LUCID AMERICAN DREAMS

an incredible experience

noreply@blogger.com (Gsmiley) — Tue, 10 Sep 2013 12:51:00 +0000

today, I would like to share something with you. Something so powerful, that I need to speak about it on here.

about 6 weeks ago, I was living my normal routine. Just doing what I did every day as usual. All seemed to be well. However, it was not, as it turned out. I started to feel weak on my left side. It did not subside. This lasted all day and night. I decided to take a walk, so, late that night, I did. Or I tried to anyway.
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I was in the driveway, and I tripped on something, and could not get up. No matter how hard I tried. I thought I was having a stroke. I knew it was very serious, whatever it was.

A short time later. I did make it back inside, and called my Niece, Tammy. It turned out to be the most important call I have ever made. A desperate cry for help. Actually, life or death.

Tammy came right over and took me to the local hospital, which in turned sent me, in an ambulance to a larger Medical center, Where I learned I was having a Brain seizure, not a stroke, and it was being caused by a baseball sized Tumor. The tumor needed to be removed at once. My life expectancy was 2 days if not.
The tumor was indeed partially removed. It turned out to be cancerous, and extremely dangerous. An amazing fact about when I woke up was that I had, can only be described as a spiritual, life changing event.
I want you all to know that my niece Tammy, saved my life that night. I am forever and eternally grateful.
I stayed in the hospital a week, where I learned that this type of thing is 90 percent fatal. Even with the surgery.
I started to get radiation and chemo treatments, every day. I asked the doctors what my chances were. This is what I heard. I had a 40 percent chance to live 3 months. This was a terminal illness.
As I said, I had a spiritual event in the hospital. God had come to me in my time of need and came into my life and changed me. Forever. He reached down to me in my darkest hour and saved me. I am forever thankful. I had made contact with God. His name is Jesus. God's Son.

I have made a decision to follow him. I try to live each day in prayer. I know now, that I have only a short time left possibly, so I wanted as many people to know that as possible. It is after all, the very least I can do.
My life has changed totally from the inside out. I am fairly certain that the Lord is with me now. Yes I was just like everybody else. I would have never said something like that before this all happened. However, it is all true, and it will change your life. Please trust me when I say that.
The Lord is the only one capable of doing all he does. He is the only one worthy of worship and praise. All that is required is that we have faith in him. He will rescue you if you receive his free gift of salvation. It does not matter how hopeless it seems. He is the great comforter, and almighty Father.
I would like to say this now. Thank you Lord Jesus for saving me. Thank you for all you have done for me. Thank you for all you have done for others when I have prayed for them in my humble way. I don't always know what to say, I am still very new at it.

It is all still so amazing to me, it is difficult to describe. I used to hear people talk like this, but never really understood why. This has changed me forever. It is all real.
Thanks
G

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noreply@blogger.com (Gsmiley) — Fri, 23 Aug 2013 08:53:00 +0000

A Thankyou to our Troops

noreply@blogger.com (Gsmiley) — Thu, 15 Aug 2013 08:30:00 +0000

I would like to take a minute and make sure I said thanks to the people who made everything I'm writing about on here possible.

   That would be the Men and Women who serve and have served the country I was lucky enough to be born in. The UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. I hope someday I can find a way to really express my thanks, instead of just writing about it.

A lot has been said about AMERICA. Poems, songs, movies, TV, parades, flag waving. Every possible way, you know? None of it will ever be enough.

   I like to think that it is more than that. here is my thought on what it is to me. I am not a good writer, I will try to say what I would like to say, as clearly as I can, and be as honest as I can. I do however, tend to be a little over the top at times, so if you will be kind enough to bear with me here, I will Speak my mind and do my best to say thanks in my own humble way. Thanks for reading, by the way. OK here we go.

AMERICA is, was, and I pray, always will be the finest concept of freedom and liberty, ever brought forth upon this earth. In all the thousands of years of civilization, There has never been a better place to live. Some may have come close in their own way, Ancient Greece maybe, or The British Empire, or even Rome.

AMERICA is a destiny, a blueprint for all to see, everywhere, for all time, on how to do it. However, we are not just a concept, but the actual MEANING of the word FREEDOM.

   AMERICA, is a fulfilled dream. The destination of history.    The end result of the first ancient thought of LIBERTY. The only way that the meaning of the words FREEDOM and LIBERTY, could be truly defined in the dictionaries of history, is to show a picture of AMERICA. Nothing else could so perfectly describe those words. The same would go for our flag, The STAR SPANGLED BANNER, and our National Anthem with the same name.   Each of these symbols is equally ingrained in the souls of all of us.

Yet, those words and the freedom that comes with them, are not given freely. Someone had to earn our freedom. Not earn in the usual sense, but FIGHT for those words.

   These are the people who define patriotism, courage, and love of country. Because without them, there would be no America at all. there would be nothing of what we now enjoy everyday. Sometimes, we all have a tendency, myself included, to take what we have for granted. It is not. There are some people that we all need to thank... These people are the men and women in our Armed Forces. Every time I see the flag, or hear the National Anthem, I think of them.

   Try to picture this, You are the one person who can fight in the battle for our National Security. You are told you have to jump out of a trench with a rifle, straight into poison gas, directly into the mouth of certain death in the form of Machine gun fire. Or, being ordered to clear out a dangerous trap in the middle of the desert, that has to be taken out. It is strategically located, and it's removal is imperative. You will not return.    It's the only way to preserve our freedom. Could you do it? Ask yourself that question and give an honest answer. Well before you do answer, remember this, SOMEONE did, And not just one someone. Not just thousands either.

   This is the price of our freedom. All, everything, life itself. Sacrifice beyond measuring. Beyond anything you, or I could ever do. The greatest act of love possible. To be willing to lay down your own life for your friends. To be willing to do anything necessary to preserve our freedom and rights.   Uncountable times done anonymously, without any thought of praise or thanks.    Acts of unthinkable courage done for others in the name of Liberty. This is what it took for us to enjoy what we have today. May we never lose sight of that.

   So, when the words PATRIOTISM and GLORY are defined in that book, there will be a lot of pictures there. A lot of names.

   That incredible concept of Liberty, given to us by our founders has been bought and is still being paid for today. Even as I write this, and you listen to it, There are men and women doing just that. We need to remember that. What you and I, have to do now is, never forget where we are and how we are able to be here.

   It's because of People. Everyday people who rose up and said, "I'LL do it!," and DIED for that perfect idea called AMERICA. Each and every one had more courage than I can imagine, and to do that for you and I, who they knew not!   It is out of the furnace of just such honor, that mighty Nations are forged.

   We can be part of that idea! It's not a question of saying "what can I do", because there is something we can do, and it doesn't take sacrifice, or volunteering, or money. All we have to do, is say "Thank You". Two simple words. Two words that include us in the incredible idea called AMERICA. "Thank You" comes in many forms too. If you see a member of the Armed Forces, remember what that uniform stands for.    There has never been anything like it seen before in the History of the World. So walk up, Shake his or her hand, and say... "THANK YOU! ... It's an honor to meet you!"    THEN you ask,.. "What can I do"?...See how good you will feel!... Some of the greatest fires of Historical changes have started with tiny sparks just like that. These men and women, are the true patriots! These don't just talk the talk, they walk the WALK! We need to remember that. I need to remember that also. I sometimes get so tangled in my own little troubles, that I forget about the whole big picture. Thinking about this gets me motivated to take a step in the CORRECT direction today. So I posted this. This is how I feel anyway.

   Just saying or thinking those words makes whoever it is, a part of history. Just the fact that we are able to do that, gives us a right that millions, down through that history had never been given. What an incredible amazing honor.

   May I never lose sight of the scope of that. I may have done some things in my life, that I'm not entirely proud of, and I am probably not deserving of this honor.
That is what makes it so much more amazing. We are all Equal. We are.

   I remember my father and my Grandpa, telling me about World War Two. My Father was wounded at Normandy, when they landed there. I have always been so proud of both my Father, and Grandpa. They are both gone now, but I remember them calling that Generation, "The Greatest Generation". I can see why they were called that too. It was because we all stood together as ONE, and faced whatever happened together, as one. One Nation, United! I look around today and see that taking place again. We have another Great Generation now. We are all the sons and daughters of Liberty. We all possess the potential, to accomplish more for peace, progress, fairness, and the pursuit of happiness... than any who have lived before! Not only here, but everywhere. So, once more, the light of Freedom stands waiting for that spark of change. The one that begins inside each of us. I believe in the power of Dreams of Hope. That's why I believe that America's Greatest hour is yet to come.

   To our Defenders, I wanted to stand up, and say thank you!... May I try to truly appreciate all you have done, and are doing now! I pray that I can. I pray that we all can.

   So look up America, and smile!. For The best is yet to come! It's right around the corner! We face a brave new world today my friends, A world that changes fast. The problems we are facing today can be daunting, to say the least, but remember this, Together, we WILL succeed! We can, and we WILL, say to the world, "You Ain't seen NOTHIN" yet!"

      THANK YOU.

Thanks for listening. G smiley

Something I felt I should post. Just my humble opinion on something. I wrote this a year ago, but never showed anyone.

noreply@blogger.com (Gsmiley) — Wed, 09 May 2012 11:26:00 +0000

I would like to speak a little on the subject of Spiritual existence in comparison with existence in the Flesh. By Flesh I refer to the physical emotions and senses that are generated by our mind and body, in response to both internal and external sources.

By spiritual, I mean my own opinion of what a genuine spiritual experience would be, that is not created in our minds and body in response to outside or inside stimuli. Also, the concept of “eternity” and how we may experience it, both in our Earthly forms, and our Spiritual forms.

Most people, when they hear the word “Flesh” in a biblical sense, will usually think of Fleshly weakness in our defense of committing “Sins”. This is an important and extremely valid point that needs to be understood, both in the reality of it, and the consequences of our actions regarding it. This discussion is simply my opinion of how our physical flesh bodies and minds, whether conscious or unconscious, would actually perceive and experience the reality of spiritual existence.

Most of which I have read or watched in the Media, or heard in sermons on this subject was usually presented in an intelligent manner by individuals far more qualified than I, both from a theological and secular viewpoint. It is not my intention to undermine any of this in any way. I have the utmost respect for both viewpoints. This is simply my own interpretation of what it means to me. Nothing more

The key to finding Truth would be, I believe, would be to look at this question with a clear perspective thought process that would be uncluttered by the myriad of opinions that we collect during our lives. We must take a step back and observe the entire forest and not just the most prominent trees of opinions in it. So how can we do this?

We need to try to see it as if through the eyes of a Child.

I will focus first on our Flesh Bodies and the senses we have. Every emotion, every sensation, every vision, every taste, smell and everything we feel is brought about through our body or mind. Without our senses, we would not have any concept of anything. Everything pertaining to our Bodies, whether it is physical or imaginary, is generated by something in our bodies, Even our very thoughts and dreams.

We sometimes tend to put almost magical explanations when it comes to certain emotions or thoughts or dreams that we find difficult to explain. However we look at this, it is still all generated by our bodies. I am not going to go into a discussion of the meaning of emotions or dreams or thoughts, I am simply saying that it all comes from the scientific wonder of our body and brain. It has been said, “Any science sufficiently advanced, will appear to be Magic to the primitives”. In this case, I would be speaking of our mind and body, and ourselves as the primitives. We only use 10 percent of our brains, as far as we know anyway, so how could we try to say we understand completely how it works? We Cannot.

Even the Biological wonder of the Human Brain is Mortal, and will someday run out of time. That brings us to the greatest question of all time. We are all appointed to die. No one is going to live forever, even though we all feel like we will. We won’t. That great question has always been, what happens then? Whatever it is that is going to happen, we are all going to experience it. No matter what our personal belief system may be. No matter how intelligent or opinionated we may be. We can either have an afterlife, or for argument’s sake, we just end, like turning off a light. Whatever it is that is going to happen, is inevitable. Fair enough?

When our passing occurs, are bodies stop functioning. All the senses that were contained in that body also stop functioning. So if we do continue in a spiritual form, how can we feel, or experience what will happen next, since we no longer will be using our Body’s senses? There are no physiological or neurological organs to process any information. They were left behind in the physical world. This physical world we left, would also include everything in and around that world. By that I mean ourselves, the world, the sky, the stars, everything. It is all included. If we can see it, feel it, observe it, or imagine it, no matter how deep inside we looked, or how far away we looked or envisioned it to be, it was all part of the physical realm. The realm our fleshly bodies were in. Even our very thoughts are manifested by physical means.

