If We Had Known

If we had known....
Would we have had the strength not to...?

What's your pit?

...partial lyrics from "Impression That I Get" by Mighty Mighty Bosstones

"I'm not a coward,
I've just never been tested
I'd like to think that if I was,
I would pass
Look at the tested and think there but for the grace go
I might be a coward,
I'm afraid of what I might find out
I've never had to knock on wood
But I know someone who has
Which makes me wonder if I could
It makes me wonder if
I've never had to knock on wood
And I'm glad I haven't yet
Because I'm sure it isn't good
That's the impression that I get"

Have you reached your rock bottom?
Are you one of those that never has and doesn't think they ever will?
"Why go there?"  you ask.
Are you content with not being uncomfortable?
Are you willing to take a step out and be more than content?
Would you like to be overwhelmed...with joy and passion for life?

"All it takes for evil to prevail is for good men to do nothing."

What's your discontent? 

 Find it or it will find you.

Life in the Undergrowth

I am currently living in the undergrowth. Lots of life. Lots of death. Lots of regeneration. Lots of decay. Life is thick with all of these. So thick, I sometimes loose track of the fact that there is fresh air slightly above. And that there is a vast expanse of freedom just above the canopy.

Bluebird is Welcome!

 
For the past couple days, a bluebird has been visiting our front window. It hovers in front of the window, perches on the sill for a bit, flies around the yard, rests on the Adirondack chair, then returns. It repeats this about a dozen times before disappearing for the day.

After researching some basic symbolism of bluebird visits,
I am more than willing to welcome his presence.

A list of quotes, ideas, beliefs, and truths about

The Bluebird

Transformation. (I think I'm currently experiencing the calm before the storm and am looking forward to a little transformation.)

Passage into happiness and fertility. 

(I'm willing to ignore the fertility part, since just passing another birthday. But perhaps I will consider it to be a symbol of fertility in another area of my life.)

A new confidence and happiness in coming into your own.

If a bluebird has come into your life, look for opportunities to touch the joyful and intrinsically native aspects of yourself that you may have lost touch with.

It is a bird of transition, of passage--from winter to summer, from child to adult, night to day, barrenness to fertility.

The beautiful blue of its plumage is associated with the sky and eternal happiness. Unlike the swallow, it does not have a 'dark' side.

Zip-a-dee-doo-dah

Zip-a-dee-ay

My, oh, my, what a wonderful day

Plenty of sunshine headin' my way 

          (maybe after a few thunderstorms and along with intense heat)

Zip-a-dee-doo-dah

Zip-a-dee-ay

Mr. Bluebird's on my shoulder

It's the truth, it's factual

Everything is satisfactual...

The Bluebird Song is sung to remind Navajo tribe members to wake at dawn and rise to greet the sun.

      (This may be the one and only message trying to get through to me....

      WAKE UP! RISE AND GREET THE SUN!)

Bright colors.

Excellent eyesight.

Sweet Song!

Denotes spiritual joy and contentedness, foretells happy conditions in one's life.

_________________________

There is definitely a feel of "looking forward" in all of this.
That would be a transformation for me, wouldn't it?

The Next Step

Feeling overwhelmed with obligations, responsibilities, purposes, visions, burdens, worries.
Trying to prioritize.
What's the next step?  There are so many. How do I do it all?

...one step at a time...

There can only be one next step! It's impossible to take more than one step at a time.
That narrows it down quite a bit.

In order to move at all, I just have to pick one next step.

That step might be a physical action, an emotional shift, or an intellectual "ah-ha!" It might take a few seconds, a day, or a month. I may not even realize when it was completed, but hind-sight will tell me
...it is finished.

Then...the next next step...
...just pick one.

Serendipitous Fortune Cookie

Fortune cookies, to me, are entertainment and dessert. I don't put any more faith in them than I do in any other "coincidence" that God has orchestrated.
With that said, I find it very interesting that I had the following fortune this past week (in light of my last post):

"No one can walk backwards into the future."

Perhaps a little serendipitous.
Perhaps coincidence.
Perhaps divine orchestration.
Definitely encouragement...to consider boldly facing forward into the future, instead of settling for facing backward.

Logistically, I do believe it is possible to "walk backwards into the future." But the point might be that one cannot do it as boldly, confidently, or courageously as is possible by facing the future.

I'd like to face my future boldly, confidently, and courageously. Next step...discovering the next step.
Thus, the journey continues.

I'm a Dreamer.

I’m a dreamer. Daytime and nighttime. They intermix...the daytime with nighttime dreams...the dreams themselves...and dreams with reality (whatever that is).

My day dreams aren’t as often whimsical fantasies of escape as they are visions of a radical future. They include both promises fulfilled and the battles fought along the way. They are frequently overwhelming and hard to wrap my mind around. They are the dreams that I am compelled to share with my closest friends, who are always quick to affirm the passion they’ve stirred.

My night dreams are sometimes too prolific to process. Even those rambling, inane trips through an ever-changing landscape tend to hide in them profound messages of hope and encouragement: keep the faith...you can do it...this journey is yours...embrace who you are. The messages can be simple and obvious (don’t eat ice-cream before going to sleep) or deep and difficult (the call to step out of my comfort zone...further). The meaning for me seems to be glaringly obvious at first awakening, but the more I think on it, the more complex it becomes. Keeping a dream journal is invaluable, but in hindsight, it is always amazing how much is revealed to me through dreams that I don’t process consciously.

Recording my visions and dreams, followed by my thoughts and interpretations of each, then looking back through them every few months, has been an adventure. In trying to keep moving forward in life, while facing backward, my dreams are those peripheral glimpses of the path ahead of me.

This week, a dear friend helped me to see that perhaps facing backward isn't necessarily the default in life. Maybe my personal journey includes having the courage to actually turn around and boldly face forward on the path. Maybe it's possible to move toward those visions with more confidence and less fear. I like it. It might take me a while, but I’m game.

I'm hoping you'll walk with me and let me know when you notice me starting to face forward!