Perservere

MT HOOD in Oregon. Credit: Public Domain

“The man who moves a mountain begins by carrying away small stones.”
~Confucius

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Perserverence must begin somewhere…in a cold and dark room in the very early morning in the dead of winter. It is sharp with a hard edge, tempered by a million stings. Perserverence is tired but hears the shrill of the alarm in that damn biting cold and gets up anyway.

Perserverence doesn’t think. It doesn’t moan or complain. It just acts. It never questions, it does….and never under any excuses does it ever make excuses. It is strong, steadfast and true. It is a port in the storm and it can weather it all, from wind to rain and sleet and snow.  Perseverance can outlast any hurricane.

Perseverance is not easy.  It is hard-fought and not easily won.  It comes in fits and starts and twists and turns. At times it flows like the mighty Mississippi, at other times it drips and drips like a leaky tap. Sometimes it doesn’t come at all. It is when we feel low, when we are alone in the pitch black darkness…we shout and plead and scream “please help me!” and our pleas fall on deaf ears, no one comes to help and our despair only grows.  It as if we are at the end of a slippery rope, our hands bleed trying to hold on, we think we cannot hold on but somehow from seemingly nowhere we find the strength to hold on….

Perseverance is a broken foot that walks a million miles…it is a voice that sings a million songs. Perseverance is a heart that loves a million times over and is always ready to love once again.

You can fall a million times, a billion…Perseverance will get you back up…it always does and always will. Cling on to this miracle. Hold it in your hand and never let go and it will never let go of you…

Credit: Public Domain

Strawberryindigo.

A Colorful Person: Andy Rooney

Old Whatshisname: that cranky guy.

I am starting a new monthly feature similar to Fresh Quotes. I will be publishing this right in the middle of each month and I thought The Ides of March would be the perfect time to introduce it.  I am calling it A Colorful Person for now. If I come up with a better name, which I hope I will, I will change it. Ideas anyone?  Every month I will feature a different person. Someone who has made the world a bit more colorful. Someone who I personally admire. Some of these people will be quite obvious, others not so much. Every one of them will be people who have shaped my thinking and helped make me the me I am today. (So you’ll know who to blame. haha)

This month’s Colorful Person is Andy Rooney; the cranky old guy who was a fixture on the TV show 60 Minutes for what seemed like 60 years. He passed away at the end of 2011 at the ripe old age of 92 and I miss him terribly especially on Sunday evenings.

He was at heart a writer who said what he meant and he meant what he said. I started watching his stories on 60 minutes as a child and I continued watching until his last in October of 2011. He was an influence on me as a writer and as a person. He was the cranky Grandfather I never had.  He had tons of common sense and I’d like to share some of his plain talk wisdom with you today.

~SBI

…..and so, Here’s Andy…

Say What?

“If dogs could talk it would take a lot of the fun out of owning one.”

♦

Credit: Scubamom

“I’ve  learned ….  That opportunities are never lost; someone will take the ones you miss.”

Credit: Public Domain

“People will generally accept facts as truth only if the facts agree with what they already believe.” 

Credit: Public Domain

“I’ve learned that no matter how serious your life requires you to be, everyone needs a friend to act goofy with.” 

“Did you ever hear one of those corny, positive messages on someone’s answering machine? ‘Hi, it’s a great day and I’m out enjoying it right now. I hope you are too. The thought for the day is share the love. Beep.’ ‘Uh, yeah, this is the VD clinic… speaking of being positive, your test is back. Stop sharing the love.”
 ♦

Credit: Public Domain

“Yes, we praise women over 40 for a multitude of reasons. Unfortunately, it’s not reciprocal. For every stunning, smart, well-coiffed, hot woman over 40, there is a bald, paunchy relic in yellow pants making a fool of himself with some 22-year old waitress. Ladies, I apologize. For all those men who say, “Why buy the cow when you can get the milk for free?”, here’s an update for you. Nowadays 80% of women are against marriage. Why? Because women realize it’s not worth buying an entire pig just to get a little sausage!”
♦

Credit: Public Domain

“The best classroom in the world is at the feet of an elderly person.”
♦

“Writers don’t often say anything that readers don’t already know, unless its a news story. A writer’s greatest pleasure is revealing to people things they knew but did not know they knew. Or did not realize everyone else knew, too. This produces a warm sense of fellow feeling and is the best a writer can do.”

