Saturday, October 9, 2010

Watching the Wheels

Aloha 
& Welcome to My Waikiki. . .




"Remember
not only to say the right thing
in the right place,
but

to leave unsaid
the wrong thing
at the tempting moment."

Ben Franklin






 Sometimes
we feel hemmed in,
like we've come to a dead
 end.








 But a shift in perspective,

perhaps

a glance over or around the obstacle. . . 






Just for today
I will be happy.

Everywhere I go
there are people to love
including myself.


 ><>



So many wonderful blogs!
There is just NO way I can visit each of you,
my favorites,
as often as I wish. . .

I hope you understand. . .
You enrich my life
and are much appreciated!

<><




"Life is what happens while you are making other plans."

I had studied till I could study no more.
Now I just had to get all that information
intact to the midterm examinations.

Nothing could be permitted to disturb
my edifice of facts;
Tomorrow I would write my essays
in that blue book
proving my comprehension.

Now I must sleep.

Just a few moments of music.

I turned the radio on.

"We repeat: John Lennon has been shot in New York.
No reports yet on his condition."

Suddenly
my exams seemed trivial.

How can I explain?

Fortunately, I don't really need to:
his lyrical genius
and his brilliant irreverence
touched the whole world.

For us,
his voice was the sound
of our growing up:

Pop that changed the sound of the world.

Explorations in consciousness.

A plea for PEACE.

Music and ideas

that expanded with OUR consciousness.

I loved John.

Today would have been his 70th birthday.

My path has not always made sense to those around me,
or even to myself;
but it has been 
honest as it has been
idiosyncratic.

John modelled the courage
to follow your personal genius,
to follow your heart
to give yourself fully
to that which you love.

I have always loved the song below
and identified with it.

All I am saying
is give peace with yourself
a chance.

Make it count.

Because John was right:
Life IS what happens
while we make other plans.

We make plans

and God laughs.

So laugh along.

Cry some too. . .

Thanks for being

my friend!  cloudia 


43 comments:

Nancy said...

This was one of the best tributes I've read on John.

Cloudia said...

Why Thank YOU!

Myrna R. said...

Great tribute to a well deserving man. I admire him too.

Cloudia said...

Glad you could visit today, Myrna :)

Anonymous said...

I just LOVED the video!!! In fact, I bought DOUBLE FANTASY as soon as it was released after the murder. Poignant songs! This one is my fave!!!

Mahalo, CC!

KrippledWarrior said...

I've always been a big big fan of his music. I never cared for his politics. But I liked his music. I had no use for his philosophy. But I liked his music. And I never understood his taste in women. But I like his music.
And this is my fish
><}}(°> <°)}}><

thanks for dropping bye.

BALLET NEWS said...

Such a great tribute. ANd of course I loved the flip flop at the start...

Living In Williamsburg Virginia said...

Great post and tribute.

Darryl and Ruth : )

Rosaria Williams said...

Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! Love to you too!

Land of shimp said...

Aw...I've just realized, today would have been his seventieth birthday, wouldn't it?

Imagine, indeed. Lennon left a huge, huge mark on the world in what was really a rather short life.

Cloudia, this needs to be said...goodness you're good at finding quotes to match pictures. I've never been good at captioning a darned thing, so I'm always so impressed when people find exactly the right words to go with an image.

I always think of Hawaii as being just paradise, a place where thinking could be put on hold, and just staring at pretty views would be how I'd spend my days. You're awfully good at showing snapshots that might inspired that sort of disconnected, "Awwwwww...so pretty." ...and getting me to think as we look.

Cloudia said...

Thanks for speaking your heart.




<°)}}><

Hilary said...

Now that was a beautiful and touching tribute, Cloudia. I loved the video too. Your flip-flop image sort of matches Daryl's barefoot sand print image in her "Through My Eyes" blog.

Windsmoke. said...

G' Day From Australia, Fantastic tribute to one of the greatest songwriter and poet of the 20th century brutally taken away from us to early, happy birthday and may you rest in peace.

Friko said...

Personally speaking, that first quote could have written for me. Perhaps I will have to take it to heart after all.

John Lennon was one of my heroes.

Teresa said...

Great post, Cloudia. I was in school, too, when John was shot. I was going out to get a snack, and I found people sobbing in the halls.

magiceye said...

beautiful tribute....

namaste /\ from mumbai
aloha!!

Carver said...

Excellent post and a great tribute.

Anonymous said...

Wheels lift up what was before on the ground.

Please have a good Sunday.


daily athens

Feisty Crone said...

As a teenager I watched the Beatles on the Ed Sullivan show, bought their records, and drove my parents crazy mooning over pictures of Paul and Ringo. As I got older, I fell in love with John's words and music. Thanks for this wonderful post, Cloudia.

SandyCarlson said...

You make me smile and feel reassured. Thank you for your blog.

I think you are great.

Kay said...

Thanks for being all of our friends, Cloudia. I think it's so wonderful that John took time out of his career to take care of his son. It shows what sort of man he was. Imagine is still one of my favorite songs.

Trotter said...

Hi Cloudia! Great quote, that of Ben Franklin...
Lucky girl to have summer on the beach the whole year... ;)

I’m going to be offline working in a «remote» location next week, but left you in a new destination in Blogtrotter Two... Enjoy and have a great week!

Fireblossom said...

I love John. He makes me larf.

David Cranmer said...

Watching the Wheels from Double Fantasy was my favorite. I also like the posthumous Nobody Told Me.

Kavita Saharia said...

What a wonderful tribute !

Louis la Vache said...

«Louis» really likes the Franklin quote you used at the beginning of this post.

s.m. said...

I see I read and admire, and what to say except, you're brilliant. Thanks for this post

Anonymous said...

I still can't believe he's gone. The video was amazing...a Beatle on a beach with a baby boy...if all the world would do so. Mahalo, DrumMajor

Maude Lynn said...

I love this tribute to John!

Phivos Nicolaides said...

A very good tribune!

DeniseinVA said...

You always succeed in excellence Cloudia. This tribute to John Lennon was powerful. Thank you my friend and Aloha! :)

Joanna Jenkins said...

Ben Franklin had it right-- That's a terrific quote I hadn't head before.

Loved the video :-) Thanks,
jj

Commander Zaius said...

Great post! Seems like he has been gone a million years now, or maybe I'm just getting old.

Dr. Russell Norman Murray said...

Lennon and the Beatles, one of my favourite musical acts.

Happy Canadian Thanksgiving.

the walking man said...

I took his birthday off. I know you'll understand.

Akelamalu said...

Lovely tribute to a fantastic talented man. x

Anonymous said...

i like your blog)its stylish and interesting to read, hun=*

i follow your blog
and it will be great if you will read me too
and follow me)

HulaBuns said...

Thanks for stopping by my blog! This is a great tribute to John!! Loved the video. :)

sealaura said...

very nice Cloudia! I love John Lennon and that video is just so precious.you are always so inisightful.

xx L

25BAR said...

Ben Franklin, oh yes!
You seem to be a fountain of knowledge!

Jenn Jilks said...

Yes, Great post on a great musician.

Our temperatures are slowly dropping. Nice to see your warm clime!

Cloudia said...

Thank

YOU EACH!

Betty Manousos said...

Thanks Cloudia! Such a powerful tribute! I love John, too.

Warmest Aloha!

B xx