Create Quote

"How do we create from truth? Let the truth feed the creativity to stretch reality into fiction."

-Charles L. Mason, Jr. (2008)

Moving Past 50

Right On! Right On!

Cruisin' past 50 with no blinders on
Kids smilin' and strong
Mothers dancing
Father beaming
Family connecting
Friends rejoicing
Love(r)(s) longing

Found my tree to sit and connect to all
Touched the river that saves and carries life
Circled my hands around the Earth embracing each growth
Tasted the air that graces my lungs and releases the suffering

Stepping on 50

Regrets not my friend
Fear a long lost companion
Pain a constant reminder
Compassion healed my soul
Peace comforted my mind
Happiness reflected in the eyes of my progeny
Joy my compass each day

Right On! Right On!

Thankful for moving on
Love

The Repost We Wish Was Not Necessary!

I just sat with my son as he requested to see the videos of the three shooting incidents this week. As we watched the last video from Minneapolis (Philando Castile) we both broke down in tears watching and listenening to the brave woman (Diamond Reynolds) live stream the death of her boyfriend. Over a year ago, after the last rash of shootings I wrote the linked open letter to him that I shared with many of you. I always hope that there would be this drastic shift in our society to love vs. violence, and I would not have to keep having these conversations and viewings with my children. My son will turn 12 in the next few weeks and now rides his bike to school, his friends and back and forth between his mom's house and ours. Along with the normal parental fears around traffic safety, and avoiding bullies, etc., I most worry that he will be pulled over by the police. I think about the little girl in the back of the car witnessing the shooting and I can't help think of my 5 year old daughter, who was playing her room as we watched, hoping she never has to witness such horror.

I am beyond sad, and almost beyond hope that hate and fear is conquering love in this country and that we will continue this #redhotsummer without the cool breeze of peace and compassion to save us.

 

The link to the original blog.  http://proactivesoul.blogspot.com/2015/02/open-letter-to-my-son-miles-on-too-many.html

EPPIES GREAT RACE

My son and I have decided to run Eppie’s Great Race on July 16^th, 2016. We have dreamed for 2 years of competing in Eppie's Great Race (EGR) together. Miles is 11 (will turn 12 a few days after the race), and Charles is 48. We have had all the excuses and challenges in the last few years that have prevented us from entering, but this year we have committed to finally competing, and started training to enter this year’s race.

What is Eppie’s Great Race?[1] Eppie's Great Race is the world’s oldest triathalon that occurs every July in Sacramento and Rancho Cordova, CA where participants complete a run (5.82 miles), bike (12.5 miles) and kayak (6.1 miles) legs along the beautiful American River Parkway.

We are running to support each other and to support 2 causes dear to our hearts, ALS and Diabetes research and programming. Our uncle, Andre Apacanis passed from complications of ALS in 2006 on Miles' 2nd birthday. My grandfather, Rufus L. Mason was a Type 1 diabetic and died before I was born, many family members, past and present family members deal with the complications of Type 2 diabetes. I utilize running, yoga, meditation, biking, and healthy eating as a way to stay healthy. Miles uses all the above in addition to participating in sports like baseball to stay fit. Participating in sports activities as a family allows us to not only remain close, but to also minimize the potential impacts of health related disease.

We hope to inspire other father/son, and other family teams to take on the race and many other competitions. We are also are hoping to inspire others battling diseases like ALS and diabetes to pursue their dreams, and conquer hurdles they thought impossible to clear.

We have run several 5k's together, and run, bike, practice yoga, and meditate together with sister Yemaya. Miles and Yemaya also plan to compete in the Eppies Kids Duathalon October 16th.

We also invite others to join our team!

We will be extremely thankful for everyone's support, it not only fulfills a father and son's dream, but also supports the memory of loved ones we have lost to these two terrible diseases, and all that battle them still today, bringing hope that cures are on the way.

https://www.gofundme.com/milesdadgreatrace Thank you for your support in advance.

---

[1] www.eppiesgreatrace.org

 

Maurice White

 

 

 

 

 

This week a true musical legend and genius passed, Maurice White, the founder and leader of Earth, Wind and Fire after years of battling Parkinson’s disease. EWF became my favorite band, musicians, song writers, etc. when I was about 7 or 8 years old. They supplanted the previous reign of Al Green

and the Jackson 5, only later to be joined by the likes of Prince, and Miles Davis.

