Life Experiences & Observations

Sit Down, Buckle Up, Hang On, and Enjoy My Blog Ride

Month: December, 2013

Learning About Comfort in Solitude

When you have a family like I do (a wife, two kids, and not to mention a dog), you get used to a lot of noise in the house. I often hear people say… “boy what wouldn’t I give for some peace and quiet.” But when the peace and quiet finally sneak up on them and become a reality, they are often faced with utter discomfort. The noise has become our body and mind’s security blanket. Don’t get be wrong, human interaction and companionship are very important. In fact, society often shuns those who don’t seek it out. Even I used to like spending time in solitude. It was a mental time out from life’s many stressors. But that was over 16 years ago. Long before I had a wife and kids. But as I sit here on my own, with my wife and kids out of town, I am slowly relearning the joys of solitude. Sure, at times, the TV tries to lure me into its visual racket. But the more moments I spend by myself, the easier it is to resist life’s digital temptations. Solitude is a test of the mind’s ability to handle the emptiness of chaos free environment. It’s a forced meditation with no bell to signal the end. You choose the end based on when you decide to let the in the static. But the next time this happens to you, I urge you to try meeting the silent air half way. Resist the temptation to run to the familiar. Learn to find comfort in solitude’s blissful holiday.

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Stuck in a Digital Bubble

phones 2These days it feels as if people are so concerned with capturing key moments on their cell phones that they don’t actually get to truly experience key moments anymore. Think about it. When was the last time you were in the midst of a beautiful experience and didn’t see an overwhelming number of cell phones floating like snow in the air in hopes of capturing a lifeless copy of the digital moment. Many people don’t realize that by doing so, they are actually missing all the rich sensory experiences that go with savoring that moment. Sure they have captured it on their digital devices but is recording a video of the Sistine Chapel the same as seeing the chapel with your own eyes. I think everyone would agree it is not. Because if it was, you would be able to see the world from the confines of your couch. And if it was, the famous landmarks of the world would be a desolate island with no inhabitants.

There is a time and a place for digital devices but if it is to capture some of the most beautiful moments you experience, you are allowing the digital cloak to hide the glorious sensory rainbow. I am trying not to complain about it as you are free to do whatever you please and I don’t want to be one of those people who rags on folks if they don’t act the way I think they should act. I just want to think about what you maybe losing out on when you prioritize capturing various moments on your digital devices ahead of experiencing them with your fleshy eyes.

Kool-Aid Breath

I am masking my corporate Kool-Aid breath,
In hopes of not snuffing out, my dreams like a cigarette butt.

Can cloud nine swoop down and pick me up?
I can’t seem to crawl through the cracks of this cubicle jail
Barriers of bullshit expectations have me in a head lock
Damn you Jake “The Milkman” Milliman

Somebody save me from the corporate zombie walk
My undead colleagues don’t know they are not real.
The carpet smells like dank and moldy cat piss
The computers unravel my brain of yarn
I am picking up traction
Putting my dreams into action

I dare you to step in front of my dream locomotive
It will derail your excuses, and crack them wide open
I can’t wait to see their pupils, when I hand them the shock letter
Sixteen years of career smoke will be sucked away into the Ionic Breeze.
Don’t fail me now Sand Man
My dream mitt is ready to catch you.