*Photo courtesy of Stockcake
At some point, within what that dash represents upon our headstones, the ol’ epitaph, or elsewhere, we will experience woes of lesser and greater degrees in a lifetime, and some more than others. These may be, but are not limited to: losses; overwhelming losses; betrayals; regrets; aches and pains; worries; stresses; constant irritations; cracked phone screens; medical bills; grief and grievances; car troubles; house troubles; legal issues; tax problems; a lack of a home; sadness for loved ones; turbulent home lives; burnout at work; loneliness; vehicular problems; aging; wars without end; witnessing mistreatment of humans, animals, and nature; bad people; finding it impossible to forgive ourselves or others for past doings or things spoken; people who seem to parasitically drain us of peace of mind and overall vitality; and also, then there are good people who are no longer in our lives – which can be seen as a wonderful gift of an experience, but is too often only reflected on with pain due to the absence of them, regrets, and missed opportunities.
Yet with these, or whatever else each of our problems may be, nearly all of us still want to be on Earth. We don’t want to die, no living thing does (the vast majority of all beings, that is).
Well, then there’s people who claim to have had a near death experience, and didn’t want to return here from wherever their mind went, but that’s different from the point at hand. As humans, we wish to be with this planet, her creatures; special people; to smell the scent in the air after the rain; to behold the forests, mountains, prairies, deserts, and rainbows; watch birds soar; and hope a little fish will touch our toes in a beautiful sunlit stream. Why is that?
I won’t answer that and I’m not positive that I am able. My answers could be different from yours and my explanatory and descriptive skills leave much to be desired. But in our own ways, we love it here.
If we are dying, are we going to wish we took more selfies, spent more time in front of or behind a screen, played more video games, or watched more pointless, brain-numbing, and possibly IQ-killing TikTok or Facebook reels? I think that the life that is/was ours and experiencing it with adored people, animals, and nature will take center stage in the headspace at such time.
Sure, we can declare playing card games, blogging, Youtube video making, meditating on something or nothing, writing novels, and all sorts of things are wasteful to our precious time, but, I guess somewhere lies a line, perhaps a line in moderation.
Things as these can be for necessary relaxation or healing purposes, or possibly to satisfy our innate desire to express ourselves (ego or the creative collective?). Sometimes, blogs, podcasts, books, and videos are helpful, informative, and include photos and stories that are admirable, satisfying and inspiring. Some people in this mix, and elsewhere, as creators of such things, genuinely want to help others. Some people who do also need to make money as they do this (from authors to psychotherapists to those earning money from Youtube videos about home repairs, and more). And sometimes, it just feels good to enjoy an entirely fake unfolding of events in a movie, or to take a walk to nowhere in particular with someone who’s company you enjoy.
“Live before it’s too late” is simple advice to offer. With that, in today’s era, it takes some amount of money to live the way our hearts’ desire. There are some people who have chosen to be homeless and nomadic and are entirely content, but this is an extreme rarity. We can’t easily visit loved ones without the finances for a road trip or a plane flight, can we (I wonder how there is any fuel left anyway)?
Many people no longer live a horse & buggy’s ride away or within an hour’s walking distance away from their families. So we do the things like spend hours behind a screen or 10+ hours a day away from who we love to make money. Whatever “good” people do for financial stability or abundance, I hope they love it, that it is beneficial to them and others, and that they are reaping the rewards of labors in ways that are wonderful and unforgettable that make up for time spent away.
I want to live before it’s too late as well. The ol’ tick-tock of life’s clock seems to be getting louder and faster paced. Perhaps there is truth in the saying, “Life is like a roll of toilet paper, the closer you get to the end, the quicker it goes.” My dad use to say, “The days can drag on, but the years fly by.”
I have had times worth reliving again and again, yet there are many times I believe I never should have experienced, and I have painfully witnessed that which seems severely unfair happen to others. People can be foolish, naive, have priorities out of whack, and be ignorant, and what I’ve seen which seems like instant karma for one’s foolishness or self-centered episodes to otherwise well-intentioned people, is an unduly punishment that doesn’t fit the crime.
