Awareness

I love walking thru fall leaves.

Not just walking thru them, but really kicking them up into the air, like wanting to see them fall again and again – to float gently down, swaying this way and that, living a little poetry for a minute, something myriad generations before had admired and enjoyed.

Have you ever felt that your life was completely out of control? So out of control that you thought you would never get it back again? That's what drug addiction can do. I've been there. It was a long time ago but it changed my life.

In my case, the drug was Xanax. Xanax is a benzodiazepine, a class of super-addictive medications used to treat anxiety. Valium, Lorazepam, and Klonopin are other benzodiazepines. Xanax was prescribed for me by a doctor who did not take the time to explain how to use it. By misusing it, I became addicted.

For me, the music of the Baroque era is one of the few things in life that make it worth living. The period from about 1650 to 1750 was when some of the most exquisite creations of human genius were crafted. I have enjoyed listening to Baroque music since I was a teenager.

The Baroque period was not limited to musical expression; it encompassed art and architecture also. The Baroque style is typified by ornate detail. It originated in the efforts of the Catholic Church to counter the Reformation and fight the growth of the Protestant church.

My wife lost her glasses. They were missing for over 3 weeks. Each of the four of us in this home tried looking for them several times over – we just could not find them.

Then I tried something different. Instead of telling the universe, “Oh my, the glasses are missing.” I said out loud, “Thank you for showing me the glasses.” I hopped into the future with the end result being the glasses were in my hand, and being thankful for that too.

Do we change as we get older or do we stay the same? There are many possible answers to this question and maybe there's a unique answer for every person who makes it into retirement.

This year, on my birthday, I joined the ranks of old geezerdom. I don't feel any different than I did before, and I didn't even realize I had attained that distinction until a friend a year or two my senior welcomed me to the ranks.

Out of the blue came the hoot of an owl.

Sometimes this happens in my back yard. Sometimes in my neighborhood. Sometimes I think it follows me.

It was a very pleasant surprise - three long, slow, low hoots. A pause, then it repeated. A pause again, then it repeated again.

It calls up in me the feeling of the deep woods. Where there are wise animals, knowing old, huge oaks, and the feel of soft, moist dirt underfoot.

The woods are alive with mystery and quiet surprise. At any moment there could appear a deer, a chipmunk, or a giant, black crow.

During my working career, most of the time I worked with people similar to myself: left-brain dominant, detail-oriented technicians, aka "nerds". Most of us took pride in being nerdy.

Every now and again, I came across someone different: a "big picture" guy. You probably know the type - they usually are in management, arrogant as hell in many cases, claiming to be focused on the important stuff, with no time for insignificant matters such as the details that nerds wallow in. Numbers people they are NOT.

Diversity is an asset that benefits organizations just as surely as money in the bank. To many people, that's intuitively obvious, but you don't have to take it on faith. Scientific research has clearly demonstrated that diversity has measurable value.

Why is diversity controversial? Because our basic instincts are at war with our intelligence.

The advent of historically-themed movies and TV shows has given interest in history a tremendous boost. There are no significant historical events that have not been the subject of at least one movie. The drawback is that not every movie is historically accurate - Hollywood portrays versions of the facts that bring in the most profits, not necessarily those that are true to life.

One of my personal gripes nowadays is e-mail. Not, I hasten to add, my own use of it, but other peoples'. Use, or perhaps I should say, misuse.

E-mail today seems to be something that is uniquely capable of laying bare all the personal foibles and failings of the American public. Carelessness, inattention, confusion, disorganization, and inability to follow simple directions; not to mention ignorance of English grammar and spelling.