Category Archives: Personal goals

The Road to 65, Mile 8: Leaves In The Wind

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December 6, 2014, Scottsdale-  This day was the 34th anniversary of Penny and I having met, in Zuni, NM.  Since her passing, 3 1/2 years ago, I have found myself spending this day doing something or another that celebrates our Faith.  This year, December 6 was the day chosen by the Baha’is of Scottsdale, and the United Nations Association of Arizona, to observe Human Rights Day, which actually falls on December 10.  Several speakers addressed key issues pertaining to human rights:  Immigration, Native American affairs, the persecution of Baha’is in Iran, and the ongoing state of affairs between Blacks and Whites in our country.  A longtime educator, who is Baha’i, made the case for Universal Compulsory Education as the overall impetus for solutions to these, and other issues, being generated.  A member of the audience made a passionate plea for communities to address human trafficking.

As this last is a huge concern of mine, especially as it pertains to children and teens,  I spent several minutes during the social portion of the gathering, hearing this lady out on the matter.  Like her, I see both official sanctioning of human trafficking (albeit in a surreptitious manner) and the tendency we have towards viewing strangers, or those from outside the immediate circle of friends, as those better left in anonymity, as contributing factors to how easy it is for trafficking and slavery to persist in today’s world.

I will be glad to have a kindred spirit in my corner, in taking on these evils.  For too long, our society, and the human race as a whole, have regarded those outside one’s social circle as leaves in the wind.  I saw some of that in evidence among those in attendance at last night’s gathering, which underscored my earnest and hard-working colleague’s point:  Without us, who will bring in the light?

The Road to 65, Mile 7: Peace Flows Outward

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December 5, 2014, Prescott-  I’m a bit late with this one, but yesterday was full, and exhausting.  I actually slept until 8, this morning.

Anyway, after getting my car’s tires rotated and balanced, Friday morning, I headed to work, on a half-day assignment.  It was an afternoon with two sections of kindergarten:  30 five-year-olds.  There was little core academics, it being Friday afternoon, and all, but teaching social skills is still a large part of Kinder.   The big item of the day was cleaning up, after thirty minutes of play with manipulatives.  I basically had two rules for that playtime:  Share items and space; No running around in the classroom.  At clean-up time,  I called “High Five” and held up my hand.  There was complete silence, so I simply said, “See this mess; clean it up”.  Within five minutes, all items had been put away and the room was spotless.  Yes, there were thirty five-year-olds, and 16 of them were boys.  We will be in good hands, when I reach my nineties.

There are two ways of handling groups, as I noted yesterday.  Inner peace, reflected from the person facilitating a group, is essential. It touches all, even the most troubled and self-loathing person in the group.  Of course, such a person needs extra assistance and attention, and may need to be removed from the group, in extreme cases.  That was not necessary yesterday.

In the evening, there were two gatherings:  A Christmas dinner, in business attire, and a drum circle, to which I went, in my vest, shirt and tie.  The Christmas dinner found me listening, with rapt attention, to a person slightly older than I, who has led an amazing life- from studying Psychology,under the late Gen. Norman Schwartzkopf, when he was an Army captain and teaching at USC, to leading Search and Rescue teams in the high desert and Rocky Mountains, alike.  The peace that comes from a wealth of experiences is indeed exemplary. The Drum Circle, held monthly, is always a soothing and centering occasion.

So, December, a rather expensive month, financially, is also a time of rich and peace-imparting events.  I will discuss another of these in the very next post.

The Road to 65, Mile 5: Giving and Taking

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December 3, 2014, Prescott- I had a satisfying day.  Seeing so many children in three groups of third graders find they were able to understand the idea behind multiplication, with the simple explanations I was able to offer, is the best outcome of a work day I could ever want.

I got some further materials for another passion- sharing and promoting Certified Pure Therapeutic Grade Essential Oils.  I have to use the complete title, as there are plenty of adulterated, watered-down oils, which have actually made people sicker.  The oils I use, and offer, do not.