*All of the above quotes are credited to Andy Rooney

♦

Andy Rooney was born on January 14, 1919, in Albany, New York. During WWII, he wrote for the Army’s Stars and Stripes newspaper and was one of the first American journalists to visit and write about the German concentration camps. Rooney joined the staff of CBS’ 60 Minutes in 1968 and began his iconic “A Few Minutes With Andy Rooney” segment in 1978. Rooney’s final 60 Minutes essay aired in October, 2011. He died a month later at age 92.

Credit: Biography.com

Related articles

Andy Rooney: My Lucky Life ( His last one) (youtube.com)

*** In the Andy Rooney spirit, I just hate deceptive packaging. (dakotatoday.typepad.com)

Andy Rooney Dead at 92 60 Minutes Commentator Dies (binsidetv.net)

HOPE Believes in YOU

Credit: SBI

“Life isn’t finding shelter in the storm.  It’s about learning to dance in the rain.” 
~Sherrilyn Kenyon

Hope awaits in the wings. It can be quiet and slow. Whatever unexpected thing that fate has in store for you will show itself in its own time. These things cannot be rushed. I know, I’ve tried. The trick is to be patient and keep busy and always, no matter how many time you fall flat on your face or how many times the cruel wind pushes you down, you must get up. Despite the taunts, the jeers, the doubts and the fears that may pop up in your mind, you must pull yourself up and face that cruel wind with a smirk, a smile, and a fight in your heart.

Sometimes life can be a vast ocean and we are only small vessels traversing through its choppy waters. You say to yourself, I am drowning and I cannot go on–I can’t take it anymore. The seas are too rough and too great and I am so small. You can see the stormy skies and you wonder how you can possibly hold on. You can hold on. Perseverance is holding on when you think you are about to let go…hold on for a minute more. Sometimes that’s all it takes, just a minute more and dawn will break. The ocean will be still and the sun will shine upon it and the world will be a glittering jewel once again.

Sometimes help comes in the most unexpected of places, in the strangest of forms. It is help nonetheless. Never give up, never stop trying. Hope can come in starts and fits. Hope can be a light at the end of a very long tunnel, a light so dim that you cannot see it but it is there. Keep moving, don’t stop dreaming. Keep going forward even if you have to crawl because the light is there, I promise you. I can see it and it burns as bright as the sun.

You are not alone in the dark. We are never truly alone. Reach out into the darkness and hope will be there lighting the way…You must believe in hope….because it believes in you.

Credit: Public Domain

“I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I needed to be.” 
~ Douglas Adams

Strawberryindigo.

Related Hopeful Articles

♥

Share hope! (onenotalone.wordpress.com)

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Hope for Humanity (lovinggodinchaos.com)

Little Bits of Good

My son as a baby

The other night I was talking with my son. He has just turned 18 and is thinking about what he wants to do with his life.  He conveyed to me his doubts and fears; his concerns about how the world is.  He told me he sees us humans as parasites and he voiced his concerns about how we are treating our planet and each other.

I listened and kept silent. I thought how much he sounded like myself in the past.  A past not so long ago.  These were things I thought before I decided to have children  It was a choice I considered very carefully. There was a voice in my head that said; how dare I bring another person into this crowded planet? Who was I add another hungry mouth into this already hungry world.

Another side of me: The hopeful part, the ones with dreams, the one that believes in belief, said that it wasn’t up to me to decide. Who was I to discard a potential human life…even and especially, the life of my possible child.?  Who was I to deny life to anyone? Who made me judge, jury and executioner?  If this potential child only had a few years of life…even one year, one month, one second…who was I to deny that?

Who was I to deny his beautiful blue eyes  just one sunset, one hug or one tip toe through the tulips.  Perhaps this child would contribute to the world…perhaps in a way I’d never imagine; maybe this child would be needed.  I thought all of this at the time, almost 20 years ago and all those thoughts and feelings came flooding back to me as I heard the words of my son. I understood his feelings exactly; he is an intelligent and thoughtful young man and he made some very valid points.

