One Post A Week, Suuuurrrrrreeeeeee......

Was just thinking about when I took up this blogging lark seriously a year or so ago that I was determined to compose at least a post a week.  I have obviously failed miserably at this, and I deserve to be beaten severely for my crimes.

Well perhaps not.  Obviously quality is more important than quantity.  I do enjoy writing though, and it pleases me no end to know that people read this, even if I struggle to understand why sometimes.  I am assured however that people do seem to enjoy reading.

However, no pithy points or wisdom today, I find myself too overcome with the flu to wax lyrical.  This has frustrated me no end, as it has (as man flu invariably does) left me feeling fairly miserable, tired, and with a sore head.  I have spent a fair bit of the weekend lying down and resting.  It hasn't been a complete waste of time though.  I have looked at expanding my spiritual practice and making a better connection to higher realities.  I had a little win on the lottery, and generally enjoyed my time spent with Esther.  I didn't enjoy the rain and the very wet interior of my car though.  I am used to that though, it's part of the life of the convertible owner.

So no wisdom, no application, no deeper meaning to my words.  Just go out and enjoy yourselves.

I will write some more when the mood strikes me.

The Future Beckons Me

Or something like that.

The nature of all things says that there are some cardinal, that some are fixed, and some are mutable.  The wisdom we need is to figure out the difference.

I was born with certain innate traits, I learned some, and I can change some.  The wisdom is knowing which is which.

Some of the circumstances we face we have no control over, some we can control, some our only power over comes from our attitude towards those things.  A good attitude doesn't necessarily make things easier to deal with, it just makes the ordeal seem less trying.  You can get angry, you can complain, you can blame everyone but yourself, but that doesn't solve the problem of your attitude to the problem.  Only you can solve that.

That's an aside however.  Been thinking about a change of scenery in my life.  Of living and working in a more rural setting, a long held dream of mine; a dream that seems to be on the verge of being realised.  I am tired of driving across the whole city to get to my job, tired of the traffic, tired of the rudeness, the aggression (in others as well as myself), and tired of the high prices for everything.  I am looking forward to a lifestyle that is closer to nature (snakes and spiders and bitey things notwithstanding), and that follows the seasonal rhythms more closely.  I look forward to being able to see the stars at night without city lights and smog.

And I look forward to being able to share this life with someone of a similar intent and vision.

Wish us all well....

Emancipate Yourself From Mental Slavery!

Or so said Bob Marley...

Reflecting on the nature of idea, opinion, and belief tonight.  I just watched Bill Maher's documentary Religulous once again, after seeing it a few years ago when it was first released.  As always I found it interesting and thought provoking.

For those who haven't seen it, take an hour and a half or so out of your life and watch it on youtube here.

In the meantime, back to my own rantings and musings.  I have said it before in this blog, but it bears saying again.  Don't wait for your preferred deity to come along and wipe your arse and clean up your mess after you!  We are all, believers, unbelievers, christian, jew, muslim, hindu, buddhist, volcano worshipper, elvis worshipper, satanist, wiccan, pagan, agnostic, atheist, nihilist, existentialist (need I go on), all in it together on this planet.  This is not the time to sit and wait for your god to save you, whether it be Jesus, or Allah, or even technological progress.  You all need to work together to fix this world, you need to cooperate, stop reproducing like it is going out of fashion, stop eating like their aren't a billion hungry mouths to feed, stop driving SUV's and continuing the insanity of endless consumerism and retail therapy like it is the only thing that makes life worth living.

You also all need to stop thinking your idea of the truth is right.  No one has all the answers.  Time to stop thinking you know better and exploiting people and resources without care for the consequences.  Wise up that if everyone thinks like you then there will be nothing left but carcasses to pick over. 

A positive attitude, compassion, and the desire to heal the world and our fellow human beings is what we need to cultivate.  Grow these virtues and make the world a better place.  Hatred, jealousy, competitiveness and greed will just drag us all down and hurt those around us.

"Be excellent to each other."

Who Woulda Thunk It?

I would never guess my humble blog would be so popular across the ditch (or is that the dutch).

I for one would like to welcome my new New Zealand overlords, and would remind them that as a trusted media personality I would be very useful persuading humans to toil in their underground sugar caves.