I got into a brief discussion on FB about eating animals.  Now, I enjoy eating some meat, from herbivores, or fish There is, though, a very sad level of ignorance among Americans as to eating carnivores. Many see nothing wrong with it. The fact is, the animals at the top of the food chain are lacking in the nutrients that the human body needs to stay healthy.  Even more difficult to understand is the pre-occupation some have with killing and butchering endangered species, “because we people are endangered, too.”  Seriously?  If you decimate a resource, it’s gone, period.  We have a food distribution problem, in this country, and around the world.  Buffets are copious and delectable, and the food could be put to better use, in a number of instances- even if we just consider those who are underfed and undernourished, in our own communities.  Thankfully, a growing number of communities are starting to address the food distribution issue.  Massachusetts has made it illegal for restaurants to throw food away, when it has not yet been on someone’s plate.  The leftovers have to be made available to food banks and public kitchens.

Finally, most states have land given them, in trust, when they were still either founding parties to the new United States of America, or while they were territories thereof.  The December 1, 2014 issue of the Wall Street Journal discusses this matter in some detail, and when I find that article, I will summarize it on this site.  The gist is, we have until June of next year to arrange for the revenues generated by limited use of these lands to go into funding our schools.  So, for those seeking to reverse a trend towards closing schools and forcibly increasing class sizes to an untenable level, this issue is one of those on which we need to increase our level of erudition.

The Road to 65, Mile 4: Standing Up versus Caving In

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December 2, 2014, Prescott-  One of the things that happens, as one gets on in years, is that what the rich and powerful say and think becomes less and less important, unless of course one happens to be rich and powerful.

Being of common stock, I find it easier to speak up, on behalf of those who have been, and are still being, shoved to the sidelines.  This evening, our local school board decided that it was more to THEIR advantage to close two schools, and start preparing the grounds on which they sit for sale, than to hold on to $500,000 in non-transferable grant money.

I wrote last night about the lure of the dollar.  There is another lure at play, in many communities:  Dominance over the masses.  Here in Prescott, it is wealthy, often politically liberal, elitists who are more than glad to disregard the well-being of the “lower classes”, when there is money to be made.  A recent article about a community in the Bay Area shows a similar process at work.  Then, there is Chicago, where an arrogant elite attempted to close several schools,  a few years back, again with an eye towards cashing in on development.

I stay away from strictly partisan politics, both for religious reasons and because it happens that members of one party are as bad, if not worse, when money changing hands is at stake, than members of the other.  I also don’t regard it as strictly a Race Card issue, though that can enter into the picture, when the elite are of one group and the disadvantaged are mostly of another.  I have seen plenty of White on White repressive actions, though.  Members of the Tea Party are often bona fide recipients of economic and class snobbery.  One particularly repugnant “social service” provider in the Phoenix area, about five years ago, referred to its clients as “recipients”.  The heavy-handed treatment they received was a prime example of the arrogance of power.

This is how it is, whenever the people most-affected by a decision are shunted to the side, to make way for the bulldozers and the bankers.  It’s by no means a “white” problem, either.  Asian and Middle Eastern magnates excel at pushing the multitudes out of the way, when it’s convenient.

So, while I will continue to stand by the children of all neighbourhoods in Prescott, and wherever I find myself in the days and months ahead, I will also keep encouraging them, as well as their parents, to keep informed, to stay vigilant and to stay active.  It’s very important for those of all targeted groups:  Lower and Middle Class Whites, Hispanics, Blacks, Native Americans and Asians, to take matters into their own hands and resist, peacefully but persistently, the web of control that is being woven daily, for the benefit of a small group of opportunists. The first thing to be resisted is the “Divide and rule” mentality.  We who stand together cannot be moved against our will.  We who cave, who knuckle under, cannot move at all, of our own will.

