This is my Field of Dreams

May 28th, 2011

“If you build it, they will come.”

I’ve been blogging now for over ten years in one forum or another. As an early adopter of the Internet, I can remember paying AOL $10/hr. prime time to connect with other like-minded, geeky souls. I cruised the chat rooms of the Undernet long before there were enough people to cause a ‘netsplit.’ I have always felt more at home in cyberspace than in the real world. Yet through it all, I have never retreated here to my home amongst the pixels. I have built a career, friendships and a life outside the cold blackness of cyberspace.

But my vision has always been to use this medium to touch more lives than I could ever possibly physically touch in the real world. To help others understand the powerful tool that we’ve been entrusted with, this Internet. I understood its potential long before others did. It’s too bad I didn’t really have the drive to profit from it in the early days. I have no doubt I could have amassed a fortune. But that’s not my calling, it’s not my passion. There is something deep in my soul that cries out for me to just write. To blog, to be an essayist in the age of information.

With the advent of e-publishing, the nature of information is changing. People are starting to charge for the value of their information, rather than the cost+percentage model of traditional publishing. But in the end, the fact still remains that content is king, and the Internet, and all of its e-marvels will not change that. Slowly, those voices who speak the truth shall rise up out of the flotsam and jetsam of those out to make a quick buck, and publishing as we know it will be forever changed. It’s happening right now.

So this is my field of dreams. Welcome. I hope you find me entertaining at the very least, inspiring at my very best.

Ciao for now.

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Something to consider

June 6th, 2011

I’ve heard it said that only two percent of the population succeeds at any endeavor. Now, that seems quite daunting when we consider only 100 people. But say we’re considering 10,000 people… that number grows to 200 successes. The current world population is approximately 6.9 billion people. Two percent of the world’s population is 138,000,000. One hundred and thirty-eight million people who will ‘succeed’ by any definition.

Success comes on  your own terms. Don’t talk yourself out of success, the odds are still in your favor because not all people aim for the same targets. Choose your targets, focus and you will succeed, period. The only person who can get in the way of that is you.

Ciao for now.

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A catharsis provided by tears

June 5th, 2011

I cry, a lot. But it’s because beauty and joy move me to tears. I have learned that I don’t tend to cry in sadness. I’m very stoic when bad things are happening around me. Then, I hold back the tears, mostly from a fear that once they started, I would never be able to make them stop.

But when I read or hear or see something beautiful? Poignant? Touching? I’m a big old pile of mush. Seems like I’ve been finding a lot more beauty to cry about these days. I think its a good thing, but I wanted to write about it anyway.

I just wanted to say I think tears get a bad wrap. In my life, they’re liberating and joyful.

Ciao for now.

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Synchronicity

May 30th, 2011

The World English dictionary defines synchronicity as “an apparently meaningful coincidence in time of two or more similar or identical events that are causally unrelated.”

Event 1:

I am in the process of becoming a vegetarian again. I feel better when I eat a strict mostly raw diet, and I know that organic is the way to go. I’m tired of shopping at Whole Paycheck however, and have been looking for a local CSA to join that had a schedule that was convenient to my life and in my approximate neighborhood. Thus far, the only ones I’d found were either on the South side of Atlanta or out in Athens.

Event 2:

A friend of mine recently bought a new “budget” mattress. In less than two months, it has developed a definite dip towards the middle. Currently, I’m sleeping on a Select Comfort bed, but I didn’t buy a foundation for it, so I’m using my old (very nice) Sealy Posturpedic mattress as my foundation. My mattress is really a better mattress, and a new Select Comfort foundation costs far less than another new quality mattress would, so some horse-trading was arranged.

Now, the trade had not been accomplished because we were both waiting until the cost of the new foundation could be better absorbed. Enter Freecycle. I’ve subscribed for a couple of years, but have never managed to find anything of use on it, or if I did, because I get the daily digest version, I’m usually too slow to be able to claim it. Yesterday morning, I noticed an ad posted for “Free Select Comfort Mattress & Foundation.” There was no mention of size (it needed to be a queen to fit my needs). The ad said that the mattress’ inner chamber had a leak, but that the pump, cover and foundation were all in otherwise good condition.

I corresponded with the owner, and we agreed that I could come out and pick it up from 1-2 p.m. today. The only problem with this was that I couldn’t get a hold of my other friend (who also happens to have a full-size pickup truck) whereas my Sport Trac only has a short bed. I went out to try to get the mattress/foundation anyway, figuring that we’d be able to make it fit somehow.

Good news – as I drove the winding driveway back to the farm, I discovered that the owner had a small produce stand with a sign announcing organic produce. Once introduced, I learned that he runs a small 40-person seasonal (3 seasons) CSA. Pickup is on Wednesdays and the location is less than 10 miles from my house! Score!

Bad news – we couldn’t get the mattress/foundation in my truck, but he will hold it for me until I can arrange for a full-size pickup to assist.

That’s today’s synchronicity – I went to find a foundation for my bed, and I wound up with a great CSA and a new friend.

Posted in Daily Life | 1 Comment »

My thoughts on Oprah

May 29th, 2011

For the last 25 years, Oprah Winfrey has changed lives all over the world. Sadly, I never got to watch many of her shows, as they’re part of daytime television, and for many of those 25 years, I didn’t even own a TV set. But her presence was everywhere. You could not escape Oprah’s reach. She was in the serious news, the tabloid news, and the news of her own making. A more generous spirit and heart could not be found. Oprah’s dedication to her viewing audience, and women around the world was legendary.

Oprah is legendary. She has built a media empire from nothing. She will continue, through OWN, to change the world and television as we know it. The word ‘philanthropist’ should include a picture of Oprah in its entry. A devout follower of the principles of the “Law of Attraction,” she has hosted many Hay House authors and other leading edge luminaries on her show. If anyone ever doubts the power of the Law of Attraction (like attracts like), they need only to look to Oprah for example.

When asked what will I write on my “check to the Universe” – I’ve always joked, “I want to be “Oprah Winfrey rich.”

I only caught clips from Oprah’s final episodes this week. One of those, however, was Kristin Chenowith singing “For Good” to Oprah, with the students of Morehouse college filing into the auditorium, candles in hand. I was overwhelmed with emotion, watching as Oprah finally allowed her own tears to fall.

And that’s when it struck me. That’s when the Universe reached out and bitch-slapped me.

I don’t want to be Oprah Winfrey rich.

I want to be Oprah Winfrey good.

Ciao for now.

 

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