Today's Observation:

BEAT

I am going to post an observation of daily life here everyday If I can...I think It would be a good idea for everyone to post one thing they personally observed about the world around them once a day...for instance today I noticed this:

I was driving home from work and sitting at a stop light annoyed at the car infront of me when I looked straight ahead at the sun setting and as I let my eyes wonder I looked up and through the rays of sunlight I saw a million snow flakes falling against a sky filled with color and I smiled at the beauty that filled the world all around me.
Taking in a deep breathe and making that sight a permanent memory I continued on my journey home not concerned with the trivial going's on that pass as swiftley as they arose.

BEAT

Sunday gathering with the family is a normal event. The adults in the kitchen talking over coffee and goodies and the children in the play room fighting over who's turn it is on the nintendo. I observed a general need for togetherness and a warm feeling of comfort as we sat and talked about nothing. I wondered how many families actually get together on a regular basis and bond as we do every sunday. I thought about it and wondered if the world would be a better place if this seemingly small weekly activity took place in homes across the world as it once did 50 years ago. I realized that as this "tradition" stopped happening im more and more homes that the "family" has become almost extinct in todays world. It's a shame that we have let this happen to ourselves, If just one family member took the initiative to get everyone together on sunday and everyone brough a dish and just hung out maybe our lives would be less stressfull and hopefully getting back to the family values that once held a nation together.
That was my observation today.

Shad0r

I observed this a couple of days ago:

Around noon I straped my snowboard over my shoulder and began to 'hike the peak'. Winter's essence battled the warm winds blowing through until snow started to fall lightly. 'The peak' is Marmot Peak, the highest spot within the 'in-bounds' areas of the ski hill. A friend, who works with me on the ski hill, called Tracey and a nagon filled with rum and coke, my companions.

After a long walk up very steep, slippery slope we sat to rest. Looking back across the vast valley that we had left behind I could see the town of Jasper, 24km away. Jasper, the town, is located in Jasper National Park, a massive sprawling body of predominantly wooded parkland. Surrounded on all sides by massive magestic pinnacle's of snow my gaze was drawn down to the green valley floor. There thousands of feet below spotlights shone through the dense clouds and falling snow.

I felt tiny, inconsequential. A spec in the grand scheme of things but as the peace and quiet, broken only by our laboured breathing, folded around us I felt calm, in awe of a view that would never get old.

Five minutes later as I strapped in to my board calm was the farthest thing from my mind. It had been a long slow journey up. It would be a longer but faster journey down.

BEAT

It's hard to get on here everyday and post something meaningful
for more than one reason.

I saw a woman yesterday, about 80 years old I'd say. She was walking home from the grocery store carrying a bag in each hand. She wore no pants, women from that era generally wear dresses. She was bundled up but walking in the street as the sidewalks were covered in snow and ice. It was freezing outside. I drove by and before I could think enough to stop and offer a ride I passed her up and beat the steering wheel in regret up the street. I made myself sick for not stopping to ask if she wanted a lift. I figuered she lived in the senior citizen apartment building that was 2 blocks from ther store. After stopping in to a store I went back that way looking for her to stop incase she was still walking. She wasn't, she was already home and judging by the time I drove she I must have been right about where she lived but it still ate away at me for not stopping.

These people go out in this weather everyday as part of thier routine and and hurts me more to see them than it hurts them to do it. It keeps them alive, but I'd rather they had a warmer or safer way to go about thier routine. Next time I will stop...I have before but it was in the swealtering heat and the old lady really appreciated it.
So often our older generation are neglected or just lonley, if only more people would take an interest. I love them so much and wish I could reach out to each and everyone. I have so much I want to do but there isnt enough of me to go around, if only there was a way.

They need to know they are not forgotten, that they have lessons that still need to be taught to the young. Thier stories must be heard. We need to let them know that there is someone there for them, if only for the conversation.

Love is the answer.

projectmayhem

Originally posted by BEAT
It's hard to get on here everyday and post something meaningful
for more than one reason.

I saw a woman yesterday, about 80 years old I'd say. She was walking home from the grocery store carrying a bag in each hand. She wore no pants, women from that era generally wear dresses. She was bundled up but walking in the street as the sidewalks were covered in snow and ice. It was freezing outside. I drove by and before I could think enough to stop and offer a ride I passed her up and beat the steering wheel in regret up the street. I made myself sick for not stopping to ask if she wanted a lift. I figuered she lived in the senior citizen apartment building that was 2 blocks from ther store. After stopping in to a store I went back that way looking for her to stop incase she was still walking. She wasn't, she was already home and judging by the time I drove she I must have been right about where she lived but it still ate away at me for not stopping.

These people go out in this weather everyday as part of thier routine and and hurts me more to see them than it hurts them to do it. It keeps them alive, but I'd rather they had a warmer or safer way to go about thier routine. Next time I will stop...I have before but it was in the swealtering heat and the old lady really appreciated it.
So often our older generation are neglected or just lonley, if only more people would take an interest. I love them so much and wish I could reach out to each and everyone. I have so much I want to do but there isnt enough of me to go around, if only there was a way.

They need to know they are not forgotten, that they have lessons that still need to be taught to the young. Thier stories must be heard. We need to let them know that there is someone there for them, if only for the conversation.

Love is the answer.

i take it you didn't know this woman.. so lets say you gave her a lift, she whipped out a knife and stole your car and wallet. you'd be thinking twice about that then.. and just because she's 80 doesn't mean she can't kill you stone dead. they can be crazy sometimes... in fact, quite often.

Hardy

I haven’t been on the board for AGES! Christmas got in the way and depleted a few more brain cells. The other reason, probably the main reason if I allow myself to admit it, is a complete block to writing. I’m now thinking that only sheer determination to write will make me focussed. That’s my personality type, apparently! That and the daily observation which is a GREAT idea. Well done to Beat for the idea. So here’s mine:


Walking up from Pearse Street Station towards Stephens Green, I was lost in my thoughts. Those same thoughts that creep into my mind at that point every day – how am I supposed to become a writer when I don’t write! While I was chastising myself for lacking any real ambition, I saw a Garda, a keeper of the peace, standing outside the Government Buildings. Nothing new there as I have seen him there many times before but this man is fat. I’m not fatophobic or some equally politically correct term but plain and simple, the man is overweight. I would imagine that he would keel over if he had to run after someone.

