I have this thing for photograph….. just in case this little detail about me has slipped by you.  It is true.  I am completely fascinated with them.

These days, I am not sure people think about them too much, one way or the other.  We are so inundated with information, digital media, and social networks… that seeing a photograph seems inconsequential for most people.

But I see a photo, and it is like a piece of perception…..  from a Time Machine.  One that has traveled to some other neverland.  And this two-dimensional image is what we have…. as proof of the venture.

In that moment, in that space in time, in this universe, that never was before…. and never will come again… is that photograph.  Those faces looking back at the camera lens, will never be the same again, as they were in that moment.  And all those moments, from all world, and all over the universe, bring us to this very moment right now.  And here we talking about them.

You would think I’d be terribly rebellious against the photograph.  From the time I popped out of the womb and said… “What on God’s green earth just happened to me?  That was one heck of a tight squeeze getting out of that place!”…. I was met with Paparazzi Lucy.  My dear Mom Lucy.  She was relentless in her “picture taking” and as kids, we resented it.

Now….. as an adult….even though there are nearly 100 photo albums compiled by Snappy Lucy…. it does not seem like enough to me now.  I want to see more.  I want proof of that Time Machine Journey.

I want to see more of my Grandma K and me.  I want to see what the screens in the house looked like after my brother painted them.  I want to see a really good photo of my baby feet.  And I want to have a glimpse of our brand new puppy when I was five. ….. OH WAIT.   We weren’t allowed to have a dog.  I was totally getting carried away with my “want” list.

But I digress.  Photos.  I collect them.  If I see an intriguing photograph on Ebay,  I buy it.  And then I wonder.

The photograph I posted tonight are people which I have never met.  But I KNOW they were there.  I have proof.  And I can see them in that moment.   The one point in time…. which never was before, and never will be again.  Dutch and Freda are seated.  Dutch’s real name is Dietrik Kaufman, and he used to be a Jeweler in Germany.  Now, here in Northern Ohio, he is a farmer.  His wife, Freda, is a strong woman.  Her father owned a thriving vineyard in Germany.  Both families were very well-to-do.  They have come to the U.S. to escape religious persecution.    Their two sons, Heinrich and Georg are good boys, and very bright.  Musically gifted. Yes, both are skilled violinists.  Oh, I could go on and on about them.  How they met Fr. Theodore Reinhold in Philadelphia.  He was the one to tell them about the land they would find, cheap, near a town in Ohio called Spencerville.

But I’ll stop, because I don’t know if any of those stories about them are true or not.  I’ll never know.   But there they are.  In my hand.  At this point in time in the universe. Never before.  Never again.

And that is what amazes me about a photograph.

Time flies over us, but leaves its shadow behind.  —  Nathaniel Hawthorne

Lost time is never found again.  —  Benjamin Franklin

High Strung.  Oh yes I am.

As much as I would like to be some other way, I would have to say that I pretty much border on the side of intensity.

They say the origin of the word comes from the mid-1700s, referring to instruments being strung in a high tone.  But I say it is more like someone walking a tightrope.  The rope is high strung.  Tense.  Edgy.  Danger, young Will Robinson.

Serenity is where I would much rather be.
One of the most beautiful, and profound prayers ever written, is by  Rienhold Niebuhr.  The Serenity Prayer.
God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
The courage to change the things I can,
And the wisdom to know the difference.

It is so very perceptive, and far-reaching.

The other day, I was sending my sister a text message.  I was talking about something that brings me to a place of calm.
But I was texting fast…. and mistakenly said… a place of clam.

She laughed.  LOL.  I could hear her through the text.

But the more I thought about it, the better it sounded.  It is a pretty good analogy.  Calm can be serenity, or the ability to not show emotions such as nervousness, or anger.  It can also mean  the absence of violent or confrontational activity.  But the ability to be calm is a treasure.  A gift.

And then I thought about the clam.  It has its very own little shell that opens and shuts when it needs to.  And when it is closed all the way, it is protected from all the surrounding dangers and turmoil.  But low and behold, inside, deep inside, after years of work, there is a beautiful gift…. a pearl.  Sometimes the shell has to open up and sometimes the shell has to close for the pearl to be formed.

So… as you see… my finding a place of clam is quite apropos.

I think it is my new motto in fact.  I am clam.  I am perfectly clam.