The Road to 65: Mile Two- and The Books That Guide

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November 30, 2014, Prescott- This was a quieter day than I expected.  The invited house-guest never called, or showed up, despite my TM and follow-up phone call.  It was a good day anyway, though.  I had breakfast with fellow American Legionnaires, courtesy of our Riders (veterans who ride motorcycles and do a wealth of charitable work on behalf of other veterans).  There has been plenty of time today for me to indulge in rest, and in healing foods and beverages, along with my essential oils.

An online friend noted, with regard to my post from yesterday, that my life couldn’t possibly be that organized.  He’s right- plans and goals are worth making, but none of us should be overwrought if the plans and goals don’t all get met.  After all, last year, eastern Canada was on my planned itinerary.  Life happened, and the area  will be a goal for another year.  The bottom line is always “God willing”.

I read fewer books this year than previously- a fair amount of attention was spent on Lonely Planet Guidebooks:  Belgium & Luxembourg; France; Germany.  Then there was The Discovery of France:  An Historical Geography, by Graham Robb.  In anticipation of next summer’s activity, I purchased and read sections of Lonely Planet Guides to  Alaska and to Canada. Looking further still, at 2016, brought me to delve into Open Veins of Latin America, by Eduardo Galeano.  It’s an examination of the abuse of that part of our world by both colonizing nations and by those who came along after independence was achieved.  I read the biography of Geronimo, by Angie Debo, Awakening Intuition, by Mona Lisa Schulz and Survivors, a novel of a possible dystopia, by James, Wilson Rawles (comma inserted by Mr. Rawles).  This last is intriguing, as it offers hints as to how one survives in a time of total economic and transportational calamity.  I don’t put much stock in tea-leaf reading, when it comes to catastrophe.  We do need to have at least two game plans, in case it does come to pass.  Dwelling on the worst case scenario, though, tales away from living intelligently.

As for the twelve months I have just started, I will finish reading Lies My Teacher Told Me, by James W. Loewen.  Then, it’ll be time to dive into: The Science of Skinny, by Dee McCaffrey; The Biology of Belief, by Bruce H. Lipton; Free Radicals:  The Secret Anarchy of Science, by Michael Brooks; The Book Thief, by Markus Zusak; City Repair’s Placemaking Guidebook; Ecovillages, by Karen T. Littfin.  These will take me through summer. In the Fall, Gandhi, An Autobiography; John Adams, by David McCullough; and Killing Kennedy, by Bill O’Reilly & Martin Dugard will occupy my quiet hours.

Yes, it’s true that everything, or just a small something, could serve to keep my goals unrealized.  Still, working towards something discourages indolence, as Benjamin Franklin might have said.

The Road to 65: Mile One

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November 29, 2014, San Diego- Yesterday, I turned the corner on sixty-four years of age.  The next birthday will represent something of a milestone, for what it used to mean, and still symbolizes in many minds:  Old Age.  To me, and to many other Baby Boomers, though, it’s another year to be spent well.

I started this year by kicking an illness to the curb.  It was an upper respiratory matter, and a combination of essential oils, Vitamin C tabs, echinacea/goldenseal in hot tea, more hot tea with lemon and honey, and good Korean kimchi made recovery happen in short order.  I also spent time at one of my favourite spots in San Diego, La Jolla Cove, with one of my favourite people, my son.

As with any new journey, it’s worth looking ahead.  So here is a look at what the next twelve months seem to have in store.

December- A couple of Faith Community meetings, early in the month, then the 30th Annual Grand Canyon Baha’i Conference, right after Christmas.  My growth continues, in learning about Certified Pure Therapeutic Grade essential oils. Every day, I will go on site and spend an hour or so, building my store of knowledge.  Travel, within the Four Corners-Southern California sphere, will take me to western New Mexico:  Gallup, Zuni, El Morro, Bosque del Apache, Silver City and Lordsburg; then back around by Tucson and up to Phoenix for the aforementioned Baha’i Conference.

