Not to worry. Today also happens to be Monday, which means it is also the 100 Word Challenge for Grown Ups day. No doubt an inspiring prompt just waiting for me to run with it. Lo an behold, ding goes the phone … bing goes the email … and a prompt arrives. This week a simple prompt: Ruby.

And (drumroll please) …

I still have nothing.

I have mentioned before that I have a certain character trait (flaw?) that is showing up at the moment. I am great at starting things … not so good at finishing them. Yet the odd thing is that in reality, I am not really finishing anything. It is not like I am going to suddenly stop blogging. Maybe a little less often but even that is no guarantee. I can’t really blame my lack of ideas on some perceived flaw in my character. So have I simply psyched myself out? Or am I just tired?

I thought that if I did my usual just start typing and rambling until something forms thang I might come up with something, but no such luck today. My mind is just a blind man walking in an unfamiliar place on a foggy night. I suppose I could wait until tomorrow in the hopes of coming up with something, but another character flaw (trait?) is sheer stubbornness. So I will force something out now and see if it is worth reading later.

A ruby by any other name (an ode to OPULENCE)

Oh pretty pretty shiny thing,
my attention you do get!
Shimmering there in the light,
I will have you yet!

You are just a thing,
but that doesn’t matter.
As long as your pretty shininess
causes a crowd to gather.

I will impress the masses,
with my shiny little stone.
Watch as they envy me,
with eyes widely grown.

I could put you in a ring,
or maybe on my head.
Such a shiny shiny thing
A ruby since you’re red.

But if you are another color,
should any one inquire,
We will call you another name,
shiny shiny sapphire.

A bit o’ nonzenze, and zadly nothing to do with the letter Z. But what can a perzon do?

ZE END.

The post Ze lazt pozt (yep Z is here) first appeared on thrumyeyes.

I was staring to wonder if I could do it.

Some of you may know that my dad has Alzheimer’s. This morning, my dad basically forgot how to walk down stairs, and I had to assist him. Things like this happen all the time. It is part of the process of the disease. But the truth of the matter is he does not always forget how to do things, often he just does not think he can. He can’t envision how to do it in his mind, therefore he does not think he can actually do it. But if he gets frustrated enough, or distracted by something else … suddenly he just does it.

This is an extreme example, but in essence he is actually doing something to himself many of us do on a regular basis. Often we find that if someone who we respect, or at least has some power over us tells us we can not do something, we simply believe them and find that we can’t.  When the someone who is telling us this happens to be ourselves … the belief is almost sure to become a reality.

How often have we not done something because we simply didn’t think we could? How often do we limit ourselves? I often say that nothing is impossible … the impossible just takes a little longer. And I honestly believe this. However the first step to achieving the “impossible” is to believe that “I can!”

Actually that is the first step to achieving anything.

The next time someone tells us that we can’t do something, don’t simply accept it on faith. Let’s make an attempt anyway. We will very likely surprise them … and ourself as well. And if the person saying this happens to BE our Self … well … remember who is talking. We are all our own worse enemies. Prove ourselves wrong.

That will show us!

The post Yes you can. Yes I can. (Y. Because.) first appeared on thrumyeyes.

It is a treasure sought by many, yet to my knowledge few have even come close to locating it.

Being a lover of adventure, and thriving on solving mysteries, I decided to seek out this elusive treasure. I started by just asking around locally, seeing what fact could be sorted out of rumor. Many had heard tales of this wondrous treasure, and there were all sorts of legends of what it is; what it can do. It is said to be the most valuable thing on earth. It is believed to have the power of creation; many said that the treasure is a talisman that would allow a person to do anything they desired. Few could even guess where it could be found though.

Some said that it actually has already been found, but those that have found it hoard it for themselves. They pointed to the Obscenely Rich Man and said: “He has it.”

So I went to the Obscenely Rich Man and asked him. He was truly bewildered. “Yes I too have heard of this amazing treasure,” he said. “I have been looking for it too. I have found many treasures, as you can see. But with all this wealth I have, I still have not found the ultimate treasure you seek! I have heard that the Very Famous Actress has it.”

I sought out the Very Famous Actress and asked her. “No I have not found the treasure. I hear that only with it can I truly obtain the ultimate fame that I seek. Yet with all those that adore me, none can tell me where it is. No. I do not have it yet. I believe the Man Of Power has it.”

I got an appointment with the Man Of Power. “I have been search for the treasure forever. Every choice I make is to obtain  this great treasure. Yet with all the power I wield; with all people I have commanded to search for it … I still have not found it. I do not know where it is!”