Everything. Pain, pleasure, sight, feelings, whatever was in the past, or in the future, Every single thing that is real to us is part of the physical realm. The Universe is Creation, meaning it was created. If it was created, then someone had to have created it. Or, it could have all happened by chance. That would mean that chance would have made certain that every single thing everywhere was existing perfectly in its purpose, and perfectly in precise harmony with everything else. No matter how large or small it was. Or how far away and beyond our understanding it is. Or whether we, as humans even noticed it. In my opinion, there are signs of the creator everywhere.

I try to keep in mind, that God has created everything to Glorify Himself. Just because we are not aware of it, or cannot see it, does not mean that it was not created to Glorify God. From the smallest microbe, to the largest Galaxy. We cannot and will never understand, or even be aware of it all. As great as it all is, it is just a creation. As we are also. I cannot begin to comprehend how much Greater the Creator is.

If there is indeed a Creator, then maybe we, as humans, should at the very least, try to understand that. Because, if that is the case, maybe we should wake up a little and pay some attention to that, and stop being worried about what people will think of us if we do. Remember, God is Eternal. That means that there are no limits involved. God can take as much time as he wishes to care for anything. If he wants to concentrate on some tiny tree on a desert island he does. Or something we will never see or know about, he does. The Son Of Man is supreme and patient in everything. We, as Humans, are his children. All he asks of us is to believe and have faith in Him. That’s all.

Take a second to let that sink in, so you can understand what I mean. When our life on Earth is over, everything will become new, I believe. We would now be somewhere completely different. We are in the Spiritual Realm. It will probably be as new to us as the world is to a newborn child. This will be the awakening of our Eternal Soul, into everlasting truth and light.

Let’s also say that sometime during our life, we were told about the existence of The Almighty God, the Everlasting Perfect Creator of everything, everywhere, including Heaven and everything therein Someone who exists above all, from past Eternity to future Eternity. Perfect, limitless, and loving. Beyond our capacity to understand. Even with our Eternal Soul.

We were created for God to love us, and for us to love God. Everything that was seen, felt, known, imagined or explored in the vast physical universe was made for showing only a tiny speck of the Glory that is God. Perfect in his design. If Earth was the only planet that had life on it, think of the magnitude of the Love that was used in that creation. It is beyond even the very thought of beginning to be able to comprehend an explanation. At the same time, if there are trillions of other planets created in the same way as ours was, as science, the language of human intelligence would suggest, it would only prove to magnify the Glory and Perfection of God Almighty. Glory without Limits.

During our lives, we learned that God existed in 3 persons. The Father, The Holy Spirit, and The Son. Each of which are God Himself. Ruling everything everywhere with an Almighty Agape Love.

We also became aware, during our lives, that God had a plan. This plan not only included the world, but each and every person ever born on it individually.

As I said before, God being the perfect Almighty Creator could not let anything enter into his presence that was not perfectly spotless and clean. I am referring to us. We were created in God’s image. Our soul was incorporated within us as we lived our life. Being Human and corruptible, existing in our Mortal Flesh, our Soul was no longer clean. Meaning that we could not enter into the presence of God without our being able to cleanse it someway. We are not able to do that, no matter what we do. We can never gain entry into the perfect house of God. We are responsible for the fact that we are unworthy. God had created us with the capability of Free Will, and even if we only ever did the smallest thing, or thought the smallest thought that was not perfect, it made us liable to have to experience eternal separation from God.

There is however, Good News.

I believe that God had and still has a plan for that. God would send down his only son to take our place at his judgment. The only person who could ever do that could only be God himself. No one else is worthy. No one else is able. It requires the Greatest act of Love possible. The Lord defines the meaning of the greatest love possible. “There is no greater Love than he who would lay down his life for his friends”.

God, being perfect in his ways, knew through Eternity that it would be necessary for someone to stand in our place when the time came. Not only did God know, But He created and designed it that way, to demonstrate the Greatest Love possible.

Understanding God’s definition of this greatest love was shown to us over 2000 years ago. It was at that time when he sent his only Son to us. His name is Jesus. The Almighty Prince of Peace. Both Man and God Incarnate. He came to Earth to take our place and bear the burden of mankind’s inability to stand pure before the Throne of the Living God.

The price of that inability is death and separation from God for Eternity. God, in his mercy, is not willing that any should perish. So in his great love for us, God came and sentenced himself in our place. The entire penalty due billions was paid in full for all. No questions asked. God laid down his own life for his friends. Us.

Incredible isn’t it? OK, I need to make a point here. We grew up and most of us learned about this. It’s not like I am telling you something you don’t already know. However, consider this. We all have this picture in our mind of stained glass pictures of clouds and Angels and figures with Halos over them depicting all these things. Magnificent and Beautiful. But I think we miss something. This was not a far away God, unreachable and distant in the past, sitting on a cloud in some artist’s idea of heaven, looking down in judgment watching all this, all seeming so far away and vague. It is so much more than that. Please don’t misunderstand. Me. It is all beautiful and I love it. Here is my point.

This person Jesus was, and is you’re very best friend. He did this for you! Personally. You and I. He knows us better than we know ourselves, and completely understands all we know and feel. He did this because he Loved you and I, and wanted to do it just for that reason. There is no reason to have any fear.

Think of your best friend and how you feel about that person, and how they feel about you. Are you afraid? Well of course not. You speak to each other. You do things with each other. You laugh and cry together. You know each others secrets. You enjoy each others company, and look forward to seeing that person. You are there for that person, and they are there for you. No matter what! No matter when! They are part of you, and you them. You have a mutual trust that only best friends have. You can be silent together without tension, or talk all night on any subject. No matter how silly it may be.

A friend! A best Friend! Somebody who will drop everything at 2 on a snowy morning and be there when you need them, no questions asked! Somebody who will laugh at you’re Jokes, even when they aren’t funny. Or hit you with a pillow for the same reason and laugh about it anyway. Somebody who will never leave you, not ever. Someone who would lay down their very life for you, without hesitation. Someone you would never ever have to be afraid of, for any reason, and would accept you as you are Even if you were in trouble. Even if it was your fault. Someone who would listen and comfort you when your heart is broken and you are helpless and alone, and in mortal fear for your life, and have nothing to offer anyone and have been forgotten and discarded.

When bitter tears of hopelessness that no one will ever see but you, run down your face in rivers and burn your skin like acid. When you have reached the very end of yourself and your strength and you are staring over the edge of the abyss of despair, and the only direction you can take is forward and you are frozen in terror and indecision and crying out for anyone anywhere with no answer. A friend is someone who will find you. No matter where you are, and wipe your tears away and replace them with hugs. A friend will hold your hand and stand beside you, and be willing to take your place if necessary. A friend is someone who will love you unconditionally. For Ever.

And his name is Jesus. And he is all that and much, much more.

Not only did God send his only Son to take our place, and not only did he die. He was executed for us at a time in history when the form of execution was the most brutal the World has ever known. Crucifixion.

He then Rose again and returned to his rightful place. His task accomplished. This was called Salvation. Saving us all from the Eternal separation of God. This was freely given as a gift to all who would accept it.

Now, all that is necessary for us to do is recognize this amazing gift, and accept it. There is nothing else that needs to be done. I would think the gifts of Christmas are like this gift. Something given by your father. Just for you, and just what you needed. With a lot of thought and Love behind it. I remember when I was 10. I got a Bike for Christmas. It was great, and I loved it. Just what I needed And wanted! I couldn’t wait to show my friends. In fact I told my friends about it as soon as I could get dressed. We all have had moments something like that I’m sure. But, you know what? I could not have enjoyed that bike at all if I didn’t accept the gift could I?

It’s the same way with God’s gift to us. All we have to do is accept his gift. That’s all there is to it. You don’t have to do anything else. You don’t have to do good works, you don’t have to stop anything that you are doing. You don’t have to become perfect and holy and all that. You don’t have to stop whatever bad habits you may have, or hide them because you feel guilty. You don’t have to go to church 10 times a week and do all those things that people think they have to do. You don’t have to change anything at all. You simply are accepted exactly as you are. Faults and all. What a beautiful and wonderful gift.

Think of this. God will accept you just the way you are. No questions. No Judging. Like that Christmas morning after I got the bike. I didn’t have to go and change into some fancy bike riding outfit and comb my hair or wash my face to go out and enjoy it.

I didn’t do anything. I just got up rolled the bike out the door, and rolled off cheering.

My parents stood in the door watching me. Smiling. They were as happy as I was I think. They were happy, cause I was happy. That’s it. They didn’t want anything in return. That’s what Love is. Love gives, and doesn’t ask for anything in return. Getting it now?

In the early 70’s my parents died. Part of me died with them. I miss them to this day, and I would give anything to have them here for 10 minutes. Anything. But it doesn’t work like that I’m afraid, and life goes on. And it will.

In 1974 I accepted the great gift that God had to offer. Very quietly and privately I talked to God one day, and asked to be forgiven, and I was. I said I would accept his great gift and thanked him. You know what? From that minute my life turned totally around. It happened so fast that I didn’t even have time to realize what was going on. Before I even knew it, the incredible horrible situation I was in was just a memory. Everything was completely different and new! Looking back at it now, it still seems unreal. But it happened. It did. My story has never really been told about those days before and after I said that prayer. No one knows the entire story. I have never told anyone all of it. I take all the blame for the bad things, but I cannot take the credit for the good things. It was not myself doing it. It was God. I just happened to be in this body when it happened.

In the days before this all happened? I was at the end of the world. I had nothing. There is a very long story attached to that, however I’m not going to go into details of that right now. I will say this. It is an incredible amazing story, what happened to me. Like nothing you have ever heard before. Of this I am certain. If I was someone listening to it in full detail, not only would I be fascinated by it, I would be amazed by it. And it has nothing to do with anything I did. I cannot and will not take the credit. There is no way I could have done what I did back then. No way.

I think that one reason I never told any of that is because people would think I was talking about myself and bragging. I have no interest in bragging, especially when it could be about me. I suppose that I kept pretty much quiet because due to my own fallibility and self doubt. I knew I would not be able to live up to whatever lifestyle people would have expected from me. So I didn’t say anything more about it. However, I think that it may be time for me to change that. I think I may start telling that story now. I feel that someone needs to hear it. I feel that very strongly, so yes, I will start talking about it. If anybody is actually reading this, please take note. If I do tell my story, remember, I’m just repeating what happened, nothing more. Some people will like it, some won’t like it. Some people will not believe it, some will. I’m sure that some will think It’s not true or whatever. Again, No one has ever heard this. Not anywhere. Not even members of my family. This happened to me, and even I can hardly believe it. If I didn’t live through it myself, I probably would not. So, I will just repeat the story and leave it at that.

Well as I started to say at the beginning of this. To look at it through the eyes of a child.

When we get to the Spiritual Realm, after our lives, The first thing we may see would be a person waiting there with outstretched hands. This would be Jesus. And as we would get closer we could feel the feeling of peace until we would be standing face to face. This is our Everlasting Father who has been there throughout our entire life. Which to us, would feel like it was ages. But for him, it was not. He was there. The entire time. Watching over us.

God, in his wisdom, always knew that we would take the wrong road sometimes. Sometimes, even on purpose. He knew everything we would do and think. From the second of conception to the second of our passing. There is no way to measure love on that scale. My mind cannot comprehend it. Neither can it comprehend what it will feel like to finally see him, knowing that every single thing I have done wrong has been forgiven. Put as far as the East is from the West. Knowing that it is all true.

Being in Heaven will be great enough, knowing that we are there, because he wanted us to be with Him, regardless of our faults. Knowing that our faults are forgiven, because He Himself took our place for them and that is why we are there, is beyond words. As I said, The Son Of Man has power over everything. Even our sins, they are no more, because they have been erased Forever! The price has been paid. Our Father has paid, making us free. You will not be held accountable. You will not have to prove anything to justify your being there. At that moment, you will realize that it was all done in Love. Now our unseen heavenly Father, who has watched and guided us our entire life, is standing before us with outstretched arms, welcoming us home.

How could you describe heaven? What could heaven be like? Well through the eyes of a child, who was gone and now has returned home, and embraces his father, heaven could not be any better than that moment. Finally safe. Finally home. Safe and finally home. At last.

Thanks for listening
G

Lucid Dreams and other things

noreply@blogger.com (Gsmiley) — Mon, 07 May 2012 11:37:00 +0000

Hello
     My blog is titled Lucid American Dreams, I know. I also know that I do get off the subject once in a while. This is way off the subject, and I felt led to write about it. So, I'm going to put in my little 2 cents on something important on my mind.

     I actually took a year off from posting, and it has been a very interesting year, to say the very least. I am in the process now, of writing it all down. It's going to take me a few days to get my notes put together and get some of it on here. I have been all over the place this past year, and seen things and experienced things, I never thought I would. Looking back on most of my life, that's saying a lot, even for me.