January- Usually, this is a month for laying low, but life close to home continues apace.  Having rung in the New, with fellow revelers in downtown Prescott, I may head up to Las Vegas for the first two days of the new year, to visit friends and walk in the Valley of Fire. I will spend time tilling my back yard, removing the weeds that have largely overcome the small plot on the northeast corner of our back lot.  Hiking more sections of Tonto Natural Bridge and the Black Canyon National Recreation Trail is on the menu.  I will finish the month in Boulder, CO, at a  Winter Summit.

February- This will be another topsy-turvy month, taking me across the southern tier of states, (Feb. 6-17- with stops in El Paso, San Antonio, Houston, New Orleans and the Panama City area, before spending 3-4 days visiting my mother-in-law, near Leesburg, FL.).

March- Always largely a month largely spent in fasting and reflection, sun-up to sun-down from 3/2-20, the time of Spring Break and NCAA Championships will find me visiting  SoCal, briefly, visiting family, and a couple of friends in OC and LA.  The rest of the time, we Baha’is greet our New Year on March 21 and I will plant some early-sprouting items like peas and tomatoes.

April-   This will be quiet, travel-wise, barring any emergencies.  Most likely, I will go up two small Flagstaff-area peaks:  Kendrick and Red Mountain.

May & June- I will stick close to home until the school year ends, then head northwest- through Nevada, northern California, central Oregon, western Washington, Vancouver (city and island), Haida Gwai’i and southeast Alaska, returning via eastern Washington, Idaho and Utah, in time for:

July- This Independence Day will be spent in Prescott, with a foray over to the venerable Prescott Rodeo.  Then, it’s off to San Diego for another filial birthday, on the 7th.  I will spend a couple of days in Santa Barbara and Ojai, before hunkering down in the Four Corners states, for the rest of the summer.

August- I will have planted squash and pumpkins, after returning from the Great North.  They will show me, this month, how they have responded to monsoon-style dry farming.  A few days among the Navajo and Hopi will be in order, as well.

September- Fall again, so soon?  Not necessarily, in AZ.  The  return of dry weather will mean some late watering of the nearly-mature crops.  My brother may be here, for his own special birthday, in the Grand Canyon.  Also possible:  Salt Lake City, for a five-day Parliament of Religions.

October-  I hopefully will carve a pumpkin that I have grown myself.  Rest assured, anything I grow will be from heirloom organic seeds.  A weekend camp-out in the Inner Basin of the San Francisco Peaks wilderness will be in order.

November- The road to 65 ends here, before branching off to another year of growth and challenge.  My 65 starts on a Saturday, two days after Thanksgiving, so that means another great weekend in San Diego.

Books?  Yes, they are an intense part of my life, still.  In the next post, I will look back at this year’s reading achievements and ahead to those awaiting along the path I have just started.

Being 64

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November 28, 2014, San Diego-  I woke today, looked in the mirror and lo & behold:  There was a face that looked every bit of sixty-four.  I’ve always regarded looking one’s age as a sign of a life well-lived.  Acting one’s age, that’s another matter.  After all, men old enough to be my father have made no bones about going after young women.  That’s not my style, though.  I had a fine marriage, have a son who is contemporary with the aforementioned ladies and besides, I enjoy the company of people of all ages, as friends, at this stage of my life.  Maturity, for sixty-somethings and older, is a choice.

I’ve thought a fair amount about privilege.  In some ways, I enjoy it;  I don’t have to worry about being pulled over by police, just because of the type of vehicle I’m driving.  I can go anywhere I can afford to go. I am not followed around by store security, even when I’m “dressed down”.  No one asks me my business, when I’m in a public place. I could, conceivably, be hassled by people, when in some parts of Hawai’i , or Mexico or any number of Native American communities.  So far, though, that hasn’t happened.  I was treated just fine in the Honolulu area, have visited Yaqui, Tohono O’Odham, Navajo and Hopi communities, with no unpleasant events and drove  a friend to Mexico a few years ago, without any sense of imminent danger.