I saw the look of defeat in his eyes and a bit of anger too.  I know that anger all too well. The world had already been “screwed up” before either one of us got here. It’s easy to feel hopeless and angry.   I listened carefully to everything he had to say and then it was my turn…

Lately in my life I have found just the right thing to say but I don’t know actually what it will be until it comes out. This is quite new and I think it is all the writing I’ve been doing and I was very grateful for that because I found myself explaining to him much of what I just mentioned,about how I had thought carefully before deciding to have him and I told him how glad I am that he is here now.

The proud Mom with child circa 1995

I told him I agreed that the world is going to hell and how we’ve fouled up our seas and skies and land, and how all we humans seem to see is our differences…and how much we fight each other. I also told him how much hope I have for the future and how I believe that we have it in us to make this all right, and how we as a society can change things and how it all starts with one.

I told him how it starts with little changes and how it was up to him to be that change.;It is up to him to make a difference in his little corner of the world. To find something near and dear to him and make a difference.  I told him that I thought my writing was like that and if enough people make a small difference…how that could grow and spread.

I talked and talked; a lot  I don’t remember, but I kept talking and as I did I saw the light in his eyes begin to brighten; he was listening and I could sense the lights turning on in his brain.

Then it was my turn again to listen: He told me of his interest in nature and teaching children about nature and sharing his love of it. He told me of his plans and as he did I could see his burden lifting and my heart soared as the corners of his mouth began to curl up into a wide smile.

I”ve never have been prouder of him as I was at that moment… it was very much like the moment when I first held his tiny body in my arms and gazed into his big blue trusting eyes of his; when I knew that I had made the right decision. I have brought another beautiful life into this world who will touch others with his beauty and how wonderful this all is!

A Nature advocate in the making

We may be small and insignificant in this world and our actions may seem hopeless; a mere drop in the bucket, but I believe we together…drop by drop by drop, together we are a mighty ocean. Together we can do anything….even save the world! The first step is believing….. and it all starts with you…make your drop count.

Credit: Public Domain

Thanks for listening,

Strawberryindigo.

∞

“Do your little bit of good where you are; it’s those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world.

~Desmond Tutu~

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Related Articles

I will be a hummingbird (youtube.com)  Very inspirational!  Please watch!

Saving the World (www.savingtheworld.net)

Saving the Planet (www.ideastosavetheplanet.org)

The Neon Cheesy Dust of Self Importance

Say “CHEESE”

It all started with an idea. A grandiose crazy idea, some of which I am about to tell you, most of it I must keep to myself for now but suffice to say it will be my first big move into the fast paced grown-up world of freelance writing.

So I got this idea; a flash of brilliance that almost blinded my cat Mario. I was so excited by this that I started to jump up and down and instantly without thinking, I plunged my dainty hand straight into a bag of Doritos and started to consume it’s overly cheesy contents. I am a mom and I preach ad nauseam against this sort of activity but there I was munching away; my eyes ablaze waiting for MM to come through the door and then suddenly: there he was, and there I was, and then I just blurted it out: “I want you to be my manager.” I managed to stammer, eyes wide, mouth full of chips. “You’d do what you’re doing now except that you could call yourself my manager…of course, I couldn’t pay you” I added sheepishly.

As you may have guessed; he jumped at the chance!  So there we were jumping up and down like lunatics in the kitchen. By then Mario, my famous cat, had darted out of the room, but we didn’t care. We were hugging and I was getting neon cheesy dust on his back and I didn’t care and he didn’t know, but that’s OK–I do all the laundry. It was an amazing moment for both of us…

… It is also amazing how a person can pump themselves up with a basically unearned  and certainly at this moment in time, worthless highfalutin title. Just like that.  It is at these moments that I am proud to be an American!

And that reminds me…did you know that Americans are the most narcissistic people in the world? Well…I bet you knew that but did you know that I am NOT one of these narcissistic Americans?  HA!  I bet you didn’t know THAT! Yes, it’s true. I was a bit curious about the subject so I started reading a book on narcissism; its fascinating stuff. The book contains a short test which I took, and to my surprise and embarrassment; I scored pretty low…so low that I think I may suffer from low self-esteem with a shot of delusional over-thinking and obvious long-windedness. Apparently just thinking I may be narcissistic may disqualify me.  Well I guess I still have some work to do….

