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Thinking – Blog No. 66

DEBUTANTE’S BALL

Don’t look at your feet, he said, or you will trip.  Look straight ahead, at the far side of the room.
We crowded the staircase for a posed photo
after raiding the car park for some car-stereo O.M.D.,
illicit beers and cigarettes
and
our chaperones’ better sense for underage champagne.
Sparkling wine, actually.
Mildly a-buzz
we accepted certificates for our virginity
and waited to be stormed by the eligible batchelors.
I am still waiting.
I have told you beowulf, I hate waiting.

I wait for you to bare your teeth at me in a riding-hood smile
I anticipate shooting that smile off your face.
Eagerly.
Smug bastard, take a hike to nowhereland.
I have no time free to send your shit into my dreams.
You better not have told me another bullshit rendition of your truth.
Thus far, I only know yours in condition, like as in conditional.
I don’t agree with that.  I agree with as is.
That means eclectic – a bit new, a bit old.
A bite-sized bit in the middle.

Until ever, there will be three.  I go for ply-policy.
Never put your ducks in a row.  They are too easy to shoot.
Always put your eggs in the basket.  It kept Moses alive.
©
DINNER AT ABDEL’S

The goat coming for supper was an added boon.
The invitation was so warm, sincere, it did not cross my mind to say no, thank you –
even though the taxi was a stranger
and
we were seven months pregnant.
We sat cross-legged at a knee-high table
dressed in blue and white
and
spread with kind gestures and sweet memories
I am fortunate enough to have shared.

The stars spoke to us of Islam and Islamicism
and
Anti-Islamic hators.
We dissected western interest in a tourist trap
and
I felt affronted at the lack of respect shown
to a land of faith, in a land of faith
that protects the feminine.
That was me, feeling.
Not suspicion, prejudice, fear, doubt or recrimination.
Just love.

The moon tricked us into talking past midnight
and
we invoked spirits in German, English, French, Muslim.
For I believe that Muslim is a language all of its own.
As is any, that cares enough for its people.
I delighted in your children’s certificates and songs
and
loved their shyness.
I felt like part of your family.
I am grateful that you showed us around.
It made Tunisia feel like home.
©

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Labelling – Blog No. 60

CG Jung

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Lies – Blog No. 44

 

lies

We have all used them. We have all needed them, it would seem, to survive. This world is made that way. People have been lying to save their skins since time immemorial. I suppose if you lie to save your life you can always hope that it was worth it. Your life, that is.

 

It is said that people lie out loud, on average, four times every twenty-four hours. I doubt whether that includes the myriad lies people tell themselves all day long – those need counting as well. It would appear that a lot of people feel far safer behind a wall of lies than they do out in the wide open, where reality is happening. That is a pity. A wall of lies is hardly a stronghold. It can be knocked down with one – or two – simple truths. The truth, as simple as it is, is where the ultimate power lies. Everybody knows that.

 

Lies destroy. They build, yes – bullshit castles in the sky – but their real purpose is to destroy. That is unfortunate when you consider what lies are actually destroying. It is no good thing when the voice of reason we have been conditioned to hear does not speak to us honestly. Reason in itself has always been problem enough, but at least when it was decided that reason was going to ‘lead’ the way, the age-old deciders should have ensured that reason was truth. Unfortunately, lying for a living bent reason sideways and it has never straightened itself out.

 

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Tampering – Blog No. 40

3parent

Is it necessary for scientists to generate a 3-parent child?  Like is it necessary to generate a bunny that glows in the dark?  I wonder.  I can see how tempting it is to tamper with natural processes, how invaluable such enterprise can occasionally be, but perhaps it is best to say that certain things – like procreation – really should be left to themselves.

Tampering with Nature has widespread implications.  Genetically modifying anything is a risky business.  What if what you generate a mutant that needs putting down because it turns out to be dangerous?  What are the ethics there?  Natural selection is not a waste of time.  It is not a process that mankind can improve upon.  Keep that in mind.

