Year's Final Day

A L O H A !

" Be at war with your vices,

at peace with your neighbors,

and let every new year

find you a better person. "

Benjamin Franklin

" Celebrate

what you want

to see more of. "

Tom Peters

" No one is so old

as to think

he cannot live

one more year. "

David Viscott

 > < } } ( ° >
     

Youth has an inexhaustible treasure

called "Some Day."

Every yearning,

every grievance,

every wish,

may be salved 

by a generous dose

of "Some Day."

I know.

I lived on it for years.

But one day

you ask yourself:

"What am I saving it for?"

"What am I waiting for?"

"If not now-

WHEN?"

And from that plateau,

you think:

"Finally, this is perspective,

this is wisdom."

But a day comes 

when you see

how quickly

things are moving.

I'm no longer the fastest walker

on the sidewalk.

The lyric and words

of a song you've know for years

suddenly stick in your chest

like a flaming arrow:

"The days dwindle down

to a precious few. . ."

True as it's ever been

for ALL others,

but not for

Me!

But the bell does toll for me

too-

yes it does.

Sometimes that awful understanding

makes me feel faint,

like I can't catch my

breath.

And though I believe

that I have glimpsed

that expansive place,

that happy place,

of coming home

to who I

REALLY

am.

Still

I love this body,

this history,

this person

that fate & choice

have made

me.

Thank YOU

for sharing this journey with me

throughout the

year.

It means a lot.

Honolulu journalist

John Heckathorn

said of teaching at University:

"One of my students

came to class,

opened his Mac Book,

saw that Steve Jobs had died,

and asked:

'Who is Steve Jobs?'

It's odd to be turned into

a living history lesson,

but rather fun

in it's own way. "

John never gave me any writing jobs,

but he encouraged me,

a thoroughly nice guy.

I noticed this morning

that I have his office

and cell (mobile) numbers

in my phone.

John suffered a heart attack at home

on Christmas Day.

He never regained consciousness

and died Wednesday morning.

John was only

65.

The days dwindle down. . .

I choose to spread

all the kindness I can.

To enjoy every minute of

LIGHT!

Thank YOU

for shedding your kindness

here

with us!

It does;

It means a 

LOT-

                                             Fondly, cloudia

Duke & Babe

A L O H A !

 Duke Kahanamoku Beach

" Really great people

make you feel

that you too

can become great. "

Mark Twain

People still place lei on Duke's statue 

& pose with him!

When Duke Kahanamoku was 10 years old,

  on April 30, 1900
the Organic Act made him

an American citizen.


 He was named after his father,
Duke Halapu Kahanamoku,
who was christened "Duke" by Hawaiian Princess,
  Bernice Pauahi Bishop
in honor of Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh,
who was visiting Hawaii at the time of the elder man's birth in 1869.
It was his name, not a title.




He went on to win Olympic gold,
to perform legendary rescues
and feats
befitting a Hawaiian Superman.


Surfers all over the world
consider him the father
of the modern sport.


He also used a stand-up board
and long paddle
when he grew older.

Stand-up paddling
is the fastest growing water sport
Today.

Here's Duke at Waikiki with Babe Ruth!

 

 

"I swing big,

with everything I've got.

I hit big or I miss big. 

I like to live as big as I can." 

Babe Ruth

Babe Ruth is famous

for his home run record,

but few realize

that for decades he also held

the record for strikeouts.

 He hit 714 home runs,

struck out 1,330 times

in his career.

He said:

 "Every strike

brings me closer 

to the next home run."

When Hawaii's most famous citizen died,

the Honolulu Star-Bulletin called Duke:

"the Babe Ruth of swimming and surfing." 

He will live forever
in the hearts of Hawaii

and of surfers everywhere.  

Read more about this amazing man HERE

Thanks for stopping by today! 

Much appreciated. Leave a comment-

                                                            Warmly, cloudia

Reflection

A L O H A !