…but now I have a manager and a goal…it’s nothing to choke on your Dorito over, but it’s a start.

Wishing you a fantastic day full of big dreams and junky neon cheese!

Strawberryindigo.

• ◊  Related articles  ◊ •

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Narcissism Personality Disorder Traits (mayoclinic.com)

Narcissism Test (personality-testing.info)

How Narcissism Can Be Good for You (psychologytoday.com)

What’s Really In Nacho Cheese Doritos (eatthis.menshealth.com)

GREAT

GREAT WALL of China
Credit: pingnews

“Because of a great love, one is courageous.”

Lao Tzu

Have you ever been stuck on a word? Have you ever used one particular word so frequently that it caused you any worry? Have strangers mocked you using that word in a public place?  If you have answered any of these questions with the word Yes, you must be like me and I am not so alone in my cheap and tawdry word addiction.

I’ll admit it right here and now. I will shout it to the rooftops…” I am Strawberryindigo and I am a wordaholic–my tonic of choice, my vice, the object of my obsession: the word “GREAT”

HAHA…  It is probably of no surprise to you; my overuse and abuse of the word.   It litters my posts and certainly my comments. You are so very nice not to mention this. You may have asked yourself at one time or another…How many times can one person say “Great Post”?

I’ll admit and everyone knows that Great is a great word. (That is why it is called that, duh) If there is any word to over depend on it is this word, this great word. It is positive and it is versatile. To me it sounds strong and certain of it’s place in the whole scheme of things.

I can’t help but think  too much of a good thing (or great word can be just that: too much.

GREAT WHITE SHARK
Image by © David Fleetham/Visuals Unlimited/Corbis

I know what you’re thinking right now… How can I be so impossibly brave? I ask myself that too. Perhaps it is the writer in me yearning to break free of the confines of convention? Maybe I grow bored with my limited palate of words? It could be that if I am to be any kind of writer at all I must extend my vocabulary.  Great just isn’t cutting it.

So I am asking you a favor…Please if you see me or hear me use that word–you know the word–THAT word, let me know in no uncertain terms that I am being a weak overdependent hack. Tell me this, I deserve it. We will all be better off this way.

Besides…

GREAT SMOKY MOUNTAINS

There are so many words I can use instead: Words such as…

abundant, ample, big, big league, bulky, bull, colossal, considerable, decided, enormous, excessive, extended, extensive, extravagant, extreme, fat, gigantic, grievous, high, huge, humongous, husky, immense, inordinate, jumbo, lengthy, long, major league, mammoth, mondo, numerous, oversize, prodigious, prolonged, pronounced, protracted, strong, stupendous, terrible, titanic, towering, tremendous, vast, voluminousable, absolute, aces, adept, admirable, adroit, awesome, bad*, best, brutal, cold*, complete, consummate, crack*, downright, dynamite, egregious, exceptional, expert, fab, fantastic, fine, first-class*, first-rate, good, heavy*, hellacious, marvelous, masterly, number one, out of sight, out of this world, out-and-out, perfect, positive, proficient, super-duper, surpassing, terrific, total, tough, transcendent, tremendous, unmitigated, unqualified, utter, wonderful GREAT PYRAMID OF GIZA

WISHING YOU AN UTTERLY SUPER-DUPER DOWNRIGHT EXCEPTIONAL DAY!!!

Strawberryindigo.

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Change

“Nothing endures but change.”

-Heraclitus

I feel the change in the air. I can see it in the golden light of the morning sun. I can hear it in the insistence of the caws of crows. Sunny the Calico runs back and forth across the lawn. I think she can sense it too; there is a certain energy to this day.

The wind picks up and shakes the tall pines that frame the yard. The deep purple Asters have begun to bloom and complement quite nicely the bright yellow Susans.

I spy a white butterfly. It is Cabbage White, I believe. It is a flurry of activity and is much too quick for me to identify it by the tale-tell spots on its white wings. It flutters around before stopping by some phlox and then heads to a popular spot for butterflies; the Buddleia or otherwise known as, what else: A butterfly bush. This magnificent plant is heavy in nectar and butterflies as well as hummingbirds and bees are attracted to it’s heady scent…it calls to them like moths to a flame…so irresistable.