But when I passed him, as I often do, he smiled at me and I got to thinking about him and his life, what was his journey to get to where he is now. I thought about when he was a cadet, he wasn’t overweight, (don’t the gardai have rules about height, weight etc, etc?). He is still a uniform policeman so did he have any ambition to become a detective and never got in. Or is he just a jovial person that wants to help people and stay in uniform. Or was I watching too much of The Bill to project these theories on him. My thoughts then brought me to the clichéd realisation that we pass so many people in our daily lives and make so many on the spot judgements about people.

By the time I had reached work, I had forgotten about the promise to myself not to judge when I opened my email, swore at the machine upon reading several emails from “stupid people”. I had my coffee before I realised what I’d done!

McGinty

This is a cool idea, and I've really enjoyed reading the posts so far, so for my observations, although somewhat lousy in once sense, I also love people watching in another. Incidentally are all writers people watchers, or observers of life and the world around us? So onto my observation, for today I'll discuss the view from my window, somewhat boring but I can't think of anything else at the moment.

The view from my window fascinates me. I look out over a marsh directly in front of me and the town where I live nestles on the hilltop, which is also directly in front of my. To the left is the bridge which leads to the sea and on my right in the distance, is the mountains. But its the sky and the Church of England spire top that fascinates me, plus the marsh. Sometimes the sky is grey, almost black, and sometimes the sun is trying to press through all the greyness, whereby I can see golden rays forcing their way through. Seeing that makes me feel hopeful.

Sometimes the sky is pink, orange and crimson, all intermingled together, with bubbles of grey, indigo and white streaking along this fusion of colour. What I write doesn't truly express the beauty of what I see.

Sometimes the sky is midnight black, and I can see the church with its artifical light revealing the stonework in all its glory, and yet mysteriously hiding parts of it. I never get bored of looking out my window, except for blue skies, cloudless blue skies bore me (but I do enjoy the weather that accompanies the blue skies).

The marsh is a constant source of fascination, you see I love colours, and throughout the seasons it constantly changes, from barren in the winter time - yet in winter sun the reeds are a beautiful golden wheat colour, in the spring all the trees start to bloom their flowers and in the summer its a riot of greens, but autumn is my favourite. The trees are golden, red, orange and always the reeds take on the colour of the sky. It's really lovely.

BEAT

I am glad you are all enjoying and contributing to this thread, I think it helps us to open our eyes more to the world around us when we read such stories.

I was sitting in my office today and noticed for the second time a terribly crippled man walk by on his crutches, he has no use of his legs only to use them as something to land on before he takes his next hop. The thing that bothers me, He had to walk in the street with cars flying by him because the sidewalks were not shoveled and were all iced over. This poor man has to be even more inconvenienced because we as a people have become so lazy it doesnt occur to us that our laziness could be affecting others. I was disgusted as I am sure he was. It looks like he is struggling so badly to get where he is going, I wanted to leave work and ask him if he wanted a ride.

This man has been this way his whole life and has come to terms I would imagine, its only people like me who has never had to deal with such things personally that takes it to heart so much I suppose. I want to help and give to these people so much but I am afraid I will offend someone along the way. Like how dare I think they need my help right? that's not why I want to help, I want to help because I can and why shouldnt someone accept an offered hand every now and then, after all...there are not too many people who would even care to lend a hand now a days.

Perhaps some day I will find a way to help those who want and need to be helped, until then I need to find a way not to become so emotionally overwhelmed when I see these things and know there isnt anything I can do. I can always find the good in a situation and that helps me...I only wish there were more people out there who gave a damn about other people than themselves.
What has happened to us?

BEAT

I was on my way home tonight and I noticed what a clear night sky there was tonight. How often do we really stop and look up anymore? All this beauty surrounding us is so often ignored. I stood outside when I got home tonight and just looked up letting it all swallow me in its splendor. The bright white clouds against the dark blue night sky, the stars twinkling, and the full moon shining ever so bright. I wished it was warm outside so I could lay down and meditate on the beauty all night but since it is so bitter cold I came inside, reluctantly. It was a moment I would liked to have shared with someone but since I am alone I enjoyed it and am sharing it with you.

How often does anyone ever stop and smell the roses anymore? I do every chance I get

funkymonk

Along the tubes centre, it sucks in shiny cars . Belching forth shiny cars. IN the foliage a hidden song erupts, drawing attention from the constant vechiles rumbling on the track. Pedestrains slide than the slopes edges sinking towards the gray factory cidatel smoking in the morning hulking on the island. Down an escorted a rank of naked trees and swollows us into the the complex. Oracole block c on my right, walk past MISYS, the largest one sprawling in a gray orweillian, but drab. AOl around the block. Clang the headset snaps into its harness position straddling the brain. Headphone gotta be on for 8 hours a days. U brain waiting to click from idle dreaming to tech support. Sate changing u to Slavery?

BEAT

Yesterday I observed a friend on the brink of losing her life to drugs. I was her life line. An old habit reared its ugly head and was draining the life out of her and she reached out for help and called me. It was at 6am and I knew it was serious, I had been through this with her before, many years ago...but when I got the call it seemed like the past was the present.
We talked on the phone for a couple of hours until I felt she was stable enough for me to hang up and get dressed to drive over to her, a 40 minute drive away.
When i got there I found that she had continued to inject until I was there and even did it one last time right infront of me, which nearly made me puke.

There is only so much you can do in a situation like that, and my role was to sit and listen and wait. We made an appointment to see a doctor and we went. Today is the test, we have a follow up appointment and if we can make it there I think that progress will follow.
I am waiting now for her to show up, she just called and said she was on her way and that she hasnt used since I saw her last night. I believe her even though my beter judgement says not too.

I observed a cry for help and I answered. All I can do now is be there and hope to get through this again and that she will still be around in another 10 years without this problem. All I can do is be there.

BEAT

I was sitting in the mental health facility waiting for my friend yesterday and I noticed so many different types of people coming and going, people you'd never think you would see in a place like that. Then I looked at my friend and thought, well I wouldnt think she would be in a place like this either. I saw young girls, couples, children, athletes, senior citizens...and I remembered the old, "dont judge a book by its cover" saying. How often do we still do this? at every person passing by? I sat and wondered as I looked at each of these people why they must be in here.
I just chocked it up to, there is no perfect person or perfect life...everyone has problems of one sort or another. I think that some people get screwed up just on the notion of trying to be "normal" when there really is no such thing.
Life is what you make of it, simple as that.

