"if it's good news, it must be someone else's"

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

bob's "everything in/better thing out" job

i'm beginning to think that this blob called the human species is like a school of fish headed into stark, oxygen-depleted waters.
oh, the gang might make a sharp turn here and another turn there.
oh, a few stragglers might break away from the pack or simply lag sheepishly behind.
oh, a couple brave soles might even sound the warning trumpets, that is if fish could do such a thing.
but at the end of the ocean day, i still have this sense that there is an inevitability to its fate.
that it will cease—the universe no worse or no better for the visit.

now i know this is not the stuff of glass half full or partly sunny thoughts.
i also know it's not particularly witty or grin-worthy.
but i've been thinkin' about this way too much lately.
thinkin' that if these are the cards to be played, then what do i do while they're being dealt?

unfortunately, im not well equipped to deal with such quandaries.
i'm kinda so-so about god and a purpose driven life.
i tend to think of those ideas as the residue of human reasoning gone lazy.
that probably registers as a point of concern among some of my good friends here at the pond.
sorry, i just do.
the good news is that you are so much better off if you think differently about such matters.
believe you me.
this is the stuff of angst when shackled by a skeptical mind.

but it's not like i'm a total loser.

i actually consider myself to be a pragmatic spiritualist of sorts.
for instance, i can listen to the wind and trees converse for hours on end, or watch in envious awe as a red-tailed hawk hovers effortlessly above a field, or strum a perfect chord to a song i'm trying to pull from out of my heart,
and i enjoy such endeavors because they are as basic and rock solid as concrete really.
cheap to boot.
very practical and very soothing indeed.
like a natural dietary supplement for my being that actually delivers on the promise.

i guess that's all well and good but so what?
i still have this nagging question hanging over me.

and when i poke at it, i keep coming back to the same thing.
it's hard to turn a tanker away from a sand bar fifty feet away when all you are is a loose screw on the toilet seat in the engine crew quarters' head.
really hard.
the only thing i can do is tighten my grip up as best i can and hope the others are doing the same.

well, that's where i always land anyway.
i need to tighten things up.
i need to tighten up what the prior generation passed along to me before passing it on to the generation following.
and let me be clear, this is no time for garbage in/garbage out.
it is a time for everything in/better thing out.

that is what i can do.

now, i suppose "better thing" is up for interpretation.
but that's where the pragmatic spiritualism comes in.
speaking of which, if you don't mind, i have a deer friend i need to see.
she doesn't say much but she sure has a way of pointing me in the right direction when it comes to "better thing" destinations.

5 comments:

itsmecissy said...

There you go, reading my thoughts again!

For me these days, the quality of (my) life equals the quality of (my) emotions, and our emotions tend to be driven by thoughts of a future we believe in and design for ourselves. Truly, the only way I’m getting through these days is by doing these three things:

1)Expect the best. Proverbs says “As a man thinks, that is what he is.”
2)Live in gratitude for all that you have. I have a list and try to add at least one thing to it each day.
3)Keep things in perspective. What’s going on in the world does not control you. You do.

I also listen to the wind and the trees; it’s amazing what a walk in one of the sloughs around where I live (armed with only binoculars) can do. Ultimately, change starts with change. Thankfully, we humans are wired for hope. Tap into yours!

lightly said...

lets see if i got this right.

you a little fish in a big pond and the pond is a little muddy.
you think you have friends but actually you don't.
you don't think you a total loser but you not sure because all signs are pointing to yes you a total loser.
you have totally lost all grasp of reality because we all know once you hear trees talking it time to up the meds.

the question one has to ask

you are different to the rest of us HOW?

Robert Crane said...

itsme, great thoughts. gonna have to work them in to the mix somehow.

lightly, if i'm ever in canada someday, can i stop by. i think we'd have a pretty good chat.

(that holds true for everyone else too)

lightly said...

Canada is a big place, but if you ever in Vancouver feel free to stop by.
leave your brain at home its not required here

itsmecissy said...

I LOVE VANCOUVER (except for your sales tax) but I guess health care has to be paid for SOMEHOW.