Artemus: Meanderings

It sometimes seems the only things in our world worthy of attention have to be recharged periodically. If it isn’t connected, networked, synced and shared in the cloud, it is clearly below the threshold of our notice. I believe we do ourselves a disservice by relying exclusively on external stimuli and external information sources to give our lives purpose and meaning. We could all probably benefit by checking into the esoteric stuff now and again.

Life might be easier if we admit to ourselves that there are some things over which we have little or no control. Acceptance of these truths is referred to colloquially as aging gracefully. I don’t know about you, but I don’t believe I’ve ever done anything graceful in my life. I am a proud graduate of the school of hard knocks and wouldn’t have it any other way. So long as there are any synapses still firing in that mush I call a brain, I will continue to go within and seek my own council about things, thank you very much. My mother used to say the word recalcitrant was never in common usage until after my birth. Sorta’ makes one proud, don’t it? 

There are times when it seems the only options we have are laughing or crying. It’s good to be a volitional creature so you can choose laughter. It’s lots more fun. So let down your dignity a bit and enjoy the benefits of a good belly laugh now and again. I hope this story gets you started in the right direction.

Sometimes it seems the biggest obstacle we have to contend with in our lives is that strange person who stares back at us from the mirror. Our malady stems from the advent of self-consciousness; that enigmatic transformation inside that allows us to say I choose. Now, if we just knew what to choose…

As mentioned before, the most delicious dishes often seem to come from recipes handed down through generations. Of course, that presumes the recipe is applied to some real ingredients to produce a finished dish. Sometimes, though, the ingredients get away. Maybe that is the origin of the observation ‘some days chickens, some days feathers.’

The most delicious dishes we recall from our childhoods often seem to come from recipes handed down through generations. Taste treats like Grandma Tildy’s peach cobbler or Aunt Mildred’s chicken and dumplings always elicit inarticulate sounds of approval. But what makes a recipe that stands the test of time? Usually it is a combination of the first-hand knowledge of the one preparing it and a careful selection of the best quality and freshest ingredients. 

Now imagine that we could formulate a similar process for our lives. Start with your own experience and the help of family, friends, and others as needed. Add to that a variety of ingredients gathered on your life path and blend them into a stew that will satisfy the soul and fuel you through the days ahead. Today’s meandering offers some advice garnered from master soul chefs around the world. 

Let’s get cookin’!

As we have discussed before, Mother Nature can be a capricious lady. She manages to dangle delectable treats before our awestruck senses with no end of entanglements hidden behind a carefully crafted screen of smoke and mirrors. Nowhere is this enticement more subtle nor more potent than within sight or sound of the sea. Beware ye lubbers, for there be danger here!

The sad fact is that many people drift through life with no thought given to personal beliefs and values. Like flotsam and jetsam, they are carried along wherever the winds or tides of fortune blow them. Too often, they end as they began–non-entities. There is an old cliché that says, “If you don’t stand for something, you’ll fall for anything.” There may come a day when the decision to stand… or not to stand is placed squarely before you. The choice you make can become the fulcrum point that determines the ultimate worth of a lifetime lived.

If you have ever had the experience of laughing so hard your sides ached, you might also have wondered what it is, exactly, that makes something funny. Humor has been acknowledged for centuries. Even sages like Plato wrote treatises on how to use humor to manipulate political processes. If you really want to know what makes humor work, set aside a few hours for a good meander, go online, and start researching the scientific basis of what makes something funny. Just don’t forget to climb back up out of the rabbit hole.

Mother Nature at her fiery, flashy, tempestuous best can capture our attentions and our imaginations almost instantly. But some of her finest creations are the result of slow, gentle pressure exerted over vast periods of time. The relentless, fluid force of flowing water creates the Grand Canyon. A few eons of rain and snow, cycles of freezing and thawing over and over, and the abrasion of the tiny particles carried away in the process sculpts the very contours of the mountains. It is worth our time to examine these fine creations and appreciate the beauty, artistry, and guiding force involved in the making.