Finding Nemo, well actually just Finding Ourselves

Ever been lost in the woods? Deep, dark forest with no reprieve of moonlight or star shine.

It gets pretty damn cold and damp - like soul sucking dark there.  It can be a scary place.

Sometimes that’s where my soul wants to roam off to.  I don’t always know why, but it does.  Maybe it’s my past calling to distract the healthier man I’ve become.  Who knows?

Being lost sucks.  There is a searching to find ourselves. No matter where we are there’s a moment when we realize that we’re lost, that we’ve become someone else.  Some stranger - possibly like Mike Meyers or Jason Voorhees (hopefully not QUITE like those characters!).  

We need to look down, look around and start seeing the person who we really are inside. It may be a long journey or maybe something that comes rather quickly. But we get to do this. We get to find ourselves (who we truly are), what makes us tick, makes us smile and also what makes us cry. Then we get to put all those things together in one beautiful package that’s really not about the outward looks, but what’s inside… 

And that’s where the glow comes from. It does show on our outside, but it starts with that little spark inside our heart.

And in that searching, in that finding we’ll start finding more of the light.

Let your TRUE LIGHT SHINE!

~ Peace 

The Burtle

Thanks RC for the words and thoughts!

Parable of the Hole

There was a man who had a hole. Not quite like a well, not a cave. But a big empty space that sat beside him. 

He spent his days pouring into this hole; his life, his affections, his energy, his finances, his desires, his life. 

Yet, no matter how much he poured into the hole, it would not be filled. It continued to seem as deep and as dark as it was at the beginning. 

He would spend his days working and toiling - striving to fill the hole with accomplishments and success.

At night he would throw his debauchery and desires into that same hole, always expecting it to rise to the top. Awakening each morning, he would find the whole empty and as cold and desolate as the day before.

He found love and threw it into the hole as well. With all the true intentions of someone who thought he found the answer. He poured his heart and his soul into the hole. He stood peering beside the hole with the person he thought would fill it and waited. 

The hole remained.

At one point, feeling broken and betrayed, he threw himself into the hole. Surely this sacrifice would fill the void. Lost in the darkness, he thought he would succumb and the hole would disappear with him.

It did not. 

And he did not. 

Lonely, tired and weary, he prayed.

How do I fill this hole?

A voice said, “you fill it with love. And you fill it with me.”

Soon after the man found others who had also sat beside a hole. He opened up his heart and instead of trying to fill the hole, he started to fill others. He gave and he tried to listen, he learned and he started to walk. Instead of focusing on the gaping hole beside him he focused on the world around him and others along the path.

Slowly, not noticing it from this new direction, his whole began to fill.

Not with self-seeking or anything he had done, but in finding hope.

Together now with others along the path, seeding love and patience where there had been loneliness and loss, his emptiness is filled.

~ Peace

The Burtle

Parable of the Moon

She stands and faces the Tempest, rising like a city from the depths of the sea. Wanting to hold back the waters, she plants her feet firmly in the sand. How firmly can that truly be though? It’s sand.

And she waits. 

The waters have always ebbed and flowed, but this storm rises above anything she’s ever known, anything she’s ever faced.

And she feels all alone. 

There’s always been a part of her that’s felt alone. Facing the sea, facing each storm. Facing life. 

Until she looks back over her shoulder, looking up and catches a glimpse of the moon.

She realizes…

The moon has sway over the waters, it directs the waves and it swallows up the depths with light reflected from the sun. 

It’s constant in its orbit, showing up whether behind a tapestry of clouds or full as the harvest moon that shown a few nights ago. 

The realization that she is standing there not alone, but watched over by the spirit that resonates the light is like a lightning bolt to her soul.

Yes, she will face the Tempest. But she doesn’t face it as a lone soul deafened by its wake. She faces it as one of many. One among others who have seen the moon. Who know its power and it’s source.

The storms will come. The waters will rise.

But she is not alone. 

She is standing, Under the moonlight. 

~ Peace

The Burtle

“Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble, and he brought them out of their distress. He stilled the storm to a whisper; the waves of the sea were hushed. They were glad when it grew calm, and he guided them to their desired haven.”

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭107‬:‭28‬-‭30‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“As they sailed, he fell asleep. A squall came down on the lake, so that the boat was being swamped, and they were in great danger. The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Master, Master, we’re going to drown!” He got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waters; the storm subsided, and all was calm. “Where is your faith?” he asked his disciples. In fear and amazement they asked one another, “Who is this? He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him.””