BEAT

I have been out of work since 10-2-04 and I have had time to reflect and relax. I have found myself at a 'peace" if you will. Today I observed my mood changing. I have mostly been staying in and resting and cleaning, running a few errands. Today I felt a mood of depression trying to set in and I recognized it right away. I am not upset about not working, but I am upset that I am not out in the fresh air enjoying the life around me. I havnt been observing nature since I have been home and it is beginning to get to me. I observed a need for life today. So I am going to go and stay away outside for a bit and tomorrow take the dogs walking. I think that perhaps many people get in a slump because they are closing themselves off from teh world. It's easy to fall into that trap, but forcing yourself to get out and see that the world has not ceased to exist does a soul good.

That's just my 2 cents for the day.

DriftingRain

Monday I was off from work and decided to go into town for some shopping. I am American and Monday was our Presidents day. The banks are closed and all other government things were closed. There is this really long 4 lane road with a huge median in the middle separating the 4 lanes going into town. It was slightly misting rain. The sun was hidden so that even though it was early in the day it looked like dusk. Up ahead on the road I saw police lights. My first though being that I work in the medical feild was that there was a wreck. I slowed down and changed lanes to get into the far lane from the police car. Getting closer I realized it was no wreck. There were about 10 war vetrans putting out american flags. The flags were held up by crosses stabbed into the earth,each cross had a fallen soldiers names on it. At that point looking further I saw that there were already like 2 miles of flags waving in the rainy weather. My eyes began to mist up and I know it seems nerdy to say but I felt so sorry for the fallen men and women, and for those 60 or so year old men putting out flags, with a police escort. It made me feel very patriotic, and warmed by the gester made. I smiled at that point and kept on driving. How I wished now that I had stoped to help or take pictures. I still have a vivid memory of the red, white, and blue waving in the misting rain! It was beautiful.

Today while reading our local newspaper I noticed that on the front page was a picture of the road median with all the flags. There was a huge write up on the men that put the flags out and their war stories. They have been working on this project for 3 years and it has been privately funded by the 10 of them. They made every cross and searched the records to find the hometown names of every fallen soldier over the years. They are going to put the flags up every Vetrans day, Independance day, Memorial day, and Presidents day. I for one have had it up to my nose with our government, but this simple gester made me feel proud to be an American today.

I read your entry here a few days ago BEAT about not picking up the elderly woman in the rain. How you felt about wanting to help her. I agree that many of our elderly are being mistreated and feel lost and given up on by their families. I felt so terrible about those old men having to put out all those flags by themselves. I shoulda stopped and offered a hand. It to has been eating at me inside. Reading the paper and hearing all their stories...The elderly offer so much to the younder generation...if we would just stop for a breif moment of our lives to visit with them, I am sure that not only would it brighten our day but theirs aswell.

I must mention that I am not so great a writer and even worse at letting my feelings out into the open. But this thread is great! It's such a daily dose of anti-depressants. Thanks for thinking of the idea!

~DR~

MojoMaker

BEAT, I would love to meet you. Hopefully you are unattached. Fancy a mind-meld over a couple of cold Carlsbergs?

BEAT

DR, you dont have to be a writer to tell a story and I enjoyed yours. Thanks for sharing Thanks also to Mojo, you made me smile

Last night I went to a local pub alone for a pint and watched the people around me. I never drink to get drunk but I was the only there who had that way of thinking I soon noticed. I felt kinda sorry for everyone in there, you see I have been to this pub a few times and its always the same people in there.
They are always trashed out of thier minds, usually before they get there and they still drink for the rest of the night. Thier eyes are slanty, words slured, and steps sideways. Most of them are couples...which is just another reason I am glad to be single. The thing that I wonder is why they feel the need to drink this way every weekend, not just going out for a couple drinks and having fun but really blowing thier paycheck and getting hammered! Are thier lives so bad that they want to drink all reality of it away? I'd love to see x-rays of thier livers.

I wonder if they ever think about how they looked to other people? My most terrible observation was that everyone of those people left the pub and drove home. Not one of them was sober or cold hardly see straight, but they all managed to yell and act stupid all the way to thier cars get in, and drive home. Now because people drink and act stupid amongst themselves is one thing, but getting in your car while still drunk and acting stupid is another. They are now putting others at risk.
I wonder if they have ever stopped to think about it themselves? I wonder if they ever will? probably not until they have have an accident and killed an innocent or the one the are driving home.

:dunno:

Gordon

Does this have to be poetic or just an observation?

Anyway, I realised yesterday something about humour and stupid people.

I remember having a strange friendship with a very stupid woman. She used to think that the moon was the sun in the night, she thought that when you put your money into the bank they put it into a box and kept it for you when you next returned. She really was daft. And she was at college too, would you believe it.

So I was sitting in MacDonalds (that great Scottish restaurant) with her, having a meal of lips and tail with a coke for me and a diet coke for her. I noticed that the coke I was drinking had a little tab called "Diet" that you could push to indicate that this was a diet coke. So I made a stupid joke. I pushed that tab and told her "hehe, when the person comes round to clear up this table - he's going to think I drank diet coke, when actually I drank regular coke". Not very funny, I know, but I thought the surreal humour would maybe hit a little funny note.

She said. "But he won't, that's really silly, and why would he care what you drank?!"

It just struck me yesterday that she didn't understand this joke because it was a normal happenstance for her. This situation was completely normal so she couldn't see it as a tongue in cheek joke but an actual normal statement for someone to make.

So I realised that if someone doesn't understand a stupid joke - it may be because they are stupid themselves, or that they simply cannot see the bigger picture, or maybe that I am the stupidest of them all for suggesting stupid jokes. One out of three isn't bad for a whittle eh?

Or maybe that should have rhymed

BEAT

That was funneh Gordon, it doesnt have to be poetic, just an observation. Thanks

I observed a feeling of bitterness last night, not my favorite feeling I will admit. I called a few people and asked them if they wanted to do something and everyone had plans, which isnt a big deal...but its been happening a lot latley and I felt a little left out and that feeling of bitterness started to creep in. I have always been the one people come to for help either physically or mentally and I dont ask anything in return, it's just who I am. By being this way though, you get taken advantage of quite often. So the one night I really wanted to go out and not by myself, no one could fit me in. I wont let the bitterness eat me for more than a couple of hours and I will go round today and visit my friends like normal but it really kinda hurt last night, ya know?

I started thinking about it, and I wondered if there was anyone I had treated in this way? Like have I used someone for my enjoyment for company or watever and then when they needed something I backed away? Sadly, yes. I think we all have at one time or another. So then I packed up all my bitter feelings and tossed them out and decided to just find some more friends teehee

Actually that brings me to another observation...But I will save it for tomorrow

MojoMaker

Good observation, and a tough one to accept. I think at various points in our lives we have to become quite selfish just to get through something. I applaud the person that has time for everyone all the time, I just don't think it can be done. Friendships are easy when the going is good, but you only recognise a really good friendship by noting how little difficulty is attached to it, even when times are hard and the going is tough.

