Pathways

I was just listening to Windmills of Your Mind on You Tube and it really reminded me of a poem I wrote years and years ago called Wheels Within Wheels.

I don't know where it is now. I wrote it on the back of a small brown paper bag that held popcorn. This was on an occasion when I was on a lunch break from jury duty in California.

I remember that I was initially happy to get away from work (a civil service job) and go on jury duty because I thought, "Well, this might be interesting." And also on the opposite side of that, "I hope I don't get any gruesome cases or have to make any life and death decisions." Something all jurors have to face unfortunately - but it was significant in other ways to me.

I know I've written about this before but I don't remember where so...if you run across it then I'm fleshing it out a bit more here.

I remember that I brought one book only to look at not realizing that much of jury duty is spent just sitting in the jury pool waiting to be called to be interviewed, or impaneled as they call it, for participation in a trial.

I could only look at this book from time to time because it's one of those books that make you think. It was a book about philosophy - stimulating thoughts and as such I had to stop and read and then stop and then read.

I think it was then from reading that book plus my exposure to the jury trial system and realizing the life changing impact that it had on people as well as my lunch break when being visited by a blue jay who kept me company sometimes in the park nearby while I shared popcorn from the small bag with blue jay and then writing the poem, something I only did in those days when I was profoundly inspired, that I realized that I wouldn't be going back for long to that civil service job. I had to be more involved in something that had greater meaning.

For the next few years I started reading other books and delving into deeper thoughts and considerations. It wasn't too long after that that I found my path in life. You never know what little or big thing might open a door that could reveal a more beneficial pathway in life. Goodlife.

An Unexpected Friend

Friends. It became very clear to me recently how we all need friends. It's good to have friends on the Internet, I enjoy them. I know you do too but it became clear to me how important it is to have friends nearby - friends you see, friends you call, friends who call you.

Recently someone I didn't know, a neighbor, someone who lived in the same building I live in came calling by accident. She was in the middle of a medical crisis.

I helped her, I did what I could. I'm not a medical person but with the help of others who work here in the building and came to help her and the fire department and the paramedics she felt better.

While we were waiting though for everyone to come and help her I was very conscious of how we were in that moment friends. It's as if we'd known each other our whole lifetime because she was speaking about many things, sometimes all at once the way we do when we're frightened and upset and the sound of our own voice is reassuring.

Now and then she'd pause and I'd tell her how happy I was that she came to see me because where I live you see, there's not that many people at home but she just happened to come at a time when I was there and being in desperate straits as she was it was a gift. And I don't just mean that I was a gift for her because I was there for her, it was a gift for me because she reminded me how important friends are and how important people are even when you haven't met - to be friendly, to be supportive and to do what you can.

Call a friend this weekend. If it's someone that likes you just the way you are and someone that you like just the way they are that's even better but if you don't know anybody like that then call someone you do know just to remind yourself you have friends.

Do you forget about that sometimes? It's easy to forget about that isn't it. And if a friend calls even if they just want to talk and they want you to listen it's alright because we're really meant, very often aren't we, to be lights in the night, islands at sea and all the other metaphors which are so true at times when they are a matter of life and death and at other times as well.

Forgive me for being reflective but it came very clear to me that this ladies visit reminded me to call friends which I did do and family and I called my sister.

Think about doing that yourself. It's not just because you'll never know when you'll need them, it's also because you never know when they'll need you and it might remind you of something you need, want or value.

Goodlife to you all and goodnight.

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Photo is © B. Kim Barnes, used with permission, and can be found at http://www.flickr.com/photos/kimbar/3494141086/

Honoring Commercial Pilots

Some years ago I was flying back to an airport near where I lived from Los Angeles on a commercial jet. It was an unusual trip. On the way we went through a thunder storm. Lightening - a lot of bouncing around but others have had this experience.

