Category Archives: Deep Thoughts and Musings

I should probably include ramblings.

Quote Yourself

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I love to happen on to quotes by wise and successful people.  I see them on t-shirts, bookmarks, billboards, plaques on walls, etc, everywhere I go.  Some resonate with my own thinking so much that I find myself repeating them to everyone I talk with for days.  They just keep coming up in conversation.

If you remember a few of the key words and want to find the complete quote or who said it, all you need to do is do a search on the internet.  Alakazam!  So much information pops up to surprise and delight you that you can spend days reading about the context in which it was given, the period of time, the stage of life and mind of the author…..and whether or not he actually said it or who else is given credit for the same quote.

For instance, Henry David Thoreau and Zig Ziglar are credited with the same quote as Johann Wolfgang von Goethe:  “What you get by achieving your goals is not as important as who you become by achieving your goals.”  It’s an inspirational quote no matter who actually said it.  The influence these men and numberless others have on our world continues regardless of who gets the credit.

So, I have to believe that sharing these snippets of wisdom and witticism adds to self-empowering contemplation and humor that benefits mass consciousness.  We are all more powerful and influential than we know.

Occasionally, I hear someone say something that I think is profound and succinct and that warrants memorializing .  But, quickly, I forget…..most of the time what was said and even what it was about.  I’ll have a fleeting thought:  what was that again?

So I’m carrying a small notebook around with me now to record the deep thoughts that cross my path and my own musings.  It is, afterall, the flashes of inspiration and feelings of intuition, that move me the most.  Hummmm…..  Don’t be surprised if I abandon quoting others and start quoting myself!

 

Breaking The Rules At The CERN Large Hadron Collider

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The theme of the TedxCERN Conference held in October 2015 was Breaking The Rules.  The event took place in the CMS Assembly Hall at the CERN Large Hadron Collider.  Scientists from different fields took the stage to present innovative solutions to life’s everyday problems. Innovations are constantly changing the way we think and the way we view our world.

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I’m so happy to have a keyless starter in my car.  I love carrying my phone in my pocket and using it for reservations, receipts and ticket validations at the airport. When I think about all of the myriad of ways my life is different than it was 10 years ago…..even 1 year ago, I get excited.  Watching the videos of the speakers at this conference jacked that excitement up a notch.

Michael Bodekaer spoke at TedxCern about changing the way science  education is offered by teachers and received by students.  He used special goggles and an ordinary smart phone to demonstrate immersive virtual laboratories filled with the latest technologically advanced machines and the way the teacher and student would use them. Fascinating!  The video of his demonstration reminded me of several movies I’ve seen recently showing large screens of information hanging in the air and changing with the sweep of a hand…..so science fiction but so right on our doorstep.

What a blessing it would be if teachers and students alike  could be excited about the subject they’re focused upon…..even anxious and self-inspired.  Yikes!  Classrooms would be transformed into highly charged, exciting places to be.

Mr. Bodekaer explained that these laboratories would be used to provide experience needed by science students the same way that flight simulation programs are used in training pilots:  hands on experience without the crash and burn aspect.

Videos of the presentations at the conference are now available online.  They’re fascinating!  Linda Liukas spoke about the poetry of programming computers.  She’s written a book to encourage little girls to dream, to explore imaginary worlds and their own physical world in an effort to make computers friendly tools to be embraced and used to create whatever their hearts and minds want to pursue.  She’s so charming.  I was enthralled with her presentation.

Vikki Stone mesmerized and entertained on the keytar and piano and delivered an earth shaking truism:  keep on doing what you’re doing, have fun, push the boundaries, break the rules!  In fun the best work is begun!  Pioneering The Dog Bearding Movement is the name of her presentation…..don’t miss it!!!!!

If you’re interested in ideas that are being developed to improve our quality of life on planet earth, you’ll love Marcia Barbosa’s 2014 TedxCERN talk about The Weirdness of Water.   Being curious and spending time satiating that curiosity leads down all kinds of unexpected paths.  Wow…..what can I say more…..spend a little time listening to these talented scientists.  It will be time well spent.  Just go to TedxCERN Breaking the Rules and click on videos.

 

 

Fairytale Wedding

Beauty of Nature, Deep Thoughts and Musings, Travels, , , , , , , ,

I’ve listened to many couples talk about just what they envision for their wedding experience.  Those dreams are as varied as the individuals involved.  But when I began to hear about the plans for this wedding from the Mother of the Groom, it was obvious to me  that this couple had made a conscious choice to listen to their hearts and their hearts dictated fun, travel and magic.