Observing.
Dublin: someone's neck of the woods.

Hardy

Guys,

I haven't been on for a while so bear with me as I go down my merry road of observations.

Firstly, Beat, I think that at times all single people go through what you went through on the bitterness front. My friends are all in couples at the moment and are all encouraging me to get out there more, meet people, go on dates. My response to them is typically, if I'm to meet someone, it will happen and I'm not going to force it and go on dates with people that I don't like. But it struck me that this time last year when we are all single, we didn't encourage each other to go on dates. We were too busy going out and having fun on our own.

What happens to people when they become part of a couple? I'm sure if I watch reruns of Sex & the City that Carrie Bradshaw will tell me! Is it inherent in people to want to extend their happiness with another person with the single people? Is that why they encourage single people to become part of a couple?

Either way, good job that I'm comfortable on my own.

Secondly, Beat, yes I think that we all judge. I posted several weeks ago about my judgement of the fat policeman. We judge and get judged all the time. I think its part of human nature but what we must always remember is to have respect for people. People watching is great, making assumptions about people can be a great amusement and can pass oodles amount of time! Respect is key.

Thirdly (and lastly!), my observation yesterday was that people in Ireland do not know how to drive on motorways. Two lanes - a driving lane and a passing line is the general expectation. Not all drivers driving in the passing lane, doing fifty miles an hour. The passing lane is seventy miles, not fifty. I ended up passing, I think five cars in the inside lane. They were all in the passing outside lane. And when I looked in my rearview mirror, none of them moved in. It’s a pet hate and it bothered me yesterday. Seriously, it did.

Which made me realise that I don't know how to express in writing sheer annoyance and anger (perhaps too strong an emotion). Is it simply use of words or are there ways in which you can structure a sentence?

That’s me for today!

BEAT

Thanks for the comments Hardy

We have the same problem here with drivers, the far laft lane is reserved for passing, yet there is always someone who gets in that lane driving at theier own speed holdong everyone up. It is quite annoying and it used to bother me all the time. I dont let such things annoy anymore more...unless I am late and in a big hurry to get somewhere important ofcourse

Now back to my observation about friends. Hardy, you hit on what I am about to talk about also. All of my friends are married with children or dating with children. Of all my childhood friends I am the last one who is single and with no kids.
When I started to see all of my friends having kids and married I became envious and wanted to settle down...but then I got over it after I spent more time with them and thier families.
I saw that what they had is not what I want. And strangly enough they all want what I had, with the exception of one friend who wouldnt trade her kids and life for the world. All the rest said the wished the were still single and free to do things.
I realised that I am happy I am who I am.

I observed friends who rushed into relationships, who forced on relationships, who wish they had waited, who were not ready for the responsibilities. And I realised I was not ready for those things either and so I am glad to be single and free. When it is my time I am sure I will know it but right now it's good to be me.

I think it is important to first love yourself and being secure in who 'you' are without a partner makes for a better match when it happens? I say this because those friends I have, they didnt seem to be happy with themselves until they met thier partner, was always searching for someone to make them happy. When you should'nt need someone else to make you happy, you should already be secure and happy when you meet someone.

I had a friend tell me just yesterday that he thought I would get married when I said I never would, he said that women get married for the emotional and financial stability. I naturally, gave him a mouth full!!! That is the case for most girls I suppose, girls who have low self esteem or havnt realised thier self worth. I am too independent and to happy with myself to marry for those reasons, I would only marry for companionship/Love as I have everything else I already need. I do not see a reason to get married at all tbh, just spending your life with someone seems to be enough for me. I have observed many happy couples before marriage, then somehow...it all changed when they got married.

Perhaps the answer isnt Marriage?

Hardy

I promise that I will not say anymore about relationships after this post - remind me that I promised this if I start rambling again.

But Beat, you are so right. A friend got dumped last weekend, and she is really cut up about it. Tears every day and comments such as 'I'm never going out', 'I'll never find love again' etc etc are regular occurences (sp?) these days.

I mentioned it to a friend of mine last night and he reckoned that people who find themselves devastated at the end of broken relationship have low self esteem. He believes that in order to be completely and utterly desolate upon the breakdown that a serious amount of effort must have been placed within the relationship in the first place. (This was the reality with my friend).

Most relationships should be based on mutual respect and not with one partner putting in the more effort than the other. Walk, feet, all over spring to mind. You really have to like and 'love' yourself. Completely agree with you Beat. 100%

My observation for today is that I woke this morning thinking it was Saturday. And it put me in a sad mood all day. (Until I had a cadburys creme egg).

BEAT

I have always been a night person, I have no prblem staying up all night until the sun cometh up. I have always been this way, infact it makes for a bit of a sleeping problem when I have to get up early for work. My body simply will not adjust.
Since I have been out of work I haev been enjoying my nights and sleeping the day away. I love to sit at night when everyone is asleep and observe the peace that the darkness brings to the city. I like to sit and stare out of my window when its cold and sit outside when its warm. I stare at the night sky, at every twinkling star and sometimes I talk to the moon commenting on how beautiful it all is.

Tonight I sat and watched out the window when all are normally asleep and observed a tattered man walking down the street stopping at the trash cans set out for collection day, rummaging through looking for anything he might need I suppose.
I began to think about our homeless and people in need.
What are we doing that is wrong, what more could we do so that people wouldnt have to rummage through trash bins?
There has to be someone with a voice that will make the people listen, make the people want to help and change the way the city treats its homeless and needy.

So many people walk by the homeless everyday with thier noses in the air. Many think that these people can get money by getting a job, but it isnt that simple...not when you have gotten to the point where your homeless and begging. It is very difficult to find an employer when they know you have no address, when they know you are living on the street.
We need to work on a way to get these people in a situation to help themselves. Educate them if need be, get them into a work program, what ever it takes. It just wont work as long as people think they dont want help or they can get on fine by themselves etc... we need more positive thinkers in the world, more people willing to ask questions rather than assume. More people that care about others than themselves.

One would think a president of a nation would have these things in mind...one wonders what we need a president for if more and more people are jobless and on teh verge of homelessness.
The average person is one paycheck away from being homeless. Living pay to pay isnt going to make it anymore...we need another plan if we dont want to end up as one of the invisible lumps in blankets we walk by everyday.