     Lets just say that I have seen a cross section of life in America. I'm not talking about traveling around in an RV and stopping off at tourist places, like we see on TV. I wish I was. I saw another face of America. The one that most people will never see. Not even on your television. There are a lot of people out there that really have no voice in things, who are never seen or remembered, or even noticed. Each one has a story. Each one deserves to be heard. There is just so much to write about, that I have not decided where to begin yet. I have personally experienced some of the worst situations you can find yourself in today. Taking into account, the current state of the economy, I guess.

     I'm not talking about things like Gas prices, or maybe having some problems with your Cell Phone, or being late for work. Or maybe keeping up with fashion, or peer pressure, or throwing parties or going to the movies. Or maybe figuring out where to go for dinner, or relationship problems, or paying bills, or worrying about whatever it may be. All the things that we all, including myself, take for granted. We just don't realize it. Everything that makes up the lives of Media fed America. Its all good though, don't get me wrong. God bless you all. I mean that. I do.

The problems we face are serious. I'm not saying they are not. I am just trying to bring up a perspective comparison, that we should be thankful for what we do have, because there are many many people who don't have any of that. I'm talking about the people who are living with everything you watch on TV. The ones who live in a reality that is becoming bigger every day. I am talking about the forgotten, scared, desperate, lonely people of America. They are The Homeless. And there, but by the Grace of God we could all end up. Even though we all think we are invincible, and that it could never happen to us, and that we could never get into that situation. Not us. Sometimes we look at it and shrug and say that It is their own fault, or they are lazy, or its not my problem. Sometimes we don't care at all, or forget about them when we get home after driving past them on the street. Well, That's what they said and did too. When I get this written down on here, you will see what I mean.

You know that saying, "If it ain't broke don't fix it"? Well, this is broke. and we need to fix it. I'm not talking about buying some T shirt or a hat or something to maybe support a show you saw on TV about it, because it makes you feel better, or it's taking some kind of side in Politics or opinions with friends somewhere, at a party or something. Or pointing our fingers and blaming somebody (usually not ourselves). If we even talk about it at all. Listen, I did the same thing myself. I'm not accusing anybody, because that does not help either. And I don't mean for it to sound like that. We all spend way too much time accusing and laying the blame on things like that. It actually becomes part of the problem after a while. However, if it does appear that I am accusing, then you can include me too. I am just as guilty.

   Well, while we are all arguing about who is right or who is wrong, or who is to blame for this or who didn't do this right or that right, in the end, what does it matter, or amount to or solve?    Nothing. That's what. It solves nothing. That is the truth, and the truth hurts. These people don't care about anyone's opinion, or whether or not you won an argument at a party about the situation, they need help. I know, I have been there. I know how that feels.

My advise would be simple. Don't wait till it comes up and bites you, because it will. It bites hard too. Trust me, I know. I wish I had the full answer, but I don't. However, as one who has been there, and has seen this firsthand, and by that I mean, experiencing it, and all the misery and pain and horror that comes with it, what is needed is clear. Even some of the solutions are clear. It is the application of the solution that is the problem. Even, let's say, that if every person in every town donated just one dollar a week for maybe a month, or a week, or even only once in a while, to a local shelter or program, not only would it send much needed resources directly to help, but it would automatically create jobs to process it. Jobs for them and for others. Remember, we are not the only ones with financial problems. The economy effects these programs too. One of the first steps would be, I guess, Awareness, and Careness. These people being affected, just don't have the time for us not to at least know about what is going on. I was just like everybody else too. I just didn't know how serious it was. So please, just take a look at the situation. Guys, if we all got together on this, we could actually fix one of the problems facing us for a change. Some of this stuff has been going on for way to long now, don't you think? Myself? well, I can't believe how selfish and blind I was to not notice how bad it had become.

This is just one problem too. there are so many facing us today. You know what? Every single one of these problems can be corrected. After all, we caused them didn't we? Well, we can fix them too now. Or, we can always go back to our texts and chats and video games, and forget about it, let it all fall apart, and wait till somebody else does it.

There are answers. And there are solutions. We all just have to care enough to do the right thing for the right reason. Also, whoever would be in charge, would need to listen and understand, and have the courage and compassion to also do the right thing for the right reason. We need to stop pointing fingers and arguing and debating, and complaining, while we are sitting in our living rooms safe and secure. This includes me too. This needs to be corrected. This can be corrected. Not just accepted as another problem that affects somebody else, and can wait. It can't wait. When it happens to people, it happens fast. It destroys your life before you can even react. No matter who we are. No matter how untouchable we think we are. None of us is. One day you are fine, the next day you are looking for cans for food. Fighting for your life. All alone, dirty and discarded. And this world doesn't have any video games or TV, or parties, or cell phones in it either. This world just has a devastating reality that will burn right to your soul. This is the world that I saw. This is the world I lived in. In this world, you find out who your friends are real quick. And all of those people you knew? All those opinionated party friends? Well, get ready for some real creative excuses why they are not able to help you. You are on your own my friend. They are just not coming. The party is over. Believe me, when you wake up in the morning and God forbid, you find yourself there, It's gonna be too late to debate it and forget it then. Now you have all the time you need to think about all the arguments and debates you won about this. Yup, while your standing in the bread line watching them drive past, ignoring you. Don't think this cannot happen to you either, because it can happen. I pray it never does.

     Anyway, as I said, It has been an interesting year. I really do have some stories to write about it. Not just stories either. This actually happened to me. And then some. So thanks for reading. I have missed you.
Peace
G

A True Story

noreply@blogger.com (Gsmiley) — Sat, 31 Mar 2012 09:30:00 +0000

Hi
A while back I wrote a story about Faith vs Evolution. At the end of the post I wrote that I would put my confidence in Faith. I actually had a very good reason for saying that, even though I did not mention it at the time. I have been thinking about it, so I thought I would explain why I said that.   What I'm going to write here, Is only one instance where Faith has dramatically changed the course of my life. There are many times I can refer to today, However for now I will just bore you with the one OK?      This is a true story.

In 1983, I was working in New Jersey. I had a good job. We contracted out to Major Automotive and Aerospace Firms around the world. The job was developing, testing, and producing Mass Fuel flow consumption modules, that would set up the various engines. Everything from Motorcycles and cars, to Jets and Rockets. Great job. The firm is no longer in business now, but that's not important. I'm just referring to what It was.

Anyway, in 1983, I decided to move closer to my family. They lived about 60 miles north of me. I had done a lot of thinking about it. When the time came to make the decision, I felt I was doing the right thing. So I took my severance and and went off to live with my family. The only thing I didn't actually do was secure another job. I was young and made a stupid mistake. Please don't ever do that. always plan ahead.

After being with my family for about 3 months, and the severance gone, and finding no job except the Car wash of all places, I began to wonder if I had done the right thing.   Yes and No.
Now I have no money, no car, no job. I am pounding the pavement. Getting more frustrated by the second.

Now, I would just like to add something here. Several years before this happened, I had found myself in a bad situation. I found myself in a position where the only answer was to try what people had been telling me about for most of my life. Faith. Faith in God, and Faith in Prayer. At that time, I was no different from a lot of people. I paid no attention to it, and actually wanted nothing to do with it. It was just not the popular thing to do, and I avoided it. I even used to joke about it, for whatever reason. Peer pressure, being stubborn, close minded, and all that. That changed one day, when I had finally reached the point where it was the only answer, so I tried it. Well, it changed my life. Completely turned it around. Believe me, I was the last person I or anyone else would have ever expected to do that. When I did, it was just an amazing thing. It still is. I found the power of Faith and prayer. That however is another story. Not for now. I just needed to put that in so you would understand the rest of this.

   So I start to pray about the situation. Don't get me wrong. I'm not trying to preach to you, I would not be any good at it anyway. However, I needed to add that to make my point.   So I get up one morning and think, "I will have faith that I will find a job". So I say a prayer and off I go. On foot.

Pretty boring so far huh?   It gets better.      After a day of walking in the hot sun, I get to the edge of town, and see this big warehouse. It's like 750,000 square ft. I go to the guard house and ask for an application.   That's as far as I got. I filled it out and left it with them and went home.

The very next day I got a call from them.   It seems the night before, 8 Admins had resigned. They needed help right away, and had just received my application. I of course accepted. I thought it was a major coincidence. I could not have timed that better if I had planned it to happen that way.    Now I had to take a physical and get steel toe work boots, which I didn't have and could not afford. I could not work there without them.   So, I thought about it for a few hours, said another prayer and went for a walk. I had exactly 15 Dollars. Talk about taking a step in Faith? That is just what I did that day. I started walking. Had no Idea what was about to happen.

I walked downtown and was looking in windows of Stores, Till something caught my eye. A Used TV Store. You know the kind. Old TVs in the faded dull windows. Clutter inside. Full of old parts and stuff.   So I go inside and the guy says, "May I help you?"   So I respond by saying, "Do you sell steel toe shoes?"   Remember, I'm in a TV store. I probably had about as much a chance of finding steel tip shoes here, as I would a Cheeseburger.   I actually felt stupid even asking that. However, I was in for a surprise.

I will remember what happened next as long as I live.     This man says, "there is a pair in the back room brand new size 10.5. (my size). I go dig in the back room and find them and return to the manager with the shoes. I said I didn't have a lot of money, but I needed them for work. So He says, "15 dollars will do it". Now I couldn't have been more surprised If I grew wings. That was just how much I had.   I could not have planned that any better. It was like it was meant to be.   The first place I passed, A TV store, of all places, I went in and found the very thing I needed, for exactly the right price. So now I had the shoes.

The same kind of coincidence 2 days in a row? Or was it something more?   Was this the actual proof of an answer to Prayers? Well what else could it have been? That kind of stuff doesn't just happen.   So now I have my new job. I have my passed drug tests and all that, and I have the Shoes I needed. Pretty much all in a day. Every single thing I mentioned in my prayers. Simple honest prayers.   I didn't think coincidence. I knew it was more. I believe that to this day. I have too. What else could it have possibly been?

I started my job. A Temp on 3rd shift. Data Entry. Paid next to nothing, But I was working.    I got full time 11 months later, and was put in charge 4 years later, being paid more than I had dreamed. This was no coincidence my friends.   I found myself in a position to personally sponsor my town 100 tutors to teach people to read, and finance a major part of a soup kitchen for 10 years, for them to eat. As I said before in another post here.   I did that cause it was the right thing to do at the time. I ended up the largest single contributor to a Major charity in the History of my county. I found myself standing on a stage getting Humanitarian Awards for 10 years in a row. Every time, every year, I could not believe I was standing there. I knew I could not do this on my own, and would have never tried. This was God answering a simple prayer, and working. To this day, I am convinced it was a Miracle. There I was, Me, doing that. I did not deserve it. When I think of all those people, Getting food and learning to speak and read English, I am so thankful to God, for answering me, and then doing all that. It just shows, You never Know.

This actually reminds me of something I heard once. The story of the man who was stuck deep in a well, hanging on to a branch sticking out from the side. Hanging on for dear life in the dark, trying not to fall. Looking up he hears a voice saying, "let go! trust me, let go!" There was someone at the top of the well looking down, who could see all the way to the bottom of the well where the man holding on could not see in the dark. The man hears, but still is too afraid to let go. Afraid he will fall. Finally when he runs out of strength, he has to let go of the branch. When he does, his feet touch, and he is standing on solid ground. He was hanging only six inches from the bottom, and could not see it in the dark. The man at the top could see that and was trying to tell him the whole time.
All he had to do was to listen and trust what he was saying. Sometimes, that is all we have to do too, just listen, have some Faith, and let go. That is what I did back then, and it worked for me. That's all I know. Thought I would throw that in there. Anyway back to what I was saying.

    I'm not bragging, Don't get me wrong here. That's not my style. I even tried to keep that quiet, and did for a few years. The Charity wanted to recognize me for what I did, and so did the company I worked for. I finally agreed. Besides, if I didn't mention that part, this would lose some credibility. It's just part of the story that's all. I'm no better than anyone else is. I needed to have the moral of this story sink in. Great things grow out of nothing, And ordinary people like me can do more than we can imagine. It all begins with that first little step. God does indeed work in mysterious ways. Without a prayer and some Faith, None of that would have taken place. I would have never in a million years done anything like that on my own. I also do not take any credit for that. I still don't fully understand. But, it happened. The details of all that are also another story. I will make it a point to write about that. It is all just Incredible.

