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 

New Blogger Editor

ALOHA!

Check out the new editor in Blogger:

Pictures can be HUGE!

Oh! Here's the Text Color!

"Regret for the things we did can be tempered by time;

 it is regret for the things we did not do

 that is inconsolable."

  - Sidney J. Harris

"I want to grow old without face lifts.

 I want to have the courage

 to be loyal to the face I have made" 

Marilyn Monroe

So I guess I can make the letters,

and the background

different colors...

This is an awesome power
that could make some visitors
violently ill...

Better learn to be judicious

with hues, LOL!

Instructions:

From your Blogger Dashboard

Click on "Settings"

Scroll down to "Global Settings"

The top option is "Updated Editor (recommended)"

There you will see a link

to check out the new features,

including improved photo upload options,

and a cool "Preview" option!

Aloha, cloudia

Island Friends

Aloha

Let's Walk Waikiki

and See Who We Meet!

"The temple seashore

 incoming rollers

flow in time

to the holy flute"

Buson

“Contemplation seems to be about the only luxury  that costs  nothing.”

Dodie Smith

“When the mouse laughs at the cat  there is a hole nearby”

Nigerian Proverb

"Do not neglect to entertain strangers kindly,

for in doing so, some have entertained angels

without ever knowing it."

Hebrews 13:2

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Remember Sylvia Brown the psychic?

She used to appear on Montel's TV show once a week.

Little things she said

often resonated with me.

How she thought and operated

was more interesting to me

than her specific predictions.

One day she came out to thunderous applause.

Montel said: 

"They love you!"

"No,"

she said,

"They know that

I

love them."

That started me thinking:

I mean, I love humanity

(in the abstract)

but people right HERE

do (I should say 'did')

often rub me the wrong way

or fill me with

apprehension.

"What does the audience feel

when I walk through the curtain?"

I wondered.

Eventually,

I understood that I was not a 

lover,

or a fighter,

but sort of a judge.

And who enjoys the feeling

of being judged?

I have also come to understand

that the truth about us is expressed

energetically,

through 'vibes' as they say.

Over 90% of communication

is non-verbal.

Hard for a writer to believe,

but said to be true.

Fortunately,

I have since grown into a truer love

of others.

And every day brings lovely,

 ample, evidence

that my 'vibe' has changed

for the better!

Now I don't mind appearing a bit eccentric,

but I don't like to be pushy

or to let my affection get out of hand.

Aloha, after all,

 means to respect first,

means being gentle,

to simply "let others be."

It is an open invitation

not an enforcement

and means meeting each person

where they are;

Laughing with children,

crying with mourners.

All in an atmosphere

of gratitude

to every being

who shares this realm with me.

That includes 

YOU!

       Thanks very much for your visit!  cloudia

I have come to perceive

that truth expresses itself

energetically

('Vibes' if you will).

It's not about what you say,

but the feeling that you bring.

"The simple recognition that everyone else wants to be happy

 and not to suffer, just as I do,

 serves as a constant reminder against selfishness and partiality.

 It reminds us there is little to be gained from being kind

 and generous while hoping to win something in return.

 Actions motivated by a desire to earn a good name for ourselves

 are still selfish, even if they appear to be acts of kindness."

Dalai Lama

  This is the definition of Aloha!