Pinned Invitation

 

For those who require an Origin and Description of this Blog, click that link.

Although these essays appear in chronological order, they are published randomly. 

I invite you to read them randomly.     .....or not.        You make the call.

Thank you for finding this place.

McKinley Park...

  McKinley Park is a small pastoral oasis in the heart of big-city Chicago.  

Since 2013, I've walked the pathways in an attempt to stay healthy by keeping in motion. At first, it was just exercise, a sort of  personal competition, how far can I walk, how fast can I do it?  I started monitoring my progress.


Eventually, I added music to the experience which made it more enjoyable. Music allows me to relive moments from my life when these songs were meaningful. Memories are subtle but stubborn things.


Now my walks are a personal refuge, a gift, a cherished ritual where I can simply absorb nature and movement and awareness. I see other folks doing their own thing. I've met lots of dogs and their owners. Most people, I know by sight yet we haven't spoken. I never imagined that just smiling and nodding to someone could be such pleasant communication. It's a real treat to share this planet, this park with other beings.

 

 

Yep, that's what I thought about today.

It All Started With a Tweet...

"There are more atoms in a teaspoon of water than teaspoons of water in the Atlantic Ocean."

Whoa!!! My mind was blown! Can that be right? I better verify this independently because we can't allow erroneous information up on the internet, can we?

I started to walk and developed a verification plan. It seemed pretty straight forward. I'd have to find out how big is an atom, how big is a teaspoon, and how big is the Atlantic Ocean. Knowing that, a few basic math calculations and Voila!! Mission accomplished. I completed my walk and went home.

Except....

Crap, there are no exact defining parameters of the oceans, no boundaries, no complete topographical surveys of the ocean floor. At shoreline we can use mean tide as the reference, but everywhere else it can only be approximated. That lowers our precision big time!

Not only that, but given there are weather fluctuations, rain, evaporation, humidity, it's all water, do we include those atoms in our calculations? Exactly what IS the Atlantic Ocean? This is starting to piss me off!

OK, I realized I may have cut class that day so... I googled it!

Sure enough some other human being thought about this too.

Atlantic Ocean Volume: 6.298×10^22 tsp

Number of atoms in a Tsp of Water: 4.943×10^23 atoms

Citing the law of exponents, 10 to the 23rd power is waaaaaaaay bigger than 10 to the 22nd power. I'm talking HUMONGOUSLY MUCH BIGGER. So the tweet was verified, Mission Accomplished.

Lesson learned today is there is so much to ponder in this Universe, how will I ever get to it all?

Mr. Harper's Level of Chill...

Mr. Harper is someone I met at a veteran's support group a few years back. He's a distinguished looking gentleman, tall, lean, and calm. I must write a few words about him and what he has given me.


He's elderly but doesn't look it. He is always connected to an oxygen tank and walks aided by a walker, but he moves about gracefully. When he sits down, he sits straight up. 


He never offers an opinion unless asked. He listens to the other members of the group and doesn't interrupt anyone. When it is his turn to speak, he is brief and to the point.


From some of his comments, I surmise he was a "playa" back-in-the-day. But as I understand it, once a "playa" always a "playa."


If he shares about his infirmities, it's not a complaint, just statement of fact. He adores his grandson.  He jokes around easily but never mean-spirited. He's lighthearted and serious at the same time.


THAT  is the elegance of his personality. His name is John, I call him Mr. Harper.

I'm only around him one hour at a time if he shows up that week. That is all that was required for him to have an impact on my consciousness. I've come to admire his manner and respect his attitude. He's just a damn cool dude!

I aspire to.....and will one day attain.... "Mr. Harper's Level of Chill"

Mr. John Harper Jr.

August 16, 1939  --------  January 30, 2020

Sublime...

Every once in a while a piece of music stops me dead in my tracks. This was one of them.

Chris Botti and Lucia Micarelli collaborate to perform a composition by Michel Columbier, "Emmanuel."

This live performance in Boston is no longer available on YouTube

This live performance in Georgia added for visual elegance

What struck me most was the quiet intensity. The piece is a simple melodic theme with improvisations on that theme by two world class musicians at the top of their game. Both bring a unique sound that blend together beautifully. There is a sensuousness and longing expressed back and forth, and for a brief period, both are playing simultaneously. This is artistic communication of the highest order.


The musical arrangement for the orchestra was always subtle and in the background. The improvisations seem effortless and each solo complements and extends the other's.


The beauty of music is that words cannot adequately describe the sensations I get while listening. With eyes closed, I visualize the notes wafting in space, intertwining, moving freely around each other. There is passion and drama in each dynamic flourish, and when soft, this music is mesmerizing, almost sublime.


Everyone involved in this performance, the artists, technicians, and audience contributed to this experience. I'm so grateful that human beings can express their many talents for our benefit.

 

Still-Point...

Sometimes I sit down at the computer and determine what subject to broach. When there is nothing obvious to write about, I have to make space by cleaning out my mental clutter. 


It is a process of elimination, just let stuff go, dissolve, disappear into the ether.


What happened today in politics?....  let it go


What joys or regrets do you have?... let them go


What childhood memories make you happy or sad? ...let them go


Who have you loved, who has loved you? ... let it go


What are your dreams and what are your nightmares? ... let them go


How is your physical body treating you? ... let it go


What do you want, what do you need? ... let that go


Is life worth living? ... let that go


What does God have to say about it? ... let it go




I continue the process of elimination like peeling back layers of onion skin. It's hard work because there are LOTS of layers to my human condition.


Eventually, everything I've ever done, thought, experienced is set aside. No personal history, or future, or desires, or fears, and nothing physical, emotional, or tangible remain. That's my "still-point" state. A centered consciousness, an empty vessel, an open mind that accepts  inspiration.


I've found that state hard to get to, and even harder to maintain. As a typical human, I will always disturb my "still point" and must start the process all over again. 


This can be frustrating... and I let that go





In the end, it doesn't always work. I still may have nothing to write about. 

An Ordinary Walk...

I started out with nothing on my mind as usual when I saw this front porch...

About five years ago there was an elderly man who would sit on this porch in his chair and look at the park across the street. I would see him regularly and here's why I remember him.

The first time I passed him I smiled and said "Good Morning!" He didn't answer, he just looked at me so I kept walking. The next day the same thing happened, again no response. After that I just silently smiled at him until eventually I stopped making eye contact.


All that time I thought to myself "Who the fuck can resist my sparkling personality!?"


Starting last year I didn't see him there anymore. For three straight years we shared no personal interaction. I like to think he must have had a stroke or advancing Alzheimer and maybe he couldn't recognize me. I'm going with that explanation.  

Maybe he moved, maybe he died, who knows? But funny thing, I kinda miss the guy.





I kept walking and came upon this sight...A whole bunch of wildflowers all over the place!

If a bee is zipping along and sees this, what is he going to think? 


"So many flowers! So little time!" ...would be my guess. 


Or maybe a butterfly with untreated ADHD is similarly startled. He'd think "Whoa, where do I start? Should I make a grid? Purple or yellow flowers, which is better? I wonder what is on the other side. There must be hundreds - no THOUSANDS - of petals here! Where is this? I gotta remember. Oh shit, there's just too many!!"


I suspect a few little butterfly brains have exploded around here.





But I had no time to investigate, I had to complete my walk, so I did.