What I'm trying to say here is this. I took a step in faith and moved. I took another step and Got my job, Then another and another. coincidence? Well looking at it with just pure facts, It's possible. I certainly don't have all the answers. All I can do is tell the story. Whether it was planned or not, well, It is what it is. The facts can just speak for themselves. All I know is that I was in trouble, I tried having some faith, and everything changed. Not just for me, but for a lot of people. So please, come to your own conclusions. All I know is, That's what happened to me. This was planned, and not by me either. As I said, God does work in mysterious ways. We don't really need to understand why. Just follow your heart my friends. follow your heart. Sometimes that is not always easy, I know. Usually though, our very first logical reaction to a problem is the Heart telling us the correct thing to do. Even though we know it is, we don't always act on that logic, and do the easy thing instead, because the easy thing usually is, well, it's easy. Maybe even more fun, or whatever. Deep inside though, we know what we should do. Or should have done. It is Human nature to take the most attractive way out. Some of the hardest choices we will ever make, have the answers right in front of us. We just need to listen, think, and decide. And it's not always going to be easy. As I look back, I can see that now. My heart was right all along. I just needed to learn the Language of the Heart. I could have avoided a whole lot of pain. Learning the language of the heart, it seems, is the first key to understanding, and Wisdom. As I have said, Wisdom is not always for those who may have it. It is for the ones who hear it. I wish I could have seen that when I was 22 years old, but living in the real world, it just does not work that way I guess. We all have to live and learn. That's life. But if I could, I would look back at me at 22, and say, "Let Go! Trust me. Let Go"! But that's just me.
Well that's a long story made short. All I can say is, no matter how bad things look, have Faith.
Peace G

Recalling my first Lucid Dream experience

noreply@blogger.com (Gsmiley) — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 15:23:00 +0000

Hi
     I thought I would talk about the very first Lucid Dream I ever had.   I was doing all the steps every day, and getting a little discouraged, but I had no idea of what was about to happen.
That first dream. Now any of you who have experienced it, you know exactly what I am talking about. There are just no words...I will try however, to relate it. Remember, I am just relating dreams. Dreams that I was able to remember. I have found that remembering dreams is the most important thing. This first time was something I will always remember. I had never experienced anything like it. Actually, I was getting ready to give up on Lucid Dreaming. I was having no success at all.     Until this happened.

     It was just before I woke up. I was in that half awake half asleep phase, where sometimes abstract images sort of float around in your mind. Little memories of things you have seen, or remembered. Kind of like a half awake daydream. Nothing out of the ordinary, when bang, this array of colors appears. It begins to swirl around like a whirlpool, getting more colorful every second. Like a pattern of rectangles spinning down.

     I remember thinking, "reality check now!" I remember thinking it and doing it. I held up my hand... (in the dark room) and looked and glanced away, and looked again. It was different.   Immediately This pattern got as bright as a painting on a wall, and I thought "This is it! Its really happening! As soon as I thought that, The swirling got bigger and closer and Started to pull me down into it. Now this was not scary, and I was not afraid at all. I knew I was asleep! I knew I was dreaming!. I knew it and was cheering all the way down, Like on the best roller coaster you can imagine. Which of course is exactly what it was too!

     There are actually no words to describe this correctly. There was no doubt in my mind, This was the real thing. This incredible feeling came over me. Peace and comfort. I will NEVER forget it!   I reached the bottom of this whirlpool thing on the side of a mountain with this amazing green grass.   It reminded me a little of the scene from   The Sound Of Music, where they are running down the hill.

     What I did next will stay forever in my mind.   I started to run and flap my arms like a bird would.   In the waking world you would never do such a thing, because It's well...impossible to fly you know? It is impossible. At least when you are awake anyway.   In here? I knew I was dreaming and It was possible here.   So, well, off I flew!   For some reason, I had to keep my arms moving or I would descend. I remember trying that a time or two and just took right off again. What a feeling!

The next thing I knew I was going up and into that whirlpool thing again. Then I woke up. Stunned. I could not believe what had just happen. So I put it in the Journal, and went about the day.   Could not wait to sleep again... Even now, it seems strange to be writing about this. I know how it sounds. If I was somebody reading this, I would not believe it. As strange as it may sound, it did happen. I'm just writing it down.

     That is a short version of what happened.   My friends..When The first dream happens, trust me you will know. There will be no doubt in your mind. For those of you who have felt this, you know just what I'm talking about.         Totally   Completely astonishing.     If you are just starting out with this, Keep going. Just keep doing the steps. Trust me, It will be worth it!
Peace G

A Personal Theory

noreply@blogger.com (Gsmiley) — Mon, 27 Jun 2011 12:24:00 +0000

Hello!
I am going to partially change my subject for a minute here.   I was in bed before, and my mind was preoccupied with something, so I got up again and am writing it down. (please excuse my bad writing skills)...

The subject was the question of... Faith vs. Evolution. My mind was centering on How can they both be correct?   OK First Faith. We are told and taught, that the earth was created in so many days. 6 days...

Billions have believed this to be true. Now I'm not trying to sway anyone to believe anything here, and for now, I will leave out the rest of the history and the reality of faith, and not bore you with any hypothesis. I will concentrate on the subject at hand. that's all. I have my own personal beliefs, very strong beliefs, But I'm not going to go into that right now. I will try simply to give my opinion on this. Looking at it as rationally as I can. With an open mind.   That clears that up, I guess.

OK, Faith goes on for thousands of years, and continues. Now however, something new comes to light in the last hundred years or so. Evolution.   Evolution says that the world was formed over billions of years. Man has evolved over eons. The scientific evidence is a rock solid case, don't you think? I mean there is no question as to how old the Earth is scientifically. None at all. At least according to our current state of technology anyway. And the technology appears to be completely sound. The evidence speaks for itself. Loud and clear. I have to admit it is fairly obvious. Fair enough so far?...

Faith tells us, that the Human Race came from Adam and Eve. Sometime after the earths creation, and all humans are descended from them. (keep in mind, some scholars disagree in the lengths of the "days" mentioned in the Creation)...

Now, Science on the other hand, says man evolved from Whatever form Man started out as. Lets for the argument's sake say apes. (actually it was more like small mammals I think). Anyway, They have complete proof that a form of early man did exist. The evidence is everywhere. artifacts, Bones, cave dwellings dating back a lot further than can be possible, according to what faith says. There is also total evidence of dinosaur bones Millions of years old. No doubt. They are that old. OK? I'm just bringing up the facts here, I'm not taking a side at this point. As I said, Approaching with a clear and open mind.
Science shows that these dinosaurs were destroyed in a catastrophe of some sort. A meteor or Asteroid hit the Earth, and wiped them all out. Scientific proof supports this. At least to the point to where There is little doubt remaining. The Craters are there. They are. Science has given proof of their age too. Whether or not a collision with something wiped out the Dinosaurs Is debated, But for the most part is accepted in the scientific community. OK then. There is some Hard evidence and some cold clear facts. It appears that did indeed happen. Its pretty well cut and dried. I'm not going to go into the discussion of theology Verses Science, on the Age of the Earth or Dinosaurs right now, I will just let the facts speak for themselves...

What I am going to offer is an opinion on something. For the argument, I will say that Early man did evolve. He evolved and was there. Writing on the cave walls, and all that. He existed. He did.
My point here is this... What if something like what happened to the dinosaurs so long ago, also happened to our friends the evolved cave people? And what if this happened 7,10, 20, or 50 thousand years ago? There would certainly be signs that they existed, and there certainly is.
OK. Lets say that is what happened. there gone. leaving all this proof of evolution behind. Done deal. No question.   They were here. Evolution happened...To them...

Now, back to the earth a few thousand years ago. There are no cave men left by now, for whatever the amount of time. But they were here! Just like the Dinosaurs. And they evolved. That being the natural order of things anyway, They changed and adapted. They Evolved and were made extinct. (for argument sake) OK?...

Now, God looks on the Earth. Its now time For Adam and eve. Adam first. then Eve. The rest is his story. . Faith tells us that we did indeed come from this start...Adam and Eve did exist. And only a few thousand years ago. HOWEVER, they did not evolve from early man, because early man was destroyed earlier by something. Something that Science has not proven yet.

This leaves the field open for the suggestion that there was indeed Creation. And there was also evolution. Man was created By God, in God's image. Exactly when and how It is stated in the Bible. That is Faith.       Valid scientific proof is given, Showing evidence of something else. That is Evolution. It goes on and on, we are most likely never going to know what really factually happened. I really hope we do someday though... To tell you the truth? We have a lot more important things to worry about anyway... I only brought it up cause it was stuck in my head this morning, thought it may make something interesting to write about.

As I said, I'm only stating facts as I know them. I did not take any sides, up to this point. That was not the purpose here.
I wanted to put this out as a suggestion, and see what you may think of it. It may sound strange, But there has to be SOME kind of explanation, Because the facts are there... We cannot just ignore something because we don't want to believe it for whatever reason. I have seen that happen too.. That would go for both sides equally. Evolution seems to be a fact, and Faith is a fact.   There has to be some kind of logical equation to explain what we don't yet understand. All the facts are there. Maybe with a little reasoning together, we could all agree on the Truth, when it is presented to us... Now I know there are holes in the little theory presented here, But It could have happened that way.. It's more likely something totally different I guess. Who knows? Maybe someday we will know. Anyway ... I guess I have said my little story for today. As you can clearly see, I am no expert. on either subject.

As for Myself? I think if we are supposed to know, we will someday. I however will stand for Faith. I will believe that God is Alive, and is watching from Eternity, wherever that is, and is Perfect in his plan. As is demonstrated by the incredible wonder of the Universe we are in. Faith tells us that God is perfect. And is perfect in his designs. Take a look at the Universe around us. It is in perfect order. The magnitude of that order is so great, that our minds cannot even grasp it. This in itself, points to the existence of a perfect Creator... I will also not ignore science, and scientific fact, Whatever it is, for science is the language of intelligence. It is only ourselves who are lacking in the skills to read it properly. As for the size of this Universe and all the possible worlds, (and Universes) there could be, well, we will know someday too I guess. there are no limits.The word doesn't even apply. The answer is probably going to surprise us I'm sure.   I certainly don't know any more than anyone else does, and I didn't want to give that impression.

I have lived a life of incredible ups and downs. As I look back on it for a minute, I find it hard to believe I did everything I did. Experienced everything I did. From the top of the world to the very bottom, and more than once too. I found and lost Love. three times. Had 3 careers. Lived all over the Country. Was rich, and was poor. Had a home, and was homeless. Was healthy, and had cancer. Along the way, I found faith. I also stumbled in that faith. Also more than once. I have Been a musician, Not a good one, but I played with some notable people
I've been called... "the best in the business"... "legend"... And "Big Gun"... (I have no idea why), by some, and rejected by the same, and others. This also more than once. I have never talked about this stuff much, it's just boring. It's not really that important to people anyway, It just happened how it did. It was what it was. I'm sure a lot of people have the same kind of stories. Nothing special about me. I am just a guy writing a story in a Blog... maybe though, I will write something about my life. Maybe it could help somebody not to make the same mistakes you know? In the end, There really are no limits. It's really an incredible thing when you think about it...

For those of you who know me, well I'm not telling you anything you don't already know. Thanks for the Patience guys. And you know I will love you always.    The full truth however on my life, has never been told. Not even to you guys. Not that it's bad, because it's not. It's actually been one amazing ride! If I could see myself at 5 looking at my life to this point. Well, Even I would not have believed what I saw. I am so thankful for both the good and the bad. That is after all, how we learn isn't it?
OK, Next post, back to our regular scheduled program. I'm sure I have bored you enough.
Peace

Time Is Really A Result

noreply@blogger.com (Gsmiley) — Mon, 27 Jun 2011 12:17:00 +0000

Today, I went for my bike ride, usually about 25 miles or so. Getting used to it now, but when I first started Man, it hurt! Over time, It didn't hurt anymore.

When I got home, I got some ice tea and sat in the yard. The sun was shining through the clouds, creating a streaming light show of straight line rainbows, from the bottoms of them. One my most favorite sights of all time. Just a beautiful day.

As I sat there, I remembered the first time I had ever seen that sight. I was 10 Years old, and living in Fair Lawn New Jersey. I was walking down the street in front of our old house that was there, which,later was replaced by a Temple of some kind, preventing Visits there in later years. kind of sad actually.

I was walking with my sister Patty, and Junior, a friend. I remember seeing that sight, and stopping in awe.
As I looked up, I said "the end of the world" to my sister... (seems the end of the world was going to be a good thing back then)... There was no fear, no Knowing anything about Anything about God or whatever may cause that, Just a good feeling.
Looking back now, Man,Wasn't It Great to be a kid? to just look up and say that? just "matter of fact" sort of ya know?

Then I said something, I remember to this very second. I said "In the year 2000, I will be 50 years old". Remember, this is 1960, and the year 2000 may as well have been the year 2 Million to me, Cause Time stretched out in front of us like an eternity. All 3 of us Really were not concerned about it, We were Just walking down the street daydreaming.

