REVOLUTION - Saturday Apr. 30, 2011
today’s Musing written and published from Cranston in south- east Calgary, near the Bow River valley
About music/video links – I find on Saturday and Sunday mornings I have time, and perhaps my readers do to, to listen to some music. I choose pieces I like that connect, in some way, to the subject matter or to my mood… hope you like them]
Here are today’s selections: Shane Koyczan Apology , Diana Krall Night Train , Nat King Cole Unforgettable , Declan Galbraith Tell Me Why , Madonna Don’t Cry For Me Argentina , Groucho Marx Lydia The Tattooed Lady
Morning walk: 1C/34F, light overcast – occasional bursts of sunshine without warmth, chilly north wind to redden cheeks and please Gusta (the shedding machine) as she adjusts to a warmer clime . . .
Someone at Toastmasters did a reading recently, from a Malcolm X speech; it was moving – time travel to 1964; the thing that struck me most, was his point that revolution required bloodshed. He quoted many examples where that was true and other examples of where significant change didn’t happen without revolution of that kind. History has proven him to be not so much a radical as clairvoyant. Today’s world seems far more complex that it was 50 years ago, when, given so many tools and learning that have come on the scene, we should know more, understand more and be more creative than ever before at solving problems and spreading love, joy, peace and prosperity. Other than yesterday’s royal wedding headlines, I would submit that we are losing more battles than we are winning.
Time, perhaps, for a new view – a fresh way of seeing our individual and collective capability to be a REVOLUTION ourselves. I’m not meaning a Malcolm X kind of revolution – but maybe catching the train before it leaves the station, seeing the future and having a chance to get on board. In that regard, I have a gift for you. If you want it, read on. If not, stop reading now.
Have you stayed in a hotel – and asked for a wake up call? We all have. So, what if you didn’t need to call – because the wake up call came directly to you? Well, here I am. I’m not going to wake you up; you’ll do that.
You just need a poke, a prod; I’ll do the poking today. Tomorrow, it will be your turn to poke someone else.
Waking up could be routine – we do it every morning, and it is always the same; so, how about making it different? You could go for a walk, if that’s not what you usually do – and open your mind differently? You could start something or finish something! Or your could set sail for foreign shores (c’mon, it worked for Columbus!), or start a new adventure.
My suggestion – do something radically different than what you would normally do on Saturday morning (if you aren’t reading this today, it works on Sunday or Tuesday too).
Yesterday I had lunch with Simon and a phone call from Sandeep. I had fun catching up with both of them. I told them about something I find fascinating – and told them I’d send the links. Overnight, realizing I’d forgotten to do that yesterday, I thought – Why not send it to everyone who reads my column? – here it is: Some guys start revolutions – we probably all can. Sometimes we need to know how to see the revolution. Take my advice, please: spend some time, invest just 68 minutes: hear marketing guru Seth Godin, the man who brought the marketing world to attention and called us all to task in with Purple Cow, the dip, Tribes, Linchpin and many more has launched a new book Poke the Box; before you buy the book or any of his others, go check out his 4 part video series called Seth Godin’s Road Trip – Go to part 1 http://www.vimeo.com/21193422 (18 min.) … the password is: iboughtthebook – that page gives you a link to part 2 http://www.vimeo.com/21453901 (16 min.) , part 3 http://www.vimeo.com/21642890 (19 min.) , part 4 http://www.vimeo.com/21543048 (15 min.) Seth will entertain you and, I guarantee, enlighten you.
I’m going out now; to do something different. Possibly a new turn, or fresh leap . . .
You can too. Make this a Saturday worth remembering – and worthy of the day of your life you invested in it. If you enjoyed this, if you found this valuable – please forward it to your friends, sign them up for Musings, and sign up for Seth’s blog .
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This Musing year (my 9th), a new goal - write a short story a week, post a new one each Monday morning for 52 weeks. This week’s story: ROHDE TRIP link to: SHORT STORY PROJECT . Link to last year’s THE POETRY PROJECT archive.
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Mark Kolke
312,952
April 29 - MANY SUBJECTS - Comments Received
Good Morning Mark, I will hope for third time lucky for you! I know I chose much wiser the second time around, someone who was a better match for me in temperament, family values and in bed. I took my time getting to know him before I let my heart loose (it had been bruised many times figuring out what I was looking for). He did arrive unexpectedly in my life…a chance online meeting that just keeps on getting better. I hope you find that too. SR, Calgary, AB
April 28 - HELP, WANTED - Comments Received
You had an interesting contradiction in your posting yesterday that my amateur psychologist noticed – see if yours does: I’ve been asked – if my current relationship malaise/difficulty finding a suitable new partner is because I’m not yet done with CM or some other love of my past; I’m not certain enough of that to make bold strong statements other than to say I think so, because I believe I really am done, over and past that . . . Of course we’re still going to think about each other – we had a good thing going – AND we’re going to compare new possibilities with what we had. Most will come up lacking. Someone won’t. I may have found mine and I hope you do too. Fondly, CM, Calgary, AB