I talked with a lot of people today.  Way more so than normal.  I went to a Banquet.  Yes… a banquet.  A friend of ours was inducted into the Cincy Softball Hall of Fame.  It was quite a BIG dang deal.  So we went in recognition of this feat.  Not her feet.  But the accomplishment.

Anyway… you speak with a whole bunch of folks.  People you know, and people you don’t know.  Mostly at these things, it has to be idle chat.  Talk of the weather, and haircuts.  Pleasant hello’s and how are you’s.   It is hard to get into deep conversations about the variances in the atmospheric distribution of oxygen and the consequential effects of the earth’s core pulsations.

Unless of course the two of you steal away into a corner, and have a private conversation.  And that is never really good at these things….. because people begin to think you are conspiring against them.  Before you know it, as you are talking about molecular density patterns, they come over to your corner of the room, and call you OUT…… on your scheming and trickery against them.   Their voice begins to boom and their face turns pink.

You try to convince them that this is just NOT the case.    But it is much too late. They are hot under the collar.  So they give you a little shove… and your best friend catches a glimpse of this.  Then a girl fight breaks out right in the middle of the banquet.  The MC panics.  The room goes berserk…. mashed potatoes begin flying through the air… and before you know it… they have cancelled the rest of the proceedings ….. and are asking everyone to leave quietly through the back exits.

As such…. you pick yourself up off the floor, as you untangle your legs from the metal folding chair.  And you limp out.

So … it is just best to keep the conversation right there at your assigned banquet table… and exchange smiles, pleasant wishes,  and Sweet’n’Low packets.  It is simply better that way…. and as a bonus… your food won’t get cold.

Much more fun for the entire family.  Hours and hours of fun.  Talking about the weather…. or Kim Kardashian.

Staying true to form… we are supposed to get more snow overnight.
Oh how I miss warm days…. and wild flowers.

Those winter months have a way of bringing out the “Girl Fight” in you.

“You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose.” – Dr. Seuss

“Step with care and great tact, and remember that life’s a great balancing act.” – Dr. Seuss

That good old guy, Albert “The Man” Einstein, use to say to people …. “Ask me if I am an olive tree.”  So the person would ask …. “Are you an olive tree?”  And he would say….. after a long pause…. “Nope.”

Okay.  He didn’t say that.  But he DID say this..  “There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.”

Those miracles can come in many different shape and many different sizes…
First,  a miracle could be a surprising and welcome event that is not explicable by natural or scientific laws.   It is  therefore considered to be the work of a divine agency.  Not like the CIA… but a different kind of agency.

OR… it could be a highly improbable or extraordinary event.  Whatever that development, or accomplishment might be …… it brings very welcome consequences. Like a miracle finish in a race.

OR… perhaps it is an amazing product… or achievement… or illustration of something.  Like Miracle Whip.

Call them what you will.  But I am lucky enough to see miracles all around me.

Most of them… for me…. come in the form of Immeasurable Kindness….. as a result of Absolute Understanding.  Both of which are necessary measures of Peace.  Who could ask for more?  It is way better than Miracle Whip, I’ll tell you.

It happened to me several times today.  A very kind word, or vote of confidence.  A display of support.  Several things stood out… on this dreary day in January.

The first happened early in the day….  Someone really went out of their way to make me feel better.  Yes.   A friend showed me selflessness, concern, and compassion.  They gave me comfort.  I am so grateful to this healer.

Yet another, occurred late tonight.  There was a big box in our entry way.  It was to us, from US.  We were sure we hadn’t sent ourselves anything… and it wasn’t ticking.  So we opened it.  Inside was Olive Oil, Olive Soap, and Olive Lotion.   And wouldn’t you know it… a dag nabbin’ Olive Tree.  No white dove.

What could be better to exemplify Kindness and Peace… than an Olive Tree? (Well…. besides the white dove.  That would have been double peace-y.)

Yet today… it seemed to all come full circle, I’ll tell you.  When you least expect it.   Like some kind of miracle.

Some days I can’t see them at all.  Not even when they are as plain as the nose on my face.  And that is a big one.  On those days…. I don’t know why it is… that I cannot take notice.   Perhaps my mindset, my unwillingness, my evil-twin.

But I love the days when I can.

So I will just give thanks.  To those who gave me miracles.  To those who gave me peace.