What I don’t enjoy, though, is seeing people who are just trying to get from A to B, being hassled.  I also don’t like seeing miscreants try to poke holes through civility, by creating a scenario of “racism”.  Every person should obey the law, not take what isn’t his/hers and refrain from bullying people who are trying to make an honest living.  Every person is also entitled to enjoy the fruits of their labours, earn a decent living wage and not have to sneak across borders to do so.  There is a lot, an immense amount of work to be done in that regard.

I got a lot done this past year, and will get more accomplished in the year ahead. (Details in next post).  For today, though, I am content to head up to La Jolla, hopefully see some marine mammals, hike a bit at Torrey Pines and kick back this evening with a Netflix film at my son’s apartment.  Sixty-four is a fine age to be.

Thankfulness

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 November 27,2014, San Diego- Buddha essentially instructed His followers to “want what you have”. Thankfulness for what already is, I have found, is also a springboard to the greater.  I can look back on 2014, and look around at what is right in front of me, in recounting my blessings.  As my sixty-fourth year winds to close, and I start the long countdown to Birthday 65, on Nov. 28, 2015, I give thanks for these:

A healthy, vibrant 26-year-old son, who has proven, time and again, that parenthood is one of the best investments of time, energy and resources that a person can ever make.

A body which, while looking every bit of its 64 years, nonetheless keeps up with the challenges I face-and craves more physical activity, in the form of hiking and my exercise regiment at Planet Fitness.

Having discovered  essential oils.  Not only have they helped overcome what few health challenges I have faced, over the past year, (most recently including a visit from Senor Streptococcus), but they are a vehicle for me to share holistic health practices with others, almost on a daily basis.

Having such a vibrant network of family and friends, both online and in real time.  We spent maybe two hours on the phone today, all told, and spoke with each of my siblings, my two sisters-in-law and both mothers.  I’m sure my dear soul mate and our Dads were listening in, from the other side of the fence.

Having had a wealth of enriching experiences this past year: Hiking in places like Seven Falls in Tucson; Bill Williams Mountain; Cave Creek and parts of the Black Canyon National Recreation Trail; touring Kartchner Caverns; being on Utah Beach, Normandy, on the 70th anniversary of D-Day; visiting the ruins of the church where my paternal ancestors were baptized, in Rouen, France; paying homage to St. Jeanne d’Arc, at the sites of her imprisonment and immolation; seeing several of the great sites in Paris, Mont St. Michel,  Amiens, Brussels, Brugge, Ghent, Luxembourg, Heidelberg and Frankfurt; paying respects to the heroes of the Battle of the Bulge, in Bastogne; getting the chilling reminder of my late father-in-law’s wartime suffering, while visiting the ruins of the POW camp, where he was held prisoner, in Berga, Germany; enjoying 1 1/2 days in Honolulu; sailing from that lovely city to San Diego, aboard my son’s ship and two trips to San Diego and other parts of southern California, besides.

Feeling ever more confirmed in my faith, and seeing how Baha’i helps those who place trust in God transcend the urge to conform to the prevailing sentiments of our larger society- Materialism, nationalism, racism and outmoded traditions.  The journey of the spirit is an endless one, and I feel like I’m just getting started, even after the passage of 33 years as a Baha’i.

The year ahead is looking to be equally busy and fulfilling; stay tuned.

What’s In Our Words

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November 24, 2014, Prescott-  This is, for an educator, the shortest “work week” of the academic year.  Most schools have two days, before Thanksgiving break.  It’s also my birthday week, and this year, I turn 64 on the day after Thanksgiving.  People are given to calling that day, “Black Friday”, as its sales receipts are supposed to put retail businesses “in the black”.  A sad trend has some stores shortening, or foregoing, the Thanksgiving holiday for their employees/associates.  One retail outlet even refers to the most important family holiday of the year as “Black Thursday”.  Shameful, this.

