Shoes Rock!

What is it about shoes that make me feel I can never have enough ?? I am not going to say how many pair I have...but all I know is that there is always at least one pair lurking out there......just out of reach, consuming me, making me wonder how I can pull the potential purchase off and still feel justified!! 

I love shoes, like seriously.  

I wonder what Mr. Cole Haan will do with his extra time in the next life.....

Amizade......

I read today something that made me think:

"Friends are the brothers/sisters that God let us choose".

It made me think about friendship from a different angle. I do feel we are all brothers and sisters in God's family, but friends aren't family necessarily. Sometimes family can be friends, sometimes not.

I feel that I am not only a product of my family, but of my friends as well. I realilze that isn't an earth shattering news flash by any means....but because I lived a life of a diplomat-brat in many different countries, I was particularly influenced by different cultures, surroundings and people beyond just my family.

There is something quite unique about arriving in a 3rd world country, ripe with new and interesting smells, sounds, people and to top it off -- not being able to communicate. The nice tight lines of your "known" comfort zone become very fuzzy and you can't quite make them out no matter how much you "squint"! It is like holding on to slippery soap......You feel out of place, out of sorts, and maybe even out of "sight" at times. A good friend told me recently their experience of moving all over made them feel "invisible". It was a terrible feeling that lingered far too long.

I was lucky, no matter where we moved we had a built in "Transition Kit" it was called Family. Funny how fast you start to look at your younger punk brother who you normally wouldn't want to spend more than the required "30 minutes for dinner" with through different eyes. All of a sudden he is the only thing that seems to make sense in this new place. How ironic that it becomes so easy to find interesting things to do together in this new context. Moving bonded me to my siblings and parents. What fantastic memories I have and we often draw upon them during get togethers and reunions.... Moving wasn't the only reason, but definitely a factor in facilitating my family to become "friends".

It is difficult for me to even talk about how much my friends have meant to me over my life. I know that no matter how many words I may write, it will sell them short with respect to their total influence on me. My parents led by example....they seemed to always see the best in all people and cultures. I couldn't begin to list the number of wonderful people that I have come to know over my life. So many hundreds of faces and names that significantly impacted my thoughts, my heart and my life.........and continue to.

Friendship for me is as real as drinking deeply from a cold water fountain when in dire thirst. It is almost palpable and tactile for me. Spending quality time with friends is what I would do with most of my time if time was what I had. Even with family, work and church responsibilities I find I can still carve out time for friends. It is never enough, but sometimes just a few moments can really "hit the spot".

My Dad once told me in a note that it "hurt good" to be my Dad. It was a compliment to me. The metaphor stuck forever. It made immediate sense to me both mentally and emotionally. It is a "heart" feeling. It is the feeling I aspire to when it comes to my friends. Not in every exchange, but to have occasional moments where we both may find a lump forming in our collective throats. An all knowing, unspoken spiritual connection of meaning that binds, edifies and enables our spirits to soar because we have simply been willing to be open and share, despite the risks.

I love my friends, old and new. They add spice, variety and depth to my life. I love them for their unconditional acceptance of me and all that I bring to the table....(baggage included).

They are in my thoughts often and I catch myself asking Heaven to consider them in all of its doings. I am forever grateful and indebted to them for helping my life's journey be ever sweeter.

Thank you for making my heart "hurt good"........

Advice for Life.....for Free

I will never forget the first time I heard a most unusual and unique Pop hit called:

EVERBODY'S FREE (TO WEAR SUNSCREEN) 12/06/1999

I was in my car when I first heard it and found it so catchy. I had no idea who the artist was and like every other time I have heard a great song on the radio, the DJ's didn't announce the name at the end! (Ever happen to you?--drives me nuts!!) I remember how distinctively some of the words and concepts in the song immediately felt "right on" to me. I found myself trying really hard to listen intently while trying not to get in a wreck at the same time. It was hard...

When I finally found out it was Baz Luhrman I was thrown for a loop. I only knew him from his first movie "Strictly Ballroom" which is one of my favorites. (*Highly recommended)

So, hearing a tune by him was odd and out of place, but yet at the same time, it wasn't as he is such a versatile and creative individual. In fact, I am not sure if he ever released any other record since, although he is extremely musical and weaves it into all of his work. (Moulin Rouge was incredibly interesting and his noveau modern interpretation of Romeo+Juliet was another eccentric brilliant piece *Not for all).

I am not sure what hit me today that reminded me of this most interesting little record, but as I pulled it out of the "cold storage" for the first time in many many years I was hit by how much of it still resounded in my bones.

There are nuggets of truth here, at least for me and I see lots of application in my life. In fact, I found myself mentally highlighting particular words and/or phrases that have meaning for me. In ended up doing so in RED. Ironically, I must admit that I have actually taken and pondered much of his advice, which he openly acknowledges as "worthless", which is probably why I listened a bit more carefully from the onset.

I encourage you to click on the link above and see the video for yourself. I have posted the words below. I may elaborate on some highlighted sections over time. Some now and some later..... Still need to think about that.

I hope you enjoy as much as I have and if you don't, maybe it will still make you think and do a self check on your own life.....are you close or far? Noone says you have to be one or the other, but for me, I want to be "close", so I keep checking in on myself to see if I am still dancing.......no matter where I am.