Click on the photos-

Look into the eyes of the dogs

" The most miserable possession

a man can have

is the thing he hurt someone else

to get. "

Frank A. Clark

" Anybody

who keeps the ability to see beauty

never grows old. "

Kafka

"It all happened SO FAST! "

" Where did you get the idea,
the notion, 

that you needed permission
to walk in your own

chosen way? "

Mark Durfee

   > < } } ( ° >

Well,

it's the butt end of the year.

Take a deep draw-

Then let out a long, slow,

reflective exhale.

In the haze:

 all the 

people, incidents,

memories

of the year,
churn like
genies.

Resting up from Christmas,

saving ourselves

for the duty of excess

that IS

New Year's Eve.

Isn't this 
an irresistible promontory 

upon which to pause?

To take in the view
alone for a moment

under skies about to
turn -

The grand finality 
of it all,
must be
the reason why
we drink,

and dress,
dicker,
and dance

I'm SO glad 
that you and I

can meet

for play dates like this!

Enjoy this butt end-
just please don't burn
your finger tips.


                                     Warmly, cloudia

Who is Cloudia ?

ALOHA  To YOU

 Guest, Visitor, Reader,

FRIEND

We know who YOU are. 

But who am I?

A Google Image Search

yielded this CLOUDIA . 

Clearly a sister!

 And this uncanny twin too:

 

There ARE yet other 

Cloudias!

Like this version:

" Cloudia_or Female Cloud_by_Crazy_Cow_Productions "

Don't mess with Cloudia!

 Cloudia
by  'ttearz "

Nice bracelet !

' Cloudia 34 '

A  GLAMOROUS  Band !

...An Anime Icon,

PERFECT for . . . . ME

dig that tail !

This Cloudia 

is darling of the

London Art scene!

 

Here she is

in all her glory!

I always wanted 

my own Soul Food / Furniture

Business !

I have a great logo!

Or Two- 

(I see someone has thoughtfully TradeMarked 

MY legal name!)

Or THR33!

Meet Cloudia Swan - Film Star

Cloudia Computing!

 Yes, there are a surprising number

of Cloudias

in the world today.

Strangely, 

many of them did seem to speak

directly to me:

Ah! what fun to be a simple

Cloudia. . .

Only fair, I suppose, 

to close with a picture of myself

creating 

Comfort Spiral

JUST for YOU-

No wait;

Here I am -

Thank YOU 

for making all of this nonsense

worthwhile!

Funny Comment?  PLEASE !
Fondly, 'me'

Catullus lived from around 84 to 54 AD.

He wrote a number of love poems to Clodia, giving her the pseudonym, Lesbia. Below is my paraphrase of a very famous one, (a very loose translation, mostly because the original doesn't mention water).
V - Vivamus, mea Lesbia


 Come let us live and let us love                                               
Beside the ev'ning shore.
And all the grumblings of old sots
We'll patiently ignore.
 The sun has set, and soon returns
- Our lives should be so long.


 Vivamus, mea Lesbia, atque amemus,
rumoresque senum severiorum
omnes unius aestimemus assis!
soles occidere et redire possunt:
nobis cum semel occidit brevis lux,
nox est perpetua una dormienda.

Lively translation Courtesy of
 "Ted" of Ted's Museum

Weight?

A L O H A !

" Santa Claus has the right idea. 

Visit people once a year. "

Victor Borge

"Green

is the prime color of the world,

and that from which 

its loveliness

arises." 

Pedro Calderon de la Barca,

1600-1681

“ I always like walking in the rain,

so no one can see me crying. ”

   Charlie Chaplin

" A day without laughter

is a day wasted. "

 
Charlie Chaplin 

And now, on a personal note:

 Sure, we all gain a little weight
over the holidays,

but there's NO reason

to call me an elephant!

Oh wait. . .

Holiday Week

A L O H A !

Funny how comforting 

small, normal things can be

after special events

The holiday

was delightful -

Hope yours was too ! 

So nice and cozy

The world is quiet

on Christmas night.

This week

we look back on the past year

and ahead to the new.

From my still-point,

to yours:

May the season's magic

  bring you

smiles.

                                             Warmly, cloudia