Interesting Quotes

From my homepage this morning.

If a man is offered a fact which goes against his instincts, he will scrutinize it closely, and unless the evidence is overwhelming, he will refuse to believe it. If, on the other hand, he is offered something which affords a reason for acting in accordance to his instincts, he will accept it even on the slightest evidence. The origin of myths is explained in this way.
- Bertrand Russell

Progress isn't made by early risers. It's made by lazy men trying to find easier ways to do something.
- Robert Heinlein

If absolute power corrupts absolutely, does absolute powerlessness make you pure?
- Harry Shearer

Silence

Ever have one of those mornings? You know, when you do all you are supposed to be doing, and yet it seems as if your just going through the motions. I got up on time. I asked Him if He was up for a walk. I put on my shoes, picked my music (Bruce Cockburn), and headed out with great anticipation. It was an absolutely gorgeous morning. I mean glorious. The stage was set for a BIG REVEAL. Come on BIG GUY...give me something GOOOOOOOOOOOOD this morning...I'm ready.

Nothing.
Nada.
Zilch.
Not a word or a whisper.

Okay, what did I do?
Did I say something wrong?
Did I do something that would have caused a wedge between us?

Nothing.
Nada.
Zilch.

"What's up this morning" I says to Him.
"Can't you just be quiet and take it all in...look at how wonderful this day is today" He says.
"Well sure" I says "But it would be nice to have a little chat too...wouldn't it?"

Nothing.
Nada.
Zilch.

So we walk home in silence...not a word spoke between us...just walking together quiet and...peaceful...relaxed...content. Weird. Why is it I think He always wants to tell me something? Maybe sometimes He just wants to walk with me quietly.
Okay...I can do that.

"But I'm here Big Guy...I mean if you want to talk...I'm here for you" I assure Him.

Nothing.
Nada.
Zilch.

Except...I think I saw Him...roll His eyes!

The Wall

The term the wall is often referred to in a variety of ways. When one is walking or more likely running, it refers to an imaginary barrier that is very difficult to breakthrough. It often is referred to as something that mothers are driven up by their kids. Sometimes it refers to an immovable block that keeps people from progressing beyond the point at which they are currently. Or sometimes it refers to a barrier we put up to keep ourselves away from others. As a metaphor, it tends to get used a lot and in a variety of ways.

This morning as I walked, I listened to one of the great concept albums of all time. No surprise...it's "The Wall." Yes the landmark work of Pink Floyd, though primarily Roger Waters. It is really a story about a rock star who finds the success he has achieved to be too much for him to handle. So in the story, he builds a wall around him, to isolate himself from all normal life. As he withdraws more and more behind the wall, he becomes more and more detached from the reality of life. It is hard to imagine what that kind of life could be like for us "normal" people. But I get a glimpse of what that might be like when I listen to "The Wall."

This morning I thought I would listen to "The Wall" as kind of a little guilty pleasure. You know, clearly it has no spiritual significance, so it's kind of a "let's be a little rebelious for a moment" moment. In the grand scheme of things, no big deal. Surely He wouldn't mind me having a little fun.

But you know Him...He has a way of taking a little guilty pleasure and speaking right through it. He's like those guys who have a puppet on their lap, and your so busy watching the puppet you don't even notice the guy is speaking through the puppet (basically, I don't know how to spell ventriliquist). That is the way He spoke to me this morning. I was all focussed on the great music and the interesting metaphors, when I hear His voice loud and clear.
"Tear Down The Wall."
I'm all like "hey what a cool picture of these guys and what they need to do."
And he says it again..."TEAR DOWN THE WALL."
"To whom are You refering" I says to Him?
"Do you mean that people should tear down the walls they build up, is that what your refering to?" I says.
"TEAR DOWN THE WALL" He says again.
"WHO?.............ME?"
"Tear down the wall" He says much more softly this time. He gets much quieter when He thinks I'm actually listening...and actually getting it.
"So....your saying I need to tear down the wall...thats what your saying right?" just to push back on his point a little. It also is something I've learned is to restate what you think you have just heard so the other may affirm that that is what has just been stated. I'm pretty clever that way.
He restates it again..."tear down the wall."

I think I get it now. It's not just rock stars who isolate themselves behind imaginary walls, it regular folks like me. I tend to want to hide and protect myself...my heart...behind walls and barriers I put up as a defense mechanism. It is those walls we build that prevent others from actually knowing us and getting in to help us. It is those same walls that keep us from hearing His voice and allowing full access to the deepest regions of pain and hurt that only he has the medicine for. I think it makes a lot more sense to me now.

Tear down the wall.