If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other.  –Mother Teresa

If you haven’t noticed, I have been drawing a lot more lately.  Some of you may or may not like it.  I couldn’t begin to know.

But I do offer this to you…. the reason I draw.

I do it, because it makes me happy.  I am happy when I have a pen in hand, and when I get to sketch whatever my “little heart desires”…. at that moment.

I for one, need to find happy moments in life.  We can’t be happy ALL the time.  It is humanly impossible.  Unless, of course, something is very wrong with you.  The human psyche experiences a plethora of emotions on any given day.  Heck… in any given moment.

Sometimes we can feel two or three things a the same exact second.  Scared, but strong.  Happy, but nervous.  Sad, but grateful.  It just depends.

At any rate, we all search for happiness, but as I mentioned, we simply can’t have it all the time.  I am grateful to find single moments of happiness.  Like when I draw.  And it is really good if you can gather a bunch of those instances all together at once… into one big happy kind-of-bundle.

Besides all of that….. It is also an outlet.  My drawing relieves built up stress, or negative feelings that I might have gathered up from time to time. Like today, for example.   I had to drive on Rt. 35.  The speed limit was 55 mph.  The car in front of me was barely doing 45 mph.  So I passed her and went my typical 9 mph over the speed limit.  (Law Enforcement People…., if you are reading this… forgive me.)

So, away I passed at 64 mph and kept up that rate.  Well wouldn’t you know it?  Little missy sped right up on my bumper and stayed there kissing my bumper until I reached my turn off.  I didn’t play along… with the road-rage agenda.   (No slowing way down and speeding up on my part). I just maintained my predetermined intended speed.

Yet the woman in that vehicle was hell bent on proving her point.  Whatever that point, in her little pointy head, might have been.

Nonetheless, those sort of things work me up, no matter how hard I try to ignore them.

So… to alleviate that wonkiness…. I try to choose what I call… my blissful pursuits.

I draw.  And I shoot.
Law enforcement people… if you are still reading… I don’t mean guns.
That would be…… DRAW with a pen, and SHOOT with a camera.
No lead in a gun.
However… there is lead in my pencil… and of course… lead in my foot.

…. and the wind in my hair…….

Meetings.  Tonight I had a couple of meetings.  Typically, a meeting is considered to be an assembly of people…..especially if they are members of a society or some kind of committee.  And generally, the reason for that gathering is either for discussion or entertainment.

I think some people like to go to meetings.  And of course, others do not.  I would fall somewhere into the “do nots.”    It seems to me that meetings are geared more toward the extroverted type of person.  You see…. for it to be an assembly …. there has to be other people there with you.  Not only that…. you have to be a little outgoing and social…. at meetings.    It is simply the nature of the beast.

Humans just seem to have this weird need to have meetings.  Which made me think about animals… and how different they are when it comes to meetings.

Birds never have formal meetings.  They just post a bunch of tweets.
Elephants?  No meetings for them.  Everybody knows they just work for peanuts.
Of course deer have them.  For sure.  There are always big bucks and a lot of doe involved.
Now horses also have meetings but they never get any motions passed.  They are typically saying nay, nay, nay.
Ducks meetings are never very productive either.  They simply sit around quacking each other up.
Zebras never have any kinds of discussions or debates.  Everything is entirely black and white.
Dog meetings are probably the best.  No bones about it.

Except maybe for dolphin meetings.  They always have a porpoise.

So there you have it.  The full scope of the assemblies with a cause.
And that is all I have to say…. until we meet again.

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If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours.  —  Henry David Thoreau

Breathe in.  Breathe out.  Breathe in.  Breathe out.  Breathe in.  Breathe out.

Sometimes, when I get myself all worked up about something…. and in a tizzy, I need to remember to Breathe in.  Breathe out.  Breathe in.  Breathe out.

Yes, it is true.  I know the tizzy very well.

You know how it all plays out.  Something sticks in your craw.  And then comes the  state of nervous excitement or agitation… mixed in with a bit of a frenzy, and fret.  Mostly for me…it comes in the form of agitation.

Like…. when I hear the proverbial “It is what it is.”  (I will beat this dead horse… I will.  With a stick.)

Scientifically speaking, this axiom….“It is what it is.”…..  is mostly untrue.  In the moment… in the singular second… everything is in some portion of existence.  But in the next millisecond, it changes somehow.  Or even faster than that.