I got my first 2 EWF albums when I was about 9,  That’s the Way of The World, and Spirit during an outing with my mom to  the record store. I wore those albums out for many years, until switching to cassette and later CD and now my iTunes. I collected as many of their albums as I could, studied every dust jacket, and new the words to every song.

I quickly attached to White for because of his writing, leadership and the inspirational and spiritual message that lived in every note.

They also made an amazing connection with the music of the African diaspora, not many of us new what a kalimba was before them, but we are now will well aware of its awesome sounds, and African roots.

I cried, wished I was making love, and made love countless times to Reasons, and other well crafted, and sung ballads.

That’s the Way of World, Spirit, Head to the Sky, and See the Light still fill me with amazing spirit and hope for a brighter world and future.

 

I danced to Let’s Groove, Boogie Wonderland, Getaway, and Shining Star. I even remember creating a dance performance with my brother and neighbors whom I indoctrinated into the greatest of EWF.

I soaked in the lessons of how to love from All About Love, Love’s Holiday, You, Imagination, Can’t Hide Love, After the Love is Gone, and countless other songs.

White always emphasized inspiring versus entertaining, and yes EWF could create an amazing stage show, unfortunately I never saw them live, but I believe White and EWF’s greatest gift was inspiring the heart and souls of many across this planet. I was lucky enough as a kid to hear many stories from adults that did see them live and could attest first hand.

There reach into soul, R&B, jazz, funk, gospel, rock was amazing; while bridging African, Brazilian and Latin rhythms. A global ambassador before the world had started to see itself as one.

I remember fondly my “arguments” with a childhood friend about who was greater EWF or The Who, we would later concede both were great, but I know my insistent chants of the greatness of White and EWF would have never led him to discover the music, and the great bass guitar play of White’s brother Verdine.

I play the music now for my children, always reminding them of the greatness and the message. My friends and family the last few years have had to listen to replays of See the Light over and over again, as my spiritual awakening allowed me to see that song and many others in a new space and light.

They started their performances with a spiritual prayer, an understanding of their spiritual connection and their connection to Africa. Very few musical artists in this time or any took the risk to truly embrace spirituality into their music while breaking barriers, it cost them fans when confusion of what they were “worshipping” was put in questions, but in the end they were only spreading love.

White spent his last years suffering from a horrific disease. It is hard to see someone who inspired so many with his huge spirit suffer for so long. I had tears in my eyes as I watched him struggle during EWF's Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame induction and other later performances. In the end, it is those with those powerful and indelible spirts that have the gentleness to face suffering with light.

 

 

Waterfall Quote

Path Quote

Dark to Light



Stop! Giving energy to dark spaces. Give to light and love and beauty.
-proactivesoul

Another Country

This weekend I wandered to my book shelf and pulled off my 1^st edition copy of the James Baldwin’s classic, Another Country. I was driven by my recent return to my own creative writing; the truth in his words that have been flying across social media in the wake of the #BlackLivesMatter movement, and the recent Supreme Court decision legally supporting gay marriage.

Baldwin was one of my childhood heroes, as were many of the classic literary figures of the last century. I was lucky to be introduced to Claude Brown’s, Manchild in the Promised Land, by my 7^th grade creative writing teacher, when he noticed my boredom with the required reading. My parents approved me to check out and read the book, and after a long 6 months of getting through the book, and asking many uncomfortable questions, I was hooked. I was then opened to the world over the next several years to Ellison, Wright, Hughes, Hurston, Angelou, and most prominently, Baldwin. The years before had been a childhood spent exploring African-American and African history through encyclopedias, biographies written for children, and magazines.  These books allowed a young Black kid, living in a predominately white and conservative suburb of Los Angeles, the opportunity to connect to African-American experiences across the country, if not, the world. Manchild and later Baldwin’s, Go Tell It On The Mountain, also connected me to the experiences of other Black male experiences that was absent in the required reading in most of my classes.

Another Country, once I read it in early high school, instantly became one of my favorite books, and occupies that space in my life until this day. It not only introduced me to many different types of relationships and lifestyles, but also helps to counter the constant racist, homophobic, sexist, and other norms that existed in my immediate and broader environment. As a young straight male, Baldwin’s illustration of gay and bisexual characters were transformative in how I would positively perceive all individuals in society, and instilled the value that we all had the same struggles and human emotion, and desire for love in our lives. The early 80’s environment that I read this 1963 classic in did not embrace this humanity.

Now I embark on this journey again, reading a novel that I have read more than any other (I don’t re-read books often), wondering what my thoughts, feeling, reactions, emotions, and insights will be.  I am only a few pages in, and already understand, and feel what drew me in over 30 years ago. In the coming months I will share how the reading of this classis sits with me a generation later.