Ladies and Gentlemen of the class of ’97Wear Sunscreen

"If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be it. The long term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by scientists, whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable than my own meandering experience I will dispense this advice now.
Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth, oh never mind, you will not understand the power and beauty of your youth until they've faded. But trust me, in 20 years you’ll look back at photos of yourself and recall in a way you can’t grasp now, how much possibility lay before you and how fabulous you really looked, you are not as fat as you imagine.

Don’t worry about the future, or worry, but know that worrying is as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing bubblegum. The real troubles in your life are apt to be things that never crossed your worried mind, the kind that blindside you at 4pm on some idle Tuesday.
Do one thing everyday that scares you

Sing

Don’t be reckless with other people’s hearts, don’t put up with people who are reckless with yours.

Floss

Don’t waste your time on jealousy, sometimes you’re ahead, sometimes you’re behind, the race is long, and in the end, it’s only with yourself.
Remember the compliments you receive, forget the insults, if you succeed in doing this, tell me how.
Keep your old love letters, throw away your old bank statements.

Stretch

Don’t feel guilty if you don’t know what you want to do with your life, the most interesting people I know didn’t know at 22 what they wanted to do with their lives, some of the most interesting 40 year olds I know still don’t.

Get plenty of calcium.
Be kind to your knees, you’ll miss them when they’re gone.
Maybe you’ll marry, maybe you won’t, maybe you’ll have children, maybe you won’t, Maybe you’ll divorce at 40, Maybe you’ll dance the funky chicken on your 75th wedding anniversary What ever you do, don’t congratulate yourself too much or berate yourself either Your choices are half chance, so are everybody else’s.

Enjoy your body, use it every way you can, don’t be afraid of it, or what other people think of it, it’s the greatest instrument you’ll ever own.

Dance, even if you have nowhere to do it but in your own living room.

Read the directions, even if you don’t follow them.
Do not read beauty magazines, they will only make you feel ugly.

Brother and sister together we'll make it through. Someday a spirit will take you and guide you there. I know you've been hurtin', but I've been waitin' to be there for you. And I'll be there just helping you out whenever I can.
Get to know your parents, you never know when they’ll be gone for good.
Be nice to your siblings, they are the best link to your past and the people most likely to stick with you in the future.
Understand that friends come and go, but for the precious few you should hold on. Work hard to bridge the gaps in geography and lifestyle because the older you get, the more you need the people you knew when you were young.
Live in New York City once, but leave before it makes you hard, Live in Northern California once, but leave before it makes you soft.

Travel.

Accept certain inalienable truths, prices will rise, politicians will philander, you too will get old, and when you do you’ll fantasize that when you were young prices were reasonable, politicians were noble and children respected their elders.

Respect your elders.
Don’t expect anyone else to support you. Maybe you have a trust fund, Maybe you have a wealthy spouse; but you never know when either one might run out.
Don’t mess too much with your hair, or by the time you're 40, it will look 85.
Be careful whose advice you buy, but, be patient with those who supply it. Advice is a form of nostalgia, dispensing it is a way of fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts and recycling it for more than it’s worth.

........But trust me on the sunscreen

Brother and sister together we'll make it through. Someday a spirit will take you and guide you there. I know you've been hurtin, but I've been waitin' to be there for you And I'll be there just helping you out whenever I can Everybody's free oh yeah, Everybody's free oh yeah

50 Words....Post lude

By request of an interested family member, I am adding to my previous post. Since very few people see this blog, I am very prone to fulfilling any request, especially since in this case it sheds more light on both my Grandfather and Father.

I am including my Dad's original 50 word assignment he did for his Father: Earl Marion Brown, who grew up as a pioneer rancher from Southern Arizona/Northern Mexico. Those who knew him will appreciate this snapshot of who he was from my Dad's point of view.

“He was tall in the saddle, but when he landed, he was short and, somehow, seemed more firmly planted than those around him. His gaze was steady and direct, and his natural good will was masked by what looked like a scowl to anyone who didn’t know him well.”

In addition, I am including two other sets of 50 word snapshots of my Dad. When I decided I was going to do this for my Dad's birthday I issued an invitation to others in my family to see if there were anyone else wanting to join me. Part of the allure for me was to see what others would write about my Dad so I could learn more about him, while at the same time, thinking that several 50 word descriptions would just make the gift for him even better! So, I thank my brother Roland and my Aunt Earlene Porter (Dad's youngest sister) for contributing to the cause and supplying 2 beautiful works of prose that I included in Dad's birthday gift. Enjoy:

He's affable and accepting;
Admirably astute, yet always unassuming.
While eloquently Erudite, his evenness sets all at ease.
Faithful and facade-free, he faces forward.
A wizard with words, he wields well-worn Wisdom
and Wry wit equally well.
In poetry and practice, the pure is pronounced,
The paltry, purged.
Earlene Porter – Mar ‘05

Disguised as a simple, globe-trotting Cowboy,
He is salt of God’s final sprinkling.
Cloaked in unassuming human-ness,
He maintains sweet savor
While thousands of improved lives,
Trail quietly behind.
E.Roland Brown – Nov ‘05