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December 11, 2007
I have just returned from yet another fantastic trip to Africa. And may I say Africa never disappoints. When I leave her I am cleansed of toxic thoughts and wasted energy and ready to focus on whatever is before me upon my return. But to get that result sometime she breaks you down first. Life cleansing tears stream down my face while at a beautiful scenery watching colorful birds, hippos, baboons and waterbuck living out their life in front of me. This is a welcome part of that cleansing.
It's a magical, healing place you must experience to understand.
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November 28, 2007 Each time I am in Africa and turn on the radio I hear a particular song that touches me to tears and yet I can never find it when I return. I heard it this trip too. And now I know it is called "Child of the Universe". Interestingly enough this song's lyrics were taken from a letter written around 1680 - yes 1680! It was found in St. Pauls Church in Baltimore. The first phrase of the song is, "You are a child of the universe and you have the right to be here no less than the trees and the stars." The song is by Desidirata. Google it and read lyrics to live by written long years ago.
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June 4, 2007 Do most people buy themselves a birthday present? Or do we just use the month of our birth as a time to say screw it and buy that thing we have been wanting? I could convince myself I deserve a gift for all I have been through over the past months. Well, whatever you want to call it and for whatever the excuse I bought myself a gift; a BMW Z4 coupe. I am not a "keep up with the Jones" person and I don't need the big house, expensive jewels or the perfect clothes. But I do love a cool fun car. This trait I must have acquired from my mother who, when my age, was driving a 300 ZX. But the gene is mine and I wear it well and now I and my gene are tooling around in the new Z-girl! Be good to yourself!
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February 20, 2007
Confucius said, "The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." Some days I feel like I need to take a new step in a new direction for a new life journey. But I ask myself, "Would I be running away from something old or towards something new?" This time in life, I want to make that decision before I take the contemplated step.
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October 26, 2006
Yesterday, while paying my bill and booking my next appointment at the dentist, I was looking at their calendar whereby I saw preprinted on the day of October 7th "2001, the start of the war on terror". I was stunned to see that preprinted on a calendar just like Christmas, Thanksgiving, and the first day of spring. Then I began to remember that very day five years ago. I was planning my move to Africa. Two days prior I had a garage sale selling most all of my belongings. The terrorist attacks were a month behind us. Much contemplation had me concluding the events in NYC were not going to stop me from continuing with my plan. And then President Bush announced the war.... After some internal debate and ignoring the verbal scare tactics from friends and family about what might happen should I continue with my plans, I marched forth. Yesterday, standing at the counter of the dentist office, I was grateful for the fortitude I found in myself during those days. My decision to go forth changed me forever.
One of the many lessons from those days is that people, for whatever their motive, will find good reasons for you not to do things that are out of societies norm. You may even question yourself a thousand times. But when you jump off of the normal train and take that unbeaten path you will stretch as a human, taking yourself to places you could never imagine - geographically and mentally. If you carry through, I doubt you will ever regret it. I certainly never have and I know I never will.
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October 17, 2006 I have been asked who in this world I would most like to sit with for a meal. Since it could not be Henry Morton Stanley or Dr. Livingstone - African explorers from long ago - then I would have to say, without doubt, Nelson Mandela. His life - and therefore his biography "A Long Walk to Freedom" - is one of an extraordinary human being. Finton O'Toole, a writer, critic and columnist with "The Irish Times" wrote the following about Mandela in a forward of the book "Nelson Mandela - In His Own Words" - which is a collection of his speeches throughout his life. Mr. O'Toole said, "He has allowed a myth to attain the status of a man, has shown that a legend is elevated rather than diminished when it becomes human." No matter what I have read or watched about Nelson Mandela, I have learned that he is a man of great dignity; a man who has forsaken all for the gain of all South Africans; white and black. When you walk the streets of South Africa today you do and will always feel the presence of this great man. What a wonderful dinner conversation it would be at a table graced with his presence!
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