Sometimes others pay for our idiocy, sometimes just us. Then there’s what I am calling “Pop-up bullsh**,” This is stuff that just should not be – either for ourselves or someone we love. I don’t doubt this applies to many people.
So, what can ya do, lay down, be sad, or be grateful for things? Love, health, the sun, fresh water, toilet paper, a phone to call someone… there is much to be grateful for. We must persevere and be helpful to someone. There are so many ways to care for beings, one could save an orphaned animal; offer bug a drop of water (surprisingly, you’ll see that many are thirsty if you do this); tip a waitress very well; visit a lonely person; donate to animal shelters, and so on.
“We but mirror the world. All the tendencies present in the outer world are to be found in the world of our body. If we could change ourselves, the tendencies in the world would also change. As a man changes his own nature, so does the attitude of the world change towards him. This is the divine mystery supreme. A wonderful thing it is and the source of our happiness. We need not wait to see what others do.”
~ Mahatma Gandhi
Perhaps you’ve heard the words “Be the good you want to see in the world.”, those are pretty good words in my opinion.
✨“Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you’ll land among the stars”
– Attributed to Norman Vincent Peale (1898-1993)
I love to be outside with my sweet lizard, Murph (especially if I’m not working, and he agrees). If I think about it in a certain way, that there is a creature so different from me who shows that he likes to sit with me, walk around with me, and be held by me, is a miracle in and of itself. That he thinks (I see it when it happens) and can easily choose to go do lizard stuff, but instead chooses to stay by my side nearly all of the time touches my heart deeply!!
I hope to enjoy an abundance of time with my very dear loved ones who live far away. I could state “I will” instead of “I hope”… you know, to program my subconscious in an attempt to make it manifest, but that’s difficult at the present time.
What do you do that gives you pleasure? This can be anything from supplying birds and critters with water and watching them love it on a hot, summer day to the ‘work” you do, to skydiving! What makes you grateful to be here, is it people, your loving pets, nature and wildlife, or all of the afore mentioned?
What is a toil that you are currently doing, which in return, gives you the ability to do as you like, help people or animals, help to preserve nature from concrete, or see who you want and do as you wish? Whether you can travel far and see new things, enjoy your favorite home-cooked meals, or simply be able to frequent the nearby nature park, these things are experiences of which we can be grateful.
Among other things, I’m certainly grateful to see so many lightning bugs here in some open areas around this home. They are one of my many favorite creatures. Watching them either really brings me home or takes me far away, if that makes sense. They, in abundance, mesmerize me, as do large soaring birds… and fighter jets breaking the sound barrier… and the energy at heavy metal concerts, you get where I’m going… situations and people aren’t perfect in our eyes much of the time, but, man, there a lot of neat things here! Think of the different energy emissions, if you will, or vibrations of events (good and not seemingly good) that capture your mind. How do they make you feel and can you put it into words, do words fail you as they do me in your descriptive endeavors here?
I do not live in my dream home, but there are things I like about it, as well as the animals around here and some neighbors. I’ve learned bird calls that I never heard in other cities. I didn’t know that a butterfly would befriend a human and visit everyday. I didn’t know that a praying mantis would taunt me (cute little sh**), or that bugs that seem to not bite humans elsewhere bite out here. It’s fine, I’m not mad at them for it. They can’t help their nature.
It took Murph about three weeks to adjust to this new home and from being away from our squirrel friends who use to sit beside us, but, I’m happy to announce that he likes it here too.
I’d like to share Lil’ Murph and some nature with you:
This is what Murph is doing as I type. This is our partly shaded set-up. I took the cushions off of the chairs on the deck. We’re quite comfy:
Thank you for being with us today. Make your day and someone else’s great!
“Give me Lizardry or give me Death!”
❤️Murph & Dawn
LizardPlanet.com 
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