All of this universe is in a constant state of change.  The primary law of this physical-material system is change. There is no such thing as a static state. If something doesn’t vibrate, it doesn’t exist. Nothing ever stays the same.  Everything evolves or degenerates.  (Most days, I feel like I am in a state of degeneration… but I digress.)

Soooooo….  why are my undies all bunched up?  Well,  I heard a guy being interviewed on the news this morning.

The topic was controversial.  But the gentleman (Dippy Dan, I like to call him)  stated that the Supreme Court should rule a certain way on a current issue …. because that “something” should remain the same.  His argument….. “because it has always been this way.”

Now. That’s a very interesting opinion.  If something has ALWAYS been a certain way…. we should leave it that way.  Why?   BECAUSE that is how it has always been.

There you have it.  Cut and dry.  Right down to it.

But wait.  Not so very long ago…. the world was flat.  There was no such thing as electricity.  Or anesthesia.    Black people could not sit at a lunch counter where white people sat.  And women could not vote.  ALL of those things… had ALWAYS been that way.  Start dropping breadcrumbs… because now we are going to follow along the fuzzy logic trail.  You see, according to Dippy Dan, those thing MUST not change, they CANNOT change.  Because they have always been that way.

Yes….. A little fuzzy to me.  Like a dirty bellybutton.

There is a life force energy in every atom and in every cell.  Period.
Energy must constantly flow.  Period.
It then follows that things must change in order accommodate this process.  Period.

Everything evolves from one point to the next, and each point must be experienced to get to the next.  Nothing, really, stays the same.

I’ve said it a hundred times here at least.  I know.
But there.  I’ve said it again.

This Tizzy of mine is ongoing.  In a constant change.  Besides breathing in, breathing out.
But I am hoping for a change.  In more ways than one. In more hearts than I ever dreamed possible…. I am hoping for a change.

Bonus Audio Clip…..

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Without continual growth and progress, such words as improvement, achievement, and success have no meaning.  —  Benjamin Franklin

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 People are like dirt. They can either nourish you and help you grow as a person or they can stunt your growth and make you wilt and die.  —  Plato

Maxine, Frances, and Ollie have followed in my footsteps, it seems.  Yes, the three have become huge Albert Einstein Fans.

And so. We have arranged an Special Interview with Albert Einstein this evening.  As only the dogs can do.

How is this possible, you may be asking?  Time Travel, of course.  We’ve been working on the Time Machine and the girls gave it a test run.  Who did they run into.  Uncle Al.

(*Frances and Ollie were too star struck to ask any questions.  Maxine conducted the interview*)

Maxine Swift:  Mr. Einstein, thanks for sitting down with us this evening.  What an honor for us.
Albert Einstein:  It is my pleasure.  Please.  Call me Albert, or Al.

MS:  Okay Al.  I’ll get right to it.  We used to have a dumb cat.  Man, I hated that thing.  She thought she was better than the rest of us.  I used to chase her from time to time, just so she knew who was boss.  What do you think about all that?
AE:  Peace cannot be kept by force; it can only be achieved by understanding.

MS:  Well, technically Al, I wasn’t trying to keep the peace.  I just wanted to scare the crap out of her.
AE:  Any intelligent fool can make things bigger, more complex, and more violent. It takes a touch of genius — and a lot of courage — to move in the opposite direction.

MS:  Okay Albert.   Clearly you are missing the bigger picture, smart guy.  Let’s move on.  Sometimes I can’t hold my bladder.  I am getting older.  Our human calls them mistakes.  What do you say to that?
AE:  Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new.

MS:  Okey Dokey then.   Let’s talk about you.  Are you pleased with your life’s work?  I mean… you are the Genius of them  ALL.
AE:  If I had only known, I would have been a locksmith.
MS:  But you are probably the greatest Scientific Mind that has ever lived.
AE:  Science is a wonderful thing if one does not have to earn one’s living at it.

MS:  I have a few more questions for you.  Would that be okay… so people can get to know you better?
AE:  Any fool can know. The point is to understand..

MS:  What do you do for recreation?  Sometimes me and the girls like to watch one of those Reality TV shows.  How about you?
AE:  Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one.

