Life is Like Driving an Automobile

Writing has come up to the front burner once again. A stove generally has two front burners, so the microgreens business is going strong; not that a stove has anything to do with an automobile.

There is a YouTube Channel I follow that recently posted on a topic I have touched upon before, that is; the crowd you keep and its influence on your life.

So why am I excited about my writing taking off like a rocket ship? (not an automobile) Because of the newest crowd I keep. That would be farmers.

Yes, the influence of good hard working people, fellow vendors, at the farmer’s market has brought much more productivity to my days in every aspect, not that farming has anything to do with automobiles necessarily.

Family and even church, which is a type of extended family, though important are not always the most supportive structures when it comes to being productive. Drama and intense personal relationships can distract one from the bigger picture.

You know, ‘get the big picture’, what they tell you in driver’s education.

Life education I say

Recognize you are part of the whole. ‘Keep your eyes moving’. One’s experience is like so many others and the ability to look outward gives one insight into other’s experiences on the road. It gives one insight into the value of the rules of the road.

Become an educator.

Get one of those cars with two steering wheels I say.

Yes, it is important that you don’t have twelve year olds speeding through red lights in stolen cars. It is important that people do not simply shoot others they feel have slighted them while driving. It is important that millenials actually stop for stop signs rather than looking at their phones. It would be nice to have law enforcement actually enforcing the rules; just a dream I have.

But enough about Milwaukee.

‘Aim high’ and ‘make sure others see you’ may sound like vanity, but it gets one where they want to go and creates a positive influence for others following the rules of the road of life.

The key to creating value is to make one’s victories and tragedies not one’s own, but something shared for the advancement of all.

Growing, becoming a better driver makes one more valuable to the whole; to other drivers.

Life is about creating value. Make people feel safe.

Will creating value get me a nicer automobile?

It better.

One way I create value is by providing a great product at the farmer’s market. Everything brought to the market is fresh and if not sold provides value to the less fortunate.

I hope to create great value with my writing, now that my microgreens production is approaching streamline.

Situational awareness may be one way to frame today’s topic. ‘Leave yourself an out’, another rule of the road, may read as prudence or paranoia.

Do your characters, if you are a fellow writer, have situational awareness?

How do you describe that in your writing?

What details would they notice that others would not?

Would not each of your characters observe the same scene or situation differently?

Seeing through the eyes of others, each a unique perspective; is it the key to adding depth to one’s writing? To providing the utmost value to others?

Does it create appeal for a larger crowd?

So, I was talking at the market with a farmer about a potential trade war with Red China, not Taiwan. I know a lot about China.

My perspective is that as soon as a trade war begins China has lost.

“You have to understand” I said, “that because of Mao’s cultural revolution they killed all the capable cultured people. The whole country is nothing but a bunch of stupid farmers.”

Upon reflection…

Thank you for reading.

I hope I have provided value to your life today.

I have been remiss in my blogging, not fulfilling promised posting goals for my other blogs.

I apologize, especially if this is not my only blog you, my readers, enjoy reading.

Though how would I know, I get no comments, no likes on Facebook, no messages…

Thank you again.

Trials and Tribulations

With the new business developing, for some reason, my mind is always on my books.

At least with weekday farmer's markets I have time to read from time to time. In time, time will tell.

Makes me wonder if I should be writing instead of farming, but as production planning and harvesting efficiency works itself out I will have more time, at least that is what I thought.

Our local Alderman plagued inspectors upon our home, something I may or may not have more to write about.

I guess extruded polycarbonite over my window for security and privacy is called a flexible plastic covering now. It is seriously rigid.

Something is up and I intend to get to the bottom of it. The weekday markets may have to be over in lieu of more than work on my garage (which repairs I have been working on in conjunction with the city for a year) is not the only work the city has dictated, costing me money in more ways than one. But maybe that was the intent.

My success is a threat to a lot of people. Whether in my faith, my chosen profession as architect, as businessman, writer or gentleman farmer of the noblest of fashion.

Forgive me for daring to dream. Or not. I am willing to take on all challengers.

I believe it strange, the recent slew of serious accidents along our expressway. In my world it is a sign of spiritual disruption on a grand scale. We drive that stretch of road every week.

If God is with me, who can stand against me.

And writing is about creating a world, a believable world. Trials and tribulations tied to wisdom and understanding, a world view that works, creates a serious baseline for any world one may dream to create, whether based on fact or imagined.

Material possessions and objectives are important but hardly on the top of my priority list. People have taken more from me in my life than most any could ever imagine, yet I continue.

At least this blog is generally staying on schedule.

I have a lot building up to write. At some point I will have to stop everything and let it flow.

Thanks for reading.

The Psalmist

‘The world is filled with fools, though no one started out that way.

All knew where to find happiness, yet happiness portends sorrow.

Look outward then, at what others equally deceived desire.

Pursue then, objects to be held in the hand, felt in the flesh.

The emptiness of a sallow soul awaits, a garnished grave.

Seek rather what stirs the heart and enlightens the soul.

Project not upon others, clinging to shadows, the darkness that blots out the light.

The light shines from within, it never fades or falters, its’ affections never stray.

Embrace the light, life awaits.’

As a young man, these days you would call youth of similar age children, I didn’t read the Bible much, but when I did, I read Proverbs; …even Psalms.

So I put forth a small reflection of my own; something that formed in my mind as I contemplate life.

The Book of Job is a good one. The Gospels I found tragic and knew them intimately, at least those parts covered in the liturgy, the same year after year after year.

No one values… values anymore.

‘No one honors the upright, victorious, tragic or otherwise.

All look to tear down, declaring themselves victims rather than victors.’

Almost slipped into it again.