It is hard to believe that it is September already. This past summer has seemed to just fly by. I look at my poor neglected lawn; shaggy around the edges, brown spotted and weedy. I admit I have let it go this past year. I have found different priorities and a perfect lawn stopped being one of them.

I have learned to enjoy my garden more and work in it less. I have accepted a certain amount of naturalness and with it some untidiness. It seems the birds and the bees and the cats…. and the dragonflies don’t seem to mind.

I mention this as a big greenish dragonfly circles over my head, high in the air. What a magnificent creature. I marvel at it’s speed and agility. I sit under the beautiful green Laurel tree, a tree I planted when my son was in the first grade. It stands tall just as he does now.  He’s a senior in high school this year. Oh my, how time flies.

The breeze plays a melodic tune on the chimes in the tree as the wind picks up again. I remind myself to enjoy this time; in a few months time it will be cold again and I will watch from the back window making plans for the coming spring and wishing I could sit under the tree and watch the butterflies as I am now.

A chickadee stops and sings its namesake song: “Chickadee-dee-dee-dee” to me atop the fence. Mario comes in very slowly from behind the fuchsia, creeping through the grass on his way to the little black headed bird. The bird is much too fast for Mario and flies away.  He acknowledges me with his customary ‘”silent mew”, sits down and together under the laurel tree, the cat and I watch the seasons change.

Wishing you a fantastic day!

Strawberryindigo.

 

Nothing

I have countless notebooks jam-packed full of ideas and subjects to write about. I have  been blessed/cursed with an active imagination. So I’m sitting here thinking about what’s next, I must feel passionately about the subject at hand or the words don’t flow, it becomes strained and forced and there is no point to writing anything at all. Fortunately this rarely happens and when it does I just walk away and do something else. The time has to be right….

…and so this very afternoon I lament this to MM;  He has a gift for making my complicated little life dilemmas into simple bite-sized pieces that can be easier to chew but sometimes not so easy to digest..

I remarked in passing how I felt like writing (Ha, big surprise) but that I didn’t know what about. Currently I’m in a layed-back Sunday mood although it is a Tuesday, it feels like it anyway. It is cloudy and cool and I am listening to some soft melodic guitar music. The coffee is hot and it’s black and I shouldn’t be drinking it but what the hell it’s Sunday…I mean Tuesday and life is too short…

…and so I am sitting here and I lament all this to MM.

Have I mentioned what a wise person he is? Well this wise person suggests that I should write about nothing….  At times I  have foolishly resisted his advice but today I’m taking it.

This may sound a bit difficult to write about nothing but I am always up to a challenge like that. So as MM carefully crept out the door and down the hallway and I, like a dog with a bone, set out to write about my just found obsession: Nothing.

I know that MM knows I will be tapping along for a while; at least 400 or so words at a stretch. He knows I can’t help myself and that I will be distracted with this very thing: Nothing.

And as I’m tapping along MM goes and does the dishes…without my knowledge, under my very nose…he’s like that you know. (sorry ladies, he’s taken)

And so, as this wonderfully lazy day goes on with me writing and pondering the deepest philosophical mysteries about nothing. MM has the satisfaction of knowing he’s doing a good deed all the while pulling one over on me in the process…

..and me? I’m going for my second cup of coffee….

Strawberryindigo.

Amuse me

I am big on childish fun. I live for it, so when I got the chance to visit the local amusement park recently, I jumped on it.  Who doesn’t need a little fun and amusement every once in a while?

My daughter still allows me to accompany her to places such as this and amazingly at 14, she doesn’t seem as embarrassed by my presence as she should be.  Maybe this is because I am a totally hip and happening middle-aged woman who is a laugh a minute and loads of fun to hang out with?  Could it be that she is a kind soul who takes pity on her poor fun-starved mother…maybe it’s because I’m springing for junky carnival food and deluxe ride braclets?

Oaks Amusement Park is a quaint old-fashioned little park nestled among the trees in Sellwood, minutes from downtown Portland Oregon.  Built in 1905 its sign proudly proclaims: “This is the place where the fun never ends…..”