At the time, I had no idea ,I was at the moment of creation of a memory, that would turn that moment into one of those signposts of life, One of the crumbs that we would throw down behind us as we went along, so we would remember our way home If we ever got lost someday. We were just walking down the street, and unknowingly just passed it by...who knew?

Well today Is the year 2010, And I saw that sky again. Just like it was in 1960. This time, instead of moving on...I stopped. Then I remembered . I remembered An entire Lifetime in what was most likely, only a few seconds. 50years had passed by since that day, and I was only now, once again, seeing that crumb... To me? Right then, It seemed Like 50 minutes had passed. So Before I left the moment this time, I made sure I picked up that crumb,carefully filed it away, and replaced it with a new one. That my friends, Is Joy and wonder! Give it a try you might just like it...

It reminded me of some lyrics. (from 100ys)
Half time goes by.
Suddenly you're wise.
Another blink of an eye.
67 is gone.
The Sun is gettin' High.
We're Moving On...

TIME What is it really? We can see the time we went through, but not the time we will yet go through.

Maybe, that's because Time is not the road. Maybe time Is the RESULT of our passing down the road. Left behind for us to measure and chart and use, Like the Crumbs we leave behind in our lives.

The fabric of space controls things. ENTROPY, If you will, is the controller.
And TIME is whats left behind as footprints. not was lies before us.

I know, that's a little bit of deep water, But THINK about it. We cannot go faster down the road of Entropy, by making our clocks go faster, you know? The path is chosen by us, and all we can do with TIME, is leave our crumbs behind for us to measure it with.

I brought that up tonight, because, Today was one of those days I will measure My Time on this Earth with.
50 Years?
Hey...."don't Blink"
PEACE G

Welcome to THE FUTURE IS NOT BROKEN! The place to voice your solution opinions.

noreply@blogger.com (Gsmiley) — Mon, 27 Jun 2011 10:48:00 +0000

Good Morning.

   Well, It's winter here alright. 45 degrees in the day, and 5 below at night. What I could walk through yesterday afternoon, I can now Ice Skate on. The good thing about that is, in about a Month, It's all going to be a memory. That's in the Future though. For now, I guess I have to live with it. I know It will improve, so It's cool.
   Anyway, speaking of the future, As in our future, it works the same way as how I just described. I don't have to tell anybody here that we are going through some really difficult things. For one reason or another, a while back, a lot of things started to happen, that affected our lives, and not in a good way either.

   All of a sudden, in what seemed the twinkling of an eye, we found ourselves struggling just to stay alive.
The last 5 years for me, have been a roller coaster, I don't know about you guys, but it has been quite an experience. Not all of it good either. Some of it actually, really not good. That's just me, I know I'm not alone here. I'm just saying, I'm in the same boat you know? I'm not complaining, I'm just trying to make a point about something on my mind

   My point is this. I can look back on that 5 years, and say to myself, "well I really made some mistakes didn't I?" Or I could say, "oh man, What am I gonna do now? Look at this mess! I don't know where to start anymore". Well I could say that, and I have said that. You know something though? I could do that for a decade, and it would not change a thing. In fact it would make it worse. It always does. So I thought, "well what are you going to do, Go back and change it? I cannot. We cannot change anything about the past. So worrying about it, is useless. We can blame the banks, we can blame the Govt. We can blame everybody else, or blame ourselves, On and on.   The past is broken. We can't fix it. That is just the way it is. There is something however, that we can look to for an answer.
   That is, The future. And the FUTURE is not BROKEN! The future is something we can do something about.

   Try and look at it this way.   We live in America. It was started in 1776. It's now 2011. Now America, we can look at as if it were a person's life.. In this case It's a Country's life OK?
A person is born, is a child, then a teenager, than an adult.    America was born. America was a child, then a teenager, NOW it's an adult.
   We have gone through our birth. The revolutionary war. Tough fight. America won It's Freedom. Then came some growing. Expanding. Inventing. Exploring. Growing Like A child would.   Then came the "tween" years, like when your 10 or 12. Not a child not an adult. Puberty. Conflicting feelings. The CIVIL War for America. Now Those were some bad days. However, it did end.
   So NOW, the child begins to grow. And Grow America did! The evidence speaks for itself on that.
All is well   Until, TEENAGE years. Oh man, the teenage years.    The ROARING 20s! Parties, Money, New cars, Great jobs, the whole thing.
   Then comes what I have always called, "The Sledge Hammer Effect". You know, that time when reality finally comes along and BAM...Right in the face. The wake up call Most of us have at one point in our lives or another. NEVER fun..     That for America, would be the GREAT DEPRESSION. I don't have to go in to details about that either, You know what I mean. Very bad times indeed.   In a person's life, that would mean, Time to roll up the sleeves, because your on your own!   Most of us do just that. And...we learn, and grow. In America, That was I would think, the growth after the 30s. Then the 40s, Then Another Victory, Then Prosperity. Following me?   OK.

   So now, we see America as a child, a "tween", a Teenager, and a young Adult.   There is another phase I have not mentioned, Mid Life Crisis. For a person, It means change, not necessarily Good Change. Usually some Kind of panic change or whatever. There is a little waste there, both time and money. I know I have been there.
   Well, That's where We are now in America. Mid Life Crisis. We cannot go back, we can just look back. It doesn't help. Except to learn. So we make some mistakes, we all do, and have.   So the question now, would be I guess, now what?

   As I said, It's the future. It's not Broken. There is nothing there yet. It's all up to us! You and me. All of us.   We are All to blame in one way or another for this mess. I know I did my part. OK,   Now what can we do?    The first thing would be to stop the blaming, and finger pointing. Myself included. Finding things or people to blame, is not going to make our problems go away. It is a waste of time, And we spend way too much time doing it. It doesn't take a lot of wisdom to be blaming, however it does take some to find solutions. Blaming is easy. Finding an answer is not.

You can turn on your TV any time of the day, and you will see all the blaming you could want. What we need I guess, is a place to find answers. Or for people to have some ideas, and share them with other people. If you are hearing or reading this, please, by all means, post a comment. Maybe we could begin to reason some of this out together. I would love to hear from you.

We should try Looking at the situation rationally and logically. Put down the fear and anger, concentrate on the problems, and Stand TOGETHER, and take one step at a time, TOGETHER, as one. One Nation. Not just say that, but actually do it! We cannot wait for somebody else to fix this. We have to fix this. All of us. That would be a good start in my opinion anyway.   We have a lot of problems, and a lot of differences I know. It's not as simple as I make it out to be. But it is a good place to start, don't you think? Just like in Kindergarten. We have to cross the street, We better hold hands.

It's been a cold winter, but Spring is coming. It is as sure as I am writing this.     Spring is coming for America too. It all depends on what we do with it.    You know what? We CAN do it. We CAN get over this and we will. YOU can, and will get past this. Wait. It will happen. One step at a time. We have to cross a busy street here, But we can do it.   I didn't write this to make anyone think I have some kind of solution to all this, It was just my opinion. I do have some thoughts on the subject though, but that's for another day. For now, Please feel free to share some thoughts!
Peace G

Oak Island. Another Lucid Dream

noreply@blogger.com (Gsmiley) — Mon, 18 Apr 2011 19:43:00 +0000

HI
The other night I had a strange experience in an unusually clear dream.   After the reality checks in the dream, and I knew I was dreaming, I just let the dream move on by itself. Wanted to see what it would be.
It was the usual things you see in dreams, mostly about people I know, and flying and things like that. Good dream actually.

Well to make a long story short, all of a sudden it changes. Now I am on a beach, I didn't know where. To those of you who practice this, you know what I mean. It's pretty normal.   Then, I hear somebody calling me over, so I follow. I cannot remember the face. This person says to me..."Look just past the red, it lies there".
That woke me up, so I wrote it down.
The next morning, I did some research on the words Island and Red on Island and all that.
As it turns out, there is an actual place like that. It's called Oak Island in Nova Scotia someplace. It has some kind of treasure there that people have been searching for, dating back about 150 years.   They Don't know whats there, but one one of the search company's dropped Red Paint down this man made tunnel, like 200 feet into this maze of them, to see where it would come out in the water.   They actually found Palm tree wood and coconut skins in their drilling, and some Gold fiber and other things on the bits. 220 feet down. This is not from anywhere near this area, ONLY in Egypt. So the question is, What is down there?
I had never heard of Oak Island before that night, as well as I can remember, But the mind is a large place, and I could, and probably did read about it someplace, I guess..I don't know. This dream felt strange that's all.
Thought you may find that interesting. Check out Oak Island for yourself. Look it up, it's there.
Peace   G

THE FIRST LUCID DREAM EXPERIENCE.

noreply@blogger.com (Gsmiley) — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 20:24:00 +0000

Hi
I thought I would talk about the very first Lucid Dream I ever had.   I was doing all the steps every day, and getting a little discouraged, but I had no idea of what was about to happen.
That first dream. Now any of you who have experienced it, you know exactly what I am talking about. There are just no words...I will try however, to relate it.
It was just before I woke up. I was in that half awake half asleep phase, where sometimes abstract images sort of float around in your mind. Little memories of things you have seen, or remembered. Kind of like a half awake daydream. Nothing out of the ordinary, when bang, this array of colors appears. It begins to swirl around like a whirlpool, getting more colorful every second. Like a pattern of rectangles spinning down.

I remember thinking, "reality check now!" I remember thinking it and doing it. I held up my hand... (in the dark room)... and looked and glanced away, and looked again. It was different.   Immediately This pattern got as bright as a painting on a wall, and I thought "This is it!... Its really happening! As soon as I thought that, The swirling got bigger and closer and Started to pull me down into it. Now this was not scary, and I was not afraid at all. I knew I was asleep! I knew I was dreaming!. I knew it and was cheering all the way down, Like on the best roller coaster you can imagine. Which of course is exactly what it was too!

There are actually no words to describe this correctly. There was no doubt in my mind, This was the real thing. This incredible feeling came over me. Peace and comfort. I will NEVER forget it!   I reached the bottom of this whirlpool thing on the side of a mountain with this amazing green grass.   It reminded me a little of the scene from   The Sound Of Music, where they are running down the hill.

What I did next will stay forever in my mind.   I started to run and flap my arms like a bird would.   In the waking world you would never do such a thing, because It's well...impossible to fly you know? It is impossible. At least when you are awake anyway.   In here? I knew I was dreaming and It was possible here.   So, well, off I flew!   For some reason, I had to keep my arms moving or I would descend. I remember trying that a time or two and just took right off again. What a feeling!...

The next thing I knew I was going up and into that whirlpool thing again. Then I woke up....stunned. I could not believe what had just happen. So I put it in the Journal, and went about the day.   Could not wait to sleep again... Even now, it seems strange to be writing about this. I know how it sounds. If I was somebody reading this, I would not believe it. As strange as it may sound, it did happen. I'm just writing it down.

That is a short version of what happened.   My friends..When The first dream happens, trust me you will know. There will be no doubt in your mind. For those of you who have felt this, you know just what I'm talking about.         Totally   Completely astonishing.     If you are just starting out with this, Keep going. Just keep doing the steps. Trust me, It will be worth it!
Peace G

EVER WONDER WHY THESE GREAT BANDS NEVER PLAYED AT WOODSTOCK?

noreply@blogger.com (Gsmiley) — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 18:41:00 +0000

Part two of Woodstock 69. These are the bands that never made the party,

1. THE BEATLES, John Lennon was insisting that the Plastic Ono Band play as well. The promoters Didn't Agree with him. Hence, No Beatles at Woodstock. The band broke up a year later. (I can only imagine what Woodstock would have been with this band there).

2. THE DOORS, Jim Morrison Said it would be a second class repeat of The Monterey Pop Festival 2 years previous, and turned it down flat.

3. LED ZEPPELIN, The popular band wanted to be billed as the headliners of the venue. The concert was not designed that way, so no LED ZEPPELIN either.

4. THE BYRDS, (birds), They said they were getting tired of the concert scene, so they opted out as well.

5. JETHRO TULL, Tull thought it was just another gig, just like a lot of them did, and just simply didn't want to do it.

6. FRANK ZAPPA AND THE MOTHERS OF INVENTION, declined, (never knew why).

7. FREE, Declined as well.

8. MIND GARAGE, Who?   well whoever they would have been if they had gone, thought it would be a flop. I'm sure they were a great band but, (oops).

9. JEFF BECK, was booked, but the band broke up a week before.

10. IRON BUTTERFLY, They got stuck at the airport, they tried to secure a helicopter, but were turned down, Hence, a no show.