MS:  Well, Albert, we are running out of time here.  The engine is running on our new Time Machine, and we have to be home in time for our Milkbone Cookies.  Any words of wisdom for us, before we go?  There is just SO much we don’t know about our big world out there.
AE:  The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and science.

MS:  And doesn’t all that mystery just cause more questions?
AE:  The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing.

“A human being is a part of the whole called by us universe, a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feeling as something separated from the rest, a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty.”   ―  Albert Einstein

(All Albert Einstein response are TRULY Albert Einstein quotes.)

Some things  in life go unnoticed.  Or perhaps, they are just under rated.  It could be anything really.

Pickles, for instance.  They don’t get due credit.  But for me, a cheeseburger just is not complete until it has a ridiculous amount of pickles on it.  Or consider the pickle and any kind of mayonnaise salad… like potato salad, or ham salad.  It has to have little bits of pickle chopped up in it… or it just doesn’t fly.

But perhaps, one of the biggest things that gets overlooked are sidekicks.  And there is not one bit of glory in being a sidekick.  But you know…. every good Super Hero has a Sidekick. The mission would not be complete without them.  The day could not be saved.  The happy ending would not be quite as happy without the sidekick.

But the sidekick serves without question.

Take Batman.  And of course, his little helping hand.    Big Bruce always says…. “To the Bat Cave, Robin.”  Not one dang time … does Robin EVER say… “I’d rather not.  Let’s say we go straight to the mansion and watch Alfred bake cookies.”

But.  If Batman gets in a jam, old Robin is always there.  POW-ing…. and BLAMMO-ing…. and KA-PUNCH-ing his way out of every mess.

Yet, the crowds always cheer for the Superhero.  There is no acclaim or homage for the sidekick.  They just serve their purpose.  Those little kickers are the close companions who are generally regarded as subordinate to the Head Honcho.  And their costumes are never quite as nifty either.

The origin of the word is unknown also.  There is a theory that it meant “kicked to the side” and another which relates to pants’ pockets being called “kicks”.  Who knows?  Oh the Sidekick.

There are slews of them.  Barney Rubble to Fred Flintstone.  Igor to Dr. Frankenstein.  Jimmy Olsen to Clark Kent.  Piglet to Pooh.   Barney Fife to Andy Taylor.  Gromit to Wallace.  Ethel to Lucy.  Watson to Sherlock.   And Donkey to Shrek.

I guess the lesson to be learned is that we all can’t be Super Heroes.  Sometimes, it is just as important, or maybe even MORE SO, do to the small things.  To be the support.  To save the day when no one else is watching.

It could be anything.  A smile to someone who needs to see it.  Opening the door for a stranger.  Buying someone lunch who is down on their luck.  Coloring a picture with a kid.  Telling a friend how important they are to you.

Yes, I think that might be it.  If we can’t leap tall buildings…. we can put our coat down over a puddle for someone on the street.  We may not be able to run faster than a speeding bullet, but I bet we can walk beside someone, and offer a hand in support.

Pass the pickles Tonto.  Yabba Dabba Do.

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Our prime purpose in this life is to help others. And if you can’t help them, at least don’t hurt them.  —  Dalai Lama

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The purpose of human life is to serve, and to show compassion and the will to help others.  —  Albert Schweitzer

Mary took the boys’ to see Paddington today.  I took myself to see my Mom.  This evening, though, they came back to our house, for some play time.  The boys.  Not my Mom.

It always feels like such a gift to be with them… with family.

Kids sure can be something though.  They are just like little humans in kids’ suits.  Oh wait…. they ARE little humans.  In kids’ suits.

They can be a laugh a minute, I’ll tell you.  They can also be smart, creative, intuitive, generous, kind, and so much more.  Oh… but with that sugar comes spice.  Yep.   If you sugar them up… they will turn on you.   Yes.  A few M&Ms, and they look like one of the balls in the Lotto Hopper.   They begin to lose comprehension of the English language.   Like when you tell them… “Sweetie, don’t hit your brother.”  Sometimes, they do it regardless.

Yet… there is not much else you can do… when you see their little smiling faces… but let your heart go right ahead and melt.

I got about 20 hugs tonight.  When a little kid gives you that hug… it is a great, great offering.   And it fills my heart with joy.

Until they decorate the dog with acrylic paints.
Oh… But.  Even then… they can be pretty cute.