Words matter.  I have had the tendency, much of my life, to be “in the brain, out the mouth.”  I could blame this on my autism, and it is probably what has caused this series of  faux pas.  My late wife spent the best years of her life coaching me out of this emotional trough.  Discretion and sobriety were the most valuable gifts she imparted to me, through three decades of steadfast love.  I have stumbled and bumbled on occasion, in the three years, seven months since her passing.  Good people have been hurt, and I have done myself no favours with these missteps.

The purpose of life, though, is to transcend.  We overcome pain, move out of  false comfort zones, learn new skills, make new friends and often keep the old.  In all of this, a successful effort brings one closer to the Source of all life.  I am slowly on the upward path, with my beloved spirit guide urging me on, in matters large and small.

Our words ought to represent reflection, thought, and most crucially, love.  What comes from our mouths, our pens, our keyboards can either build or shatter.  So, while it’s a fine thing to be ever honest, in our dealings with those near and far, it pays to remember that no one really wants to be shattered, knocked down or left out.  Honesty and kindness are not mutually exclusive.  Have a fine Monday, my friends.

Community

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November 20, 2014, Prescott-  This evening will feature yet another speech by the current President.  Some things will change in this country, albeit temporarily, as happens with Executive Order- induced policy adjustments.  The whole affair, though, brings me to the matter of communities, large and small.

I have five basic observations:

1.  Charity begins at home- Mother instilled this in each of us, from Day 1.  Many people in this country are hyper-charitable.  It’s an admirable thing, when they have the wherewithal to give copiously.  I donate my time and money as close to the end receivers as possible, and as close to my own level of awareness of their situation as possible.  There will always be people in need, right in one’s neighbourhood, and there will always be people in need on the other side of the planet.  “The poor will always be with you.”  Everyone can share something, but few can give all that much.  My son is my top priority, then my family, then the community, starting in Prescott and working upward.

2.  A family, and a community, is only as strong as the level of trust between its members.  I live in a neighbourhood that is quite homogeneous.  There is, however, a high level of mistrust, especially among men aged forty and older.  Many of these men are carrying weapons.  I don’t pack heat, but I can sense the fear and tension from those who do.  Should there be a breakdown in order, many will opt for the quick response.  It won’t be pretty.

3.  This leads me to my own support system.  My Baha’i community, Prescott Save Our Schools, Slow-Food Prescott, American Legion Post 6, and the Yavapai County Red Cross are my local support groups.  Individual friends, both real-time and online, local and farther afield, offer additional back-up, and God knows I’ve needed it on several occasions.  Those who don’t have a human support system turn to self-medication.  This fuels the drug and sex trades, resulting in more misery across a wider area, and thus more human migration, both legal and surreptitious.

4.  Politics has been defined as the art of the possible.  For as far back as one can study, this has been taken to mean, the art of the powerful.  It is time, with social media and its attendant level of awareness, for power to move from the ground up.  Political extremists understand this, and have used it to their advantage.  The grassroots, however, mean that everyone matters, not just the loudest, the most devious or those with the deepest pockets.  Otherwise, what Pete Townshend wrote, in “Won’t Get Fooled Again”, will continue to be the norm:  “The parting on the left is now parting on the right”, and back and forth, ad nauseam.

5.  Character matters.  We have seen so many prominent people, revered by the masses, prove to have committed horrible acts against others.  Many will live in denial- Hitler still has his apologists, as do Mao Tse-tung, General Custer and Charles Manson. Others will subvert the misery of others for their own ends- which criminals have done since the Biblical Cain and Nimrod.  Each of us does, however, have the bounden duty, from our Creator, as we understand Him/Her/It to be, to “Do unto others as you would have done unto you.”  The Golden Rule has nothing to do with “He who has the gold, rules”.  As long as we are on the subject, though, it is worth remembering that every behaviour has its consequence, eventually.

The vast majority of people close to me are wondrous, loving and compassionate.  I work, daily, to be the same and it hasn’t always been easy.  It is, however, the only way I know to be.