Category Archives: collaborating

The Fast: Day 7- Detachment

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Posted by on in collaborating, distraction issues, impediments, Inner Struggles, Personal Values, Spiritual, Striving

March 8, 2018, Prescott-

One of the main features of this period of time is the occurrence of mental and emotional tests.  Many of our tests come from the emotional baggage we carry with us.  A tool that the Fast provides us, in overcoming these tests, and jettisoning that baggage, is detachment.

Physically, those between 15-70, under the circumstances I described in Part 1, face detachment from food, drink and all the activities which feature them, during the daylight hours of Fast days.  This evening, whilst attending an American Legion Post monthly meeting, I purchased a light meal, as is customary prior to such meetings, and secured it  in a to-go box, for after sundown, and the meeting’s end.

There are, of course, far more basic and  deeper-seated matters which can be and are, brought to our consciousness during the Fast.  I am facing one, right now, which I will describe later, when the time is appropriate.  I am determined that, this time, I will cast the baggage aside.  It stems from events in my life, over 50 years ago, and had been buried these many years.  Now, it’s just time to put the demons to rest.  Good people, besides me, will be the better for this.

 

It Goes Without Saying

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Posted by on in children, collaborating, Community, Family, Inner Struggles, Personal goals, Personal Values, Service Activities, Social, Spiritual, Striving

February 26, 2018, Prescott-

I’ll say it, anyway-

Today was the first day of Ayyam-i-Ha, the Baha’i period of gift giving and gratitude for what we have.

I gifted an intentional community, north of here, with a stoneware baking dish, because they have been jerry-rigging their baking efforts.  Plus, I love those kids.

Actually, I love all kids, and have for years.  Even the ones that others call misfits and brats deserve love and encouragement, though not coddling.  Nonviolent discipline is a vital part of love.

This generation, which some call The Founders, will have its work cut out for it.  How much work, will depend on how much their parents’ and grandparents’ generations put up a fight against their efforts (see #CameraHogg and other noisome garbage that various “Old Guards” are spewing forth).

It will also depend on how seriously the children come to take their own pronouncements about inclusion.  Splitting into cliques and putting up walls will just be more of the same.

“Hallelujah” and “The Sound of Silence” are among the most beautiful songs in the English language.  They’ve been on my evening’s playlist. Then, there is this:

The Baha’i Nineteen-Day fast is coming up, starting Friday, and lasting until sundown on Tuesday, the twentieth of March.  I will refrain, to the best of my ability, from eating or drinking, between sunrise and sunset, for those nineteen days.

Guns don’t kill; hate kills.  Guns make killing easier, as do bombs and flammable liquids.  The bottom line is, though, it’s a hate thing.

I could not live, easily, in a world without women.  It started with Mom, and Grandma, in the early mists that I knew as Saugus, in the 1950’s.  That brings up this:

The harbour lights and the campground lights have meant the same thing to me, over all these years:  There is love and safety ahead.

Know this, my friends and family:  There is not as fine a world, if not for you.  Self-battery should never be an option.

 

 

Valentine

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Posted by on in collaborating, Community, Inspiration, Personal Values, Service Activities, Spiritual, Striving

February 14, 2018, Prescott- 

While there were many Roman Catholic holy men named Valentine (from the Latin valens (worthy, strong, powerful), the one most commonly associated with this day of celebrating romance, and. more recently, other forms of love was a Roman priest of the Third Century, who gave his life in witness to the Faith of Jesus the Christ.

It’s said that the most powerful love is indeed that which is given in sacrifice.  We all know of parents and grandparents who sacrifice their all, for the welfare of the children they love.  Countless spouses put all they have, and more, into their marriages.  Siblings go the extra mile for one another.  Service professionals, in the military, first responders, educators, health care professionals, social workers, more often than some believe go way beyond their job descriptions- even if it means ignoring said documents, in ensuring the welfare of their charges.

I have known many such people, among them one Augustine “Gus” Belmonte, a police officer in my home town of Saugus, MA, who was killed in the line of duty, on February 16, 1969, whilst responding to an armed robbery, at a local restaurant.  I knew Gus as the consummate neighbourhood patrolman, usually on duty in Monument Square ( “the Center”), in the afternoons and evenings, when many of us would congregate near Sanborn’s News or McCarrier’s.  He was strict with us, but never rough.

Later that same year, on a jungle path in VietNam, Private First Class Stanley Egan was walking point guard for his squad.  He was mortally wounded, in an exchange with the Viet Cong, and died several days later, in hospital.  Stan was a year my senior, and was ever both the life of any party and putting the welfare of others ahead of his own.

In August, 1984, a humble Indian Health Service dentist named Gordon Tong was attempting to get his truck out of the mud, on a back road in the central Navajo Nation.  In the back of his vehicle were three of his four children and two elderly Navajo women.  I had been riding with Gordon, and had been helping him get the vehicle unstuck, when his oldest son decided to run off and “go get help”.  I left in pursuit of the child, and a short time later was met by a vehicle, driven by another friend, who had the boy with him, and informed me that Gordon had passed away, at the scene of the mishap.  He had suffered a heart attack.  This was the final sacrifice of a man who, with his wife, had given countless hours of his time and energy, in service to the Navajo and Hopi people, in the name of his Faith.