As we got closer to the airport we started coming in on the glide path as always and because it was stormy there I think they made us go around once but then coming back coming in on the glide path closer and closer to the ground the plane had just touched down when all of a sudden, and I didn't know a full sized commercial jet could do this, it took off like a rocket even though it was just settling down on the wheels the way they do.

It literally took off like a rocket almost straight up in the air and did a partial snap roll. All I know is that the plane turned so sharply that the right wing was pointed straight down and all the passengers got a little closer to each other there for a moment. Needless to say it was so quiet you could of heard a pin drop in there though I did hear a few prayers but the plane leveled off and did another long slow turn around the airport - maybe for 20 minutes.

There was no sound. Nobody said anything from the pilots area and the cabin crew was quiet as well and it was quiet in the cabin - very quiet.

Then the pilot came on and while he was announcing that we would be going in again and that he was sure that we'd have a good safe landing I could hear somebody else up there in the cockpit, using plenty of expletive deleted words while at the same time obviously trying to control himself, blaming somebody.

It turns out, I found out later, that there had been a snafu - a mix-up by ground personnel - I don't know who and our plane had been guided to land but because the pilots were alert they could see that if we had continued with our landing we would have run right smack into another plane.

I'm bringing this to your attention not because I want to offer you the thrill of the day but rather because I want to compliment the pilots of this airline. I'm not going to mention the name of the airline, I'm just going to say that it was one of my favorites and I just want to compliment pilots everywhere for their vigilance, for their ability and for how many lives they save which very often is never in the press but I think it happens every day.

Thank you commercial pilots and other pilots for doing such a wonderful job.

Goodlife to you all.

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Photo is © B. Kim Barnes, used with permission, and can be found at http://www.flickr.com/photos/kimbar/1769691687/

A Road Revealed

Many years ago when I was a young man I purchased a motorcycle on the advice of a friend. I had loved the new bike he got and while I couldn't get one quite as big or quite as fast I did buy the same brand.

It was very smooth running though it had a flaw. It was underpowered in the battery charging system and therefore I had to kick-start it to get it going but I kind of liked that because it reminded me of older times when I was very young and used to admire the older boys and men kick-starting their Harley's. I couldn't buy a Harley but I think maybe I thought it sort of reminded me of those days.

One day I was out riding with my friend. He was trying to show me how to ride on a mountain road - I lived near the mountains in those days in California. My friend was very good at it. Even though his bike was big he was athletic and was able to throw his bike around the turns, as he used to say.

I tried to do that but I wasn't very good at it and I came into a turn too fast. Well I don't have to tell you do I. I couldn't make the turn. I slid off into the dirt and it was one of those long slides that seem to happen in slow-motion where the last thoughts you have is - this is it - because I could see at the end of that dirt the cliff just fell off and I didn't know how far.

I thought to myself, "That's it - the end" but suddenly I hit something. I don't know what it was to this day because there was absolutely nothing but slightly sloped ground to the cliff on the pathway where I was sliding and I was flying - airborne.

Up and over and beyond. It seemed like forever and just like they say in books and the movies - my whole life flashed before my eyes in a second or two. It really does happen.

The next thing I knew I hit the ground with a mighty thump. I remember rolling and then there was another bigger thump on my head. Fortunately I had a new helmet which I appreciate to this day. It was a Bell helmet. I don't know if they're still in business but I have to say without any reason to promote them other than my gratitude, it was a great helmet and undoubtedly saved my life.

I came to a stop and started moving my arms and legs around to see if I had arms and legs left and when I was doing that my friend was, at that point, driving back up the canyon looking for me and he saw me doing that and it gave him the chills, he said.

He thought I was having a death rattle but he was quickly relieved and so was I when I stood up. Much to my amazement I didn't have any broken bones and even though I seemed to be okay I knew I wasn't quite alright.

For one thing I was immensely relieved so of course I was cheerful but I was cheerful beyond reason and my friend and I pushed what was left of my bike off to the side and sort of under a tree. It could still stand up but it didn't look too good. We left it there in hopes that it would still be there when I got back whenever that would be and he got me up on the back of his bike and we took off for the hospital.