‭‭

Luke‬ ‭8‬:‭23‬-‭25‬ ‭NIV‬‬

the Misfits

I’m proud to be a misfit. 

I’ll own it and wear it and even put a bow on it (if needed!).  Maybe a T-shirt with a logo.

Because this is who I am.  I have stuff, I know I have stuff and I get to own my sh*t, I mean stuff!

Most of us misfits do.

I want to be the anomaly I am.  The dichotomy of all the things that make me the unique person I’ve been and I’ve become.

And wouldn’t life be boring if we were all the same cookie cutter human beings that has so long been the goal… No longer, not here - not me. I’m sure there are some of you who still want that. And good for you. If that’s who you are, claim it and go after it. But me, my life has been unconventional. That’s a very light way of putting it. And in my 5th decade I realize that it’s good. I’m glad that I haven’t had the same path I thought I would be on. Makes for a much better documentary when I finally expire lol

Own your self. 

That may sound like an odd statement, but I simply mean find out who you are. And when you do find out, own it. 

I sat with a jewish couple yesterday at their house and the gentleman had this wonderful collection of cowboy hats. I asked him about them. He said he just liked hats. He put one on, showing me his ‘dressing in a suit’ cowboy hat, a beautiful black Stetson. Then he showed me his every day fedora. And then his white, beautifully woven hat with a feather tucked in the band.

He knew who he was. I told him I have a Tilly, a similar type hat, more for outdoors and hiking that I keep in my truck for when I get on the trails. I told him I wasn’t quite that comfortable wearing it anywhere else yet. His wife looked at me and said, ‘you get to decide that. Don’t let others make you feel uncomfortable. Own it.’

I thought about that the entire drive home last night. A 6+ hour nightmare of a drive from Savannah to Atlanta in the pouring rain (And this was before the hurricane that’s supposed to be coming in this evening).  It was a lot to chew on. And I realized it was good. We need people to spark our thoughts and help push us into new directions. Doesn’t mean we have to change everything, but it might just open up a new thought or path for us.

It also may help us realize that the misfits that we are, well they are pretty damn beautiful. And that instead of hiding them, I personally need to embrace it. And I’m so thankful I get to.

So, I get to decide. 

Which part of the unicorn am I going to be today? 

All of it. 

That’s who I am :-) 

~ Peace

The Burtle

What’s Your Superpower?

Michael Keaton. Comedic actor that had a couple of big hits in the mid to late 1980s. Mr. Mom, Night Shift and of course Beetlejuice… Beetlejuice Beetlejuice lol. 

And then it was announced that he was going to star in a new movie. An action movie. Michael Keaton was going to be Batman. 

Say what?! 

Michael Keaton could never be Batman. This is a comedy guy. This is someone who made his bones as a standup comedian then as a lovable energetic goofball. 

Batman? 

I remember going to the Thursday night… actually 12 AM Friday morning screening of Batman when it first was coming out. It was a packed. And whether it failed or succeeded, it created quite a buzz. Finally, there was a Batman movie. The last big superhero was Superman and Christopher Reeve owned that part (still does almost 50 years later).

I sat and watched. I was mesmerized. 

Michael Keaton absolutely WAS Batman. 

There was a hidden darkness and also intensity that had been part of his comedy but now through the black cloak and mask it was near perfect. The dark knight was menacing, almost smiling as he pummeled criminals. His Bruce Wayne was complicated and a little unnerving.

Who would’ve ever known? 

Sometime heroes are unlikely. 

I won’t go into my Batman rankings, though I will tell you, Ben Affleck is pretty damn low on the list… Christian Bale.  Definitely a close second overall.

Each of us has a superpower. I truly believe that. I know people who can kill you with kindness, and those who make you feel so beautiful with just the right word or tone.

I know two kids who have shown strength and resilience greater than the strongest people I’ve ever met. They’ve been through hell and they are still here.

I’ve seen others that have accomplished physical feats that marvel me - like the G.O.A.T. who took Atlanta to task at the Super Bowl several years ago. Still pissed about that one.  Brady could unretire today and probably put a team on his back and win (hmm, Atlanta.  Guess you missed on that one).

