The Color of The Little Engine That Could

"Do. Or do not.

There is no try." 

(Yoda, The Empire Strikes Back)

Epic words from Star Wars' little green guru - "Do! Or do not!" Nothing in between. I have read, and observed, that there are basically two ways to approach a dream, project, or intention: begin it with intention of finishing it, and keep intending until it is done.  Conversely, begin by thinking you might not finish it, that you will try to complete it, and keep intending this until it is long cold and dead.

Many, perhaps even most of humanity's great achievers have faced gargantuan odds in the fulfillment of their quests. Siddhartha's journey to enlightenment took his body to the very precipice of death, required that he leave everything and everyone behind. He did not try, he set out to do, and his journey has shaped humanity's path. Jesus of Nazareth also set out to do. He walked the path into and through death, and did not quit his journey until death was conquered.

“If you have a dream, don’t just sit there.

Gather courage to believe that you can succeed

and leave no stone un-turned

to make it a reality.” 

(Roopleen)

Those who say that it is too hard, that the road is too long, or too steep, have fallen short of their goal not because of the conditions that they face, but because they stopped striving. It all comes down to what you believe about yourself and about your goal. If you are committed to your endeavors, if they are a true expression of the Love that you are, then persist until they have come to fruition. It's that simple. Oh, It will also take time, patience, more time... and more patience. That's what success looks like - patience, commitment, and resilience. 

“Whether you think you can,

or you think you can't,

you're right.”

(Henry Ford)

This may all seem a might harsh, a tad bit black and white for Kaleidoscope's perspective. I agree - and I've had my share of projects that have died in the development stage, unfinished, unfulfilled. However, if I am honest with myself I must admit that the only force stopping me from realizing those goals was me. I simply was not committed to doing - I was only trying, and trying is keeping one foot on success and the other on failure, hoping that fate will intervene.

Some have faced injury or illness, bankruptcy, isolation, and even death in their journey to see their dreams made real. Some have passed the torch on to other hands as their own reserves were exhausted. Nonetheless, regardless of the mountains and valleys along the journey, when we relinquish ourselves to the path of Love all obstacles will in time be surpassed.

“Ignore failure. 

Try anew until you succeed.” 

(Tim Fargo, Alphabet Success - Keeping it Simple)

So when should we relinquish a pursuit? At what point is the towel to be thrown in? Perhaps it is time to quit when we discover that our intention did not arise from Love; when the goal does not have the power to change us, our community, and our world for the better. If life, healing, and renewal do not somehow arise from our endeavors of creating, dreaming, and pursuing, then it would be best to let those endeavors drift down the river.

Love is potent in and through us; so much so that it will, in time, overcome all tyranny, all darkness. Love pours through you right now, seeking to touch the people in your life, seeking to ignite passion, possibility, hope. If Love kindles the flame of your dreams pursue them with all of your being, and see those dreams come to full bloom.

I leave the last word to Oscar Wilde:

“Yes: I am a dreamer.

For a dreamer is one

who can only find his way by moonlight, 

and his punishment 

is that he sees the dawn

before the rest of the world.” (Oscar Wilde, The Critic as Artist)

The color of the little engine that could...

being true to ourselves.

Soil pressed down

upon the seed

heavy

dark

smothering

But

seeds

are

persistent

and flowers laughter

is soil's

chagrin

Dream

Breathe

Be

To Ponder Further:

- From the Bible: "In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams." (Acts 2.17)

- From African Traditional Religion: "The snail has no hands, The snail has no feet, Gently the snail climbs the tree." (Yoruba Proverb, Nigeria)

- From Judaism: "Scripture credits with performance not him who begins a task, but him who completes it." (Talmud, Sota 13b)

The Color of Fatherhood

“The heart of a father

is the masterpiece of nature.” 

(Antoine François Prévost, Manon Lescaut)

I visited dad this week. He still knows my name most of the time; still knows the old stories, places, and events. Sometimes, when the widows of reality align, I see a reflection of the intelligence that once guided his life. Just as quickly as it appears, though, the light fades from his eyes and he is somewhere, somewhen else.

This is okay though, for I am reaping a harvest from seeds that my father planted long ago in the soil of my being. These days, however, he is not tilling the soil as he once did in the vibrancy of his middle years. More often now he sits quietly in the shade of trees that found rooting because of his tending and care.

“Beauty is not who you are on the outside,

it is the wisdom and time you gave away

to save another struggling soul like you.” 

(Shannon L. Alder)

Dad bequeathed an eclectic menagerie of wisdom to his sons. Pearls like, "every dog is friendly..." (for those with the dog energy to draw it out of them), or "look for the best in everyone; trust people." Dad taught us to be generous, to laugh, to cheer loudly. He instructed us in straight garden rows, neat workbenches (that one didn't stick so well with me), and above all else, being gentle with all creatures, even humans.

“I believe that what we become

depends on what our fathers teach us

at odd moments,

when they aren't trying to teach us.

We are formed

by little scraps of wisdom.” 

(Umberto Eco, Foucault's Pendulum)

I have much to be thankful for when it comes to dad - he is a very good father (he turned 91 in 2016). Dad and I are much alike; we are both a bit more like squirrels than we are like black labs. That is to say we go hard, don't always think before we act, and are easily distracted; not always helpful, but usually a lot of fun! In his squirrel way dad taught me about life, faith, Love, and family. 

Dad taught me to love the beauty of a sunset on the lake as the water lapped against the boat. He mentored me in loving the earth, fixing the car, and preparing a dish he called "slum-gullion" which meant haphazardly grabbing any leftovers lying about in the fridge and frying them up in a cast-iron fry pan.