11. LIGHT HOUSE, Felt bad vibes and declined.

12. THE ROLLING STONES, Keith Richard's wife had just given birth and Mick Jagger was in Australia.

13. JONI MITCHELL, Had to do the Dick Cavett show, could not make it.

14. BOB DYLAN,    As legend has it, His son got sick. He was also tired of the throngs of hippies flocking around his house.

15. ERIC CLAPTON, Was busy with Blind faith.

LAST BUT NOT LEAST

ROY ROGERS, Was asked to play last. The song was going to be "HAPPY TRAILS TO YOU", Roy Declined. (would have been cool if he had played though).

I can only imagine what Woodstock would have been like, if all these Great performers had been there.
Well,   thought you may find that interesting.
Peace.

G

The Woodstock That Never Was

noreply@blogger.com (Gsmiley) — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 17:09:00 +0000

     Here are some interesting facts about the Woodstock Festival in Aug. 1969, which may surprise you.

   For about 25 years, I lived in the town of Wallkill NY. Maybe 60 miles or so from Manhattan, up Rt. 17 West.   What I did not Know, is that the place where I worked for 25 years, stood on the site where the Original Woodstock was contracted to take place, there in Aug. of 1969.

     The meetings had taken place, the acts were booked, and preliminary contracts were signed. Right in The Town Of Wallkill.    As A matter of fact, The street those contracts were signed is named "Woodstock Lane".

   I always wondered why it was called that, but never really looked into it till lately. Sure enough, that is why it's called that.    Even know the place where the contracts were signed too.   Right on that road. The place is still there. A piece of history, that never was, and yet is. I guess it was just overlooked, then forgotten along the way, in the wake of the Actual Woodstock which took place about 20 miles or so, up Rt.17 in the Town of Bethel.

     The building stands there in silence, Holding whatever secrets it knows inside it's walls, as the traffic flows past, unaware.    An ironic anti-icon if you will, testifying to something that should have happened but did not. At least not there. But to me, it is part of the phenomenon called "The Woodstock Nation", that existed for those few days in Late Summer 1969, And I thought it should be remembered as such, so I brought it up today.     I think to myself   "I wonder how many people actually know this, outside of maybe a few who still live around there". (by the way, the area is now homes and An Industrial park, a nice area.

   Another thing about that road is that, My Niece lived Right there on Woodstock Lane for Years, And was probably not even aware of the significance of the Name. Right there, maybe a hundred or so feet away from the actual building.    I don't know if she is aware of it till this day. Gonna have to ask her.

   I thought you may find that interesting, as it was Just the opposite of the description on the title here.
This house was extraordinary history, that stayed ordinary, for whatever reason there was.

   The original festival that was planned to be there, was denied, due to concerns over sanitation. A sound Business decision on the part of the town at the time I'm certain. Still would be today actually, nobody's fault that it was not held there, just fate. however...

     This is the site where the Concert WANTED to be held, but couldn't, And in the spirit of the whole Generation of the 60's and early 70's, There SHOULD be some kind of recognition for that. If only a footnote.   But I have never seen anything, and no one talks about it either, It's just forgotten, and that's a sad thing, cause it is the world's loss I guess.    Coming up next, Acts that were asked to play there but did not. I think you will find it interesting.
Peace
G

When The Student Is Ready, The Master Will Appear

noreply@blogger.com (Gsmiley) — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 16:50:00 +0000

Have you ever wondered how certain things in our lives that we do, that seem insignificant At the time, are the things that affect it the most? Like say, that first sight of the one who, would become your spouse, or the glimpse out your car window at the house where you are destined to spend the rest of your life?

Things like that. And what if you had not looked that way that day, or made that call or whatever.

This would pertain to the not so good choices too. The ones we would like to have back if we could. It all seems to go hand in hand somehow. I don't know, or would even imply to say I understand things like that, but I think they all go together and make all the pieces fit in the end.

Maybe, all things do work together for good, and we just can't, or won't see it at the time.

There is someone who is very dear to me, who once told me... that all situations are put there for us to have the chance to use them for the very best end, bad or good, it's all the same. It's just up to us to see that and act upon it. I am paraphrasing a little here, but you know what I mean.

I suppose that if we could think like that, we could have a little more peace in our lives, and be at least confident in most situations, whether they are good ones or not so good ones. That way of thinking, although sound, is a very difficult thing to live up to, and very rewarding when we try.

So maybe each situation, bad or good, really COULD be seen as a chance for us to make the most out of it, and learn from it, or experience love from it, or happiness. Things like that.

I'm not trying to preach or lecture. I'm just reflecting on it. I am 59 years old, and Believe me, I have seen my share of all of that. I just wish I had the ability at the time, to see that, and not just hindsight about it later on. However if we did have that ability at the time, there would be no learning or growing from it, Or obtaining wisdom from it.

WISDOM is given as a tool to teach others on it after we ourselves, have learned from it, and not necessarily for our own benefit, although it does benefit us a great deal When We use it in any capacity.

WISDOM is the tool forged for others, taken from our own growth. It's our job to recognize it and use it. That is just my own statement and opinion... not necessarily the truth. I have no intentions of implying anyone should live like that. Its just a contemplative thought.

What my point here is this. When we begin to understand situations for what they are, That is, when the correct decision makes itself known to us.... We grow. Sort of like, when the Student has studied, and learned, the "Master"... or the Truth, will be made known to us.
I'm sure everybody has thought at least once in their life, "I wish I knew then what I know now". That would be nice, however It doesn't work that way. Hindsight can be used to help us though.

So we should, in my opinion try to make the best of any situation, for there is a way in each one for us to make the best of it.

That is what was on my mind tonight.

Thanks for reading
PEACE
G

Lightning Dreams Number 2

noreply@blogger.com (Gsmiley) — Tue, 08 Mar 2011 20:07:00 +0000

I know I seem to be off the subject of Lucid Dreams here, I'm really not. The events I am writing about today, were directly responsible for me becoming interested in them. For one reason, every time Lightning hit me, I had an incredible Dream experience. After which my life had dramatic changes. Changes Both in my circumstances and my way of living. Even in my way of thinking. (Always for the better)

June 6 1977...

In 1977, I was living in Paterson New Jersey. To those of you who may be familiar with that city, I lived 2 blocks down from East Side Park.   This is the largest park in the city. On the West Side was the park for the Great Falls. Actually a fairly famous waterfall. It was Named by Alexander Hamilton. The city itself I believe, was partially designed by him too.   It's interesting reading. Worth a minute to look it up.
I was on the East Side though. At the time, I was working in the city. I had a good job times were OK. A lot less to worry about back then. Nothing like today. A lot simpler. Actually most of the big concerns we have now, as far as bills go, didn't even exist yet back then. No cell phones or internet. Not even Debit cards. It was sort of the tail end of the time when TV was king. Just before the Electronic Digital Age we have now came about. Even though the worries were proportionate to the expenses and problems of the time, looking back at it, It really was much simpler.

I remember every morning waking up at 5:00 and going across the street to the old fashioned sit down kind of coffee shop/deli place on the corner.   Every day I would go in there and Listen to the chatter and news about what was going on in the city. Lots of interesting people in there too. Cops, Firemen, Politicians and teachers. I remember sitting there every morning and listening and talking to them. People like the Principle of East Side High School, or the Editor of the Newspaper. Had some pretty interesting conversations in there almost every day. I was there every morning. THIS particular morning however, was a little different.
After I left the coffee counter in the morning, I would go up into East Side Park and read the paper and finish my coffee.   East Side was a typical city park, nice place but could be a little dangerous at times. I used to walk around picking up trash and throwing it away. There was always comments to me about it too. Some people just didn't like that. But I did it anyway.
I used to sit in the Garden in the morning on the top of the terrace hills facing East. There was this big cement seat in there with fountains around it. Something for Mother's Day I think. There was this large American Flag in there, and this Great view of the New York Skyline with the sun rising in the morning.   I brought my radio with me, and at 6:00 am they would play the National Anthem on the station.   So every day, That's how I started. Watching the sun rise over New York, with the National Anthem playing on the radio. I have to tell you, I really miss that. It was always inspirational.
On a previous day, I had found a Baseball Bat and ball and glove in the Park. I used to walk around in the morning using the Bat as sort of a walking stick. It made me feel safer too, cause there were always things like Wild dogs and Rats and stuff. Never once had to actually use it for protection, but it didn't hurt you know? I remember the people I used to talk to in the coffee shop used to call me, "Bat Boy", cause of it. It was all in fun. They knew I was up in the Park picking up trash and Garbage cans and stuff in the morning, so They kind of respected that I guess.    Actually when I moved, I did give the Bat to somebody in there. I don't remember who that was, but I was moving soon and just gave it away one morning.

Anyway, back to the subject. This one particular morning I went up to the park as usual at 5:30 or so. I walked there this time. Most of the time when I walked, I had an umbrella with me in case it rained. Well I'm sitting there and the Sky gets darker, and darker. I'm kind of exposed where I was, so I decided to walk to the Gazebo in case it did rain.    So I brought the umbrella and the bat and started walking.   As I was walking A guy I worked with came driving by. He says "You stay out here, Your gonna get hit by Lightning!" Well I knew that wasn't gonna happen cause I already had been hit by it. What are the odds of TWO times? It seemed safe enough, so I said I would see him at work, and off he went.   ( I wish I had THAT decision to do over again).
It could not have been a minute later, when the wind picked up, and the Sky got that Nasty Storm look to it. I mean it got dark. It almost looked like Tornado clouds. The most threatening clouds I have ever seen. Before OR since in fact. The clouds actually seemed to be directly above me. I could see the bright sky on the edges of them. I was right in the middle of a small intense storm cell, and I was going to get hammered by it any second! I remember thinking, Uh , Oh, this was not a good Idea, and started to run toward the Gazebo. And HEY, I almost made it too! They say "Almost doesn't count, except for horseshoes and hand grenades."    Well you can include Lightning in there too! I'll explain that in a minute.
About maybe 200 yards or so from the Garden I was in, was a Cage with some Deer in it. The deer of course were having nothing to do with this, so they were in the little shed they had, and they just sat there watching me run. Now If deer could laugh, I'm certain these 3 would have. I can still remember those faces. looking out the shed door, with the funniest looks on them.    I was almost tempted to get in that shed, but it was fenced in and I was not climbing any Iron fence. Especially with THOSE clouds.

Now the wind is picking up, and I'm running as fast as I can. This wind was the strongest I have ever felt, and as I was running, all around me there were tree limbs getting ripped off and thrown around. Not small ones either. I'm talking foot and a half by 2 feet in diameter, and weighing hundreds of pounds. This was no joke. I have been in a lot of hurricanes and storms, but they paled compared to this.   Then came the first Lightning...

I can describe this lightning only one way. I remember when I was a kid, I used to watch The Little Rascals. There was one episode where they went camping, and it started to Lightning, and the lightning was chasing them and Petey the dog. Striking maybe 3 feet behind them As they ran away screaming. Every once in a while hitting them in the rear end. If you have ever watched the little rascals, you know the scene I'm talking about. It was funny then, but not now, cause that was exactly what was happening to me!
Now it's starting to rain. coming down in buckets. The wind had to be blowing a hundred miles an hour, cause it was blowing the rain sideways. Right into my face. I was about 30 yards from the Gazebo, when I had to stop and duck   right next to this giant Oak tree. (you see where this is going right?) So I'm ducking down there, and trying not to get killed. My umbrella got pulled inside out and ripped from my hands. Now I still had the bat in my hands. By the way It was a METAL bat! So I figure I would pick it up and keep on running. I know that was about the worst thing I could have done. At the time, I wasn't thinking about that, cause I could feel the hair on my neck starting to stand up. Once that happens in a lightning storm, you are in serious danger.    So I get to another Oak tree and crouch down next to it, when the next thing I saw was the Huge bright flash, and heard this huge crack. Well I had about a quarter of a second until that bolt reached from the tip of that bat in my hands, to me. I was a little lucky, cause The lightning had actually struck the tree, THEN the bat, THEN me. That tree blew up like The tree in the Movie, "The Natural", when he made his own bat. It was exactly like that, only I was right next to it. I have no idea how I was not killed. It passed right through me. It felt like I was getting hit by a train! I only felt that for a split second before I was out cold again. This time I remembered the strike. At least a second or two of it.
Before I continue, I would like to add something. Even though I knew how dangerous Lightning was, I was still curious about the dream I had in 1966.   So when this happened, I really wasn't afraid, until I actually felt my hair stand up, and knew I would be struck. I did not feel that in 1966. I was just knocked out by the Wall blowing up. There was no time to be scared in back then, but this was different. I actually knew it was coming, when I got to that tree. That was frightening. And I did get hit again. So PLEASE be careful of lightning. It is nothing to fool with OK?...

