Ruminations from the Temple

We fear. We fear loss--of loved ones, of employment, of security. We fear the loss of our youth, our money, and our mind. We fear losing precious children, beloved possessions, and our prized choice. And ultimately, we fear losing good health, human dignity, and the respect of others. “Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering.” Fear of loss is the shadow of greed--the path to a dark and lonely place. A place where the worst scenario plays out, where darkness presses and desperation resides. Fearful panic takes hold and suggests decisions based upon lies. Acting on fabricated what-ifs is giving in to uncontrolled fear in a desperate attempt to gain control of that which hasn't happened. Convinced there is but one path to take only reinforces the obvious--you have no choice. Anger starts to seep into thoughts, as fear-fed resentment takes root. Why me? Passion runs high when one is pressed into a fearful c...

It is the ability to move farther and faster than was previously possible. The anxious 16-year old that first sits behind the wheel of power and movement feels the thrill and danger that is soon lost in daily necessity. The worst wheel of the cart makes the most noise. ~Benjamin Franklin The guy who invented the first wheel was an idiot.  The guy who invented the other three,  HE was a genius. ~Sid Caesar The engine sucks the highly refined fuel as we hit the ignition, and the pistons fire precisely enough to give us the energy to move forward. And what of our appreciation? A modern miracle reduced to the mundane--much better if the  wheels  sport the latest popular paint color... 12: Fear 13: Pleasure 14: Forty-two 15: Wood 16: Ordinary matters 17: Time 18: Fire 19: White 20: Bird 21: Moon 22: Portrait 23: Fish tales 24: Crowd 25: The future 26: My toothbrush 27: Nude 28: Outlier 29: Lines 30:  The De...

I hate waiting. Yep. That about sums it up. However, we all spend a tremendous amount of time waiting. In fact, I wonder how many hours/days/years we spend waiting in an average lifetime. I'm sure there is some type of fancy math formula to figure that one out... 62 minutes a day. The below paragraph states: in 70 years, the average person spends at least 3 years waiting. I calculated that those 3 years would be approximately 4.3% of time spent waiting or 62 minutes a day. Excerpt: Waiting, an inevitable and even necessary aspect of human life is not something that most of us relish. We wait in lines: in order to purchase groceries; to be served at popular restaurants; to be attended to in a bank; at stop signs and traffic signals; at amusement parts; to see a play or film. We must also wait for flowers to grow and bloom; for babies to be born; for wounds to heal; for bread to rise and cheese to age; for children to mature; for friends to call; for love to de...

We have just enough religion to make us hate ,  but not enough to make us love one another. ~Jonathan Swift “You can safely assume that you've created G-d in your own image  when it turns out that G-d hates all the same people you do. ~Anne Lamott 10: Waiting 11: Wheels 12: Fear 13: Pleasure 14: Forty-two 15: Wood 16: Ordinary matters 17: Time 18: Fire 19: White 20: Bird 21: Moon 22: Portrait 23: Fish tales 24: Crowd 25: The future 26: My toothbrush 27: Nude 28: Outlier 29: Lines 30: The Devil G-D

9: Hate 10: Waiting 11: Wheels 12: Fear 13: Pleasure 14: Forty-two 15: Wood 16: Ordinary matters 17: Time 18: Fire 19: White 20: Bird 21: Moon 22: Portrait 23: Fish tales 24: Crowd 25: The future 26: My toothbrush 27: Nude 28: Outlier 29: Lines 30: The Devil

Life is a mirror and will reflect back to the thinker what he thinks into it. ~Ernest Holmes 8: A stranger 9: Hate 10: Waiting 11: Wheels 12: Fear 13: Pleasure 14: Forty-two 15: Wood 16: Ordinary matters 17: Time 18: Fire 19: White 20: Bird 21: Moon 22: Portrait 23: Fish tales 24: Crowd 25: The future 26: My toothbrush 27: Nude 28: Outlier 29: Lines 30: The Devil

The certainty of death and the uncertainty of the hour of death  is a source of grief throughout our life.  ~E. Morin 7: Mirror 8: A stranger 9: Hate 10: Waiting 11: Wheels 12: Fear 13: Pleasure 14: Forty-two 15: Wood 16: Ordinary matters 17: Time 18: Fire 19: White 20: Bird 21: Moon 22: Portrait 23: Fish tales 24: Crowd 25: The future 26: My toothbrush 27: Nude 28: Outlier 29: Lines 30: The Devil

Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around. ~Leo F. Buscaglia 6: Tragedy 7: Mirror 8: A stranger 9: Hate 10: Waiting 11: Wheels 12: Fear 13: Pleasure 14: Forty-two 15: Wood 16: Ordinary matters 17: Time 18: Fire 19: White 20: Bird 21: Moon 22: Portrait 23: Fish tales 24: Crowd 25: The future 26: My toothbrush 27: Nude 28: Outlier 29: Lines 30: The Devil

To live you have to experiment ,  to have the ability to experiment you have to have confidence,  to have confidence you have to be loved,  to be loved you have to love.  5: Power 6: Tragedy 7: Mirror 8: A stranger 9: Hate 10: Waiting 11: Wheels 12: Fear 13: Pleasure 14: Forty-two 15: Wood 16: Ordinary matters 17: Time 18: Fire 19: White 20: Bird 21: Moon 22: Portrait 23: Fish tales 24: Crowd 25: The future 26: My toothbrush 27: Nude 28: Outlier 29: Lines 30: The Devil

The tragic or the humorous is a matter of perspective . ~Arnold Beisser 4: The experiment 5: Power 6: Tragedy 7: Mirror 8: A stranger 9: Hate 10: Waiting 11: Wheels 12: Fear 13: Pleasure 14: Forty-two 15: Wood 16: Ordinary matters 17: Time 18: Fire 19: White 20: Bird 21: Moon 22: Portrait 23: Fish tales 24: Crowd 25: The future 26: My toothbrush 27: Nude 28: Outlier 29: Lines 30: The Devil

There are three forms of visual art:  Painting is art to look at,  sculpture is art you can walk around,  and architecture is art you can walk through. ~Dan Rice 3: From An Ant’s Perspective 4: The experiment 5: Power 6: Tragedy 7: Mirror 8: A stranger 9: Hate 10: Waiting 11: Wheels 12: Fear 13: Pleasure 14: Forty-two 15: Wood 16: Ordinary matters 17: Time 18: Fire 19: White 20: Bird 21: Moon 22: Portrait 23: Fish tales 24: Crowd 25: The future 26: My toothbrush 27: Nude 28: Outlier 29: Lines 30: The Devil

After silence ,  that which comes nearest to expressing the inexpressible  is music.”   ~Aldous Huxley 2: Architecture 3: From An Ant’s Perspective 4: The experiment 5: Power 6: Tragedy 7: Mirror 8: A stranger 9: Hate 10: Waiting 11: Wheels 12: Fear 13: Pleasure 14: Forty-two 15: Wood 16: Ordinary matters 17: Time 18: Fire 19: White 20: Bird 21: Moon 22: Portrait 23: Fish tales 24: Crowd 25: The future 26: My toothbrush 27: Nude 28: Outlier 29: Lines 30: The Devil