Ready for a Challenge??

I love a challenge.
Sometimes, I bite off more than I can chew, and that's fine too. I would rather attempt something beyond my abilities and fail, than to sit idly by and sleepwalk through life.

I'm contemplating a challenge that most certainly is on the far side of a stretch for me, and that makes me want to do it all the more.

I will be out of the country for most of October, but November happens to be National Novel Writing Month. What the Hell is that, I can hear you mumble... well, it's an attempt to write 50,000 words in one month, hopefully a novel. The time constraint of attempting to do this in one month puts the focus on output, rather than quality. Funny enough, this type of constraint can be very helpful to overcoming barriers that we sometimes impose upon ourselves.

I'm still not sure that I'll be participating, but certainly the concept is enticing.

What say you? Wanna play?

For more info: http://www.nanowrimo.org/


Maarburg
Current meatspace coordinates:
Latitude = 35.1370, Longitude = -106.5889

Right Now

It is incredibly easy for us to get caught up in the 'day to day' of
our lives and forget that each moment that we have is precious. It's
precious for the single reason that it will never happen again. Whether
you sitting on the bus on the way to work, in your bosses office on the receiving end of a negative review, holding your six month old baby, or
landing that contract that will put you on top of the sales dog pile
this quarter; each of those moments are only there.. for a moment.
Then
they are gone.
Sure, we can hold on to memories of these moments, we
are particularly good at holding on to the rotten ones. In doing that,
in looking back, we are ignoring now. Ignoring the moment we have now.
It will never be here again.
When you are talking with your boss, are you really paying attention to what they are saying, or are you trying figure out how to get our of their office as quickly as possible?
When you are with you spouse, are you fully present, or are you thinking about what's on TV?
When you are helping your child with their homework, are you still at work?

Attentiveness is the natural prayer of the soul. -Nicolas Malebranche, French priest, theologian, and philosopher, 17th century

Carpe diem quam minimum credula postero - Seize the day, put no trust in tomorrow.

Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it. Ferris Bueller

Be
open to your dreams, people. Embrace that distant shore. Because our
mortal journey is over all too soon. -David Assael, Northern Exposure,
It Happened in Juneau, 1992

Like I said, this is an easy trap to fall into. Our lives have become every more complicated. We are trying to accomplish more things in less time. My question here is whether or not you are doing justice to the things that you are trying to do by splitting your attention.
Be here now.
Pay attention.
This moment is tenuous, and fragile.

Now.
It's about now.

Maarburg
Current meatspace coordinates:
Latitude = 35.1369, Longitude = -106.5888

The Conspiracy

I awoke to find myself asleep in my hotel room. Seems I failed to make it to the bed, and spent the night in the chair. It also seems that this is not my room. I mean, it looks like my room but its all wrong. Looking over the room, things looks almost normal. My suitcase is on the end of the bed, where I remember tossing it. But that's not my suitcase. It's close, but it's not the same. Event he empty mini-wine bottles on the table seem, almost right. There are pages missing from that notepad that the hotel leaved by the phone, and the pen! Then cap is missing from the pen! This isn't my room! I look, and can tell that this is all a charade. Someone's fing with me!
When I try to stand, my legs seem unsure, unused. The fail me and my knees crash hard onto the floor. I fall forward into the bed.
Pulling myself up, I gain my legs again underneath me. My clothes are strewn on the floor. With desperate speed I ball my clothes up and raise myself back up.
Slowly and arduously I make way to the door. I have to find my room. Not this, this copy cat. This sly and evil misdirection.
Who is doing this? Who would do this to me? It's of no matter. Once I'm in my room, with my things, then I can start to figure out who is behind this.
Through the door and out to the hall, the maid stares at me with shock.
"Help me find my room!", I implore to her.
"But Sir, that was your room.", she replies.
"No! That's a copy of my room, not the same at all, don't you see?"
"Sir, that was your room. You are confused. Please Sir, go back to your room."
I scowl at her. Frustrated by her inability to believe me, I turn and run down the hall.
I must find my room.
MY room.
Not this fabrication. Not this deception.
Down the hall I run, clothes in my arms.
No one..no one will believe me.


Maarburg
Current meatspace coordinates:
Unknown.

A Parable of Priorities

The Business Man and the Mexican Fisherman

An wealthy American tourist was at the pier of a small coastal Mexican village when a small boat with just one fisherman docked.
Inside the small boat were several large yellowfin tuna. The tourist complimented the Mexican on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took to catch them.
The Mexican replied, "Only a little while."
The tourist then asked, "Why didn't you stay out longer and catch more fish?"
The Mexican said, "With this I have more than enough to support my family's needs."
The tourist then asked, "But what do you do with the rest of your time?"
The Mexican fisherman said, "I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, take siesta with my wife, stroll into the village each evening where I sip wine and play guitar with my amigos, I have a full and busy life."
The tourist scoffed, " I can help you. You should spend more time fishing; and with the proceeds, buy a bigger boat: With the proceeds from the bigger boat you could buy several boats. Eventually you would have a fleet of fishing boats. Instead of selling your catch to a middleman you would sell directly to the processor; eventually opening your own cannery. You would control the product, processing and distribution. You could leave this small coastal fishing village and move to Mexico City, then Los Angeles and eventually New York where you could run your ever-expanding enterprise."
The Mexican fisherman considered this for a few moments then asked, "But, how long will this all take?"
The tourist replied, "15 to 20 years, with my help."
"But what then?" asked the Mexican.
The tourist laughed and said, "That's the best part. When the time is right you would sell your company stock to the public and become very rich, you would make millions."
"Millions?...Then what?"
The American smiled broadly and replied, "Well, then you could spend your days doing exaclty what you want to do!"
The Mexican seemed to ponder this for a long moment and finaly replied, "I already sleep late, fish a little, play with your children, take siesta with my wife, stroll to the village in the evenings, sip wine and play your guitar with my amigos."


Maarburg
Current meatspace coordinates:
Latitude = 35.1369, Longitude = -106.5888

On My Mind

Recent google searches I've made:

congestive heart failure
congestive heart failure more:alternative_medicine
vascular dementia
vascular dementia more:condition_treatment
hospice
blood clot
deep vein thrombosis

G-ma visit.

Went to see G-ma today at lunch.
She had just come back from her own lunch. I could tell almost instantly that things were better with her. Kellee drove me, and I brought her in to meet G-ma, who she's heard much about. Looks like the new hospice, Bee Hive, no has the pain med schedule correct, so she was not in any pain.
She was still unable to identify what day it was, or remember how to use the phone.

All in all, she looked and seemed much better, not that I have illusions that she's getting better, but she looked better.