I believe that what happened next, was the reason I started to study Lucid Dreaming. After the Bolt hit me, I thought I was awake, but I really was not. I was just laying there stunned. What I remember of those few minutes, or whatever it was is this.
I remember getting up and walking back to the seat in the Garden, Where I picked up the Paper I was reading. Only it was not the same thing. So I read it, and It showed the Name of the town where My family lived, upstate New York, And It showed a Rebuilt Railroad station being used for a Library. What got me though, was the Date. It was Years ahead. It was in the 1990's. This was 1977.

This was long before "reality checks" With Lucid Dreaming and all that, So in the Dream I kept reading. I saw the state these things were in THEN, and the state they WOULD be in in 23 years. There was a Big difference. I distinctly remember looking at that, and saying to myself, "What happened there?"    In the dream, the answer was clear. The story said, "Through private charities, These were able to continue and serve". That's all I saw. Then I woke up. This time I was alone. I was laying next to the burnt tree and Scorched Bat.   I believe it was at THAT moment, when I decided to move to My family's town.   (The same one in the Dream)      I was already thinking about leaving, but this kind of made it pretty clear what I should do. It took me a while, but I finally did move there.
I did actually end up making donations for the places I read about in the Dream that day. Library and Soup Kitchen. I have a post here that already tells about that.
Anyway, that's what happened that day in Paterson New Jersey. There is nothing mystical about it. It's just a case of somebody getting knocked out and remembering a dream.   But man, What a Dream.
So that's why I say this is related to lucid Dreaming. I believe these were the First 2 I ever had.     I Don't know how many of you have been hit by a Lightning Bolt. Maybe you would remember, maybe not. But I did remember these dreams, and they changed me forever.   That's why I'm talking about Lucid Dreams on here.
I have since had plenty of Lucid Dreams. Most of them were simple dreams, flying and all that, But a few were extremely insightful. This has worked for me. Whether it works for anyone else, I can't say. I only know, it did for me.
One thing more. When you find yourself in a bad situation, or need to make a difficult decision, or whatever it may be, My advice is, Follow your heart. The first impression of the Heart is usually the correct thing to do. It's usually the most difficult also. I try to keep a rule with myself. It's a simple rule. That is to Simply Do the Right thing for the Right reason, and follow my heart. The heart can give you some really tough answers sometimes though, so be prepared for that. In the past, I did not follow that rule, and found myself in worse situations, than if I did. So I need to learn as well.
I believe that something good is coming. All we have to do is expect it. So, follow your dreams my friend. Follow your Dreams. The problems you and I face today are considerable, and the answer will not be an easy one. Just remember that there is an answer. It lies inside us. Each of us.
Well, that's my story of 2 of the 3 events I experienced with Lightning. I have one more story about it, But that's for another day.
As usual, Thanks for reading
Peace G

Lightning Dreams Number one

noreply@blogger.com (Gsmiley) — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 07:54:00 +0000

Hi
My blog is based mostly on my experiences with Lucid Dreaming, among other things. During the course of my life, certain things have happened to me to get me interested in the subject and start to research it.    This story is about one of those times...

June 6 1966, I was living in New Jersey in a lakefront community. It was summer and all the families who had Summer homes were there, so all my friends from around the area were there too.    There was a Lake Catering Hall/Recreation center/game room building there that actually had it's own Drive in Movie Screen outside it, where on 2 nights a week there would be a feature movie there for the residents. It was actually kind of a sit outside and watch place with the big screen, but no cars.     It was on one of these nights that something interesting happened to me. Something that changed my life.

OK, long story short.    The movie was playing on the screen. It was, "The Devil At 4:00".    I had seen it already, so I was inside the Rec Hall in the Kitchen talking to my friends who worked there.   I was sitting on a big floor freezer against the wall in there talking.    The weather began to get nasty outside, and the movie was halted due to it, so people were coming inside and ordering stuff in there.   Normal thing happened all the time. So I'm sitting there and outside the window, there are flashes. Lightning. real close too.    I remember the lights going out, and Me looking out the window, saying "Saint Elmo's Fire", cause the lightning seemed to hit close somewhere and bounce around. Never saw anything like it at the time.

No sooner did I say that, but I remember another flash coming. I remember seeing the Lightning hit outside in a tennis court, Then I remember waking up in the back of a car. As I remember, it was a Police Car.     It was a strange feeling. I remember opening my eyes and looking. I had absolutely no idea of where I was, what happened, or who I was, or anything else for that matter.

I don't know how long I was actually like that, it's kind of fuzzy now. It was a long time ago. So, I will skip to the next day. I went up to the Rec Hall that morning and saw this 10 foot hole in the wall in the kitchen and the top of the freezer was not attached, but had hit the wall on the other side of the Kitchen.   The freezer I was sitting on.     I found out that a Lightning Bolt had come in from the SIDE somehow. Like it hit the ground and bounced sideways, and then struck the wall directly behind me. Knocked that wall out, knocked the power out, and knocked me out too! I got hit right in the back by both the Lightning and the the wall blowing up, and thrown across the room. It looked really nasty...

Now I start to remember.    I had to be revived somehow in whatever car that was the night before. I was out cold. Very deep. I was OK now, but at the time I was not.   I'm not going to try and say Near Death, but It COULD have been that. I say that because of the DREAM I had while out.

I'm not going to claim it was near death. It is just difficult to describe it. It was most likely some kind of neural biological thing in my head from the Shock of the lightning. Anyway, it was strange.   Now, everybody in my family knows about this, but not about the dream I had.
I remember this. I remember standing in some Hallway. Very bright light all around. I remember walking down the Hallway and meeting some person standing next to 2 doors. One I saw had a stairway going up to bright light, and the other was just dark. I didn't have much choice of which one I had to take, cause this person took my arm, pointed me to the dark door, and said "You are to see this", and the next thing I knew I was going down this kind of tunnel slide. Like the ones at water parks you know? That is about as close as I can get to describing that.     So I'm going down this thing and I get to the bottom.    The bottom consisted of Something like water, maybe 2 feet deep, only the water was actually some kind of fire in the form of water. Fire that did not burn me. I don't remember even feeling it.
I start walking, and these things started jumping on me. All over me. I didn't feel them either but they were on me. They were these small nasty looking things yelling out about things I have done, or places I had been, and things like that.    I remember picking them off and throwing them. I remember walking forward and grabbing and punching and throwing them aside. I was not afraid. Something was telling me I would not be injured by them. So I walked through this fire water. Grabbing, punching, and throwing these things. Then I saw something I will never forget.    I came up to this big like block thing right in front of me, with no way around it, so I stopped. So did the things around me.   I stopped, looked up and heard a voice. The voice said "The face".   I was thinking, "the Face? The face of what?"   I kept looking up and there were these things like the bottom feet of a bathtub standing on an old floor, only made out of some Kind of Gold color.
I looked up higher and It was actually the feet of a Big Seat sitting on the big base I told you about. There was someone sitting in it too!    Now I was getting a little uneasy. cause I had no idea what was happening, or why, or how I got there. The higher I looked up, the brighter the person in the chair got. I remember hearing in my head, or whatever it was, that voice again. I don't remember the exact words, but it was something about a face. (Now,I know this is going to sound strange enough, without me making something up, so I'll just leave it at that)..
I kept looking up. and got about halfway up. This form was made out of some kind of transparent Gold Liquid, that looked like water. kind of moving around. Like the water in a pool with the wind blowing on it, making it circulate around. That is as close to what it looked like as I can relate. I can't think of the words to describe this. The only word would be "Living water". maybe "living creature". I say that because I could feel that and see that in this. Just living moving transparent Gold with deep moving colors of..."Life".    Totally beyond description. It was more..real, than I was. Even that doesn't explain this. Try to imagine anything You have ever seen, felt, or imagined. This was something on a totally different level.   Like a blind person. Blind their entire life, suddenly getting sight standing by a huge waterfall with a rainbow.    He wouldn't be able to explain that, or even comprehend what it even was. Something that was always felt, but never seen. Now being seen, impossible to describe.    This Gold colored water was flowing around, peacefully.Like a River. I stood there just staring. I heard more being said, but don't actually remember every detail. Something encouraging, not frightening. It made me feel safe. I knew I would not be harmed by this. It was just something my mind was seeing. And the higher I looked, the brighter it was getting. I really wanted to see this now.
So I'm staring and trying to look higher, when the next thing I knew, I was saying.. "where am I"..    in the back of a vehicle.
I had no Idea of where I was, what anything around me was, or who I was. Totally a blank.   This did not last too long, thank Goodness, because the next day I was able to remember a lot. Eventually it all returned.   I remembered the dream too. I have been trying to piece it together for decades now. I'm fairly certain it was just a case of being zapped with lightning and remembering things. Like you remember those abstract things from a Dream, or if you pass out. That's why You always say, "Where Am I", when you wake up, cause your mind is very active during those times. Probably jumping from scene to scene, until you wake up, and you think it's the next "scene" of your dream.   It was like that only clearer.
OK that's enough for now.   This has happened to me twice in my life. Both times from being struck by lightning. I was actually hit by it twice, and shocked by it a third time.    The second time? even stranger than the first time.   That's for tomorrow I guess.
Remember this. This actually happened to me. You don't need to believe that, It's up to you. I do however, appreciate you reading this, and always do.    Wait till you hear the story about the next time I got hit later in Life.
Till then     Peace G

A Short Story I wrote a while back. Based on a night I had in a Hospital in Upstate New York. All in fun. Not to be taken seriously.

noreply@blogger.com (Gsmiley) — Thu, 24 Feb 2011 00:27:00 +0000

     I don't know too many people who have an alarm clock nurse, but I have one! I am having tests done in a Hospital in Upstate New York, and it requires that I stay for about a week. Most of them have a bright white smile, and are Always friendly, professional and caring. Sort of like Charlize Theron in the Movie she was in with Jeff Daniels, where she was a waitress, and he was a lawyer. Remembering the scene where he was hyperventilating, and she gave him the paper bag to breathe into. When he looks up he sees the face of an Angel smiling down. Trial and error it was called. An outstanding comedy. Yeah? Well only in the movies. Unfortunately, not for this puppy.

     This is what actually happened. (well almost)

     I practice lucid dreaming. That's where you are approaching Theta REM sleep from the initial Beta sleep pattern. Your mind is actually able to control those dreams as you wish. Very relaxing, and helps you overcome fears and things in the waking day. Like for example, you are afraid of heights.. you dream of flying, and after a while you will not fear flying anymore. When you wake up, you remember the entire dream. You can even plan the dream during the day with meditation. The whole dream only lasts a few minutes, and it requires a lot of practice, and patience. That's the theory Anyway. It does however, work for me, and I love it. But that's not what I want to talk to you about today. I mentioned it because it helps to achieve the proper perspective comparison for what happened here. Anyway, Back to my story. I was dreaming I was in the middle of scuba diving in Florida, with no air tank or Goggles, Looking for mermaids with my beautiful Scuba Instructor, Roxanne.

     Everything was perfect. I was gliding under the warm tropical water eating a cheeseburger, reading the headlines in the Newspaper of how I had just won the lottery, while sipping on a tall drink with one of those little umbrellas in it. Hey, its a dream, OK?    I'm having a blast. (until)

     I feel tugging on my arm, and a voice saying," Wake up! Wake up! Oh No! Your line is tangled! I don't want another bleeder!"   So I think to myself, "Line? what line? I don't even have an air tank down here".
And "Who is bleeding? Roxanne Are you OK? There may be some underwater vines or something surrounding that treasure chest, so stay behind me and you will be OK". And then I opened my eyes and said. OH!

     I see it's my Nurse. The real one, that I had not seen yet. (I guess Charlize was busy). What I see is a face with a big smile, which consisted of one tooth on the bottom, sticking out over the top lip. This face was wearing glasses and a flashlight on it's forehead, being held there with what looked like a shoelace. The flashlight's bulb not being turned on yet, Matched the round lens of the taped together glasses, which featured a delightful magnified pair of half crossed eyes, which were Wide and piercing. (with a slight spin). This made the face look like it had 3 eyes. One in the middle! It was also wearing some kind of plastic shower cap thing on its head, with little swirls on it, which was failing to cover the long brownish green matted hair. The face reminded me of the Stay puff Marshmallow man in the movie Ghostbusters, only with with one tooth in the Middle, And a third eye.

     In My present state of mind, it looked like Medusa coming in for the kill, carrying the eagle that would daily devour the liver of Prometheus on the rock, because he gave the world the knowledge of fire. My Medusa however, had 3 eyes, and one tooth, wearing a big evil Gerber Baby face smile. She was holding a needle, and leaving a trail of drool, as it began It's descent toward my face.