Self-Care Series Part 2 – Meditation

Over the next several weeks I will be releasing a series of short blogs on self-care, based on many things that I do personally, and what I have observed in others. This will be a primer for a future self-care and life journey book to appear in 2016. Enjoy the journey!

This is the second blog in my Self-Care Series.

Meditation

I just finished my morning mediation, and I reflected to when I was a kid, and I would often sit in meditative states unaware that I was tapping into an ancient practice that exist in different forms in many cultures. I would move away from my quiet sessions alone where I attempt to calm myself during frustrating times ad a child. As I grew into a young adult I viewed meditation/mindfulness as something that was not attainable to me. It was something that well trained followers of eastern religions executed, and unless I converted to those faiths, meditation was not accessible to me. I was not aware that many faiths, non-faiths, religions, cultures, ethnicities, etc. practiced some form of meditation. Over the last 15 years I have been lucky enough to rediscover meditation through reading, spiritual discovery, and yoga.

For most of us the toughest thing to do is to be alone with ourselves, with no music, television, reading, video games or any other activity going on, except sitting quietly with just you. I know when I first began to sit; I was terrified of what I might find out about my true self.

My practice has been pulled from different traditions, but mainly tied to Buddhist and yogic traditions. I first re-attempted meditation years ago through reading books by Stephen Bachelor (Buddhism Without Beliefs), and Angel Kyodo Williams (Being Black). I was not looking for a religion to follow, but more looking for spiritual practices to incorporate into my life that would help with keeping a daily balance, and facing my fears. My practice would remain erratic for several years, until about 7 years ago when I began running regularly again, and practicing yoga. I also was reading text by many spiritual leaders (Pema Chodron, Thich Naht Hahn, the Dalai Lama, Eckhart Tolle, Deepak Chopra. etc.), all of which put forth meditation as one way to bring happiness and joy into your life. One of the hardest parts of meditation is all those thoughts running through your head, and how you begin to let them flow by, and not trigger the fears that impede each day.

It also began to look at how meditation has been instrumental in the following, supported now by medical, scientific, and personal accounts.

·         Emotional well-being

·         Improved physical and emotional stress

·         Improved health, including reduction in blood pressure

·         Improved breathing and relaxation

·         Reduction in worrying and anxiety

·         Improved optimism

·         Improved focus

·         Less depression

·         Better thinking and creativity

·         Lessons premenstrual and menopausal problems

·         And many more

I practice daily now, and incorporate meditation into my other activities, such as running. Meditation is not just sitting with your legs crossed on a cushion. You can sit in a chair; meditate as you exercise, on your walk to work, and many other activities. I even use mindfulness during those stuff conversations and meetings at home and work. I also meditate now with my 2 young children, teaching them early the benefits of mindfulness. My son has testified how he has used his breathing in tough situations in school successfully. In fact, a group called Mindful Schools in Oakland, CA has introduced mindfulness as a way to improve behavior of students.

Meditation is a powerful tool that takes the simplest and hardest action, just being with ourselves. Practicing mindfulness/meditation does not require you to visit a guru or temple, or even attend a yoga or meditation class. There are plenty of guides in spiritual books, or online. Find the style and type of practice that works for you. Whether you sit quietly and follow your breath, or scan your body, or stand next to a running river with your hands at your side, find that space in your daily routine to take, 5, 10, 15, 30 60 minutes to honor  yourself, and you just might find many other parts of your life improve.

Self-Care Series Part 1 – Journal/Write-It-Down!

Over the next several weeks I will be releasing a series of short blogs on self-care, based on many things that I do personally, and what I have observed in others. This will be a primer for a future self-care and life journey book to appear in 2016. Enjoy the journey!

This is the first blog in my Self-Care Series.

Journal/Write-It-Down!

Over the years I have been handed many journals from friends, family, and mentors encouraging me to write down my thoughts. Therapists have suggested journaling, and countless online and magazine self-help articles have sung the virtues of journaling. In high school my dad gave me a Kahlil Gibran themed journal that I poured my thoughts, dreams, and fears into. Yes, it was mainly stuff about girls, sports and music, but it was my space where on many days I was able to have a conversation with myself through the written word. I still have that journal, and often laugh at what I wrote, but at the time those were the most important expressions in the world to me. Each word I wrote was essential, and important to a young man whose world was changing every day, which often brought confusion, pain, and suffering.