He didn't want to wait for an ambulance because he figured when he saw me shaking around like that on the ground that the quicker he could get me there the better.

I remember being profoundly cheerful all the way to the hospital :-) I'm sure a mild concussion had something to do with that and when I got to the hospital my friend made a bit of a scene to get me in there and him having a forceful personality though with a certain amount of gentle persuasion did get me in to see the nurse pretty quickly.

The guy scrubbed my arms off. I remember him telling me after peeling what was left of my shirt off - telling me that it was going to hurt and he had to clean off the "road rash" as they call it and it should of hurt but it didn't. He was scrubbing real hard with alcohol and he said, "Doesn't that hurt?" And I said, "Just stings a little bit" and he said, "You probably got a concussion."

The doctor came in later and confirmed concussion. They took a look at me and decided that I was going to be alright, sent me home. I remember I woke up the next day and I guess I must have been kind of out of it the day before because I could definitely feel my arms and it was a whole lot of ouch going on for the next three days or so but after that I started feeling better.

It was right around that time that my life took a turn towards the spiritual. I'm sure many others who've had near death encounters have had that other road revealed to them.

I often wondered if I hadn't had that crash would I have gone on to do what I had thought I would do then. I was thinking before that time maybe I'll do this, maybe I'll do that but it turned out that I felt a increasing interest after that to read spiritual books and one thing led to another and here I am today.

Just thought you might be interested. Goodlife.

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Photo is © B. Kim Barnes, used with permission, and can be found at http://www.flickr.com/photos/kimbar/634016912/

Snowflakes

I remember when I was a youngster reading a book...I think it must have been about the planet. Maybe it was science...could have been in school - but there was all these pictures of snowflakes.

I'm not sure if they were actual photographs or if they were drawings and they were all these beautiful patterns. You've probably seen such pictures yourself or perhaps had the opportunity to take a quick glance at snowflakes yourself.

So of course the first chance I had - since I was growing up in Minnesota which was plenty cold in the winter and had enough snow as well :-) I looked at my sleeve when it was snowing and sure enough there were those beautiful fantastic crystalline images.

I didn't have the words or the sophistication then but I remember having a very calm good feeling to myself. If I had the words then that I have now I might have said to myself: God loves us - this is a place, a planet that is meant to be of beauty. Here is something natural that is so beautiful it's awe-inspiring.

I didn't have those words of course and before long someone called my name and I think it was my mom calling me in for lunch.

I'm bringing this recollection up not because it is so profound but because I know that there are aspects to life that are so difficult here - I experience some of those myself and yet I feel that ultimately this planet is meant to be about beauty, it's meant to be about kindness and we all experience that at one time or another - and it's meant to be about love.

While we don't have much of that all the time, if we're fortunate we have some of it some of the time and perhaps as time goes on and our hearts and souls become more of our predominant life cycles it might just be about that. Lets hope so.

Goodlife.

Consideration

I've been thinking about the great value in our lives of cows. I know I've mentioned these things before. I also believe that many of us have been reminded of their great and wondrous value in a humorous way by Gary Larson's cartoons which we've all grown to love but there's more and I feel that I want to just say that these beings who give us so much and who demand so little from us could perhaps, when it is the end of their lives, be treated with more kindness and respect.

I know it's not always easy to do this for those who are in the business of processing but I'm just putting it out there that perhaps some people could come up with an idea of how to do this in a way that is more kind and gentle.

You can see that I am concerned about efficiency replacing interactions between all beings. We find this sometimes in communications to us from this or that group and conversely sometimes from us to this or that group.

We are often kind and gentle with the very young and also often with the very old but what about the feelings of those between these ages.

I believe we can move past the limit of efficiency in any attempt to create clarity. I know it's not always easy to be kind, gentle, patient and considerate as much as possible. It may however just be appreciated by us all. Goodlife.