Okay, So Here's MY List

You know, my daughter Sarah sends me this thing, and I think it's pretty cool. So I says to myself..."Self, you should do that too." So here it is. You can do it too and I'll read yours.

100 Things I've done, or like to do.
BOLD= have done
Italic= like to do

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch (Guitar)
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty (seen the top)
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon (that'll never happen)
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language (Spanish...sort of)
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David (it does'nt say in Italy)
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie (well not like a real one)
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class (does Ballet count)
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy

70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London (seen the Guard)
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book (working on it)
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club (where you buy them)
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby (well I sort of had a baby)
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Cave Tubing in Belize

That's me and thats my story...and I'm sticking with it.

Why Do I Do This?

That's it. That's the question. Why do I do any of it? Why do I walk? Why do I write this blog? Why do I even bother to get out of bed? These are the age old questions that inquiring minds like to ponder. As I was walking I actually gave considerable time and energy to answering those questions...and you being a person who likes to read the "Star" or the "Enquirer" would probably like an answer...no...you deserve an answer!

1. Why do I get out of bed? Well I wish I could say it was because I am so dedicated to life and living that I burst out of bed ready to throw my hat in the air (Mary Tyler Moore reference) and take on the world. But in reality, I gotta pee, my back is sore from laying in bed, and I'm tossing around feeling guilty for still being in bed. Once I'm up, I'm up. There is no going back to bed for me. So I have one of a couple options. I can sit on the couch, grab my laptop, and tune in to the daily soap called Facebook to see what everyone else is doing (usually some kind of exercise). Or I can go walking.

2. Why do I walk? See number 1. Well that and I need to get some exercise. I mean come on...I have got to do something. I mean my ideal weight is right around 600 pounds. That is where I would probably feel most content and happy. I mean when your that heavy, no one expects you to try and look slim. All the pretenses are over. But when your in the 200's, you are stuck between really being a super weight and being a fashion icon. Your too heavy to actually wear J. Crew, and yet to thin to actually go to the Big and Tall store. And the difficult part is...especially if you are big boned like I am...in order to really be slim...it takes sooooooo muuuuuch work. So we are relegated to wearing our shirts un-tucked and of course we always wear vertical stripes. So I walk to keep myself right in limbo land. Some will look at me and say "wow, I wish I could look like that." But most of you only look upon me with pity..."too bad he's so fat." To which I say..."I'm 350 pounds under my ideal weight...isn't that enough?"

3. Why do I write? You know, it occurred to me a while back that I really wanted to be a writer. Not so I could reveal any startling truths to the world. More so I could be on Oprah. But seriously, I have read hundreds of books and struggled to adjust my thinking to line up with a person I did not know, writing in a style I was not really familiar with. I had this sense that for me to gain the wisdom and insight I needed to gain, I really had to become someone else. It was as if no one was writing who was like me. Now there were some people who came close, and some great books that really spoke to my heart, but still...I had to reach to connect.

Then came the book "Blue Like Jazz" by Donald Miller. He is from Texas, he's younger than me, and there are thousands of ways he is not like me. But in his writing I saw myself. It was a voice I recognized. So I read all of his books and I realized I too could have a voice. Through Donald I found Anne Lamott and others that wrote in a voice and a language I could understand. It was then I set about to write down what it was going on in my head. Now the writer in me was coming to life. I found myself getting more and more introspective and probing the depths of why and how. I was turning pages in my life that had never really been opened. And as I wrote I felt Him right there...asking me questions..probing into my life...talking to me and telling me great things. So I try to capture those things that he speaks to me about, and write them down. And I do so in my voice...not anyone else...not even Donald's. Because maybe, you are struggling to find your voice and maybe you can connect with me...or NOT!

So now you know, that's my story and I'm sticking with it. I don't think I'm a great writer or a great walker, or quite frankly a good listener. But I am learning to quiet myself and as I write I feel very close to Him. So for me, it's all worship. You see I don't know any other reason as to why I am even alive other than to walk with Him and to somehow reflect some of him in my life. So there may be lots of reasons why we get out of bed...but the best is to spend time with Him.

Fear Revisited

This morning was all about fear. I mean really...whom do I fear...fear not for I am with you...and yet...there it is. I was afraid last night before going to bed that I was going to have a heart attack. I was afraid at my class that someone was going to jump out from behind the dumpster and beat me and steal my Bug. This morning, I couldn't find my iPhone which doubles as my iPod and my iCamera and my iFart Machine (that's really scary). I took off walking afraid I was still going to have that heart attack and people would think I was a speed bump in the middle of the road (albeit a big one). What can I say...for some unknown reason, I am experiencing fear all of the sudden.