My own superpower, I don’t go away. I come back. Call me resilient man. And you may not agree with that, but I get to pick my own superpower, like the kids in the playground years and years ago.

I Fucking show up.

Even sometimes when I shouldn’t. But that is part of being resilient. You make mistakes, but you still bounce back.

And you’ve got a superpower too.

What is it?

Are you able to bring peace into a hostile situation with just your presence and a few calming words?

Do you have the power to stand in the gap for people who just can’t stand for themselves? Are you the leader who helps change the world to make things better? Do you have the power of listening? I’m working on that one.

Not everyone’s is the same. If all the superheroes  in the Justice League had the same power it would get pretty damn boring. And they probably would be a fight over who was the best. AND NO ONE WOULD WIN CAUSE THEY ARE ALL THE SAME - kinda like how well Stormtroopers hit their targets.

I don’t think Batman could take Superman in a fair fight, but I have a feeling he would have some kryptonite up his sleeve. And Wonder Woman - She could probably kick both their butts.

What I’m really trying to get at is that we have the ability to reach inside ourselves and find a power that is greater than ourselves. And in my own beliefs, I believe that God will lead you to that power. It’s really him, I just get to use a little bit of it while I’m here. Kind of like the Greatest American Hero put on that ugly red suit and tried to help others while still not understanding exactly how it all worked.

Again…

What’s your superpower?

Oh, and what color cape?

 ~ Peace

The Burtle

And about capes…

https://youtu.be/JSfG3slODnM?feature=shared

Above the Bellowing Crowd

There is a cacophony of voices.

“Turn left!”

“Go right!”

“This is the way!”

“No, this way!”

What are we really listening for? What does your heart tell you? 

I have my opinions, and I’ll share some of them. Politically, honestly, I think we’re all fucked! 

Who is the loudest, who can make the biggest point, who can steer you the furthest away from the other side? I don’t know. Doesn’t seem like love and kindness to me. 

It seems like chaos. 

I want you to have your opinions. I definitely have mine, even if they do seem radical and pretty crazy lol 

But when did we start letting the crowd, the horde, the mob run us into insanity? I think I remember a crowd of worked up individuals, marching a man up a hill to die on a cross…

Because it seems like insanity. Politically, I’ve taken this week to listen to both sides. It seemed like a pretty important week to do that. But I didn’t immerse myself simply on one side. I took time to listen to both side’s sources. Something I don’t often do. And I realized that both of them seemed to be beating a message into my mind that didn’t make sense.

I stopped listening.

Because it just became noise. 

I’m not saying rhat there aren’t valid points to the arguments.  I’m simply stating that you will NEVER sway me with yelling Rhetoric. Abusing both sides. Making it a fight about personalities and not principles.

The best discussions I’ve had in the past about this have been just that, discussions.  No yelling, no name calling.  Simply talking.  Maybe not totally understanding, but to listen.  For both of us to be heard.

One of my dearest friends and I had a pretty heated discussion about this a few years ago. And then at some point during the conversation I realized that the relationship with this human was much more important than red or blue. Because he’s my brother - at least he’s been a brother to me. 

I will listen.  Promise, I’ll try.

If anyone wants to have a conversation about this with me, I will do everything I can to calmly listen and try to understand. And I hope that you will do the same for me. Listen to what I believe. 

I’m not trying to change you. But I would like to hear you. 

Above the bellowing crowd.

~ Peace

The Burtle

The Teacher

The teacher sits 

front of the room

his mind already at the task

Students file in

They take their seat

They begin to ask

“Teacher, why?

How did this…?

Who won the Peloponnesian war?

When did we integrate?

What started Civil Rights?”

He lets them open the door…

And the teacher smiles 

seeing the mind of a child

The class moves on

And then the years

The teacher wonders where he’s at

He still has so much

to give away

If only someone would ask

“Teacher, if?

Tell us just how…”

His passion to give

never fades

Body fighting

‘His disease’

An ailment deep within

Instead of laying down

Burying his soul

He finds he’s teaching again

“How do I move?”

Brain’s still awake,

“So much left to do”

He learns to say…

“I’m fighting

And I’m still growing

Today.”

The teacher sits

across from me now

Does he know 

how much I’ve learned 

From his words,

But more his heart

Maybe he’ll discern…

Teacher, teach

My friend, we all learn.

07/28/24

clc

Thank you, Richie.

~ Peace

The Burtle