music? The type of music that can make you cry. The type of music that can make you smile. Music you really feel. That the creator's can feel. The passion. Where's the passion? Seems like there's a need for a new awards show that recognizes art, not image.

Desiderata

Go placidly amid the noise and haste,

and remember what peace there may be in silence.

As far as possible, without surrender, be on good terms with all persons.

Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others,

even to the dull and ignorant; they too have their story.

Avoid loud and aggressive persons; they are vexations to the spirit.

If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain or bitter,

for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.

Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.

Keep interested in your own career, however humble,

it's a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.

Exercise caution in your business affairs, for the world is full of trickery.

But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;

many persons strive for high ideals, and everywhere life is full of heroism.

Be yourself.

Especially do not feign affection. Neither be cynical about love;

for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment,

it is as perennial as the grass.

Take kindly the counsel of the years,

gracefully surrendering the things of youth.

Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.

But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.

Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.

Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself.

You are a child of the universe no less than the trees and the stars;

you have a right to be here.

And whether or not it is clear to you,

no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceive him to be.

And whatever your labors and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life,

keep peace in your soul.

With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world.

Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.

-Max Ehrmann

Truth???

Truth is data. If everything were a hard drive, everything would have different data. So what, combine all those hard drives together? Discover patterns? Add 2 and 2's to a sum? Make mental spreadsheets? Gain knowledge? Live logically? Know this and that and her and him and what goes where... No, no I'd much rather have chemical reactions exploding in my head making me do irrational things and feeling feeling feeling every moment as though i'm looking up at an amazing fireworks display on the 4th of July with my jaw dropped in awe as the lights flash and spread this way and that and the sounds rumble and whistle and everyone around is smiling and loved ones are holding each other close, kids laughing, memories running, pictures being taken (physically and mentally), feeling feeling feeling the blood rush through every vein in my body.

My lungs filled with air. My eyes filled with tears. My heart filled with Love.

I'm done with data... give me Love.

-ph

Purple Magnolias

Well, I just saw 500 days of Summer for the first time and could it describe both our feelings better?

You were independent. Didn't want a relationship. But enjoyed having me around a little too much.

I never felt happier than being with you. Connected deeply with you. Loved every moment with you.

You let me in to your life. Brought me closer than anyone else.... Only to push me furthest away on a whim of a decision.

Well, funny enough, I just counted the days we've known each other. 487 Days to be exact. I do hope 13 more days ends this sadness. This longing. This yearning for someone who doesn't yearn back.

Will i ever feel this way for anyone again? And if I do will the same thing happen? Am i not a better person because of what happened? Do you ever think about how compatible we were? You became my best friend and I was yours. I miss you. How I miss you. How do i get back there?

maybe it will all end. 13 days. Just 13 more days.