Take a Step Back!

When feeling overwhelmed, rushed or hurried, we can choose to simply take a step back.  In the neighborhood, some use the slang, “Don’t bum rush me!”  It is usually said with a certain force because in essence, it means to back off!

That means that we are asking for some space to be able to slow down and think things through.  It is equivalent to peace be still or as another adage goes, “The hurrier I go, the behinder I get.” (Lewis Carroll)

It is time to push the Pause button, put everything on hold so that we can make good sound decisions.  From our earlier days, we may remember that when we felt rushed, we made rash decisions which came with greater consequences.

Mark Twain wrote a short story called The Five Boons of Life.  A fairy offers a man five gifts and she returns after he has become disenchanted with each one of his choices.  He has the opportunity to choose from wealth, love, pleasure, fame and death.   Of course, he avoids the last one but the quencher is that she continually reminds him to think carefully before making a choice.

We too must put everything and everyone on the proverbial back-burner and think.  We may have to shut ourselves off for a while and come out from amongst the fast-paced world to truly get in touch with our real feelings.  Then we can hear our intuitive leads.

We might even have to retreat.  Stuart Wilde tells us in his book, Silent Power that, “Retreat can sometimes be the most powerful tool.”  Then, when we return to the real world, we are better equipped to handle things in a more practical manner.  There will be a quiet assurance that we are indeed on the right path and we will be filled with few, if any regrets.

So, take a step back like a hitter in the World Series before his bat makes contact with that fastball and knock the ball out of the park.  Then those sound choices will have memorable, staying power!

Lynn M.                                                          October 28, 2017

Marshall: a movie review

The movie Marshall focuses on one case in 1941 in Bridgeport, Connecticut that was co-lawyered by the famed Thurgood Marshall (Chadwick Boseman).  He was sent by the NAACP to defend a black man who had been accused of raping his employer’s wife, Mrs. Eleanor Strubing (Kate Hudson).

The Connecticut judge deemed that he was not to speak in the court so he had to use the voice of his other lawyer, Sam Friedman (Josh Gad) as they sought to defend Joseph Spell, the family driver (Sterling K. Brown).  As the proceedings continued, they ultimately discovered that the driver was telling only a part of the truth about the events of that fateful night.

It was a highly contentious time and both Marshall and Friedman were roughed up by hired thugs during the trial. Yet they endured to the end. Thurgood Marshall’s brief encounter with a woman at a bar led him to re-phrase his questions for Joseph Spell.  In essence, she said that men will be men and women will be women.

This led Marshall to question the driver again and the truth rolled out like the lifting of a heavy blanket of fog.  Once the truth was uncovered, the case took a huge turn as many witnessed and a victory emerged for both of the lawyers and their defendant.

Thurgood Marshall was not there to hear the closing arguments nor the reading of the verdict but he left Friedman detailed instructions on how to close out the case.  He had been called to help a young teenager who was in trouble in the Deep South.

This is an ample slice from the life of the renowned Supreme Court Judge.  Go see this movie with its landmark cast and see how Chadwick Boseman does it again with his excellent portrayal of Judge Marshall!

 

Lynn M.                                                                     October 21, 2017

The Little Things

We have all heard the old adage that reminds us to slow down and smell the roses.  It’s the small, everyday things that bring us the greatest glee.  It may be something as simple as opening a window and letting in some new, fresh air after using air conditioning all summer. We can breathe in and experience true nature in all of its glory.

Or, we can take note of the richly colored leaves dotting the landscape during the calm season of autumn.  Many are still on the trees, yet some have fallen but their beauty still beckons and demands our attention.

We can listen to the chatter of children as they walk by and go to and from school.  We automatically smile because we remember when we walked to school filled with innocence and anticipation.  We can recall the faces of dear friends from times gone by.

Perhaps, we decide to drive more mindfully as we travel to work and notice a store that we had not seen before, so we vow to come back and take a look-see.  Or we perhaps run into some old acquaintances and we greet them with friendly smiles, handshakes or hugs.

It is the little things that mean so much.  In our rushed daily living, we may unintentionally take these occurrences for granted.  But, if we are asked to pen a poem or a narrative of some sort, we will usually remember something meaningful and simple that truly touched our hearts most deeply!

So, when life gets hurried or even messy with all of its unexpected twists, turns and challenges, it would behoove us to make a pointed effort to enjoy the small pleasures.  It is what makes life abundant and the most precious things are often free for us to notice, enjoy and ultimately savor!

Lynn M.                                                                                                 October 14, 2017

‘Tis October

 

Fallen leaves lay all around,
Yes, autumn is now abound.

Those sweater days are now here,
And wearing light coats is near.

Colorful trees are in sight,
We sigh with all of our might.

Pumpkins, apples to be picked.
Harvest, ready to be nicked.

The beauty of October,
Witnessed. Can make you nobler.

Lynn M.                                                                                               October 7, 2017