I would continue to journal sporadically over the years, often mixed in with poems, story ideals, and political rants. A few years back my therapist encouraged me to buy a book called, The Artist Way, by Julia Cameron. I went out and bought it right after our session, and was immersed into the first few chapters within hours. The first lesson in the book was to start doing something she affectionately called “The Morning Pages”. The concept was instead of journaling at random times or not all, was to write as close as possible to awaking each morning. The goal is to write three pages each day in your journal. Subject and topic do not matter; you just get it out as you are at your rawest point of the day.

I have been journaling in this fashion for over 5 years, and it has been powerful. Journaling has improved my mood, provided a space for release, and helped to create more balance in my life. Friends that have picked up on this method also report the powerful nature of writing just as you rise. I journal typically somewhere in my house, and am accompanied by a class of water, and a cup of green tea. When traveling I have my journal, and green tea bags in tow. I start my day by facing and releasing the day before, and setting a course for each precious moment of the coming day.  

Regardless of how you choose to journal, journaling each day is a wonderful tool to address stress, anxiety, fear, and depression. It also creates a space to explore your hopes, dreams, and ambitions.

How to Start a Special Interest Group

A link to a article I wrote for ehow on how to start a special interest group.

http://www.ehow.com/how_8779170_start-special-interest-group.html

The Only Truth After 47 Years!

I finally arrived at 47 years of age on March 7th, the timing of which was not a mystery, but the arrival at times may have been doubt. It feels like a strange number, without the ceremonial significance of turning 50. No AARP card yet, but the reminders of my pending discount glory will start arriving in the mail and via email soon. However, it is significant because after 47 years I have come to discover that the only truth in life is love, in all its forms, not death and taxes.

Love of Self – The most powerful and often hardest to attain is the one form of love we must first manifest before connecting to all. I was luckily raised to embrace self-love, and though I have lost my way on this road many times, I always find my way back to my core that allows me to connect to all.

Love of and for Family, and Friends – Without the strength, wisdom, generosity, and support of my family and friends each valley would have been harder to cross, and each mountain more difficult to climb. We don’t walk this journey alone, and my family and friends have reminded me of this constantly.

Community and Environment – A love that each and every person has the opportunity to be all they can be, each moment of every day. The love that we all have the ability to live in a world that is safe, clean, and peaceful. This is what drives my “professional” life each day.

Love of My Kids – My kids, Miles and Yemaya, are my greatest source of joy, and at time fear. For I never stop thinking about their safety, and life outcomes, knowing how little of it is in my control. In the end, I know there are no other beings on this planet that I would sacrifice all to protect and make happy.

Of a Life Partner – The most elusive love in my life, but through trial and error I have found the path to this love. Somewhere in sharing your life with one person we are tied to a truth that is deep inside each of you, and transcends sight, touch, and sound. This wonderful union of love vibrates in your being, and can appear at any time on your journey, at any age. I have found this truth.

Our Universal Connection – This love is what ties me to all things and beings in this world, and beyond. The reality that we are all interconnected and interdependent on each other, and must treat each other with kindness, and compassion at all times.

And now I strive to live these truths every day, knowing some days I will struggle with some or all, but am always aware of loves constant presence in and around me.

Open Letter to My Son Miles, On Too Many Eves of Violence Against Black and Brown Boys

I somehow hoped you would be 18 or maybe 16 when I had to write this letter to you, but you are 10! After a long few years of explaining to you why Black boys are being killed by policy and neighbors, with no justice, 4, 6 or 8 years from now may be too late.  After more than a year of tears rolling down my face and questions whirling in your mind, yes, 4, 6 or 8 years from now may be too late!

I also thought this letter would be private, and in many ways it is, but in the end there are many other Black, Brown and other boys that need to read and hear these words.

In the past few years, if not during your entire young life, we have educated you to treat all people with kindness, compassion and respect, regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, income, orientation and any other way they may appear or choose to exist in this world.  Your compassionate soul is what I love most about you and there are things that can even erode that state of being. Our mindfulness and yoga practice is not just to ensure your spiritual peace, but to also guard you against the reactions that could one day prove to fateful.

I have also began to walk you through this countries ugly history with race and violence, in particular with African-American’s, Blacks, Coloreds, Negroes…  We have also discussed discrimination against people from Mexico, where your mother is from and the ugly backlash in this country against immigrants from Latin America.  It is ironic that this history exist in the land of liberty, since we are the backs that much of this country was built on. Free Black labor during slavery allowed for the growth of wealth in this country that is still supported by the exploitation of immigrants through immoral labor practices.