But one of my biggest fears ever I faced head on this morning. One that I wrote about in the past, and now seems so silly. That's right...Elmo the Emu.

If your new to the Walker's Journal, a year ago I saw something strange and weird as I was walking in the early morning dark. I was not quite sure what it was and as I got closer and closer to it it moved quickly and I ran like a crying baby to get away from it. I thought it was an Ostrich, but later learned it was an Emu. Over the months that have followed I've seen him about a dozen times and have been less and less scared of him.

So this morning when I saw him, I not only didn't run away, but I actually called him to me. I did what every trained animal handler does...I whistled and said..."here boy...come here Elmo...come and see me." Of course I extended my hand like I was going to pet him...palm down...cause that's what you do....uh...for strange dogs. I was brave and fearless so he would know I'm not afraid of him...cause that's what you do with Lions...or something.

But to my surprise...Elmo started coming towards me. Now it's a strange thing when the things you fear actually start to come at you...as brave as you are for trying to overcome your fear, when they actually come at you...well...it changes things. All of that bravery I had in that moment was lost. I looked into those beady little eyes and that huge beak and I panicked...I fled...I freaked. I took off out of there at a brisk pace knowing all the while that Elmo could run me down in a second, and he could peck a hole in the back of my head and eat out my brains. No one would know, and no one would intervene cause once an Emu gets the taste of blood...well I shudder to think what would happen.

Its a funny thing about fear. Fear is sometimes real. He gives us the discernment to know when we are in danger. Women have this crazy intuition...especially about weird guys...it is a protection for them. Mankind has a healthy fear of Lions and Tigers and Emu's...cause they can be dangerous. But because we think we can handle anything, we try to overcome those healthy normal fears and challenge the natural order. What we find out is, that it is really just a matter of time before the Lion gets you, just ask Siegfried and Roy.

"Fear not, for I am with you." He said that. He also said..."run for your lives...there's an Emu right behind us." He's pretty smart...and fast too.

Quotes

Today, as I do everyday, I read the three quotes on my browser. I decided to share them with you too. Today was especially good. Here are the three quote for today.

Hollywood is a place where they'll pay you a thousand dollars for a kiss and fifty cents for your soul.
- Marilyn Monroe

Prediction is very difficult, especially about the future.
- Niels Bohr

Democracy is a process by which the people are free to choose the man who will get the blame.
- Laurence J. Peter

Songs in the Key of Life

I know, that is also the title of Stevie Wonder's landmark album. I know cause that was what I was listening to this morning on my walk. There are just some things that just go together, and walking and Stevie are made for each other. It must be quite a fright though for people waking up in the morning, going out to get their paper, and seeing a fat old white dude boogying down the street...not really walking, but more like grooving. Can't explain what happens...but it is a startling transformation...I FEEELLLL like I have rhythm...even if I don't.

What I love about this album, besides the music...is how Stevie shatters our conventional ideas and see's the world through His eyes. Maybe it is because Stevie can't actually see. You know how other senses seem to be enhanced when one is not present. Maybe He gave him a special ability to "see" what is important.

Now I have no idea what Stevie's religious affiliation is. My guess he is like most people, sort of a mixed bag of beliefs from various sources. But there is something about what God does through people with different perspectives. He uses people, even harsh critics, to hold up a mirror to our lives. When someone says people in the church are predjudiced and hypocritical, it is easy for us to discount what that person says. Or we can turn it back to them and show how evil they are and try to minimize that person.

Or..........we can take what they say and evaluate it as if looking into a mirror. As I listened to Stevie sing songs about the inequality that exists in the lives of men because, and soley because of the color of our skin, I have to admit that that is true. And not just true in the world, but true in my life. Now I may not have predjudice against black people, but it may be against Chinese people, or Arabs, or Skinheads.

The reality is we do have predjudice. As a person who walks with Him on a regular basis, you would think I would take on more of His characther. He is in fact a lover and designer of every person, people group, color, language...and yet, often I fail to appreciate what He has created.

That's why, I allow people like Stevie to speak into my life. I want to know how a Black man living in America feels and what he experiences...I need to know...I need to care...because He cares. As long as I keep myself closed off and segregated...even in my mind...I fail to see the spectrum of color and light He has created for me. I cannot be full and complete until I understand that I am not the apex of His creation...who could follow someone so shallow that would make me as their finest example of creativity.

But He is not me. He loves to create beauty in this world...it's up to us to open our eyes and see all that He creates. It is up to us to open our ears and listen to the beauty of the songs in the key of life all around us. Thanks Stevie for allowing Him to use you.