I believe looking for fun is the natural God-given state-of-being we are born into as enfants.  It’s probably the most important state to which we could aspire.  But it often appears to some as a state of selfishness or childishness…..to which I say…..Hey!  Hey!  (to get your attention)  We all want happiness.  No one can give it to you.  You have to take it…..that’s what looking for fun is all about.  And, once you have it, it spreads to everyone lucky enough to be around you.

I believe travelling is so exciting because it takes us out of our comfortable routines.  Just seeing new places and people and adjusting to new experiences opens our eyes a little wider to the beauty that surrounds us, sharpens our ears to take in new sounds, expands our ability to love and be loved and increases our zest for life.

I believe in magic!  I see it everyday!  I experienced magic in a concentrated dose over several days spending time with the family and friends of two talented, genius visionaries as they pledged their love and began their lives together.

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The spanish moss hanging from the huge oak trees created the perfect backdrop for the ceremony.  The late afternoon sunlight added the perfect, soft, magical atmosphere.  The Jekyll Island Club Hotel provided it all.  Everyone there was bathed in gold and we basked in every delicious moment.

That’s how it was in Georgia…..a fun, extraordinary, magical experience.   I love knowing that it wasn’t an accident.  They planned it that way.   I’m sending out my love and appreciation to everyone involved and especially to the newlyweds!

 

Everything Is A Miracle

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Albert Einstein is said to have said:  “There are two ways to live your life.  One is as though nothing is a miracle.  The other is as though everything is a miracle.”

Lately, I’ve been playing a game with myself.  I look for miracles in everything I do and in everything that happens around me.  The fun thing, the exciting thing that happens, is that I find them.  I find them in the synchronicity and serendipity of the smallest things.

Last January, I wrote a blog about it, I witnessed a miracle.  Hundreds of starlings staged a spectacular performance in my backyard.  It was a sweeping panoramic production.  From the time it began, or that I became aware of it, only minutes passed and it was over.  We were left there with our mouths open, mute, in wonder.  What just happened?  I’m convinced that things like this are happening all around us.  We are just not aware of them.

One evening, recently, my husband and I had a busy afternoon and evening and as everything wrapped up he commented “this would be a good time to go to Nielson’s” and disappeared into his office.  About 9:30 p.m., I peeked in and asked “were you serious?”  “Not really, but, yes!”  30 minutes later we were out the door.  Nielson’s closes at 10:30 p.m.  We talked about going through the drive-thru or sitting out on their patio, going inside or ordering at their walk-up window.

As we ordered, a friend from Oregon recognized us.  He had ordered inside but Nielson’s doesn’t take credit cards, so was on his way to a ATM.  What are the odds?  He had been introduced to Nielson’s on his LDS mission in his twenties.  Being in Salt Lake on business, he couldn’t resist driving up to Bountiful (Nielson’s Concrete is afterall a local institution) for ice cream.  He almost aborted the trip on the freeway…..it’s late, it’s a long drive for an ice cream, etc.  But, there he was and there we were at the same place and the same time.  We marvelled at the circumstances that had brought us there together.  We sat and ate ice cream/concrete and talked long after Nielson’s closed.

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Not really a miracle, more of a coincidence…..you say?  We run into old friends in odd places all of the time.  I used to believe in coincidences.  But not anymore.  Now I believe that everything is a miracle.  And…..I see more of them everyday.  It’s FUN!

 

The Game Of Life

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If you believe The Beatles, in time, you can learn how to play the game…..in time you can learn how to be you.  Do you need a coach, a mentor?  Do you need intelligence, beauty or hard work?  No!  They might be helpful; but, they’re not necessities.  All you need is LOVE! That is…..if you believe The Beatles.

The kids in my life are always wanting to play a game.  They have a wonderful talent.  They live in the now.   Mostly, they want to hide and wait, heart pounding, to be found…..because it’s exciting and fun!  When we run around around the house and hide in closets, we are so focused on finding a good hiding place, quieting our breathing and patiently waiting, there is no other reality.

Then as quickly as the hide and seek game was organized, it’s over.   On to another game, something different, perhaps making a tent in the living room or doing cartwheels on the lawn.