Use your voice, make it loud...the messages we have need to be heard so more and more people will know that one voice does little but a nation of voices together can not be ignored.

Dont be afraid to help someone, be afraid that someday you may be the one who needs help.

BEAT

Everytime I call my grandmother I tell her I love her at the end of the call, I never forget. It is important to me because she means more to me than any other person in my life. My grandmother did most of my upbringing and I feel closer to her than I do my own parents.
I fear the day I call and she wont be there, I fear it so that sometimes I cry myself to sleep. It is scary knowing what a treasure I have and that it cant last.
I wish that I would die before her so I wouldnt have to bear the sorrow, I pray that god would take me instead of her sometimes.
I have never asked so much for another persons happiness than I have for her.

Letting her know how much she means to me means me calling for no reason just to talk, means me sending a card when it isnt her birthday or holiday, means spending the day with her when ever I can, means telling her I love her every single time we speak to each other.

I do not say the words I Love you to many people, and I dont say it often enough to others in my life, but it only means that when I say it...I really mean it. Too many people say it just to say it and it doesnt hold much meaning when that happens. So the person I say it to knows I mean it because it doesnt come easy for me to say it unless I am talking to my grandmother.

So the next time you are in company with someone you love and you know you will miss them when they are gone, why not make them feel loved and appreciated while they are still here. Life is so short and so precious...we should not wait to tell those we love what they mean to us, for when you do it may be too late.

BEAT

Today I didnt leave the house and I observed a beautiful thing. Sitting here waiting for my computer to log on I heard the sound of birds singing outside my window.
What a beautiful sound, especially after a long hard winter.
Sitting here letting nothing else enter my mind but the sound of the birds chirping I felt at peace, one with the world. What a wonderful feeling from such a simple act.
Nature waking up now from its winter slumber, I feel a new beginning coming along once again.
I could sit here all day at do nothing but listen to the song they sing. It is almost hynotic...you seem to forget what a harsh winter has just passed when you hear them. I wonder if that is what is meant to happen?

So many people let the season's go by without enjoying it, in a way letting thier lives go by. Literally stopping to smell the roses, sitting to listen to the birds and meditating on the smallest of nature's splendor is a daily practice for me..I have felt more at peace with the world since I have begun this practice...I call it Living.

DriftingRain

AYE!

I feel the same way about my gram~

She pretty much raised me and at 23 she still calls me every morning to say good morning and even feeds me once a week! She's the ultimate grandmother!

I too often think of life without her! I think that life will end when she dies. Although, I know she will still be with me in spirit....but it WIll be the TOUGHEST day of my life!

Go Grandparents!!!!!!
/me sniffles!



~DR~

40crush41

this is a great thread, nicely done
something i noticed recently is the impact that one can have on small children. i have a baby cousin whose 2, and it always amazes me to see how much he has picked up from me. for example, when listening to music i do some funky little dances~just can't stop my feet from tapping, what can i say and its the cutiest thing to see him try to attempt my steps. also, he imitates all of my facial expressions. at first i thought.. gee, what a strange face hes making.. only to find out that I was making the face I also enjoy playing the piano and violin, and when he hears me play he says, "wow" with awe and this huge smile.. hes my #1 fan and when i see him try to play these instruments with me, it makes me so happy inside.. i love sharing music with the little guy, and its b/c of him that i know just how much music means to me. little children are just mirrors of us, and if we pay attention to their odd little ways, we just may find out something more about ourselves.


In response to some observations made:
about the relationships: my english teacher once said to us, "a person should not seek a relationship to fill up any fault within them, but should be in a relationship as a complete person who is made better by the other, and where that person is made better by you." i thought that was some wise advice

BEAT, i try to 'stop and smell the roses' whenever i can.. when i come home when its dark out, i always love to look up at the starry sky.. its just such a pretty site to see its so nice when its bright and sunny out and i can do my hw outside mmm, i love spring

i'm very lucky to still have all of my grandparents.. but the thought of losing them makes me sick inside. i would like to think that they have lived a good life and that i should be ready for whenever their time comes... but grandparents are those types of people that are immortal to you.. they have always been there since 'the beginning of time' ... how could there ever be a time when u can't head over to grandma's and eat til u can barely see? yes indeed DR, g-parents all the way!!

thats enough from me, keep up the thoughts
~beth

_blank_

I like this thread, I only wish I had discovered it earlier than I have.

Anyway, I observe many things every day, and I am going to record them here, if you folks don't mind.

Today I observed that it is important to keep in touch with old friends.

I work in a very boring job, and so does an old friend of mine. We were in college together a few years back. We kept in touch via text message since we parted company two years ago, we have met up a few times for drinks and a chat, but not as often as we both would like.

We were both out of work for a time juat after christmas too, but we both found jobs eventually, in fact in rival companies, but were oblivious to the fact that we had even applied for jobs in rival companies, until the very first day I sent him a text message asking how he was doing, and he sent me his new email address. Funny how things work out.

Anyway, we are both settling into our new jobs, and we email every day, maybe twenty or thirty times, little one line emails, a joke or two, talk about last nights match, remember the old times in college and making sure we both stay sane.

I am eternally grateful for meeting a friend like this, someone I can share a random thought with, an in joke, a knowing smile. I don't know if he knows this, or even feels the same way, but I'm sure he does, and I am sure the feelings are recipricated.

It is important to keep in touch with old friends, they know you best, and you know them.

BEAT

Thanks for sharing everyone Sorry I have not posted in a while but I started a new job 2 weeks ago and just have not had the time. Things are getting back to normal now and there is something I have been wanting to write about since I started my job so here goes:

I have a job in downtown Cleveland and like most downtown cities you have the homeless living on the streets. I have touched on this before but it has been gripping my heart since I started working downtown and seeing them every morning asleep on the corner beside my building in the freezing cold.
I see these people sleeping on the sidewalks over the heating veats to stay warm as people step around them and over them on thier way to thier offices.

The ones by my building though, they are just on the sidewalks covered in blankets...so many blankets that it looks like a heap of trash...which is what I thought it was the first time I drove by then I noticed that there were 3 separate heaps lying next to each other...in the same place every morning.

They are gone when I get out of work, as if they had never been there.
My heart aches when I see these people and I feel disgusted with myself for not doing more for my community, for not getting out there and helping those who are less fortunate.
I could scream when people tell me, oh its thier own faults. How in the hell can you say that! ! have they sat down and talked to these people to find out what happened? it is not for us to judge. the fact is they are in the situation whatever may have happened and it isnt right to brush it off like it isnt our problem. If they want help to get out of the situation they are in why can we be willing enough to help them?