He also revealed the power of forgiveness, of kindness to strangers, of giving his life to his family and community. And - he showed me how to make mistakes, how to be human and fallible. He was/is by no means perfect; but he has always been perfectly real, open, and deeply loving.

“The father

who has selflessly poured himself

into the life of his children

may leave no other monument

than that of his children.

But as for a life well lived,

no other monument is necessary.” 

(Craig D. Lounsbrough)

I Love my dad, and I am immensely thankful for him. If I have made any positive impact on this world it is in great part a consequence of the stable ground that is my father's (and for sure my mother's) Love. For fifty years dad has been a steady presence, a weaver of cloth, creating tapestries of life. He has given much, and now it is his time to receive much. He cannot walk, he mostly cannot hold a conversation, and soon, he may not be able to respond. He will, however, always be able to receive our Love. 

Not all fathers have been as my dad has been. Some have been kinder, some terribly brutal. All though, through pain or joy have given us reasons to forgive, to Love, to weep, and to give thanks. 

I leave the last word to Craig Lounsbrough:

“The difference between a ‘man’ and a ‘father’

is that the former shares his genes,

but the latter gives his life.” 

(Craig D. Lounsbrough)

The color of fatherhood...

planting, tending, letting go.

A crumpled

twenty-dollar bill

creased and worn

in the dusty

hole of an

old coat pocket

Is its value

lessened

for its

rumpled state

Not so

worth is intrinsic

Love

does not fade

Laugh

play

pray

 To Ponder Further:

- From the Bible:"As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him..." (Psalm 103.13)

- From Sikhism: "As the child, according to its natural disposition, commits thousands of faults, The father instructs and slights, but again hugs him to his bosom." (Adi Granth, Sorath, M.5)

- From Buddhism: "Brethren, one can never repay two persons, I declare. What two? Mother and father." (Anguttara Nikaya i.1)

The Color Of Summer

“Summer afternoon,

summer afternoon;

to me those have always been

the two most beautiful words

in the English language.” 

(Henry James)

It was, as it still is, sometime in the last week of June - the final day of school for the year. Report cards gifted in envelopes of white, tests  completed, artwork handed back, desks cleared of a year's accumulated detritus. Eight weeks lay ahead, bursting with untapped potential, a blank canvas awaiting the kiss of an artist's brush. 

Summer was, for me, a gravity that drew me forward through the year, pulling me into its orbit as July's calendar page was flipped on the kitchen wall. I simply loved summer. Leo (my next-door-neighbor and soul mate) and I would head out across the field of sprouting wheat or barley that boarded our neighborhood; tree lines to explore, forts to build, great hunting expeditions to undertake with pellet guns in hand. The long summer days would fill the horizon of our being.

“It was June,

and the world smelled of roses.

The sunshine was like powdered gold

over the grassy hillside.” (Maud Hart Lovelace, Betsy-Tacy and Tib)

I miss those carefree days. I recall with clarity the release of anxiety, the deep breaths of peace that the first morning of summer holidays bestowed upon my young soul. I was an anxious child, but even so, I knew how to settle into summer with an ease that is long forgotten.

Summer 2017. The garden is brilliant, and needing a little tending. The grass is growing - steroidily. Time flies by, filled with evening gatherings, weekends bursting with invitations, camping, travelling, yard work, house repairs, festivals... all packed into a few short weeks of sunshine, thunderstorms, and bugs. I still indulge in the verdant colors of summer, cries of gulls and crows, and the ubiquitous drone of a lawnmower in the distance. But the simple ease of those childhood vacation weeks is a fading memory.

As a child my only expectation of those long, warm days was to play with unbridled abandon; sleeping in, staying up later than on school nights, and marinading in the goodness of friendships and family. It was not about busyness, I did not try to stuff as much as I could into a few weeks of life. I simply enjoyed the moments.

“Summer will end soon enough,

and childhood as well.” (George R.R. Martin, A Game of Thrones)

What then am I saying? Do I long to go back to my nine-year-old carefree days, to return to some perceived halcyon era? I do not think so. Today is where I am planted, where I engage life. My reminiscences are, however, a spark to dry tinder. The fire that ignites is the energy of challenge and change. Perhaps I ask too much of these summer days. When standing before the buffet table, one must choose some items, and pass by the rest if a sore gut is to be avoided. 

We are the sculptors of our own lives, choosing or dismissing those opportunities that present themselves to us. Summer is upon us, resplendent in color, sound and aroma; laden with invitation and possibility. I will, in this day, listen to the wisdom that echoes down through the years from the little boy I once was. Today is a summer day - it needs no more in it than a playful spirit and a friend with whom to share it. 

I leave the last word to 19th century banker and scientist, John Lubbock:

“Rest is not idleness,

and to lie sometimes

on the grass under trees on a summer's day,

listening to the murmur of the water,

or watching the clouds float across the sky,

is by no means a waste of time.” (John Lubbock, The Use Of Life)

The color of summer...

bees among the roses.

With delight

I sip

the nectar

that is

summer's

gift

sip,

not gulp

sip,

in slow

indulgent

swallows

Pause

Breathe

Listen

To Ponder Further:

- From the Bible: "As for the days of our life, they contain seventy years, Or if due to strength, eighty years, Yet their pride is but labor and sorrow; For soon it is gone and we fly away." (Psalm 90.10)

- From African traditional religions: "The dog says, 'If you fall down, and I fall down, the play will be enjoyable.'" (Nupe Proverb, Nigeria)

From Buddhism: "There are having flowers in Spring, breezes in Summer, moon in Autumn, snows in Winter. If there is nothing worrying over you, it will be the best seasons at all times." (Gautama Buddha, source unknown.)