This is the place for me!

Our fun started with greasy super bad for you corn dogs, loaded with fat and cholesterol and smothered with happy yellow mustard, accompanied by a nice tall cola, bubbling over with corn syrupy goodness.  We sat in the sun and slurped up our unhealthy booty in silence.   Aspie style, enjoying each others presence but not needing a lot of words.

After having our fill we did a short walkabout around the park. Mentally mapping out our itinerary.

THE SPIDER

We decided since we had just eaten all that junky food we should immediately go on The Spider; a ride that takes you way up in the air and spins you around.

This perhaps may not have been the smartest move…I realised this when we were dangling on top of the ride suspended in mid-air and all I could hear was blood curdling screaming:  My daughter kept repeating over and over “It’s okay Mother, (she calls me Mother to annoy me)  stop screaming. You are making my brain hurt.”  And her brain did hurt and so did mine for the entire ride…

And then we were off to something a bit more my speed so I could relax and get my bearings before the next round.

AHHHHH!!! Not this ride!!!

No Way!! I am a chicken, not THIS one either!

AHHHH…This one is better.

I clung to that wooden horse for dear life and thanked my lucky stars that I was back on the ground…it was at this point I began to doubt my capacity for “amusement”. I felt queasy and I looked around for the next exit…and then I saw my daughter’s face beaming brightly in the hot afternoon sun and I realised what I knew already; I’d brave anything for her and no silly fears of mine would get in the way of our good time.

With a renewed vigor we set out for more excitement…I heard the whinny of a loud rock guitar…oh cool…my 80′s inner bratty teen emerged from the dusty corners of my memory and ran ahead toward the sound and the Rock and Roll ride.  There we went around and around on a ‘57 Chevy to the musical stylings of White Wedding by Billy Idol which reminded me why I try to forget that strange decade…

Next up the Tilt-a-whirl: Here we are all set to go… Did I mention the spinning? Around and around and around…my poor stomach, an unwitting and reluctant guest, keep spinning along with us.  I kept thinking about the greasy corn dogs and the soda and the spinning…

Needless to say it was another minor crisis nearly averted.  My daughter lined up for another stab at it and I took the kiddie train for a nice leisurely toot toot around the park.

A very relaxing train ride.

miniature golf waterfall

Little kids roller coaster we were too tall to ride.

 Then it was time for my daughter’s very favorite:  The Scrambler. This is a popular ride and we had a wait a bit but it was well worth it.

Americana at it’s best.

This happy girl makes it all worthwhile.

We continued our fun throughout the afternoon, eating more junk ( Cotton candy and ice cream) and riding the rides.  All and all it was a successful run and we are planning a return visit. Maybe next time I will brave the aptly named Screaming Eagle…and then again….???

Have an amusing day!

Strawberryindigo. 

• Amusement park ride kills goose in S. Jersey (philly.com)
• Employee dies at Montreal’s La Ronde amusement park (lfpress.com)
• Video of Dad Freaking Out On Amusement Park Ride Goes Viral (5min.com)
• This Insane Amusement Park Ride Looks Like Three Minutes Of Pure Malfunctioning Terror [Video] (gizmodo.com)
• Amusement Park Rides Taking Toll in Deaths this Summer (blogs.lawyers.com)

Occupy The Hilton

I must confess that I have a strong streak of justice running through me coupled with some liberal leanings and a twist of rebellion. I guess I’m just wired that way and at times I am strangely compelled to engage in highly compassionate acts. I am also compelled to “give it to the man” from time to time, so when these pastimes collide,  I reach a sort of nirvana that can stay with me for weeks.

Keeping this in mind, I know it will be of no surprise to you that I have recently joined the occupy movement. Well not actually the occupy movement per se… frankly all those occupyists scare me a bit but they do inspire me. I have taken it upon myself to engage in my own impromptu occupation.

Remember those 1% people, those horrible rich people; the ones who are responsible for all the evil in the world?  Those nameless, faceless masses of corporate conglomeration…

I think they need to be sent a lesson that we the 99% are not taking it anymore and that we are fighting back until the playing field is more level.  And we, well, I will be occupying a symbol of their opulence and greed… and what better place to occupy that than the penthouse suite of the Hilton?