I watched your eyes and listened to your reaction as we watched, Eyes on the Prize and the Roots mini-series these last few years, as you declared the lack of fairness and cruelty inherent in these historic lessons. This began to show you the path of violence pointed at those of African descent in this country; from our dragging across the Atlantic in chains, through slavery, down the river of Jim Crow, up the mountain of segregation, through the alleys of ghettos and now firmly rooted in economic, social and psychological imprisonment. This imprisonment shows a brighter path to prison for young Black men than to college. It supports the development of the prison industrial complex that is keeping us in cages, while exploiting the labor of those incarcerated and reducing support for educational achievement.

Much of our society is built on violence and often maintained by violence. Many men and women serve bravely in our arm forces, as did two of your great-grandfathers in World War II, and many other family members. However, we continue to maintain the perceived security of our country through acts of violence that then permeates throughout our society. Unfortunately, the right to have a gun is more sacred than the right to love much too often in this country.

We are not immune to violence in our own family. Violence has run through our family. Our family has witnessed violence in all its forms. Some at the hands of others and some aimed at each other. It is not a pretty part of our history. The pressure cooker this society has created has seen murder, domestic violence, rape, war, suicide, prostitution, drug addiction, psychological challenges and others descend into our lives. As I stood delivering the eulogy last year at your great-grandmother’s funeral, I looked into the eyes of the many generations that sat before me. I saw not only our family’s ugly history, but also the ugly history of this country.  I thought as we said goodbye to our matriarch, how amazing it was for her to live 94 years, and touched a century of history, always striving to heal the pain and suffering of all that came after her.  In that room there were people that had fought each other, pointed guns at one another, sat behind prison walls and been committed to mental health institutions. I looked at your sister and you and as I observed your innocence, I hoped with all my being that neither of you would ever experience such pain.

These ills in our family, in our society are tied to the structures and systems that many cannot see and want to ignore.  They have created mental health and other challenges that have contributed to these acts of self-hatred and destruction. As I have done genealogical research on our family, which you have shown amazing interest, I have uncovered violence tied to slavery, Jim Crow and in the home. We are not and should not remain imprisoned by the systems of the past.

In the past few years as each shooting of young African-American men emerges, I always think of you and what it will be like for you as you enter the world as a young man. The killings without due justice for so many is painful, it makes me almost nostalgic for the “driving while Black” periods of my life, which have not completely withered away and lead to often to the apprehension Black and Brown men.

• Trayvon Martin -17
• Michael Brown - 18
• Tamir Rice - 12
• Andy Lopez – 13
• Countless others 

The recent killings and the subsequent lack of justice points to a society that truly does not value our lives and the makes the call for “Black Lives Matter” resound loudly in all corners of our great country. I often flashback to the many incidents that I had with police officers and others in powerful positions as a young man. Though in a few cases, I made mistakes, 99 percent of the time I was just a kid attempting to enjoy life.

You have unfortunately seen in person during our trips to Los Angeles how racial profiling works. After our last trip to Los Angeles, you mentioned to me that this was the first time in a while we did not get pulled over by the police. What I did not mention to you is that growing up in and around Los Angeles my friends and I accepted this reality as a part of our lives. We were always prepared to be pulled over and asked where we live and what we were doing in the community, though the officers often already new us.  In one six-month period when I was 18-19, I was pulled over at least 30 times by police.

On at least two occasions the officers that pulled me over, had guns drawn and with one false move I might have been on a list of young Black men killed. On many occasions, I was dragged from my car, not knowing whether I was going to live or die in that moment. Hands raised, heart racing, I knew that one flinch would leave me locked up, wounded or dead. This is something that has never left me. There is not a moment, even now, as I work in partnership with local law enforcement to make our communities a brighter, safer and more vibrant place to live that the appearance of a police car near me does not instill a sense of safety, it instills fear. Not knowing whether they see Charles the community leader and father or just another Black man that they don’t mind turning into a statistic.

I think of you at this time, whether you are in the car or not and that day we hand you your first set of car keys. I realize I have to start the lessons on how you must hold your hands and talk when police or other law enforcement officer approaches, where you can and cannot be and at what times, how you must dress to reduce suspicion, how you must potentially compromise you out of fear.

As a father you only want to protect your children and provide them with the tools needed to survive in an all too dangerous society. It does not matter if we are talking about the ills of gangs and drugs, which remnants still exist in our neighborhood or the option of moving to a suburb where the color of your skin may inspire someone to see you as a threat and react.