It seems my search was going to be a difficult one again. In need of advice, I once again sought out my Friendly Neighborhood Wise Man. As always he welcomed me with open arms, a ready smile and a laugh. “Ah yes, I know of this amazing treasure! Give me a moment and I will guide you to it.” He then went  into the yard, where I could hear sounds of exertion. Soon he called me out. He handed me a shovel and said “X marks the spot.”

There before me was a fresh mound of dirt, with a very clear X crossing it. I used the shovel and shortly heard the clink of contact with something. Soon I had dug up what was buried, and after cleaning it was amazed by what I had found.

Looking at what I had dug up, it dawned on me that I had indeed found the greatest treasure of all. What’s more it became clear to me that everyone had the ability to find this treasure all along. They just need to see the X and dig.

The Wise Man laughed at me and said “Don’t show this to anyone. It only has value if people find it themselves!”

I nodded in agreement, and quickly hid the mirror away.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

The post X Marks the spot (guess what letter this is … ) first appeared on thrumyeyes.

All of a sudden I am reminded.

I have said it before, and I will say it again. Humanity has great power for selfishness. Great power to look the other way. To simply not care. We have mastered the art of … “it’s someone else’s problem”. But in the dichotomy that is the essence of humanity, we also have great capacity for sharing. For community and helping others. For doing  … well … what is right.

And that, plain and simply, is what blogging is all about. It took me finally reading an amazing post from one of my favorite bloggers to remind me of this.

The blogshphere allows community of strangers to come together and create something of beauty … without even necessarily actually meeting each other. And it does not stop there. For each word we write; each picture we share has the ability to be the pebble that starts the avalanche. Perhaps it is someone recognizing and inequity and simply doing something about it. Maybe it is a man reclaiming his life after a terrible injustice, and not only overcoming but inspiring many with humor and perseverance. Or it could simply be the chance to not only make  a new friend, but promote a worthy cause.

The pebbles we toss may not even be by intent. We may simply be venting. Creating. Being silly. Whatever. The point is all it takes is for one person to read it and find some meaning in it, and the avalanche can start. Maybe a smile is generated when before there was only a frown. And that smile inspires new energy for a day, improving other people’s day in the process. A bubble of simple joy expanding exponentially.

I once wrote a silly piece about dog poop, and as a result was introduced to an issue that affects the whole world, yet because of its nature is pretty much not even a glimmer of a thought in most people’s minds.

The simple truth is it does not take a thousand readers for a blog post to make a difference. All it takes one. And the posts don’t even have to be great art. They just need to be there. Maybe I don’t change the world with my every word; maybe my photos don’t inspire awe to every viewer. But if one person sees and is moved, then it has been a worthwhile endeavor. If I never posted it, they would not have the chance to be moved by it.

I keep seeing this Margaret Mead quote popping up:

A small group of thoughtful people could change the world. Indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.

Ok Universe. I hear you now.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

The post W is for What wonders we … first appeared on thrumyeyes.

This post may rank up there with one of my oddest creations. It is serving multiple purposes, not the least trying to get my mind back into the groove of actual creativity again. First it is my V post in the A to Z challenge. V seems to bring out my more zany side (couldn’t think of a word like zany that begins with V) as can be seen by my V post from last year.

This post is also my entry in this weeks 100 Word Challenge for Grown Ups. In an effort to give us poor souls a break after the last few weeks of seriously challenging us, we are given a seemingly straightforward prompt :

….I’m exhausted. Shut the door behind you….

Ironically, I seem to have more difficulty with the straightforward prompts then the more involved ones. For one it is difficult to do my trademark shift of meaning when it is a simple statement. But I banged my head about for a bit and came up with this bit o nonsense:

Walks Up Stairs Two At A Time tiredly returned to the village. It had been a very busy day. Wears A Big Hat always seemed to assign the hardest tasks to him. And usually the farthest away too. Building There Is A Whole In The Roof’s barn had been hard work! Walks Up Stairs Two At A Time was ready for a nice rest. Of course there was one of Wears A Bigs Hat’s minions approaching, no doubt with a new task. To prevent further work, Walks Up Stairs Two At A Time spoke first. “No more assignments please! I’m exhausted Shut The Door Behind You!

The post Very odd Village (a Very odd V post) first appeared on thrumyeyes.

V will follow shortly ….[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

The post T and U too first appeared on thrumyeyes.

I could blame it on laziness, but I am not really lazy. I do what needs to be done if it needs to be done. The question is maybe in the need.