There are many others I know, who have given their all, while short of giving their lives.  “Living sacrifice” is as meritorious as death, in a good many of their cases, as the lives they impact in a positive manner are ever stronger and happier.

So, in the name of a love that is far more basic than any romance, have a blessed Valentine’s Day, everyone!

Purposeful

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Posted by on in collaborating, Personal goals, Striving

February 8, 2018, Prescott-

My course in Affiliate Marketing is intended to help develop those skills that have been sitting inside me, for a lifetime.

My not having tapped them, earlier, due to a loathing of materialism, seems misplaced now.

I still loathe excess, mind you, but I see a certain amount of prosperity as a means to service.  It’s still not about me, but about what might be done with what I might earn.

There is some darkness to get through, before the dawn, yet I have a handle on it, and know to fiercely discern between what actually serves my fellow humans, and what is merely greed, masked as “the Greater Good”.

This is a marvelous learning process.  I am going to succeed.

Kerfuffles

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Posted by on in collaborating, distraction issues, impediments, Inner Struggles, Personal Values, Striving

January 31, 2018, Prescott-

Yesterday seemed to have been a bad energy day, for several people.  On the way in to work, I pulled into a convenience market and one of my tires blew.  I was able to get the Elantra to the shop I use and the problem was fixed, in short order.  I got into work, with 5 minutes to spare, before program started.

There was a silver lining:  Whilst in the shop waiting area,I got two activities done, which would otherwise have been problematic, had I tried to do them at work.  For much of the day, a student was fussing and fuming, later apologizing for the misbehaviour.  With our students, these apologies are meaningful, because they have to think long and hard about what they are doing.

The biggest headache for me, though, was the temporary loss of this blog site.  It would have been an extreme nuisance to me, to have lost all of my dear followers and to not be able to access the diversity of opinion, which makes the Reader such an enjoyable and informative part of my day.  Make no mistake, I may disagree with several of you, on certain points, but investigating truth for myself is an integral part of my belief system, and each of us, no matter how outlandish our claims, does have a kernel of truth on our side.

So, as I gaze at the blood red moon, with my blog site back in order, I look forward to this day of putting January to bed.

Fire

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Posted by on in collaborating, Poetry, Striving

January 29, 2018, Prescott-

What is the quality I value most in you,

dear friend?

Why, it’s the one quality

that time and tide can

never extinguish:

The fire in your heart,

that is reflected in your eyes,

and in all you do!

Stay the course,

warrior princess.

You have long to go.

I’m honoured

by your presence.

 

Sunshine Blogger Award

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Posted by on in collaborating, Community, Personal Values

January 27, 2018, Prescott-

I have been nominated for two awards, since establishing Sagittarian Seeker. One, is a Liebster Award, on which I will comment tomorrow, after a long wait.  The other is a Sunshine Blogger Award, bestowed upon me by the estimable Madekesiworld.  So, without further ado, here are my answers to his questions!

1. Which country do you come from?

The United States of America

2. What’s your national language?

English

3. What’s your country’s staple food?

Potatoes and corn

4. Apart from blogging, what else do you do?

I work with autistic teens and young adults; I study a financial planning course; I hike; I practice the Baha’i Faith; I read; I socialize with people in coffee houses; I exercise at Planet Fitness;

5. Would you get married to someone outside your race?

There is only the human race, but yes-most definitely.

6. Do you watch football? If yes, what’s your favorite team?

Once in a blue moon.  The Patriots, because my late uncle had a financial interest in them and besides, I am a New Englander-even in diaspora.

7. Do you think nations should do more to manage global warming?

I believe nations, and their citizens, should do more to stem climate change.

8. Christian or Muslim? What’s the one thing you love about the other religion?

I am a Baha’i.  I believe that Divine Revelation is never final.  I love the commitment that the majority of both Christians and Muslims have to the Teachings of their respective Manifestations of God, which, contrary to public perceptions, include injunctions to practice peace.

9. Which is your favorite music genre?

Contemporary rock and folk.

 

10. Which music genre do you hate the most? Why?

Death metal, because it is so negative.

11. Who would you choose between Donald Trump and North Korea’s Kim Jung-un?

Trump, because there is a peaceful mechanism in place, by which he can be removed from office.

So, here we are, with my questions to those, who will be named below.

  1.  Which languages, other than English, do you speak?
  2.  Which is your favourite place in the world?
  3. In that place, which is your favourite spot, in which to spend time?
  4.  Do you see life as “half empty” or as “half full”?
  5.  Do you dream in colour?
  6.  What do you regard as the greatest challenge facing mankind, today?
  7.  Do you honour, or despise, those who think differently from you?
  8.  In what are you experienced?
  9. If you could visit any place on Earth where you have never been, where would that be?  Why?
  10. Do you have a pet?  Which kind of animal is it?
  11.  What is your favourite genre of literature?

Now, here is my list of nominees.  I can only list nine, as the rest of you have your blogs off of hyperlink.