I think The Beatles are on to something.  I want to learn how to play the game.  I want to learn how to be me.  I want to have fun, be playful, lighten up, laugh a lot and giggle more. This sounds like one of those things that are simple but not easy.   It will probably take a lot of practice to get good at it; but, I’m willing to put in the time.  And like I love to say “Practice Makes Automatic”.

 

 

Happy Life

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Have you ever been with someone who’s happy most of the time?  The only person that meets that criteria in my life just turned one year old.  She’s like a puppy and wriggles and giggles when she sees me until I just have to pick her up.  When I put her down, she giggles at someone else.  She’s just intrinsically happy.

There are others who are happy a lot of the time and I have noticed a few things about them that are interesting.

They have a passion and think about it all of the time.   In some cases, they are mothers and are thriving on being with their children.   In others,  they are in love with their occupations.  One is a student.  Another is an entrepreneur.  They seem to get so much enjoyment out of what they’re doing that they often hum, sometimes sing and occasionally  dance about in a light hearted sort of way.  They  all smile a lot.  They are all very independent and fun to be around.

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So, my question is:  “Do these people live in an alternate reality?”  Or…..have they just developed habits that let them see life through rose colored glasses?   Have they decided not to give the petty little issues in daily life any attention?  It does make sense that it you don’t spend time on things that make you feel bad, you’ll have more time to focus on the things that make you happy.

Or…..could it be that happiness is a multi-dimensional word meaning a state-of- being, an emotion and a goal?  It’s a subject worth a little thought, you think?

What Is Research?

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Generally, research is looking for facts, collecting them, discussing them and coming to conclusions.   I’m not talking about scientific discovery here, just gathering all of the information I can and talking endlessly with my friends and family about it. We talk about it, we think about it and come to lots of conclusions.  It’s a whole lot of fun!

I’m reading a biography of Albert Einstein.  I’m reading about this foremost researcher because I’m doing research on him.  I want to put the many quotes that I love that are attributed to him in context.  He’s quoted as saying “I never said half the crap people said I did.”  So it would be interesting to document where and when these things were said although considering the passage of time and the premise that facts really are just people’s opinions, perhaps I’m chasing the elusive butterfly.  In any event, I intend to have a good time doing it.

I’ve read that he didn’t thrive in school.  Apparently he didn’t even complain about what he saw as a lack of nurturing learning in schools until he was out of school and much older.  When his father asked what vocational training would be best for him, he was told it didn’t matter because he wouldn’t do well no matter what he did.  But, he was curious.  In fact, he said “I have no special talents.  I am only passionately curious.”

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“I believe in intuition and inspiration. … At times I feel certain I am right while not knowing the reason. When the eclipse of 1919 confirmed my intuition, I was not in the least surprised. In fact, I would have been astonished had it turned out otherwise. Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited, whereas imagination embraces the entire world, stimulating progress, giving birth to evolution. It is, strictly speaking, a real factor in scientific research.”

This quote is well-documented.  It was first published in the Saturday Evening Post Oct. 26, 1929.  It appears in an interview with George Sylvester Viereck entitled “What Life Means To Einstein.”

I’d like to sit down with Mr. Einstein and ask him to talk about intuition, inspiration, imagination, evolution and expansion.  I get the feeling when I read about him, his attitude about his work and the many quotes attributed to him that he viewed them all as one process wrapped up all together.  And I think he must have had a wonderful sense of humor, not in a way over my head intelligent sort of way, but in a very simple, down-to-earth way.  Anyway, I love those ideas!

Santiago De Los Caballeros

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This monument is as gorgeous as it is huge and honors the Heroes of the Restoration, those who liberated the Dominican Republic from Spain.  We arrived there to see it after it had closed and so didn’t get to go inside the several museums.  It is topped with a statue  of Victory personified as a woman with her arms upraised.

The grounds around the monument are beautifully landscaped and adorned with statues.  All of them are larger than life.   There are historical heroes, baseball  heroes and fanciful carnaval characters.  It was drizzling, so our gracious host, Natalia, took us across the street to the Kukaramakara Country Bar and Restaurant, her favorite restaurant in Santiago, for shelter and dinner.  What a great idea!  Our table was lined up perfectly with the front of the monument so we took one picture when were arrived and another as we were getting ready to leave.  I have mentioned before, I think, that meals in the Dominican Republic typically last about three hours.

