2009

The song for me that best fits this year for me and even in a way the entire decade,this song is Distant Dreamer by Duffy. 2009 was a year of dreams for me, and it was this year that many of my greatest dreams were realized and some others were shattered. However no matter what occurred, deep down I kept thinking of what will be and what I will become. At the moment I am standing on the cusp of 2010, a new year and a new decade, and I can’t help but reminisce about things past, the loved ones lost and the loved ones gained; I do know, however, that this year and decade will bring new wonders, more dreams will be conquered, and we will each grow from our experiences that are yet to come. Deep Down we are all Distant Dreamers, Thinking about what all we will do… Let’s Make all our dreams come true!

“Although you think I cope,
my head is filled with hope...
of some place other than here.

Although you think I smile,
inside all the while...
I'm wondering about my destiny.

I'm thinking about,
all the things,
I'd like to do in my life.

I'm a dreamer,
a distant dreamer,
dreaming for hope, from today.”

~Duffy

Do They Know...

Ready for it or not, the holiday season is upon us. I see many people celebrating with lights, trees, and gifts. I can’t help but think of those who do without; these are the people that live in the third world, or the people just around the corner. These people are forgotten, and it is this time of the year where we need to take the time… and, regardless of the economy, anything we can spare and share what we do have. Many of us go our lives and we take for granted what we have, and we never take the time to remember those that stand in the shadows.

About the Photo: This is my friend Jessica’s Christmas tree, it is blue and silver… my favorite colors on a tree. The Holiday season is full of beauty and I would hope good cheer, no matter the Holiday you happen to celebrate!

Some notable charities:
www.toysfortots.org
www.AdoptaKatrinaFamily.org
www.goodsamjc.org
www.stewpot.org
http://carams.org/

look Again

Things can be viewed from many different points of reference, and you may think you really see something, but in reality you are not even seeing a third of what it really is. The trick is to see from all aspects, that is something that I wonder is even possible. Our species is capable of so much, and yet so many of our people neglect to actually “see” they take what is there and they go with it. They do not allow it to grow, they do not mold it, and they simply accept it and move on. This is not what is always best; it causes stagnation and that is a downfall. Stagnation is never a good thing, it leads to acceptance, and eventually cession of growth… and growth is needed for survival. All of our achievements were done by someone taking a bold step to look at a problem from a new perspective, and in doing so we found the solution; for all we know the key to our deepest mysteries may be just as simple.

About the Photo: This graffiti adorns the back of an administration trailer in Brandon Park. Graffiti fascinates me, it is often an overlooked and scorned form of art, I think this one displays a message that can be truly taken to heart.

Anew

Sometimes when things seem to be going wrong,
And I feel like I am the only one.
Sometimes I feel the world is falling down,
And I feel I can not go forward.

And then I think of you.

I find myself trudging along,
Knowing that the battle will be won.
And I can finally see the dawn,
And I realize that I do not have cause to worry.

The world begins anew.

Alone

We live our lives seeking the comfort of others, hoping to find that other soul to compete us. I’m not sure what the total drive is to find this essence, the being that we feel is our other half. I myself have been on that mission since I was maybe 16 and started feeling that something was missing. I discovered that having someone that is there and you know intimately, both physically and emotionally, is a feeling that can not compare. However this other soul should be an essence that serves to enhance our being, not become something that eclipses our own essence. They should work together to achieve greatness within the world, hand in hand. I think we as a people search specifically for the feeling of intense love that we have in the beginning of our relationships, we forget that it will fade and you will be left with something that is even better, a love that will not fade. It is the intense love that will eventually fade, and if that is all the relationship has, it will fail. This is what I see happening all around me and it has happened in my own relationships as well… and I have been helpless to stop it. Now I can stand alone and look, and know the truth… and I can stand knowing that it does not take another being to complete me, but it would be nice to have someone to turn to.

(About the Photo: A Long figure in the sunset at Lakeshore Park on the Ross Barnett Reservoir, Mississippi.)

I Don't

I don’t know where I am going…
So I follow you.
I don’t trust my words…
So I let you speak.
I don’t trust my feelings…
So I seek your guidance.
I don’t trust my rhythm…
So I let you lead.
I don’t know why it’s dark…
So I let you be my light.
I don’t know how to go on…
So I let you carry me.
I don’t know how to understand…
So I let you teach.
I don’t know who to trust…
So I turn to you.
I don’t know who to love…
So I love you.
I don’t know who to thank…
So I thank you.

Photo: Brighton, UK March 2009 at night from the palace pier.

Something Is Different...

Something is different from all the others, something doesn’t belong. The more you look and the more you see, the more pronounced the differences become. Keep looking, look closer, and see if you can spot it… when you discover you may very well be shocked….

The thing that doesn’t belong…

Is me.

Finding Yourself

You never expect to play a part, to fall so deep into a role that you lose yourself so completely that you are shocked when you finally recognize yourself in the mirror. As we sit going through the things that we forgot, things that are now so foreign… and yet they are a part of ourselves. And then there are times when you finally realize how unique you really are, and how the beauty slipped through your fingers… and the stars fall from the sky like shimmers of glitter into a sea of black… and you are left with the impression of fleeting loss… and it is hard to explain, and you feel so alone, and it takes a magical moment for the stars to reappear. It is when you can finally see things the way they are, that you can finally feel whole again, finally comfortable in your own skin.

About the Image: A Carolina Anole common to Mississippi is known for its chameleon like camouflage to disappear from predators.