While your child may be most important to you, your electronics are what a thief really wants. Material objects have much more value amongst strangers hanging out together in public places.
Are there any places on earth which no longer fear Stranger Danger? When I was a kid, we left the house and the car unlocked. The neighbors kept an eye out, but the only thing they really had to warn us about were the Jehovah's Witnesses.
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Rough Road Ahead Next 8 Miles
This is a road sign I saw yesterday while driving on Highway 101 through the city of Santa Barbara in California. It reminds me of many things.
"Rough Road Ahead Next 8 Miles"
It was posted along the Freeway of a wealthy community. I had driven along the same stretch of freeway the night before and there were no warning signs about the potholes in the road. But, today was Sunday. I suppose Sunday Drivers need to be warned about what can possibly happen to the delicate suspension on their cars. Or maybe this is just a part of the road where people are more likely to sue over whatever happens. Or maybe the view is just so pretty that people need to be reminded that they still need to keep an eye on the road.
Okay, so that's not profound. None of this is. And I stayed in the Motel 6 in the wealthy town. They've renovated the rooms in the Motel 6's to look like a showroom at the IKEA superstore. That's fun. Motel 6 pares everything down. They don't give amenities. But they also don't cover every surface with placards, warnings and instructions. Motel Rooms are usually packed with menus, folders full of warnings about what to do in emergencies. People learn how to do the hymlich maneuver while on vacation and waiting for whomever they are traveling with to get out of the shower.
Motel 6 is a bit heavy on other people's noxious smells. Most motel rooms are. Smell is probably closely linked with fear in some way. Like hearing, it just can't be blocked. You have to be given that information, you have to co-habit with whomever did whatever (with smells, often the behaviors are anti-social).
Back to the road sign though.
What I was thinking when I saw this was how amazing is it that humans can look at a sign like this and still drive through it? If a parent or a psychic told a person that the next 8 months were going to be rough going, the person would very likely not get out of bed. We are just that fearful of mental and emotional trauma. Yet we'll continue to gun the gas pedal down a road that assures us that we will soon lose a wheel. People going through a negative period think that if you discuss what will happen, then it really will happen. We think that the thought process manifests. But, if a person looks at a hole in the road and tells the driver to be sure to swerve around the hole, the driver swerves around the hole. Sometimes he resents being nagged. Sometimes he thanks the other person. But he doesn't accuse the passenger of creating the hole.
It's also interesting to think about the type of damage that will happen if damage does indeed occur. Damage to tires and suspension. Our attachment to the earth and our ability to move across it freely will be affected. I don't know enough about car mechanics to understand exactly what will happen, but you get the idea.
Wouldn't it be great to realize that if we are going to enter an 8 month phase in life that will be "rough going" that we might come out of it needing to re-inflate our "tires" and to have the alignment on our wheels re-aligned? Tires work off of air, so maybe the advice here is to keep breathing. Alignment might show that we have to remember to stand up straight. We also have to remember to reassess our thinking so that it does not become too inflated or deflated. Could this affect our self esteem issues or lack of realistic perception of the situation? Stress will affect both of these. When coming out of a difficult time, 8 miles down the road, we may need to take some time off to re-focus our perceptions.
"Rough Road Ahead Next 8 Miles"
It was posted along the Freeway of a wealthy community. I had driven along the same stretch of freeway the night before and there were no warning signs about the potholes in the road. But, today was Sunday. I suppose Sunday Drivers need to be warned about what can possibly happen to the delicate suspension on their cars. Or maybe this is just a part of the road where people are more likely to sue over whatever happens. Or maybe the view is just so pretty that people need to be reminded that they still need to keep an eye on the road.
Okay, so that's not profound. None of this is. And I stayed in the Motel 6 in the wealthy town. They've renovated the rooms in the Motel 6's to look like a showroom at the IKEA superstore. That's fun. Motel 6 pares everything down. They don't give amenities. But they also don't cover every surface with placards, warnings and instructions. Motel Rooms are usually packed with menus, folders full of warnings about what to do in emergencies. People learn how to do the hymlich maneuver while on vacation and waiting for whomever they are traveling with to get out of the shower.
Motel 6 is a bit heavy on other people's noxious smells. Most motel rooms are. Smell is probably closely linked with fear in some way. Like hearing, it just can't be blocked. You have to be given that information, you have to co-habit with whomever did whatever (with smells, often the behaviors are anti-social).
Back to the road sign though.
What I was thinking when I saw this was how amazing is it that humans can look at a sign like this and still drive through it? If a parent or a psychic told a person that the next 8 months were going to be rough going, the person would very likely not get out of bed. We are just that fearful of mental and emotional trauma. Yet we'll continue to gun the gas pedal down a road that assures us that we will soon lose a wheel. People going through a negative period think that if you discuss what will happen, then it really will happen. We think that the thought process manifests. But, if a person looks at a hole in the road and tells the driver to be sure to swerve around the hole, the driver swerves around the hole. Sometimes he resents being nagged. Sometimes he thanks the other person. But he doesn't accuse the passenger of creating the hole.
It's also interesting to think about the type of damage that will happen if damage does indeed occur. Damage to tires and suspension. Our attachment to the earth and our ability to move across it freely will be affected. I don't know enough about car mechanics to understand exactly what will happen, but you get the idea.
Wouldn't it be great to realize that if we are going to enter an 8 month phase in life that will be "rough going" that we might come out of it needing to re-inflate our "tires" and to have the alignment on our wheels re-aligned? Tires work off of air, so maybe the advice here is to keep breathing. Alignment might show that we have to remember to stand up straight. We also have to remember to reassess our thinking so that it does not become too inflated or deflated. Could this affect our self esteem issues or lack of realistic perception of the situation? Stress will affect both of these. When coming out of a difficult time, 8 miles down the road, we may need to take some time off to re-focus our perceptions.
Monday, January 17, 2011
Where? And Why?
I'm not a spiritual person.
I like to read the common signs which I see in the road and elsewhere in order to figure out how to live so I thought I would write that here. These signs are almost always installed to help people live a safe life. "Stop." "Go." "Caution." "Objects appear smaller in rear view mirror than they are in real life." "Adjust your own oxygen mask before helping others."
I think this is because I crave safety.
I love to walk.
I love to go for long walks.
And if people see someone doing this they think you're crazy. It's ok to do this if dressed appropriately and if looking like you know where you are heading and which way you will return. Wandering is not permitted in this world. So I'm going to start reading the signs about how to stay on the correct path in order to understand better where and maybe why I've strayed.
I like to read the common signs which I see in the road and elsewhere in order to figure out how to live so I thought I would write that here. These signs are almost always installed to help people live a safe life. "Stop." "Go." "Caution." "Objects appear smaller in rear view mirror than they are in real life." "Adjust your own oxygen mask before helping others."
I think this is because I crave safety.
I love to walk.
I love to go for long walks.
And if people see someone doing this they think you're crazy. It's ok to do this if dressed appropriately and if looking like you know where you are heading and which way you will return. Wandering is not permitted in this world. So I'm going to start reading the signs about how to stay on the correct path in order to understand better where and maybe why I've strayed.
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