     And I said.    (Oh!).

     Now the face begins to speak. I think it said, "How are you?" But it sounded to me like a gleeful "Ahh Rooo". As it was getting closer holding that big needle, and wearing the same smile.
Then I believe what was said was, "alright now your going to be OK,". which sounded Very much like, "Alright, now you are going to pay! Which was spoken in an Elmer Fudd Accent, coming from that big Empty, one tooth mouth. The only thing missing yet was the Elmer Fudd laugh. You know the one. (So I guess it could have been worse).
That is the best description I can think of for what I saw so far.
As you can tell by my description so far, I am slightly confused about what is going on here. Then I hear "Can't have no more tissue damage, So Howed till". Well now I was beginning to understand what was going on here.

     The last sentence was, I was supposed to hold still to avoid tissue damage. The tissue damage being the area of my arm where the IV was put in. It seems that Florence Nightingale here, checks on sleeping patients status, by yanking on the plastic tube coming from the IV pump while the patient is asleep, to see if it leaks. I suppose if you yank too hard on these things, Oops it will leak. The rest will be left to imagination, as to the tissue damage part. (for now)

     So now I'm thinking , That's what those little yelps I heard were earlier, Just before I fell asleep! I heard a series of them, starting at the far end of the hall, and working their way down toward my room. Maybe one every 5 minutes or so. Every once in a while, A slight scream or muffled yell and crash of a glass. Then the sound of bare feet shuffling quickly, followed by this Thump. Followed by dragging sounds and low moans and whimpering. Then shushing, mixed with the sound of the Elmer Fudd giggle, then sheets rustling, then just this low weeping sound.

     Well, needless to say, it was now too late for me to worry about that. I had become the next in line. And I was gonna be, "OK".    The Flashlight comes on in the middle of the forehead, lighting up the area around the top of the bed.
And I said. (Oh).

     So now my brain starts sending signals. Run! Run Now!   Huh? what was that? I look up and see the Evil Gerber Baby Face with the 3 eyes and Medusa cap, flashing that same smile, standing next to me holding   A great big Needle! Now doing the Elmer Fudd Giggle too! "Huh Huh Huh Huh Huh". So of course the first impulse anyone would have, would be to    Leave of course! So, I immediately jump out of the bed.   As I do this, The IV comes out.

     "Oh! Hey! Ouch!" (So that's the TISSUE damage!). So I begin to claw my way away from the bed, running in my bare feet. Got to be something her to help me I think, so I grab the water glass and Smash it on the floor! From somewhere in the back of my mind, I hear Short Round saying, "Big mistake Indy! Big Mistake!" (Oh really, you think?) OK there has to be something else here then!   I grab the phone and Crash! Magazines, then a box of cookies. Nothing is working. I can now feel my feet being grabbed. I was slowly being dragged back across the floor to the bed.    All I can say is No! No! No! Please! Next thing I know, I'm being lifted on the bed where I pull up the covers, moaning quietly, "No No No". Then I realized, This is Exactly the sound I just heard from the room next to me 5 minutes before. Well, I had to do something here, or I was toast, So, I pointed toward the sky in the window, and yelled    "Look, an Elephant!" She says, "Oh Weally?" But the face just kept coming closer, and the head was shaking back and forth. "Dah udder guy in dah udder woom , just twied dat my fwend! Huh Huh Huh Huh Huh". (Oh, give me a break already!).

   So I prepared for the worst.     Just then my cell phone rings!   Yes! The Phone! She picks it up, and says "Not now!" Then the Land line phone on the table rings. She picks up. "Yes". I'm thinking. I'm Saved! just give me the phone. (I felt this wave of relief fall over me). She says to the phone, "Hey, Wat is dis? Party Central? We In Dah middle of a vewy vewy sewios procedure! not now! Huh Huh Huh Huh Huh". And she hangs Up!. (great)
So naturally I said, "who was that?"   "Oh, justya tista". (my sister). " She sounded a wittle worried. Huh Huh Huh Huh Huh!" Really? So I said this,   " By now she is probably Locked, Loaded, and on her way over here"

And she said, (Oh)

     Well, after the ordeal, She left before anybody got there. On the way out, She said, "Sweet Dweams"..
To which I replied, "Oh you can bet on it! Huh Huh Huh Huh Huh".

Short and Almost true story about a night in the Hospital a while back. I actually wrote this while I was still in the room the next day.    I actually never saw her again after that night.
Well that's my little story.
G

Step By Step Lucid Dream

noreply@blogger.com (Gsmiley) — Wed, 16 Feb 2011 03:27:00 +0000

People have asked me lately about a short list of how to lucid dream Here is mine.
1. Keep a Dream Journal right by your bed and write down exactly what you can remember   Do this right away, Don't get up. You will forget the dreams if you don't log them.

2. Do Reality checks during the day. Like glancing at your watch, then looking away, and glancing back. When you look back at the watch, The Time is the same. There will be of course, no change. Do this during the day. This may sound a little strange, however, It prepares your mind for when you will do the same thing in your dream. This is very important.

3. Think about the dream you had, or want to have during the day. Keep any image in your mind.

4.   Look at the dream Journal when you go to bed. Think on it when you go to sleep.

5.   Repeat in your mind, as silently as you can, as to not stay awake. Something like,
"The next time I have a dream, I will be aware that I am Dreaming. Am I dreaming? Is this a dream? over and over till so it's the last thing you think of before you fall asleep.

6. When you are asleep, Do reality checks in your dream. How? Well you have trained your conscious mind on reality checks in the daytime already, so after some practice during the day, your mind will do it while you are asleep also. That's why the practice of daytime reality checks is so important. It prepares your mind to do it when you achieve REM sleep.

In REM sleep, (sleep cycle stage of sleep), in your dream, Do a reality check.    Look at your watch, then look away, just as you did while awake. The Time or something will be different. You're conscious mind remembers the reality checks during the day, when nothing changed. Now something has changed. It know that this is not possible, So the conscious mind enters the dream. It will be aware that you are dreaming, because you practiced the Mantra, from step 5, before you went to sleep. You will now be dreaming with the conscious mind being aware that you are dreaming, and observing the dream. For the first few times this happens, you will probably wake up at that point. I know I did. It's perfectly normal. The conscious mind gets surprised at it at first, and wakes you up. This will pass though. After a few times doing this, you will remain asleep, while your conscious mind observes and remembers the dream. The key here is to train your mind to remember the dream. That is why the dream Journal, when you wake up is important also. It helps you to remember your dreams. With practice you can learn to control these dreams, and that is where the fun starts.

7.    Don't get discouraged. This takes a little time. The entire key is to remember your Dreams. As I was explaining yesterday, It's like say, you had an accident, were knocked out for a week, Woke up with amnesia. Doesn't mean it didn't happen, cause it did.   You just don't remember. When you do finally remember, It's as clear as a bell. Same kind of thing here. Except without the accident of course.
As I said, Remembering is the key! It's very important!.

I will be on line later Till then My friends.
Peace   G

SOME DREAMS CAN'T COMPARE TO THE REAL THING

noreply@blogger.com (Gsmiley) — Mon, 07 Feb 2011 09:58:00 +0000

     My band did a show one time at the Bitter End in Greenwich village in New York, a year after the attacks in 2001. I had the privilege of being able to dedicate one of our new songs to FDNY, and NYPD, who responded that day. A friend of mine's husband was injured there as well.
Well, I sometimes get a little emotional about that, and I knew I had to do it, so all day I prepared myself for it.
As it turned out, we were running late. We got to Bleeker St maybe 10 minutes before the show, and ran inside.

     The place was packed with people. Just wall to wall. Made our way past all that, and ran into the dressing room and got ready. Of course everybody had to stop and sign the wall, as is the tradition. I found a spot and wrote my name there. The only spot I could really find, was on the ceiling in the middle. Let me tell you, There was every name you could imagine there. I managed to get it right between a world famous singer from New York, and A Female lead singer from the 60s and 70s. (sorry can't mention their names here), I could not believe how many Famous people had been there over the years. Every name, Every singer, every comedian. There were what seemed like, thousands. Only had a minute or two to actually do it, but I remember it to this day. That is quite a room. If you ever get to the Bitter End, you should check it out.

     Anyway, we tuned up for about 30 seconds, and ran onstage. The stage lights were really bright, so I could only see the first row of tables, but I could hear the rest.
Now the band is announced. everybody yells and claps, most had never heard us before, so It was pretty much all good I guess.
I was OK with that, Not nervous. Not really at all. Until It's my turn to actually speak. So the boss announces I will do a dedication. Still OK.   A lot of people there did know us and were cheering. and the show was being taped. So it took a few seconds for that to sink in, and I'm thinking now, "open your mouth, and try not to say, ahh homina homina I'm the chef of the Future!" You know like Ralph Kramden did? I guess I had about a fifty fifty chance of actually saying that. I was pretty nervous.

     Now my sister had told me something about putting up a wall between you and everybody else there. The Idea is to look and speak, be friendly, personal, make some eye contact, Just don't let emotions seep out if you can. Pretty much a rule of thumb. I don't really get stage fright, but this was different. This needed to be professional. So I took a deep breath, opened my mouth, and heard a voice from the audience, in a speaking tone, not yelling, but I heard it all the same. I'm not gonna say who it was, but I knew the voice.
The voice said "This is one of the high points of his life!" You can actually hear that on one of the Videos that   were made that night. Not on the Studio video one though.

     Anyway, I heard it, and I realized it was true, So I just said what I had to say. I managed to get through it OK I guess.     I Used to work in the 78th floor of the WTC, running stock reports to People a while back, so I needed to do this correctly. The song was "Nighttime Skies" an original from the Band. (the track is on the link here for listening to our band in case you're interested.) The Boss was kind enough to let me introduce that song, which is my Favorite. (I will be forever grateful Jack,Thank you). I get to play the bass and some slide stuff on this song, on the CD but only Bass that night. I worked out Bass runs for months. Well it all went OK. I didn't stutter (too much), and we finished the set.   45 Minutes later, outside the front door, We are told that some of the songs could actually be hits. One could actually be number one. That was possibly the greatest compliment in my entire life. If you happen to be reading this, I'm not going to mention your name either, cause I would not do that without telling you. You know who you are, so Thank You! ( I don't remember the song he said though).

     It was a good night. We did OK. After the show, we hung out a little. Got a lot of compliments from people.
But the thing I remember the most was Walking down Bleeker Street with another Musician I knew, carrying my bass. The streets were packed with people. People in Cafes and in tables on the sidewalk, Or sightseeing or waiting in line for shows and other stuff. Watching us walk past. I remember the feeling of walking down that Street, and My feet felt like they were off the ground, and I was just floating. Indescribable feeling I will never forget it.   That was in 2002 and a long time ago now, and a lot of shows later. But It really was one of the high points of my life. I watched one of the videos not long ago, and I can distinctly hear that voice speaking that night, about the High Point, and It was exactly that too.

     It seems like a dream. But it wasn't. It actually happened. A great night. I am so thankful for the chance to have done that.

     As good as that night was, I have tried to copy it in dreams for a while. Couple of times now. I always seem to wake up when the Lights come up on stage in the dream versions.   I guess maybe some experiences are better left as they are. This is one of them.

   Man, I just realized I was off the subject and going on again. sorry bout' that. Just felt like writing tonight. I'll get back to my posts in a few hrs.

G

WE die on the day when our lives cease to be illuminated by the steady radiance renewed daily, of a wonder the source of which is beyond all measure and comprehension

noreply@blogger.com (Gsmiley) — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 09:38:00 +0000

Hi
Sometimes in our life our path takes turns and goes down some rocky roads. Before we can even realize it, we are in the middle of some crisis that there seems to be no answer to. It has been my experience that these are the times when we need to remember that our lives DO take turns in different directions, no matter how well planned or thought out. This is what gives our lives balance. It helps to build strength and character.
It is NOT an easy thing to correct sometimes. I have had this happen to me a lot, and you know what I found out?   I found out that the times I decided to stand my ground and do the right thing, that these were the times when I was strongest.
We don't necessarily need strength when things are going along well, we can just kind of coast through, which is a good thing actually.   It is when our lives DO turn in a different direction, when we find out who we really are
I find myself in something like that now, as I look around. There are things that are out of balance, and I Know that the solution is up to me. At least as far as my own life. I have been here before, and will be again I'm certain. That's life. The way I look at it, I can sit down and worry, or I can DO something about it.    My Grandpa always told me, "the answer lies in that first step- make it a good one." So it's time to take that step.
If you are in the same situation, all I can say is, YOU can do it. Give it a shot. and...Dream on.
peace   G