I know you are thinking this plan may be a wee bit on the radical side. I agree but I cannot see any other way to bring attention to my, our cause.  I feel that I could become an inspiration to all the overworked and overlooked huddled masses yearning to breathe free. (Isn’t America great!)

I will have to make the sacrifice and live among those nasty one percenters and I will do so until all my comrades on the street, all the neglected, the poor, the tired and rejected and the rest of humanity (plus some select cats) get to live in the same luxury as we Hilton dwellers.

I will point out at this point that I am willing to make further sacrifices and I am an easy sell-out and not above blatant bribery. Any nicer hotel in the Portland area will do. (imagine the great publicity this hotel would get…hint, hint)

I’m planning on staging a sort of John Lennonish bed-in with signs and reporters minus the Ono (sorry Yoko)  and Amsterdam (sorry me) to protest all the unfairness in the world. I will sing songs of love and peace and do it all in my P.J’s and take naps on the side. (I hear the beds are super comfy)

Of course it won’t be easy. I will have to live off room service and will have to find somewhere to go each day while my suite is being cleaned.  I suppose I will have to use the spa and the pool and watch some pay per view movies…I am prepared for these eventual sacrifices..very prepared.

My list of demands are as follows:

• 24 hour room service
• Maid service with nightly tuck down and Andes mints on my pillow.
• A nice white terry plush robe.
• Ritzy rich people stuff from the gift shop
• Giant fruit baskets and exotic root beers from all over he world
• A wireless connection
• A superb view of the city
• Jacuzzi
• Free coffee and baby soaps
• Decedent chocolate desserts
• Complementary newspapers
• Free domestic calls
• Laundry service
• And most importantly; a breakfast buffet with a yummy omelet station……No I mean equality for all and omelets too!

Unlike other protests and protestors, there will be no drum circle, or mobs of angry people blocking the street. There will be a minimum of noise, perhaps some light jazz or classical music playing in the background. There will be no damage inflicted anywhere or mess to clean up; just a few damp towels, empty bottles of bubble bath and the traces of many chocloate desserts left behind.

I do not think I am being unreasonable here. It will be a win-win situation for us all.

Frankly and honestly…At this point I don’t care if it’s a Motel 6 with a private bath and a vending machine outside the door.  What really matters is the principle of the thing.

I need a vacation..I mean, we the people need a vaction and equality too and all that good stuff.

And so this very weekend I will showing up at the Hilton, bags in hand, ready for my protest.  You may join my protest..just show up at the nicest hotel in town with your demands..tell them Strawberryindigo sent you and have your visa card ready…

HAPPY PROTESTING!!!

Strawberryindigo.

Waiting for The Sun

Here in rainy Oregon The Sun has become a reclusive and exclusive celebrity showing its dazzling brilliance only in limited amounts.

Phone calls have not been returned and it’s agent could not be reached for comment. Sources close to the star are suggesting a contract dispute might be behind this unusual behavior.  It is widely known in certain spheres that The Sun has been dissatisfied with working conditions lately: low, really no pay, overworking in one area but underworking in another, no vacation time or health benefits.  The sun has had it some say. But these are just rumors. What we need are cold hard facts.

Experts have been called in and a good number of them blame the clouds, saying it is they who block out the sun.  Many agree and this seems to be the general consensus. But there are some who disagree; a few have blamed the upcoming zombie apocalypse. Some have mentioned it could be the work of terrorists and one obvious lunatic has cited something called “Global Warming” as the cause.

All agree the situation has become dire and the mayor has put together a commission to study this phenomena.

Meanwhile the soggy citizens in the city of Portland are indoors; pressed up against the windows wishing and yearning and Waiting for the Sun.  Moss covered and sullen, NW gardeners are is in dismay; creeping around from bush to bush with a frown–in the city of roses the roses are down battered by pelting rain and blowing wind….have I mentioned that this is early July?

The local meteorologists seem worried and look as guilty as can be, it is as if they are responsible.  They keep telling us that summer is just around the corner, they mention forecasts for sunny days–always five days away.