Overwhelmed with the enormity of tasks before me and the responsibilities that come with them, I find myself, value based. Or perhaps delusion has gripped my mind. In any state, I am strained, drained of energies.

My stories tug at my soul.

“Hey! what about us?!”

It causes me to wonder if I should have rather simply thrown myself into my writing and nothing else.

Don’t give up on me. I will get there.

‘When it is all said and done, we have only our love and creativity to carry us on.’

Are there any television shows that imbue true value to their viewers. Impossible to know, there are so many.

Television is my rebound time, …or a crutch?

“The Game of Thrones”, nothing but pornography. Stop watching trash. Stop fooling yourselves, it is.

Fools!

Before the Internet took off “Babylon 5”, a show I recently rediscovered on my Roku, may have been the last show of any substantive value propagation.

Perhaps I should listen to Zathras.

“Zathras is used to being beast of burden to other people’s needs. Very sad life. Probably a very sad death, but at least there is symmetry.” :Zathras, 2254.

Or I could read the Bible.

Symmetry is good.

Thanks for reading.

Lost and Found

Have I lost my mind?

We are starting a new business, somewhat keeping it under wraps for now.

What? You say you already know what I am doing?…

Well then, …Merry Christmas to you.

So I have had all these various and scattered tasks to get to that have come near to inciting paralysis.

And now I have expounded the number of tasks, responsibilities, duties, commitments, expectations, demands on my time and energies, projects, jobs, goals to fulfill in a timely fashion, deeds, and things to plan, build, organize, create, accomplish and ultimately to reign over supreme.

And what is my reward for taking on these immense burdens, labors, toils and troubles, upon my broad and powerful shoulders?

More time? Could God be so gracious as to slow it for me? Perhaps it would be wiser to move faster.

Bubbles? Not unless I draw my own bath.

Peace of mind, contentment, confidence, a growing sense of worth, value, esteem or simply a good nights sleep after working myself to the point of exhaustion? My wife put the caffeinated coffee, rather than the decaf, into the Kurig last night for my after dinner desert replacement.

True story, and I did not use a thesaurus in the production of this post.

Actually, with a now undeniably “I have too much to do and not enough time to do it!” charge I am getting more done than ever. If only I could properly prioritize. I just start moving to the demands of what ever I find before me, finish, and on to the next object I come across, to set upon it and bend to my steely will.

And in all this, in the midst of the tempest, the melee, throwing myself into the breech once more, my mind fills with my stories.

Yes, still writing and once all my infrastructure is in place the work of the published will take off again with depth and potent detail.

It is good to be busy. I have not always succeeded in that aspect of life, stifled by crushing life realities peeling back like an onion, layer after layer.

But one thing that I never fell short in, never stopped investing in, is my life of prayer and dedication to God. A continuous humbling of the heart is the foundation upon which I go forward.

What will befall me now?

Thanks for reading.

I have not fulfilled the goal of posting on “No Sanction” or “Global Imprint” (one or the other is my monthly intention) but I have a great post in the works. Excuse my tardiness you most faithful of readers.

What To Do

“Again!” you proclaim. “Haven’t we heard enough of your tortured decision making processes Phillip?”

I hate the way those Canadians pronounce ‘process’ on YouTube. It makes me want to rip my ears out, …or off. But the workings are on the inside, so out is more accurate.

And there is the rub. What to write, or publish in regards to what I have completed, and what not to write? That is the question.

Is some of my stuff too dark? Does it serve any value towards a greater society? Are we progressing into a brave new world of virtue and goodness so quickly that my writings, rather than enlightening, would hold people back from a brighter future?

Much can be learned from tragedy or the deconstruction of evil doers and their ways, but is it time to leave that all behind?

I hope so… but I have these stories, that personally, I think are really good.

Under a more optimistic vision of the future, the one story I would truly like to publish is far from complete; maybe 20%.

A bright new future.

The Holy Marriage Blessing, the breaking of all man’s ties to an evil lineage and history is now freely given to people of virtue.

Reverend Sun Myung Moon’s wife will be holding a 5,000 couple Holy Marriage Blessing ceremony at a mega church in Los Angeles on April 6th.

I personally have recently returned from Las Vegas. No gambling for me, strictly spiritual pursuits and a trip to an amazingly beautiful “Valley of Fire” state park.

I have been spending a lot of time in study since my return as well as in preparing the garden for planting. Already being a member of Master Class, the service www.optimize.me has caught my attention as it claims to cover the highlights of great philosophers. About half the price of Master Class, focused on self betterment. They also have a single lifetime membership fee.

I think Master Class made a mistake when by not grandfathering your entry price as set for perpetuity. They having so many writing classes and the classes are actually very extensive when dealing with the work books and links that I can see myself staying on for years. And then who knows what else they will have to offer.

My interest in philosophers comes from Reverend Moon’s teachings (The Divine Principle) on how the world divided into two the camps of communism, atheism representing Satan’s side, and democracy, centered on England and the United States, as representing God’s side.

Philosophers and their trains of thought in one direction or the other are mentioned in the teaching and I always wanted to personally dig deeper into those philosophers. I looked into some of their works, but finding English or abridged versions has not been easy.

I did take a bit of ancient philosophy, those Greeks and the like, in high school and college. I am unclear how direct Optimize is in its coverage of specific philosophers, and their thought, or if they take a more general overall life improvement kind of approach.

Don’t like to be preached to you say. Well, you must not like to create interesting characters, if you are a fellow writer. You need an all encompassing approach to life and people.

Or maybe you embrace only mankind’s more base qualities, and outright reject the work of God and his angels.

You are what you eat, so the saying goes.

I better not get into food here. This post may never end.

Thanks for reading.