I know I cant change the state of the world as it is, but maybe I can help a few people and in turn they can help a few people and so on. People have become so heartless anymore and it makes me so very sad. I cry inside everytime I see someone less fortunate than I am wish I knew a way to help. If more people cared would it be so bad?

When was the last time you helped someone other than yourself? when was the last time you splurged on something you definitley didnt need but spent your money on anyway and then regretted it? I wouldnt have regretted buying stuff for a homeless shelter and next time I think I need an extra coat or pair of shoes, maybe I will donate my old one's? There are so many little things we can do that will add up to a whole lot to someone who has nothing but the blanket he carries.

It is just something that has been bothering me and I thought I would share, I hope it makes atleast one person think.

Archvillain

this last one is pretty interesting actually.
I hit the lows some while back and began asking myself why i couldn't get happy. THe idea crossed my mind that perhaps the truly best thing someone can do is an entirely selfless act of giving. That it would be so fulfilling and help me out of the rut i was in.
Well, I volunteered and worked hard in a society and gave and gave and gave and none of it came. At no stage did i feel any better or more like i was contributing something to the world. I committed myself to more than one cause and ended up bled dry and cynical, that even any cause was phony.
Not quite food for thought but a harsh lesson learned for me, what that was though i couldn't say, naturally.

BEAT

The weather has been warm and beautiful for the last few days and I noticed my overall mood was changing with it. While this is totally natural I wanted to share because I have had this overwhelming feeling of Love for everything and everyone around me since.
When I saw the first tree with tiny blooms I knew spring was here and when I could sit on my porch swing for the first time and just enjoy the air outside I knew it was here and it put a bounce in my step, a smile on my face and a song in my heart.
I just want to hug everyone, I know it sounds freakish..lol.

Things feel so much better about everything...my worries seem to be vanishing with the morning sun.
I saw my first Dogwood tree in bloom this past weekend and I cant explain the feeling that grabbed me. Winter was so long and gloomy but now that it is over it doesnt seem like it was that bad...The coming of spring not only renews everything it sort of puts a blanket over the memories of the harsh winter so all you can think about is the splendor of nature on its way.

What a wonderful time of year. To see life blooming all around you, to hear the birds singing and the squirrels playing. To be able to sit in the grass and take in the sun's rays. To be able to stay out all night gazing at the stars. To enjoy the smell of a rainshower during a hot day or the smell of fresh cut grass.
How many of these simple pleasures do you take for granted?

There is so much to look forward to in life that has nothing to do with your own life.

I dunno, I could keep going on and on but I think I have made my point.

***Happy Spring!!!***
*** May Love, peace and joy find you in everything you do and see and share***

Walls

Two points of my day.

I was walking down O'Connell Street at about 3.00 pm in the afternoon. The pavements were crowed with people, as usual. Outside Pennys a middle aged man, poorly dressed, was leaning out, his arm against the wall. His legs were shaking and there was a real, young fear in his eyes. Was he having a heart attack? I kept walking along with the crowds, looking back once or twice. Then moved on.

In St Annes Church on Dawson Street at about 3.30pm. It was incredibly quiet in comparison to the rest of the city. Plagues on the wall speak of passed on sailors and their wives leaving bequests to the church. It'll be there when I'm gone, too.

BEAT

I have done something now that cant be reversed and must either suffer the consequences or bask in delight.
It all started by watching a cute movie that is out called, 13 going on 30.
It reminded me of the boy next door (or across the street rather) and how I fell for him and could never tell him because of silly childhood fears of rejection.
All through high school I secretly loved him and finally in his senior year we had a class together and we sat next to each other, I became even more withdrawn and slept through class to avoid him. Oh how I could scream now, if only I had the confidence and knowledge then that I have now.
He may not have felt the same but atleast I wouldnt have these regrets and what ifs. Even after highschool I still liked him and even ran into him a couple of times but I hadnt come out of my "shell" yet so I said nothing.

I saw this movie that is all about being true to yoursself and living in the moment and it made me realize that it's better late than never. So I wrote him a letter...it's been atleast 5 years since I last bumped into him mind you, he could be married or whatever, but I did it anyway.
It was a simple letter to say hello and asking him if he would like to catch up on old times some night. All very innocent, but I also told him that there were some things I wanted him to know. I am excited and nervous as I think this is someone I will always have feelings for, he was my "boy next door" teenage crush.

I have been living my life the way I feel it should be lived the past couple of years. I have abandoned fears and worries for the most part, as it does nothing but tie up valuable time. Time is so very precious, we have so little of it. I decided to live life happily and peacefully. Catching up with old friends and making new ones is part of it. I hope that he contacts me and we can build a friendship from it, and if he is still single (me crosses fingers) maybe , well..maybe. A friendship would be great though, I always admired him for his honesty and integrity. A friend like that is a treasure indeed. (not too mention his totally insane sense of humour, hahah love that !)

So, the moral of my day is to not hesitate in life, live in the moment and have no regrets. Life is too short to look back, live for the day, and look forward to tomorrow.

I am so happy I am the person I am today and not the person I was yesterday (10 years ago) and that I can share this with someone who it might help to find the light in life.

BEAT

I think maybe we spend too much time on "ourselves" and find ourselves so involved in ourselves that we forget to see what is right out the front door.

Missing out on seeing how such small things can be so remarkable and so surprising, that it makes you forget about your personal troubles.

How wonderful is it when you let someone else's actions inspire you to want to do or be something better?

The smallest thing you observe can make you so happy and in turn want to make someone else happy, isnt that what its all about anyway?
Just stopping whatever it is your doing to turn around to the person next to you and smile...just saying hello and wishing them a wonderful day, you'd be surprised what a smile can do for someone (and yourself too).

I dont know why I am writing about this today except that I have had an exceptionally great 2 days after 5 really bad ones and I feel refreshed and like to hold onto the good feelings as long as possible because we all know life isnt good all the time. I hope to share the happiness while I have an abundance of it...and hope that whatever comes along to knock me down a step this time doesnt keep me down for long.

Life is too short to let things keep you down, naturally you will fall from time to time but whats to keep you from getting up and moving on with a smile
Be happy while you can, for time is all too short.

BEAT

I have been noticing a lot of negativity towards other people because of thier race or thier way of living and I just cant help but wonder ...when are we going to learn to stop judging?