Honoring

Many years ago when I was a young man I moved to California. I explored the place and settled in Southern California near where my grandparents had once lived in Hollywood.

As a child we had a vacation out there once and so of course I liked to walk around the area a bit. It naturally followed in time that I would seek to work in that general neighborhood of Hollywood while I was exploring other working possibilities. So temporarily I took a job at a movie theatre on Hollywood Boulevard.

Of course I never really expected to see any movie stars but as it turned out I did.

I remember that the assistant manager took me aside when I first started working there, he was perhaps just a few years older than me in his late twenties, and he said, "Now look, this is an old movie theatre. It's not fancy. It's no flagship movie theatre but every once in a while well known people in Hollywood will come in here - maybe just order a hot dog and eat it and leave - and we let them do that.

"We don't expect them to buy a ticket just to go to get a hot dog. Our people who work at the ticket booth know and recognize these people and usually they're old-timers.

"Here's what to do when that happens. Don't go gaga when they come in. You're gonna be dazzled but try to keep it at a minimum. These people have worked long and hard for this kind of recognition and they need to have their quiet time, their moments when they can just be a regular person.

"Oh sure, sometimes they might be enjoying the recognition but when they step into this theatre - modest though it may be - we want them to feel like they can be relaxed. So just treat them like you would any other customer. Wait on them, acknowledge their greeting if they give you one. If they don't speak to you then assume that they want their private time."

"Okay," I said both excited and frustrated at the same moment looking forward to seeing "movie stars" and at the same time feeling admonished for something I hadn't done yet.

So sure enough within a month or two in came somebody that I recognized immediately though I had to think a little bit to remember his name. Some of you will know him primarily because he was known for a while as the Maytag Repairman. I'm referring of course to Jesse White but he had a long and elaborate career in show business.

Normally I don't drop names here but I'm using this as an example about something I'll build on later on in this narrative.

So sure enough, one day I was working at the concessions counter and...I don't think the assistant manager was even there. It was a day when he was off but in walked a customer without going to the ticket booth to get a ticket and I was a little surprised.

As he got closer I recognized him immediately. This was Jesse White. He ordered a hot dog and I served it to him while making every effort to remain as indifferent as possible but at some point he caught me glancing at him while he was eating the hot dog right there in the lobby. As it happened there was nobody else there. The movie was playing and all the customers were in watching the movie having no idea that a famous Hollywood movie star was in the lobby at that moment.

As I glanced at him and he caught me he said, "What is it" and I apologized. I said, "I'm sorry Mr. White. I'm new to this job and I haven't seen too many movie stars up close like this. He stopped eating his hot dog for a moment and he said, "You'll get used to it kid" just as easy going as possible putting me at ease right away. He finished his hot dog, smiled a little bit and walked out the door.

I'm mentioning this because recently I read an article about Barack Obama's visit with his family to Hawaii and his experiencing the extremes of being excessively noticed - not really able to take the kids out on a spontaneous visit to the ice cream parlor or better yet as we say here in Hawaii ah - to get some shave ice eh.

Well I feel for the man and in a way I feel for our society. I wish you all could have been there to hear that assistant manager give me that talk about my reaction to famous people. It was short and sweet and I've tried to put down what I can remember from it.

I know that it is the job of the Press to let people know what the policy is of our government but must we really take away the joys of a parent having fun with his children, his wife, his family and all of the events that make parenthood a blessing.

I am not claiming to have any great knowledge about these subjects of family but I am more conscious now of family since I've been here in Hawaii. Family in Hawaii is very major and it is considered something that is not only respected but it is honored.

Hawaii itself - the land itself, I believe, has an energy supporting heart and even kindness. It also supports family perhaps because family often represents heart - I grant not always but often. What I'm trying to say here overall is I think it might be nice given the struggles that happen sometimes with family and raising children to let the Obama's have their time in Hawaii - especially for Barack who grew up here - to rest, to restore and to be fed by the land and the kindness of the people.

That's all I have to say about that now. Goodlife.