Tampering is usually the result of impatience.  Historically, mankind has been impatient to know the ins and outs of absolutely everything.  Curiosity is a huge advantage.  Impatience is not.  There is no need to second-guess Nature, or chase her up.  Everything happens exactly when it should.  If you will stick your fingers in pies that are still cooking, you will burn.  It’s simple.

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Contributing – Blog No. 39

giving

Be a contributor in life.  Not a bystander, a passer-by or a spectator.  Contribute.  That means giving.  Of yourself.  If it is easier for you to imagine that giving means throwing money at every problem that crops up, then you must have a lot of money to throw around and a lack of imagination.  An effective means of making a contribution is giving some of your time to cause that is not yours.  It is wise in this world to make a space where you set yourself and your agenda aside. 

You can contribute your personal expertise humbly, freely, to those that could benefit from your knowledge.  You can contribute your time, your ideas, your initiative.  Your understanding, your optimism, your smile.  As one of the seven billion variations of human being existing on this planet, there is no end of unique contributions you can make to an everyday.  

There is a definite payback for contributing.  You feel worthwhile.  That is a feeling most humans need to feel and when you willingly give, it makes those to whom you are contributing feel worthwhile, too.  Contributing is not an aggressive act, it is not forcing your opinions on another, for example.  It is a willing, open giving.

 

 

 

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Bad News – Blog No. 7

Paper Fortune TellerWhen you are told that there is good news – and – that there is bad news, which do you opt to hear first? I choose the bad news first. Like I save the best until last. That way, you can always be sure that you have something to look forward to. I suppose it is one way of making a negative, postive, and when you have the chance to do that – be sure that you do.

Bad news is not always as bad as it seems. It depends on the bearer’s methods and it depends on your propensity for accepting those things that you do not like in your life. We all have things in our lives that we do not like. Incidentally, we should be more assertive when it comes to saying so. But remember, if you will say so then be sure that you find ears that can hear you. There is no point bleating into the wind. I expect it is common for people to tolerate that which they don’t like. Society has become very adept at that. Those who stand for what they will not tolerate are burnt at the stake, almost.

Does bad news come in threes, like people believe? It depends if that is what you believe. If you believe that three bad things are going to happen to you consecutively each time some misfortune befalls you, then that is very likely exactly what you will get. When bad news arrives, just don’t multiply it and don’t collapse as a person. Face it, see that it serves a purpose. Bad news is never for nothing.

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Travel – Blog No. 91

Gridlock Pink flat wrap to web © ella doran_0Travel humbles you.  Please – if you have any spare money at all, use it to travel.  It gives you a sense of your space on this planet.  Send your children travelling – as a first priority.  Before studying.  Travel is the wisest investment.  All at once when you are travelling you are vulnerable, intuitive, open to suggestion.  Obliged to trust – and act on – your instincts.  That means watching, taking into consideration other people and their actions for the entire duration of your journey.  You are not more open than when you travel.

Please – one thing I do not understand.  Why do so many European women think it is acceptable to suntan topless in the likes of Egypt, Tunisia, etc?  The quiet men go insane.  They are not used to tits in their faces unless they are married.  If you want to get your tits out, then find a beach suitable for your predilection.  Get a clue.  There is no shortage of these beaches – or saunas – on the European continent – in fact, there is no shortage of these beaches or saunas anywhere in this world when you are a person who loves to spend time with your clothes off.  Find what you want.  The right place.  Do not inflict yourself on someone else.  Go for nudity if you want it, but know there is a place for your exhibitionism.  Find where you are celebrated for your choices and stay there.