I could blame it on lack of inspiration, but inspiration is always there. Any lack is in my ability to perceive the inspiration.

I could blame it on lack of motivation … and maybe would be hitting nearer to the mark. Yep. I lost all motivation.

This car ran out of gas. Stalled.

Can I borrow a few buck to get to the gas station?

The post Stalled ( a belated S post) first appeared on thrumyeyes.

Seeing as Scooby and pal Shaggy have had a noticeable impact on my life, it seems only appropriate that at some point I pay proper homage to them in a blog post. Hence todays title. So in honor of R in the A to Z Challenge, I would like to say some words about …

COURAGE. (Rut roh Raggy! Did I confuse ya?)

In our entertainment driven live, we often see courage and bravery displayed as someone having no fear. Our heroes always seem to just blast on through all opposition with a smile and a laugh. And just like every other media defined misnomer … we end up developing a whole slew of folk who feel that they are actually cowards when they feel fear at real life bad situations.

Sure it is much easier to do something if we are not afraid to do it. But the truth of the matter is not feeling fear in a situation that we SHOULD  be afraid in is not courageous. It is not brave. It is rather dumb actually. Fear, like pain, is meant to be a warning signal that something is wrong. If we can’t actually tell when something is wrong we are not brave at all, we are just blind and stumbling. No, courage is not a lack of fear. Quite the contrary. Courage is doing what needs to be done DESPITE fear.

Odd as this sounds, a silly cartoon that has been around for ages exemplifies this very concept. Scooby and Shaggy are always terrified, yet they always manage to do what needs to be done to unmask the bad guy (granted they often need to be bribed with Scooby Snacks, but they still do it). That is actually the very essence of courage!

So the next time you are afraid; the next time you don’t think you have the courage you need to do what needs to be done … just breath deep and shout “Rooby Rooby Roo!!”

We can do anything with the right role model![/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

The post Run Raggy Run (what R you on about?) first appeared on thrumyeyes.

There is actually a point to that one sentence anecdote. Yesterday was Q day in the A to Z Challenge. I was running through ideas all day, and due to a lot going on … in my mind as well as in general … couldn’t seem to nail one. I was really having trouble focussing on just about anything. Lately I can’t seem to focus, because there is too much going on. Too much … noise. I don’t just refer to a cacophony of sounds, but also a cacophony of thoughts. A cacophony of the soul. A veritable spiritual cacophony. What I really need is a good solid bit of …

Quiet.

Sometimes things are best said when nothing is said at all. Sometimes to truly hear what there is to be heard, we need to silence the cacophony. Quiet is not actually an absence of sound.Rather it is a removal of UNNECESSARY sound, allowing the Rhythmic Beauty of life to truly be heard. In our modern, fast paced world of so-called progress, we have lost the simple art of being Quiet.

At first I was going to write about this last night. But then, like the invisible man costume, I thought it would actually be more profound if I demonstrated Quiet … well … quietly. I specifically chose to quiet my mind by NOT posting, and sharing a bit of quiet with the world. Even if the world did not even notice.

This may sound like an excuse for once again missing a post, but in truth it was really a choice. I hope my moment of quiet worked for others. I know I needed it.

The post Quiet (A Q post defined by its absence) first appeared on thrumyeyes.

Today being P day in the A to Z Challenge, I find that I have Plenty of P words the I can Pick. Picking just one Presents me with Peculiar Problems, so I have Proceeded to Post about a few of the Possibilities.

PHOTOGRAPHY: This seems a Pleasant time to Plug my Photo blog, and I even Posted a P Post called Playing with Photographic Perception on there today (though the Photos are Pretty Poor).

PATIENCE: It seems I have little Patience for much of anything Presently. This may be Perceived in the Poor quality of many of my recent Presentations (including the Present Post).

PURPOSE: I seem to be Playing with ideas about the Point of it all again. I am being Plagued by Persistent thoughts on the whole Purpose of my Posting Posts, as well as Pursuing Projects that may Possibly be well Past my Potential.  It is all seeming Pretend. Perhaps I need to let it Percolate a bit.

PLANS: Probably I need to Plan my Pastimes more Perfectly. Presently I have no actual Path I am following. I Postulate Proper Planning will Present me with a firmer sense of Purpose. I have a Potential new Pattern to Pursue, such as Postponing Play until I have Properly Put work into Projects. Play well at not Persistently Playing.

PICKLES: I Presently seem to Perceive an unexpected Passion for a Pickle. Perhaps I am Pregnant?[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

The post Plentitude of P first appeared on thrumyeyes.