I Know You've All Been Very Naughty This Year

It is the time of the year known as Christmas, or Chanukkah, or Kwanzaa, or Solstice, or Saturnalia.  It's a time for feasting, drinking, and enjoying the company of loved ones.

It's a time then for me to wish all of the readers of my blog, my humble audience, whether in Australia, the USA, England, Germany, India, Russia, Indonesia, Thailand, or even New Zealand (apparently) a most joyous time.  If you have family and friends around you, enjoy the precious gift of their companionship.  Some cannot make it home for various reasons, whether because of work, distance, financial circumstances or health.  Some have no family at all.  It shouldn't matter, we keep those we love and care about in our hearts, no matter the distance.

So then, whatever your beliefs, where ever you are, what ever you do, remember there are more important things than money, position, power, status or your ambition.  Turn yourself instead to family, remember why you love them, and lose yourself in simple acts of generosity and kindness.

Aum, blessings upon you all.

Not Quite Christmas Yet.

It is however the day of the Solstice.  Here in this part of the world the longest day of the year, and for people in the northern hemisphere the longest night of the year, and the time of the ancient pagan celebrations.  A time of bonfires and mid-winter darkness, of druids and dancing and drinking and feasting together to keep the cold at bay.  A time to celebrate the end of an old year and the soon to commence year to come.  Naturally then like Janus we look both backwards and forwards, to see where we have come from, the things we have left behind us in the last year, those parts of our life that had to fall away, like dead branches being pruned, so that new life and growth can come forth when the springtime returns.

Conversely we look forward, our dreams and desires for the year ahead laid out before us, and we offer them up to the universe.  Some fall by the wayside, others become real and concrete and are fulfilled.

All this is reflection for me of course.  It has been a long year, and it has taken many twists and turns for me to get to where I am.  12 months ago I was preparing to spend the holiday with my partner and her daughter, I was buying presents and baking a chocolate mud cake with enough chocolate to kill a large donkey.  How things change in the course of a year.  First dealing with a miscarriage, then I found myself single again, and then in another relationship, I turned 40 and felt age starting to catch up with me a bit.  And yet I feel more positive and optimistic about the holiday season than I have in many years.  Life is getting better. 

So what do I have in store for me in 2012?

I wish for all the things that we all wish for, good health, happiness, prosperity, being with family and friends and the chance to enjoy life and love.  I would like a new and better paying job, the chance to upgrade to a slightly newer car, and the chance for my current relationship to continue to grow and evolve.

I do indeed wish that everyone could know happiness and joy and good things.  Often though it is not always the case.  Some people hold themselves back through stubborn attitudes, through lack of compassion, or being trapped in a paradigm that has outlived its usefulness.  How we choose to live now determines how we shall be forced to live in the future.  Time to open our hearts and to be compassionate to all, and especially to ourselves.

A Busy Few Weeks

Been a busy time at work the last month.  My employers bought themselves a new house and very graciously gave me a lot of extra hours helping to renovate.  Thus I spent my days pulling out a 40 year old kitchen and bathroom and enjoying breaking things very muchly.

This meant of course I didn't have as much time to spend on a few little things I need to get done.  I still have to go and see about my prostate and find out whether it is worth panicking, I still have to attempt to do some Christmas shopping.  And I finally commenced my test run for Christmas lunch by throwing some pork on the BBQ to slow cook.  I have been wanting to try this recipe for a while, after sampling pulled pork in a restaurant several months back and enjoying it immensely.

This weekend then has seen me pickling my piece of meat in brine, liquid smoke, and bbq rub for a day or so, and this morning adding extra rub and putting it in the BBQ to slow cook for 5 or 6 hours, encrusted with smoky smells and bbq spices. 

I cannot wait to try this recipe for myself.  It is time intensive, and certainly not a quick snack, but it means taking time, and preparing, and savouring and anticipating.  Thus the opposite of instant gratification.  It's the same when cooking soups and stews and casseroles.  The act of preparing ingredients, of pre-heating the oven, of allowing things to slowly cook for hours on end.  It forces us to be patient.

Life then happens while you are busy making other plans, and a good feed cooks slowly while we patiently drool over the outcome and busy ourselves with other duties in the meantime.  Good things come to those who wait.