2/4/2013 0 Comments Penny Farthing Balancing ActAt the Dickens Festival there were at least two fellows in Victorian garb riding the old-fashioned bicycyles with the large wheel in front and a small wheel in back. The large wheel I presume is for support, the small for balance. These bikes were called "penny-farthings" because they kind of resembled the old British coins of the time of the same name. One of course as the comparison implies, was much larger than the other. And one, I must draw conclusion to, supported the other. A true balancing act. So that makes me realize that it is not unlike our experience of life. The little things balance the large happenings. For every major event, their are more common, smaller events to balance them out. We could never live constantly a state of awe and amazement. We need the routine activities of daily living to even them out. Without the "pennys" of our lives, we couldn't truly appreciate the "farthings". It's all a balancing act. Once you have found your balance and ridden forward, you can never forget. It's like riding a bicycle. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penny-farthing for more info,
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2/3/2013 1 Comment The Pink FascinatorEver wonder if maybe you stayed to long at the festival? I know I felt a bit like this sweet little puppy today at the Dickens Festival in downtown Riverside. Tucked in a stroller, wearing a pink "fascinator" hat, well, I think I would get a bit weary myself. But she was a champ. She let me bill and coo over her, scratching her chin and make silly baby voice noises to her. And she took it all in stride. I now think that I sometimes don't take things in stride often enough. I get weary. I get bored. I just plain get frustrated with how things are going. Many I should take a clue from this adorable little dog in a buggy. Go with the flow and just relax. This too shall pass. As long as we are cared for and well fed, what more can we ask for? Maybe our own pink fascinator. 2/2/2013 0 Comments Meaning in Ground Hog's DayToday was Ground Hog's Day. Ponxatawney Phil did not see his shadow. The legend has it, predicts an early spring. I imagine the folks back east are encouraged. Southern California winters just aren't that awful, even with the occaisional frosty night. But Spring is a good thing. After the bleak winter, no matter how mild, seeing the fulfillment of the promise of spring, is sweet indeed. In 1993, Bill Murray starred in a movie entitled "Ground Hog's Day". It was about a man who woke up time after time to find himself living the same day over and over. (See below note from Wikipedia). I am not sure the connection. Perhaps it is about second chances and "do-overs". We call long for spring, a chance to do it all again, to blossom, to grow, to find meaning in life and love. Perhaps that is the true meaning of Ground Hog's Day. It is another chance to get it right. It is the promise that spring is not far away. Groundhog Day is a 1993 American comedy film directed by Harold Ramis, starring Bill Murray, Andie MacDowell and Chris Elliott. It was written by Ramis and Danny Rubin, based on a story by Rubin. Murray plays Phil Connors, an arrogant and egocentric Pittsburgh TV weatherman who, during a hated assignment covering the annual Groundhog Day event in Punxsutawney, finds himself in a time loop, repeating the same day again and again. After indulging in hedonism and numerous suicide attempts, he begins to re-examine his life and priorities. In 2006, the film was added to the United States National Film Registry as being deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".[2] 2/1/2013 1 Comment First of the Second Two to GoThe last of the persimmons clinging to a branch gave me pause to think about the coming of spring. Not far off. It is the first of February. Here is California it is not unusual to begin to think of spring, even to begin to get busy in our gardens, clean up winter's debris and planting for an early spring crop. It is the second month of the year. January flew by with little regard to leaving resolutions in the dust. Yet, with the second month, comes second chances. Hope springs eternal. Every day a new beginning. It's never too late...or too early...it is only now. And now is all we have. I suggest we reach up and pick the last of the persimmons before it is too late. They are waiting for us to enjoy their sweet tender flesh. And even if you don't care for persimmons, perhaps you know someone who does. Sharing is one of the most Godly of acts. And Lord knows, we need a few more of those in these crazy times. Happy February. |
Rob McMurray,
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