July 1, 2009
Changing body
One thing that can be said for sure is that my body is changing. Exercise is different now than when my body was still growing. Now it seems that recovery is slower and I have other problems, such as breathing issues.
Physical issues can be overcome and change can be focused with the use of therepy, inhalers, vitimins, massage, special exercises, stretching, different running shoes, etc. And changing the mind to accept new physical challenges can also be done. Once I accept that I have a physical challenge, I know what I have to work on, changing my mind to accept and overcome each challenge, and changing my body to respond to special needs.
Posted by carl1236 at 6:49 AM | Comments (0) | CHANGE
January 19, 2009
The Bubble
I hurried in from the cold rain, soaked, shivering.
The entire place was empty but the waitress seated me next to your group;
Loud, boisterous laughter, sipping coffee or tea, pontificating.
I really had no particular place to go that night, or any night.
As I listened to your stories, I was slowly drawn into your web.
Maybe you noticed me listening with my glances and expressions.
Then you asked me my opinion and it seemed natural to roll right into it.
I had already been thinking about my thoughts on your subject.
I was already snared but did not know it yet.
As the night unfolded, I was wrapped in your bubble of warmth and laughter.
It had long ago stopped raining and the shivers were forgotten.
My clothes were almost dry by the time I left!
Many memories may fail me, but that evening was one of those permanent memories,
Like sticky notes on life. The one on the fridge that says, I am not alone.
You heard my stories too.
As we changed over the years, aged, many of us had the same stories to tell.
Our lives were forever changed by each other. We were in a bubble together,
sheltered from the rain. What I did not know then, was how these bubbles are made. Life is full of them. We are part of them. We are in and out of them and in several bubbles at once. But then the bubble is larger. Warmer. More humane.
You told a story the other day and we all laughed so hard. I realized that I knew this story before the punch line, because I was there. But I still anticipated the ending, reveling in the knowledge. But it wasn’t just a story. It was lives we were talking about. Our lives. And then I realized that it wasn’t the individual stories that mattered so much. Oh they should be heard. Like you, I am an individual in my own individual ownership and responsibility for my own life and experience, and I have a unique view. But these were shared experiences. That means that I was there also and had responsibility to each of you for your experience, not just for mine. It always became much bigger than the me, myself and I. And that meant something. That mattered.
I don’t have a clue what I was doing out in the rain that night long ago. When I came in to get out of the rain, and dried out in your bubble, you were all there too. That you remember well. You told this story many times since, from other perspectives. But, it’s not the stories of individual that I remember, it’s the shared ones. Stories are always better when experienced. Because those are memories of our shared lives, how we pass through changes together. We were there on that rainy night, in our bubble, together. I remember it well.
Posted by carl1236 at 7:08 AM | Comments (0) | Life
November 6, 2008
A new Venture
I created a new "Store" on Etsy.com to sell my artwork...
http://www.johncarlson.etsy.com
Posted by carl1236 at 11:36 PM | Comments (0) | Art
November 1, 2008
Second aett of Elder Futhark rune
I was creating this natural, pine-wood grained sculpure and titled it "moon dream." It has a moon arc with a transfigureation between human in a prostrate position and crane in a uplifted head position Ths sculpture wasn't a problem until I decided to add a rune to one of the pieces. I displayed the symbol Jera to represent the cycles of change, representing change toward completion. The problem is. now that I added the symbol on one side of the scplpture, it's now out of balance and I need to add more to it. And I'll balance it out, but this is my comment about art; Art is a mixing, fluid thing.
So my end product is not what I started out to create.
Posted by carl1236 at 11:36 PM | Comments (0) | Art
September 28, 2008
Renfest 2008 Photo
Here is a photo of me at the renfest. My beautiful wife made these costumes for us a couple of years ago. Although we've been going for years, we've just started going in costume. It's fun and festive. Kind of theatrical. Like being in a Renessaince play. A lot of work goes into making these costumes. I spent several hours friday night reworking a pair of boots to better fit my costume. But the event was fun! We spent all day walking around, socializing, shopping, eating and drinking. A fitting end to the dark ages, don't you think?
Posted by carl1236 at 10:37 AM | Comments (0) | Art
September 11, 2008
Living in Sim City
What if we are really living in Sim City? With rules programmed in that make us respond in certain ways to different situations. For instance, when we are hungry we stomp our feet and get frustrated. Then our moral goes down and we lose points. We also lose energy and lose our jobs. Then we lose the game.
And when we play by the rules we prosper within an artifical environment that means nothing in the real world. In Sim City we control the destiny of our artificial selves. It's great. WE are what we create in Sim City. Now if only our Sims could be happy in their simulated lives.
Posted by carl1236 at 11:37 PM | Comments (2) | Philosophy
August 15, 2008
Do we not all live short lives?
Some people pretend that it goes on forever, until they realize that it's almost over. And that what seemed important is not important in the grand scheme of things. But me? I think this physical life is short for everyone and people make a big deal of too many things that would not be a big deal if they knew they were only going to be alive for a few more weeks or even a year.
The certainty of death in a way has a humbling effect on most people, but not everyone. But maybe some people don't think that death for them is right around the corner. How quickly the changes happen in our bodies.
Now I am going to ask a simple question that has nothing to do with religion or belief in eternal life, because some people will think I'm leading to that. But I'm not. The eternal nature of our souls is not what I'm thinking about. The question is this: If we develop the medical knowledge and technology such as through genetic engineering, to prolong lives and eliminate diseases, what will that do to the attitudes of of people and their humility? Will the great leveler be abolished? Will the world be filled with unstoppable ego-maniacs?
Posted by carl1236 at 9:46 PM | Comments (1) | Philosophy
August 4, 2008
Measuring Time
Let's not measure time
by counting off seconds,
but rather by
measuring change.
Let's count off changes
that have taken place
in our minds and souls.
What a pitty it would be
to live an entire life
without the ability
to measure it.
Posted by carl1236 at 12:48 AM | Comments (0) | Philosophy
July 30, 2008
Time again
I always say, I need more time to do the things I want to do. But I don't really need more time, I need to choose to do the things I want to do. Then my answer is, But if only I had more time to do more things that I want to do. I should devote more time to my friends and family, gardening, art, music, career goals, etc. But what happens in the span of a day, hour or minute while I'm doing something I have chosen to do? My cells change, I breathe, my muscles contract and relax, my mind thinks up stuff, my body carries out actions, etc. What we call 'aging' happens to my body. In the next moment my body is closer to reaching it's natural end. Most of the time those changes are not visible to me, but over a longer period of measurement, I notice the changes. Not only my body changes, but my attitudes and thoughts also change. Hopefully I get wiser instead of spinning in circles, stuck in a whirlpool.
Many people ask, when are we going to experience world peace? The answer is simple. It's not a date or amount of time we are looking for, it's CHANGE. We will experience world peace when the change in human attitude and spirit is complete.
Posted by carl1236 at 7:53 AM | Comments (0) | Life
July 27, 2008
Guided Tour
If you haven't ever been to Franconia Sculpture Park near Taylor's Falls, It's worth a visit. I went there Saturday and this guy was very kind to show me around. Come along little boy...
Posted by carl1236 at 8:10 PM | Comments (0) | Art