My son is as pale as a ghost and my daughter is too, they seem to like it that way but they don’t know any better. I suppose I should be grateful, many places in the world would love all this rain and the lush green growth that results from it. (think moss) I am grateful really but I can’t help but think we are getting more than our fair share of moisture and our elusive sun problem is someone else’s elusive rain problem.  Too bad we cannot share the wealth a little…

And so while My fellow Portlanders and I pull out our summer sweaters, put another log on the fire and gaze out the window expectantly for you know who, we will be grateful for what we have–every drop of it.

Happy Summer!!!

Strawberryindigo.

HELLO

Related articles

• June, and still waiting . . . (stevebrassawe.wordpress.com)
• Is It Raining At Your House? (canblog.typepad.com)
• Here’s to the rain! (minkyweasel.com)
• Earth Farthest From Sun on Fourth of July – So Why So Hot? (news.nationalgeographic.com)
• Record washout: No let-up in July wet weather… with doctor’s warning of RICKETS epidemic due to lack of sun (mirror.co.uk)
• Thousands attend soggy solstice (express.co.uk)

The Spark

I believe we all have that spark inside of us; that indescribleness that I shall attempt to describe here.  A special something unique to each and every one of us.  Call it a soul, a consciousness or the divine…it preceeds our birth and it dwells far beyond the physical; deep inside down the rabbit hole.  It can be so faint it is difficult to grasp, it is difficult to see and it’s easy to lose one’s way. This I know firsthand.

Sometimes people give up. It is gradual. They die a little inside every day until one day they realise the spark has grown cold,  pale and lifeless. It may seem at times to be totally extinguished. It may seem that way sitting all alone in the dark. At times the truth is clouded by our proximity to it.  And sometimes we see only what we wish to see.

My truth says the spark can never die that the spirit is timeless and beyond time. I believe it is a thread that weaves us all together like a beautiful tapestry, full of rich color; filled with hopes and dreams and the song of the universe telling a tale that is in constant rewrite.

My truth also tells me the spark can grow and burn brilliantly with the intensity of a million suns. It can set the world aflame with the light of unity and compassion. I believe it is up to those who burn the brightest to light the way for those who cannot see. I have found that a good many of us have walked in darkness at some point in our lives and the experience brings about an appreciation of the light and a profound sympathy of those who still dwell in that cold dark realm of nothingness.

We are all connected and we can tell if a fellow human is in distress, even a stranger. We have that built-in empathy that we literally feel each other’s pain.

We can also feel each other’s joy as well…..

What am I trying to say with all this spiritual mumbo jumbo? Chalk it up to new age silliness or an open mind full of crazy notions, maybe it’s a mid-life crisis or too much caffeine that’s prompting me to write all this today. I don’t know…

We all believe differently. I am the first person to acknowledge this. I prefer that people should believe whatever they damn well please as long as it doesn’t hurt anyone. There are universal truths that most of us agree on…

Kindness begets kindness and spreading joy is a hell of a lot better than spreading its opposite. Patience is golden and at times we all need a little light.

Burning bright at midnight…wishing you a sunny day,

Strawberryindigo.

You

HEY YOU!

Yes, you.

You know who you are.  You are the type to put yourself last in an endless array of somebody else’s.  Maybe it’s your family or a group of friends or co-workers, maybe its all of the above and then some.

I know you. You’ll say that you are needed and that you really enjoy what you are doing. This is true and it’s just like you to say that.  You might say that doing good has its own reward and to that I must wholeheartedly agree.  You make a lot of sense and definitely you are earning some major good karma points.  You certainly have earned my respect and the respect from many others.

You could even say that I am inspired by you……In all this there is no problem…

You deserve much praise for what you do. In that, again, there is no problem, everyone you know can see this, even if you yourself cannot.

In all that you see as important, in all that you do, how much of that importance is invested in yourself?

Because YOU ARE IMPORTANT!  You are unique. There is only one you……and you can’t be there for them unless you are there for you too.

Take the time for yourself once in a while. Do something you like to do.  Do nothing if that’s what you need. The important thing is that you do it, for you.

This is so important that they created a day especially for YOU.

 HAPPY   MOTHER’S   DAY!

Strawberryindigo.