  1. Emmanuel Rockan
  2. lou rasmus
  3. braedenmichaels
  4. Shape Shifters Fitness Trainer
  5. Cathy Lynn Brooks
  6. -Eugenia
  7. CHRISTIANNAMONY
  8. thewintersdance
  9. kawsreflections

One, Two, Three, Four- The Plans

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Posted by on in collaborating, Inspiration, Personal Values, Service Activities, Social, Spiritual, Striving, Travel

January 22, 2018, Prescott-

Every so often, I come out with details of my plans for this or that.  One year (day, month) at a time, I have been advised.  That makes sense for anyone my age, on up.  So my plans for this year, 2018, ought to be a foundation for what comes next.

This year, I will work, diligently, both at my day job- which will see an uptick in the number of students we have, come August, and at my financial effort, which is, admittedly, still in its fledgling state ( I can hear the Boo Birds, now- “There he goes again!”), but is being pursued, carefully, with a lot of expert support.  This will bring me to San Diego, the fourth weekend in March, for a mentoring conference.  Prior to that, I will have had nearly 60 hours of training and mentoring calls.  I have detailed other travel plans, in a previous post, and those still stand for next month, and for May-June.  An uptick in income would also allow me to join other mentoring events.

That covers the number one.  “Two” takes in 2019.  Next year marks the Bicentenary of the Birth of al-Bab, the immediate predecessor of Baha’u’llah, and His Herald.  This event, marked in late October, will be the overarching event of the year, for me and for millions of others.  My summer travels will bring me back to the Pacific Northwest, and southeast Alaska.  My work and financial ventures will continue apace. Then, too, who knows what the Universe will add on to all that?

“Three” brings us to 2020.  As I turn 70, in November of that year, its March will see my final physical Fast, under Baha’i law.  The Fast will have spiritual import for me, the rest of my life, but abstaining from food and beverages will not apply, once I reach the age of seventy.   I hope to be at, or past, my financial goals by New Year’s Day of that year.  Travel wise, I am looking at a Trans-Canada (BC to Newfoundland) road trip, in June and July.

“Four” means 2021.  This year will mark the Centenary of the Passing of ‘Abdu’l-Baha, Baha’u’llah’s eldest son and His Successor, as Head of the Baha’i Faith.  My longtime readers may remember that, in 2012, we commemorated the centennial of ‘Abdu’l-Baha’s visit to North America.  2021 will, thus,also be a special year for us Baha’is.

For me, personally, it will bring the end of my full-time employment as an educator.  I have ambitious, but still tentative, plans for international travel.  Besides those, I will be more active on the volunteer front, in whatever community (ies) I may find myself, once “retired”.

So there are the substances of numbers one through four, as they pertain to my humble life.  Many of these could very well come to pass, though the Universe does throw a curve at each of us, every so often!

One, Two, Three, Four

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Posted by on in collaborating, distraction issues, Inspiration, Personal goals, Social, Striving

January 21, 2018, Prescott- 

My priorities tend to come in ones, twos, threes and fours.

One, of course, is self-care.

I may even hit the sack an hour early tonight.

It’s been a long, but happy, day.

Two, has to do with friends.

I am at peace with those

with whom I clashed a bit,

last weekend.

I am not half of a couple,

but that doesn’t leave

me lonely.

In fact, my time is rarely

my own, exclusively.

Three of us work,

very closely and

congenially.

My day is divided

into three parts:

Financial venture,

professional work

and Faith.

Oops, that’s where

four actually enters.

The fourth part

of my day is

recreation.

Reading,

writing,

Planet Fitness

and getting

together

with friends.

My schedule will

soon heat up again,

but you saw that coming.

Have a great week!

Beyond the Big “So What”

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Posted by on in collaborating, distraction issues, impediments, Inner Struggles, Personal Values, Social, Spiritual, Striving

January 20, 2018, Prescott-

I began the day, hopefully about my own schedule, which mostly entailed going to the Farmer’s Market (very much appreciated by one of my surrogate daughters, who runs the place, in light of the rain and wind); and reading the plethora of posts which my peeps here on WP have produced, over a three-day period.  Shortly, I will head for Game Night at Wild Iris, and a few hours of “changing the channel”.

What a difference five days make, but you already knew that!  I have this thing about my love being unconditional, which causes one of my favourite gadflies on WP to roll his eyes and wonder what kind of idiot I am.  No matter; everyone’s experience is different, and as I said last time, I can’t be like everyone else- or anybody else.

My erstwhile best friend is still a friend, but has indicated, strongly, that she needs a hiatus.  No harm, no foul; my life is speeding in unexpected directions.  One of those could benefit her, and several other people, but things in that area are very fluid now, and it’s best I wait, before discussing them here.

I am also being given more responsibility within my Faith group.  This will compel me to do better at something I’ve never done well:  Think on my feet.  My middle brother is excellent in that area, and has taunted me about my slowness, on a few occasions.  I am primarily a pondering, methodical soul, but that should not prevent development of quick rejoinders.

So, here I am, ready to go out, on a possibly snowy night, to enjoy Board Games and cards with people I either have never met, or barely know.  Love is love, and lasts beyond many a throwing up of hands and yelling “So what?”