Category: life

I used to live in the here and now

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Living in the present is widely promoted

Do not spend all day looking back

Waiting for the future is wasting your time

You should only focus on living in the now

But how do we define the now

Is it this calendar year

Is it all day today or just this hour

Is now this minute or this second

The smaller we make the now

The faster it becomes history

Future nows arrive much sooner

It gets harder and harder to live in the now

If the now becomes infinitesimally small

The merest billionth of a microsecond or less

So small that you cannot measure it

All you have left is past or future

As your brain constructs a sentence to speak

You are focusing on future words

While making them relevant to past words

All your words are either history or future

You might think you are reading my poem right now

But you actually started reading it historically

If you really want to be reading this poem in real time

I will write and transmit it to you at some future time

What fuel do you put in your hope engine

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The only two certainties in life are death and taxes

You might think this quote originated from humorist Mark Twain

You may believe it came from Benjamin Franklin in1789

However it has been traced to earlier origins

In 1716 Christopher Bullock wrote the Cobbler of Preston with the words

Tis impossible to be sure of any thing but Death and Taxes

So maybe the quote should be modified to say

The only three certainties in life are death, taxes

And the uncertainty of who first said this

Uncertainty is with us constantly

We never know for sure what will happen today

Or what tomorrow may bring

You may at any moment be bathed in bright light and happiness

Then plunged into darkness and despair in an instant

You could be jogging along on an aerobic high

Before tripping on uneven pavement and knock your teeth out

You may be struggling to make ends meet

Then suddenly learn of an unexpected inheritance

You may be battling a terrible long drawn out illness

To learn from your doctor that you have completely recovered

Light always precedes darkness

Darkness always follows light

The exact timing of your own change in brightness is uncertain

The only thing certain is uncertainty

Embrace the uncertainty in your life

Use it as fuel for your hope engine

Possibly the meaning of life

Ian Hunter2 Comments

I was hoping for a perfect spring day

to take a long bike ride

pull some weeds from the yard

clean up the front porch

so many things to do outside

then I looked at the weather forecast

possible showers today

that did not seem so bad

I had breakfast and got ready to ride my bike

black clouds rolled in fast

then the thunder clapped

as if to applaud the ensuing downpour

the morning was spent doing indoor projects

I did mange an hour of outdoor work in the afternoon

before another thunderstorm rolled in

it rained for the rest of the day

radar showed the storm was bigger than Texas

but the local weather forecast said only 49% chance if rain

I surrendered to the meteorologists vagueness 

frustrated that no other profession can be like theirs

imagine dropping your car off for a scheduled service

to be told that they might possibly work on it that day

you call 911 when you need an emergency response

  you do not expect they might possibly send and ambulance 

would you tell your children you possibly loved them

should a pilot be told he could possibly land on runway 3

I might possibly ignore the weather forecast tomorrow

I could possibly discover the meaning of life

I might possibly win the lottery

while riding my bike

possibly

Tiling your life wall

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Daily life is like tiling a bathroom wall

