My Place in Life

I was thinking last night. You know that guy with the new car you're a little envious of? Has he ever been curious about what sand looks like under a microscope? Your neighbor that has the huge house you might be dreaming of living in? Does he recognize the poetry of the Periodic Table of the Elements? That guy that's climbed the ladder to CEO you admire? Is he awed by the elegant structure of the universe? Do they stop to marvel at the drop of rain magnifying a tiny, green insect on a leaf? Do they know to be humbled by the exquisite dance of DNA? Probably not. They don’t stop long enough to be awestruck by the splendor of it all. They spend their entire lives achieving and no time living. How sad for them.

I don't have a brand new car. I don't live in the fanciest house, don't wear the flashiest clothes, or have the most impressive job title. That's not what it's about. It's about kindness, inquisitiveness, and reverence for the recognition of my place in it all. 

The Message of the Trees

I've always had an affinity for trees. They are living creatures just as much and you, me, and every other living thing on the planet. When I take my walks I always touch as many as I can. I like to think they recognize my touch and welcome my acknowledgement of them. I call them our Silent Sentinels. I was sitting in a fast food drive thru one afternoon this past Fall. My sunroof was open and I heard the tree in this video rustling in the breeze. This tree was talking. Sending out its message for all to hear. They are a wise species with eons of insights to share with us. If we listen.

Storm reminders

Hearing the thunder and seeing the lightning of tonight's storm reminds me of a very simple notion: we don't own the planet. 

It's not ours. 

We belong to it, not the other way around. 

We need to respect our living spaces more. We need to treat the planet the way we would hope to be treated, with tender-loving kindness and respect.

Shallow Living

I'm becoming more aware of the dynamic, or concept "shallow living". People who go through life skimming the surface, and not experiencing its substance. This isn't a judgement of those people. It's merely an observation of a type of personality. This is the person the races through a museum, then happily checks it off their list. For them life is a checklist not an experience. Nothing is savored.
Now that I've become aware of this concept and/or dynamic, I'm noticing more and more of these people.
One of my questions lately has been wondering why I don't seem to connect with certain types of people. That's when I realized I've been dealing with people who live by checklist. It's good to have a list of goals. There's nothing wrong about that. To these people though, it's the checklist that matters, not the thing ON the list. I want to visit Japan someday. To experience it, not just so I can say I've crossed it off my list!
I've been learning a good deal lately about myself and living with substance and experience. That has made my awareness more finely-tuned to those who live by checklist.