My own parents are somewhat prejudiced against a certain race and it bothers me to no end when I hear them making derogetory comments about these people. Or when someone who is less fortunate than someone and I hear someone making fun of them. Why cant we just be happy with ourselves and happy for others too?

More people need to open thier minds and realise that judging others will not get you anywhere or make thier own lives any better.

Thats it, its a small rant today but I am seeing this not only in life but in some posts on boards as well and thought I would post my observation.

I havent been posting my observations lately...I will be getting back to normal soon and hope to see others posting thier observations too

weeginger

I am new to boards. The daily observation idea has grabbed me. I keep a journal but tend to write about the goings on that the world around me seems to treat as banal. Its almost as if i feel compelled to record what no one cares about.

Are all writers people watchers ? I think so. Writing is more than something I do. It is just who I am. I haven't asked for this. Lately I have come to resent it. Somehow I cut myself off from the goings on around me. Analysing from afar, I long to join in, to become part of the trivialities, to end the loneliness...but it continues.

Beatrix

This is my very first "thought of the day" but it is a thought which I haven't just had today... It's been very prominent for quite some time. My grandfather died six years ago and I like to think that he and I were quite close. I never got to see him while he was in the height of his health but from the amount of people that came to his funeral I can only deduce it would have been a pleasure. He was 81 when he died, coming close to 82 and so was alive around the time of the second world war. He had some wonderful stories to tell. Even though I was small, he'd speak to me like I was an adult, taking time to explain things to me. My opinion and ability mattered very much to him. He told me once that he made a living thatching cottages and that his only payment would be eggs and a chicken from the farmers or other such little bits and pieces. He was so content with this way of life but it confused my child's mind... Often I paid no heed to what he said, preferring to do things rather than sit and talk. I can't really blame myself for this I suppose... I was only a child.

But the thought which has made itself clear to me is this. My grandfather cast aside the usual line of thought - he treated me as an adult, and not as adults would usually treat children... as inferior citizens. It was because of his care and encouragement that I am who I am today. Unfortunately I didn't pay him the same courtesy. I looked on him as a silly old man and it is only with having thought about it that I realise this isn't so. I had thought that he would just talk to anybody because of a love for speech. My uncle recently told me that Grandad had actually had great time for me and my little sister and not a lot of patience for my other cousins. I learned a hard lesson from this wonderful man. The lesson was to treat people as equals... no matter what you may think of them. It could be years until you learn the truth but what you learn could change the rest of your life.

xx Beatrix xx

funky penguin

Originally posted by BEAT
It reminded me of the boy next door (or across the street rather) and how I fell for

Oh my god BEAT!! Your a lady!?! I always wondered why you were so nice!


I started a new job on the night shift in tesco. It's hard to get used to the time change, and while trying to sleep yesterday at 6.00am, i started to ponder the concept of death etc, and how so many people die, yet we dont know for sure what happens.

I thought, "what if NOTHING happens, and we totally cease to exist? Total emptiness". It was the most frightening thought i ever had, so I thought some more and rested on the belief that death is just the next stage of our crazy adventure, and that i should stop worrying, cos im only 19.

Then I fell asleep.

Imposter

Great thread!

Animals can be real stupid at times, just like humans I suppose!

Case 1: Ducks
I sat watching a group of ducks (I'm sure there's a collective term for that but it's lost on me atm) from a restaurant's terrace last night. They were battling against the current and moving slowly upstream. After about five minutes they upped and flew downstream. Ten minutes later they were battling against the current in front of us again!

Case 2: Deer
Rounding a bend, going slightly faster than the legal limit. A deer in the middle of the road. It sees me, it looks around as if wondering which direction to go in. Get out of my way dammit. Car stuck to road and eventually screehing tyres make this animal realise they shouldn't be comtemplating their next movement from the middle of a road. Whew.

Which ties in nicely with hedges and fences in general. In Ireland all fields seem to have fences, ditches or hedges bordering roads. Where I am here in Austria, such a thing is rare. It was quite weird initially but now I think it's great. It's mostly crops around here and it leads to some weird colour patterns in summer and autumn. It also leaves it easier for animals to move about, which occasionally is not a good thing (see above).

BEAT

I am so glad to see more people posting in this thread, I hope you all continue to do so...I have noticed that when I write down something that has moved me or just something I have observed that it makes me even more observant and makes me want to write more. It's a bit of a writers tool you can say

Yesterday I spoke with a friend that I use to chat with everyday and as most things the time between talking to each other dwindled and now it is every couple of months that we actually talk.
I found such a feeling of joy inside from talking to this friend that I wondered why I cant take more time to try and keep in better contact with him. It reminded me of the times we use to talk and how I would be smiling for the rest of the day after each conversation and even an email with 1 line makes me feel as if I am on a cloud for the day.
I have been smiling since we spoke yesterday and anticipate our next conversation.

Wouldnt it be great if it were this way with everyone we spoke to everday?

Wouldnt it be a nicer place to live if we knew more people that challenged our minds, made us smile and just gave us an all around feeling us happiness?

We could be that person for others if we opened up more and spoke and expressed ourselves freely. People respond to others better when they are open and have no barriers...communication is key. A smile can make you smile and vice-versa.

Such seemingly little things as just being yourself can do wonders for a person

BEAT

ahhh, well I volunteered to house & dog sit for my aunt whiole she is away for the week. I thought it would be great, a house to myself and the dog to keep me company. Trouble is I havnt spent time around this dog since they had it and I took my good mood home to her house yesterday expecting to play with the dog only to come crashing down to the reality that this dog has no training what so ever and cant be petted,coddled or spoke to without jumping hysterically and biting.

good grief what have I gotten myself into I thought.

So I went to the store and bought him a big rawhide to chew on to see if he would calm down...it worked for a little while then he got bored and went back to being destructive. Holy crap I made a mistake i thought.

So the dog stays outside and I look out every now and then and tried a couple times to go out but he jumps so hard that he knocks me over and trips me with his chain so I give up and stay in the house away from him.

I go to bed and wake up in the morning feeling good so I try again, I open the door ready to go to work and the dog jumps and bites and scratches and I get angry,
it isnt his fault I keep saying, he wasnt trained.

So I go to my car and as I back out he watches me and I feel sorry for him. So I will get him another bone today and try again even though I know he will be the same...I will try to keep my patience and remember that it isnt his fault.


People/humans are the dumb ones, animals are only a reflection of thier owners and surroundings.