It goes better when you plan ahead

It will probably get messed up if you stumble blindly through it

Each new tile is like an hour in your day

Think ahead before you use it

Take care to make it fit well with the one before

Then the following one will go smoothly

Pause at the end of each day to look back

Be proud of the tiles put up in your life

Cherish the moments that went well

Let that tile on the wall be symbol of your efforts

Serving as a memory of how well you spent that hour

If you messed up be honest with yourself

Buy some more tiles and start over

The more tiles you lay the better you will be at tiling

When you have finished tiling your bathroom wall

It does not mean your time is up

There will be more hours in the day tomorrow

And more challenges to fill your time

It does not matter if you cannot lay tiles

Everybody is talented at something

You might be a fine cook or a fabulous artist

Perhaps an athlete or a great storyteller

Or just a really nice kind person

Who helps others tile their life wall

I love ice cream

Ian Hunter2 Comments

I love ice cream

On a hot day

On a cold day

On a wet day

On a dry day

On a windy day

On a lonely day

On a happy day

On a Monday

On a slow day

On a sad day

On a special day

On a Tuesday

On a me and you day

On a no work day

On a Saturday

On a play day

On a do nothing day

On a celebration day

On a Friday

On a recreation day

On a save the nation day

On a temptation day

On a decoration day

On a scintillation day

On a Saturday

On any day

I love ice cream

The school of life

Ian Hunter1 Comment

Education can open employment doors for you

But you still have to find those doors

Proving your potential can secure an initial job

However its only the beginning of your career

To forge a successful career

Continued learning is essential

Combined with hard work and dedication

Plus a healthy dose of ambition

You might need to change course a few times

Be open to new opportunities

Take some measured risks

Accept your failures as learning experiences

Looking back on my own academic education

It was totally focussed on preparing me for the workforce

Giving me the technical skills to solve engineering problems

Plus the communication and organizational skills to do business

I do not remember attending any classes about being a good citizen

There was never a class on how to establish good relationships

No classes on parenting or bereavement

No classes on how to cope with your own aging parents

I never reached for an old schoolbook

When one of my kids was sick

Or if they were having problems at school

There were no standard formulas for solving those problems

No academic classes prepared me

For my own relationship failures

Or for dealing with my divorce

The schoolbook on all that was nowhere to be found

I have learned a lot outside my academic schooling

Informal classes from my own dedicated wonderful parents

Combined with advice and guidance from friends and family

This was and still is my school of life

Making new memories

Ian Hunter2 Comments

Sadness clung to her like an indelible stain

She could not shake it off

Mourning the loss of her husband

After a long loving marriage

Sleeping was a real nightmare

Waking up was worse

The empty pillow stared at her in mute silence

Her thoughts grew weary from lack of sharing

Mornings were particularly hard

Setting the breakfast table for two

Then realizing he will never again be at the table

Friends did call on her for support

Their kindness was lost inside the chasm occupying her heart

Morning walks were lonely affairs

Her hand instinctively reaching out

To that empty space on her left side

Shopping was a painful activity

While searching the shelves for essentials

Some items literally screamed at her

Things she used to buy for him

She found it very hard to cook for one

After decades of portioning for two

Dinner was so lacking in conversation

She started talking out loud

Answering her own questions

Mimicking his views and expressions

This daily routine seemed endless

Suddenly it all changed

Her husband came to her in a dream one night

Telling her to replace the sadness in her heart

With the memories of their happy adventures

She started to smile again

Every waking moment became a joy to behold

She found the key to release her captive loneliness

She became a social queen

Hosting lively dinner parties

Holding court at the table

Proudly sharing her old memories whilst making new ones

Never break the cycle

Ian Hunter1 Comment

William was walking down the beach with his father

Palm trees lined the edge of the shore

The boy picked up a fallen coconut 

What shall we do with it Dad he asked

I think you should bury it said his father

Then come back when the tree has grown

William dug a hole in the sand and planted the coconut

Remember where you put it said his father

William returned to that beach thirty years later

His own son by his side this time

William told his son the story of the coconut

His son was excited to look for the tree

Eventually they stopped and Willam said its here

There was a fallen coconut under the tree

His son picked it up asking his dad if they should plant it

Oh no John said his dad, we will take it home and eat it

I have been waiting a long time to taste it

Suddenly a barrage of coconuts fell down from the tree

One struck William on the head knocking him out

John ran all the way home clutching the coconut

He raised the alarm but his father was found dead

John watched the coffin being put in the ground

He joined the line of people throwing dirt in the hole

Then he paused and thew the coconut onto the coffin

Vowing to return in thirty years

Discover your dreams, fears and hope

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Take one word from each group that starts with the same letter

Darkness

Despair

Disappointments

Depression

Light

Life

Luxury

Love

Pain

Paranoia

Perplexed

Petrified

Fun

Frolic

Frivolous

Friendly

Scandalous

Salacious

Selfish

Shameful

Happy

Hallowed

Handsome

Harmonious

Make a story about you with your six words

What does it tell you about your dreams, fears and hope?