The restaurant was decorated in early American Cowboy style.  Large T.V. screens showed old John Wayne movies.  The menu made our dinner choices difficult.  Sushi was unexpected, mostly because of the cowboy theme.  Seafood is always offered here in the D.R..  It is an island, after all.  There were many mofongo choices and barbeque dishes.

Our companion, Bob Alsop, was hungry for ceviche and we didn’t see it on the menu.  We described to our waiter what we wanted and he was excited to bring us the Judaea Makara Fish Ceviche and a mixed grill dish, similar to paella,  that included octopus, squid, oysters, lobster, shrimp, mero (sea bass), beef, pork, tripe and rice in a fabulous sauce.  It was so delicious and we solved all of the world’s problems as we relished every bite.

Santiago is the second largest city in the D.R. and the agricultural center.  it’s located in a beautiful, lush, green valley known for its coffee and sugar cane plantations, cattle ranches, rice farms, and amber mines.  It’s so beautiful.  We’ll be back.

I love to be in a city long enough to get a sense of place.  And as I talk with the people who live there, I love  the understanding that comes about how they live their lives and what matters to them.  All over this city, in fact, all over the Dominican Republic there are men standing around in public places ready to find a parking place for you…..for a few dollars.  And when there isn’t a parking space in sight, they’ll always find one.  Everyone needs to be tipped.  It’s understood.  That’s their work.  That way everyone is happy.  When you get used to it, accept it, and go with the flow…..an understanding comes.  It’s like three hour meals.  Relax.  Enjoy your life and allow others to enjoy theirs.

Ding Dong! The Bell Went Off!

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It was amazing to see!  Santo Domingo is the oldest continually inhabited European city in the Americas.  The buildings are over 500 years old in the Colonial Zone.

We had lunch at Pura Tasca overlooking a statue of Frey Nicholas de Ovando, the first governor, and a museum in the Colonial Zone.  We enjoyed tapas, shrimp and rice and, of course, mofongo.  We were right next to where the Rio Ozama and the Caribbean Sea meet.  The Fortaleza Ozama was built there to protect the port and the city.

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It was interesting  to hear the history of how  Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand funded Christopher and Bartholomew Columbus and their explorations in the Americas and about the struggle  to control the Dominican Republic.   The construction of the Fort was begun in 1502 and flew the flags of Spain, England, France, Haiti, Gran Columbia, the U.S. and the D.R. until the 1960’s when it was opened to the public.

There were canons spaced along the sea wall from the Colonial Zone into Santo Domingo.

The history of the Dominican Republic sounds just like the history of the United States and the settlement and canal construction history of Panama.  The explorers and settlers  either ran out out the native inhabitants or enslaved them and brought African slaves as well.  Conquest.

I googled the conquest of central america and had some unexpected links pop up:  the mongol conquest of central asia, the russian conquest of central asia and the arab conquest of central asia, the roman conquest of britain, etc.  And so it looks like the common one word descriptor of world history is “Conquest”.  It seems every country on every continent has experienced conquest.  Every one of them has had citizens killed and enslaved.  It’s a pattern.  We seem to live life in cycles and patterns.

Ding Dong.  The bell went off!   Last year we went to see Dinesh d’Souza’s movie “America”. He had gone into great detail about this very subject.  This is just the first time I’ve personally bumped up against it.  It’s interesting to me how I can learn lots of disconnected information and (pow) something brings my mind to connect it and other thoughts are drawn to expand…..that’s it, expansion!

Again:  Goethe said “You only see what you’re looking for and you only look for what you know.”

Little Miracles

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I’ve been taking pictures of the buds popping out on the trees since the first of February.  They started as little nubs and as I walked by them each day I could see the nubs swelling.  Then they began to look fuzzy.  Then a little fissure developed that gradually opened wider and wider until layers of petals were discernable.

Each day that passed brought different weather, a little sunshine, then a little rain, then some wind.  Driving by, the changes were nearly imperceptible.  But this two month metamorphosis was so exciting to watch in the slow-mo of walking. Gradually,  I couldn’t leave the house without my camera.  Something was bound to present itself that should be noticed and recorded.

This flowering plum tree has been my motivator this winter to get off the couch and get outside to walk.  Watching it change so slowly from stark bare branches into a fragrant canopy has given me so much food for thought…..about the little changes in my life going unnoticed…..the little changes in my thinking…..the blossoming of my happiness.

I’m so thankful for all of the little surprises, the little miracles constantly working in my life.  I’m so thankful!