How Can I Inspire Thee?

How can I inspire thee?
Let me count the ways.

The bird that chirps,
the flower that blooms,
the quiet morning.

Can I do it with these?

A child’s laugh,
a lover’s breath,
the flash of a smile on a strangers face.

How can I inspire thee?
Let me count the ways.

In all these ways,
but none.
For to drink from life’s great promise,
you must awaken to a higher truth.
You are not the things in your life –
You are not the pain in your body –
You are not the torment in your soul –
You are but observer of these things.

Perhaps thou protesteth!
You’ve met with frustration,
loss,
pain.
How can I inspire thee?

Let me count the ways.

Reading these words,
or hearing them,
as a loved one reads them to you.
Behind the illusion of happiness and strength,
you know when the party stops,
and you find yourself behind the barricades,
you are alone,
and scared.

How can I inspire thee?
Let me count the ways.

Perhaps you’ve been to the depths of despair,
and think not,
I can inspire thee.

Quiet your soul,
open your heart,
and let these thoughts break in:

If there is design,
it is this –

Every moment has but one purpose,
for you to come awake to yourself.

If you take this into your soul completely,
the next bird you hear
will be your soul taking to the air.
The next time you hear the sound of a child’s laugh,
will be the stream of life rippling through you.
The next sunrise seen,
will be realized as a miracle.

Bring into your soul.
Inspiritus –
All that was,
all that will ever be.

How can I inspire thee?
Let me count the ways.

By, Robert Girandola

An Artist's Life

Daydream

Center of the Universe

Father's Day Special

I got a wonderful gift from my son this morning - A story he wrote me for Father's Day - I was so touched and moved by it, I want to share it. It fits in with the theme of my art and blog so nicely, I couldn't help it -

My First Corner Kick - by Harry

When I first did a corner kick, I was at Maccles field. The defender kicked the ball out of bounds. When the ball went out and then coach signaled me, I was about to pee my pants.

The ref put the size 4 Euro cup ball on the ground for me to kick. Then, he blew his freezing silver whistle to signal for me to kick the ball. I lined up to it and was ready to face one of my biggest fears. My dad was yelling saying you can do it Harry!! Come on, I know you can! After I heard that, I could've gone and hid in a corner. I started thinking I should just walk away now and let someone else take it. I started running, my unconfident legs feeling all noodley. I could barely run it was so uncomfortable. Then, my leg hit the ball! It vibrated a bit. I thought I did a terrible job but I looked and saw it went up and over all the heads. Someone on our team leapt in and hit it in the back of the net like a rocket! The ref congratulated me and said good job. I felt like Del Piero scoring a goal in soccer. I was so proud I couldn't trade it for all the trophies in the world.

My coach was yelling in excitement. From then on, I took all the corners on both sides. I never had any problem about corner kicks again. My dad treated me to a brand new video game because he was so proud of how I faced my fears.

I had no idea he had written this, or how he felt that day as he never told me - there are few things in life more inspiring to me than to hear stories of people who acknowledge their fear and then chose to follow their passion anyway. Thank you my son for this beautiful gift on Father's Day.

Sublime

Man on Wire - Review

'Man on Wire' was a birthday gift to me from my wife.  I really appreciate the documentary and dedicate this post to her.  

      What is it that I loved about 'Man on Wire?'  It summarizes in one place all that I try to imagine, write about and pursue.  It is difficult, like the word 'beauty', to define and summarize what is an 'ideal' life, an 'ideal' state of mind - but I believe there is one.  I also believe it's important to constantly define what that 'ideal' is and keep striving towards it.

     The film 'Man on Wire' touches all of the most powerful ideas I have learned over the years.   The main character, Phillippe Petite, is a man of passion.  He is a dreamer, really.  When he first realized he wanted to walk across the Twin Towers, they were not yet built.  He saw them in a photograph as a teenager and his first instinct was to draw a line between the two and imagine himself lying between them.  

Lesson 1 of an ideal life: When dreaming, do not limit yourself by the how or the why - just dream.

Phillippe grabbed the picture of the Twin Towers and ran out and down the street, spending the next many years preparing himself for his feat - including LEARNING HOW TO WALK A TIGHTROPE!!  

Lesson 2 of an ideal life:  After defining your dream, pursue it with abandon.  Dreaming with out acting is the creation of a nightmare.

Phillippe's passion attracted to him people who began to believe in him and his 'cause'.  He 'attracted' people of different talents and was unafraid to ask them to help him.  His friends worked tirelessly and took great risks to help him achieve his goal.  There were moments of 'conflict' between him and his friends - and when and if some of them could not continue to help him because of their fear, he smiled and loved them anyway and confidently continued to pursue his dream.

Lesson 3 of an ideal life:  Your passion, if it is true, will attract to you the people you need to achieve your goal.  Let them help you until they cannot, and love them completely.

Finally, the wire was set between the two buildings.  As day broke, after exhausting hours of preparing the wire in secret - Phillippe walked out onto them.  Obviously one small mis-step meant death.  

Lesson 4 of an ideal life:  Find your passion and put your life on the line for it.  News flash - we all will die - how better to realize this and spend your precious moments pursuing your passion.

He proceeded to the center of the wire and those fortunate enough to see him first hand reported a look on his face that was radiant.  When he was finished, people around the world were inspired.  He changed people's perception of limits.  

Lesson 5 of an ideal life:  Your goal must be your goal - it does not have to be about saving the planet, or the rain forest, or the monetary system.  If you pursue your  passion and achieve your goal(s) you will change the world for the better guaranteed.  

I am honored my wife thought to give me this for my birthday, that she knows my view on life and has allowed me to walk out on my wire.  I love you.

Man On Wire

Dreaming and Awakening

Notes on Abundance

 WSJ – Thursday April 30 2009

Ben Casselman

Caddo Parish, LA

A massive natural-gas discovery here in northern Louisiana heralds a big shift in the nation’s energy landscape.  After an era of declining production, the US is now swimming in natural gas.  
            Even conservative estimates suggest the Louisian discovery – known as the Haynesville Shale, for the dense rock formation that contains the gas – could hold some 200 trillion cubic feet of natural gas.  That’s the equivalent of 33 billion barrels of oil, or 18 years’ worth of current US oil production.


Huge new fields also have been found in Texas, Arkansas and Pennsylvania.  One industry-backed study estimates the US has more than 2,200 trillion cubic feet of gas waiting to be pumped, enough to satisfy nearly 100 years of current US natural-gas demand.



The difficulty having an 'abundant' mindset is grasping the sheer magnitude of it all -