BEAT

Well my week of dog/house sitting is over and though the dog never did calm down and still jumped and bite me on my way out of the house for the last time I feel better knowing that my patience was tried but I never gave up and the dog is happy now that his family is back so everything goes back to as it was and so goes life.

I had a very quiet week, a peaceful time spent quite alone. I could have used this time to write or draw or paint as my projects have suffered lately because of no quiet time, but instead I just used the time to sit back and relax. I did absolutley nothing all week but sit and think...sometimes I think we need it. I did not go into a deep meditation as I would have liked because I was not at home or in a comfortable place, I plan to go away for a weekend of solitude and deep concentration and meditation here very soon.
I feel the need for such a deep meditation as in the Shamanic ways would have done. To kill off the life I know , let it die and be re-born from the new understanding , the new life found in the rebirth from meditation...from the inner self comes the wisdom to change and to accept.

I think it is important for everyone to do this, to examine your inner self and listen to your heartbeat...feel your heartbeat throughout your body...and listen to your inner-self. . listen to your surroundings and observe yourself in nature and nature around you. This is a way of balance and bringing you back down to earth, getting you back on your path.

I observed the need for a peaceful retreat while I was at peace in my thoughts.

funky penguin

Why is it that people tend to procrastinate when trying to teach themselves something? Im attempting Japanese, but im always putting it off, whereas, in school, i know id pick it up easy.

Goddamn it brain!!! Learn!!!!! Be photographic!!!!

BEAT

Indeed Procrastination is a bad habit that most people have, and I am one of them.
I am not sure why but I do wait until the last minute to do important things and then I am rushed but the adrenaline from the rush and need to finish right away seems to help in some way.

Perhaps we enjoy the feeling of working under pressure subconsciously?

funky penguin

Good point.

....and hence, the pressure probably enhances the feeling of joy and relief once the task is complete.

BEAT

I have been meaning to write for some time, I have not been able to find the words for that which I have recently discovered.
I am not sure that I should, or could get my meaning across clearly for I am still quite out of place about it all still. I am also not sure that I should share this information, for many wouldnt want to know and I am not sure it is my place to take away that which so many people have come to believe, I dont think I should destroy someone's world with a click of a mouse. Letting someone find out on thier own or letting those that do not wish to know keep on living life the way they know it is probably the way to leave it.

So I will begin this way,
I have been studying different religions for the last 14 years. There was a time I thought of becoming a nun (not because I am a devout catholic) because I wanted to devote all of my time in these studies, to be completely surrounded by it. Being a monk would have been ideal but since I am female..well I dont have that option.
Basically,
I was searching for answers, and well...I found them.
It isnt something one thinks they could ever possibly come to an end at, I think people who research the subject plan it as a life's pursuit...something to keep at for years to come.
I dont think many actually expect to find an end, to actually find the truth.
It is for this reason that I have been "lost for words" so to speak.
In a way I wish I hadnt found out the truth, that I could still be in the ignorant majority of the population for there is bliss in ignorance and to that I have found truth.

I still have research to do, but now it takes me down a different path.
Religion as I now know it holds an entirley different meaning, and it is a dilems set before me to share what I know or to walk alone. There are others who kow ofcourse, too few are they, but none that I will be able to cross paths with.

What do you do with something so powerful that it could bring the world into a state of chaos? what do you do with something that could destroy the very fabric of life as we know it?

Back to the books I go...

funky penguin

Originally posted by BEAT


What do you do with something so powerful that it could bring the world into a state of chaos? what do you do with something that could destroy the very fabric of life as we know it?

Ironically, I would destroy it.

With regards to religion, I think I've given up searching for the truth. It'll come to me when it feels like it.

BEAT

I work at my families restaurant on the weekends as a bartender and hear many conversations from tables of people all around.
There was a table friday night of 3 young guys and 1 girl, the friend of these guys.

One guy was talking about his recent break-up and the ultimatum he gave his exgirlfriend...he told her you can choose me or the mall (as she was an out of control shopper0 and she chose the mall. I couldnt help but laugh to myself.

He went on to say that he is looking for a girl he can talk to about world issues not just about how the weather is and what shoes look better with what outfit, a girl he can have intelligent stimulating conversations with.

And there I was standing directly across from him, saying I wanted to find a guy to share those same things with the day before. So I looked over there but was completely invisible to him...you see he wants a girl with those qualities but what he fails to mention is that she must also look a certain way before he will approach her to find out of she has those qualities.
So because I dont fit his ideal 'look" I cant have those qualities and therefore am invisble to him but am right infront of his face what he is looking for.

It is so funny these people who know what they want but will walk right past it every time to choose what they think they want, then in the end find out they were wrong again. So they keep trying and find themselves in this never ending cycle and in the end figure they will never find what they r looking for so they settle for something else never truly being happy. \Only years later do they realise what it was they wanted , and could have had but passed it up.

So people like me keep waiting for them to wise up and realise we are standing right infront of them if only they were not so shallow they could see it.
We are the ones they always want to be friends with, the ones they can "talk to" but not the ones they want to take home...funny isnt it.
They are looking for someone to talk to and laugh with but when they have us we are not good enough to fall in love with, they want us as firends and advice givers when they shag a narrow minded money grubbing slut and cant understand why they couldnt make it work.

So anyway, that was what I observed this weekend and what I observe most of the time...being passed by for the fashionable sexy shallow ignorant high-maintenence fussy girl as sit by laid back and I read my books and wait for mr. right to notice me. Afterall I wouldnt want the guy who wants that other girl anyway...its just "who really wants that girl?" they always seem to say they dont but they always end up with them dont they? and then you hear them complaing about how girls are silly and material and all they do is gossip, but no...its just the type of girls they are attracted to that r that way isnt it, because I know I am not that way and I know other girls like myself that are not that way.

So until they can see beyond the short skirts and mid-driff tops and look for us down to earth girls with something to actually say...we will just sit back and laugh I suppose and wait.

SO there is my rant for the day, sorry but I have been noticing it a lot latley and since this is my observation for the weekend I thought I'd share.

/me continues to smile and think happy thoughts all the day long inspite of it all

MojoMaker

More power to you S. Message well written and disseminated.

Let only that which I wish to see be revealed to me and let that which may disturb, challenge, or provoke me remain forever invisible. For it is from within a cone of ignorance I cast my illusion of happiness and from the sanctuary of conformity I draw my strength.

BEAT

very well put yourself D.
seems to summarize it all up there in a more poetic way

keu

I was searching for answers, and well...I found them.

to quote eddie vedder "the answers are fatal"
...and it is in dying we are born to eternal life.