Understand that travelling is a privilege.  A huge privilege.  It expands your perception unlike anything else on this planet.  New places, new people.  Yes – if you are in doubt –  do it.  Give yourself the gift of perspective.  Travel and see how distant your ‘real’ world is …

 

 

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Forever – Blog No. 89

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Fatness – Blog No. 87

supersizemekidsjpgI think how you look at fatness depends on how fat you are, how fat you have been.  I don’t think it matters one bit whether you are fat or not.  Who cares?  What worries me is fat people who refuse to admit that in order to have a fit, strong body you need to put in some serious work.  Hot bodies do not get the way they are by accident.  And there are such things as bodies that are hot, and bodies that are not.  Our society has made this fact big business.  It is a problem for some people to accept that ‘hot’ exists.  It is real.  Men and women respond to it, alike.  I think it is essential to give credit where credit is due and to me it is hats off to every single person who eats with care and conditions their body.  Simple.  That is discipline.  If you should choose not to spend any hours exercising, then that is your lifestyle choice.  You are entitled to live any way you wish, but you must be happy with the you that your type of living produces.  Some people have no desire to be active, or to be thin.  I salute these people – the ones who don’t give a shit about their size because they do not equate a ‘better’ self with a thinner self.  Theirs’ is a confidence, a kind of freedom that is to be admired – particularly in our über air-brushed world.  I salute, too, the people who are addicted to endorphins.  An exercise addiction in this world is not the worst addiction to have.

It is really important to understand that obesity is bad for you.  If you can, stay on the smaller side of obese.  It is one step too far.  Unless you have a death-wish, in which case your health will not matter to you and you will carry on until you die.  If you are addicted to food and you want to stop eating, you need treatment for your addiction like any addict needs treatment for their addiction.  Please see this.  Addiction is treatable.  Perhaps, too, you need some unconditional love to fill the hole in your soul that you are stuffing with food.  That particular hole can eat.  A lot of people eat to escape how they feel.   Others eat because the pleasure makes them feel temporarily alive.  People eat to pass the time, too.  Eating and boredom are good friends.  If you are one of the people who is in love with the delights of eating – and passionate about everything food and cooking – then you will not want to stay away from it and you should not.  Celebrate your passion:  drown yourself in sensation.

Please do not make children obese.  That is child abuse.  It has nothing to do with aesthetics – it is just not fair.  Your issues should not be theirs’.   Know that comfort-eating is a habit, learned.  It can be unlearned.  If you should believe that showing love means feeding your children until they burst, then take a long objective look at any over-large child’s achievements in a competitive playground.  If you do not care whether your child achieves anything in life, then that is a problem.  Realise that as the parent of an obese child, you are misguided.  You have a dysfunctional relationship with food.  Please give your children a chance in their world.  Like it or not, their world is body-conscious.  Give your child self-esteem, encourage fitness, wellness.  Don’t relegate a child to a place where it is first in line to be ridiculed.  Remember, kids are cruel.

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Relationships – Blog No. 81

Family-Relationships-bingoWhat are the components of a perfect love relationship?  You both get what you need.  You do not judge one another for being who you are – which means you do not piss each other off, or disappoint each other.  You want the best for your other half – which means you want them to be happy, whatever that takes.  If you are not interested in a perfect relationship then why are you in one?  Of course these components are ideals.  Subscribe to them.  We live in an idealistic society.  In case you did not yet notice there are a lot of people in this world who expect perfection and so they should.  Nature is perfect.  Perfect in her execution, her delivery.  If you need an example, follow hers.

If you are not in a relationship with someone you love you are not developing as a human being.  You cannot develop your connections, your social skills on your own.  Your relationships – all of them – mould your person.  Be brave in relationships, you will learn a lot.  If you do not have or care about having social skills, then that is another matter altogether.   Relationships are usually challenging – it is not often you find a perfect love relationship.  Know they do exist.  If you wish to have one you must expect to search for it.  You do not just happen upon perfection.  You need to want it, and you have to know how you are going to get it.

You should get to make choices in your relationships.  In this day and age you should not be forced to be with someone because another person says you must.  That is ridiculous.  Arranged situations are no longer necessary, they went out with the ark.  Know that if you believe in match-making because you will somehow gain from the association, you must change your thinking.  That kind of strategic breeding has had its day.  It is no longer the best way forwards.  You need to let go of your old ideas.  You may not dictate who another might – or might not – love.  That never works.  Love decides who is best for who.  Not you.

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