I also watch the news and see Brown babies that have escaped war and drugs and poverty in other countries, detained and sent back to places where their lives are threatened. They are not being given the same value in our society as others that have arrived on these shores from the claws of religious, economic, ethnic and other forms of persecution. I think about your mom’s families proud farm worker tradition that provided for a strong family and wonder what burden you carry being both Black and Brown and how you will choose to travel through our country when you represent two of the often most despised individuals on our society, Black and Brown Boys.

I don’t want you to carry this burden that is why we raise you with a strong sense of knowledge of your past and present conditions, while instilling you with pride and knowing your inherent value and beauty in this world. You are not the perceived problem you so intently listened to on public radio, as they discussed how Black and Brown boys are perceived in schools, you are the kind and caring young man that all praise each day. There is no need for you to carry this burden of Black and Brown in this society, and I will continue to fight with love in my heart and in as many places and spaces so that you and so many others do not have to carry this burden.  The progress and subsequent gains made by the presence of famous individuals like Martin Luther King Jr., Maya Angelou, Malcolm X, Rosa Parks, James Baldwin, Cesar Chavez and Barack Obama are so much more important in our lives, than the itchy trigger fingers and swinging batons of the Bull Connor’s of the world.

But in the end the optimist in me sees a different fate for you, one not wrapped in violence and hate, but one bundled with strength and love. One where the teachings of compassion that our family never strays far from, even in the darkest moments, will continue to guide your life as you successfully navigate the many challenges this society may have in store from you. In the end, you are my beautiful, brilliant, compassionate and loving son who deserves to and will live a life full of light and face each challenge with love. As history has taught us, hatred and violence never achieves anything and in all spaces I hope you walk down a path of love and compassion.  For no enemy has ever made a friend through hate.

Love,

Daddy

Charles L. Mason, Jr.

Leader

A little inspiration on MLK Day!

"You are the leader this world needs. If your primary intention is to be present with your world, be compassionate with others, and be a force of positive change in the world, there is nothing holding you back. There is no one else that will clean up your life and make you happy. There is no one else who will be able to effect true change in your neighborhood like you can. There is nobody else who will offer your heart to the world and experience its sacred qualities but you. You can make a difference in this world, so long as you have confidence in your innate ability to love."

-Lodro Rinzler, "The Buddha Walks Into A Bar: A Guide To Life For A New Generation"

Time

Spend time with love.
Spend time with joy.
Spend time with compassion.
Spend time with peace.

No more laying with hate and fear and anger and pain.

-Charles L. Mason, Jr.

Love Is!?

Love Is?!

Love!

Love is what fuels.

It is that burning inside that softly connects I to me;

               releasing me of fear and anger.

Love is what soothes my soul and lifts my spirit;

               when the war of pain and suffering arises.

Love is what me launches me a sail in the rivers of life;

               searching for your smile,

                              your touch,

                              your scent,

                              your tears.

Love is what I give to you,

               because, with

               one smile full of light

you illuminated me, with love for a million

lifetimes.

- Charles L. Mason, Jr.

Confronting Self

I reflect today on a beautiful and amazing passage in the book, Memories of My Melancholy Whores, by Gabriel GarcÍa Márquez.  I am still reading this the first of his books for me to read. I was drawn to it by the great title and the fascination to hear the story of a 90 year old man unfold. The passage reminded of how so often we escape from our inner-self or our true-self for much of our lives and all the illusions and veils we place over our lives, we always stand naked to everyone else. A reminder to seek our true selves with each breath, each day, since we all will not be awarded the luxury that this fictional character was awarded at the age of 90, the ability to find the true meaning love.

Reading the passage will provide much greater insight than anything I can write to introduce it.

“Thanks to her I confronted my inner self for the first time as my ninetieth year went by. I discovered that my obsession for having each thing in the right place, each subject at the right time, each word in the right style, was not the well-deserved reward of an ordered mind but just the opposite: a completed system of pretense invented by me to hide the disorder of my nature. I discovered that I am not disciplined out of virtue but as a reaction to my negligence, that I appear generous in order to conceal my meanness, that I pass myself off as prudent because I am evil-minded, that I am conciliatory in order not to succumb to my repressed rage, that I am punctual only to hide how little I care about other people’s time. I leaned, in short, that love is not a condition of the spirit but a sign of the zodiac.”

"Appreciate yourself and honor your soul."

-Anonymous

 

Blossom

"Patience with thy soul, for it is blossoming one breath at a time."

- Charles L. Mason, Jr. - 2014