Transitional Blues

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Does everyone experience this? Transition certainly happens to everyone, but does everyone get the blues? Transition is just a fancy word for change. For instance, when you change jobs, that’s a transition period. Or when winter and spring are both kind of vying for the seasonal control, that’s a transition. When the weather isn’t quite winter, but not quite spring yet either, I know a lot of people get the blues. Of course, there are the completely crazy people who will stare at the sky as it’s raining and snowing at the same time, and they shout, “Give me summer!”

I guess I could see how they might be frustrated. Transitioning from winter straight into summer, though? That would drive me crazy. Maybe I have a little more patience. In fact, I don’t mind waiting out the blues. I know that even though I’m ready for a new season, and it isn’t happening today, it will still happen. There are signs of it everywhere. And that’s true whether talking about a season of nature or a season of emotions.

A wise man once said that no one can really connect the dots of life while looking forward; we can only connect them while looking back. What that means is, we get the blues during transitions because we are poor predictors of the future. However, if we look back a little, we can see the progress we’ve made. Getting the blues is natural, especially during a transition. As long as we only visit, we’ll be okay. It’s when you decide to live in your sadness that you lose. Life is full of changes. How we handle those changes determines whether we smile through or scream at the sky.

Car Metaphors

 

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Looking for a car metaphor.

Like running the wipers on a dry day. Like driving with your lights on in the daytime. Like putting small wheels on a car and thinking it’s fast. Like taking off the muffler and turning the radio up! Like trading a Ferrari for a Ford. Like throwing the key under the seat and expecting to start the car. Like comparing apples to lugnuts. Like burning down your garage to make the RV fit. Like putting a pizza in it and calling it “air freshner”. Like emptying the gas tank and then telling someone else their tank is empty. Like honking the horn at a deer. Like driving blind. Like decking out the chrome and the window tint. Like washing it one day before rain. Like washing it before you go mudding. Like wishing you could go mudding, but you’re driving a convertible. Like putting diesel fuel in when your car drives on unleaded. Like driving your car into the ocean. Like fossil fuel and new technology. Like racing around only to find you never left your yard.

Focus

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Focus is a great skill to have. How is it that I feel bereft of that particular skill most of the time? How do some people get their focus? I wonder though, could focus be a bad thing? There are people in this world who are so focused on one item that we call them obsessed. I don’t crave that kind of self-imposed retardation we call obsession. The obsessed give themselves up, they surrender, for what? A paltry amount of money? An item that by all accounts is temporary? For a fashion or a style, that will pass them by in a few years, in the blink of an eye? For a bottle of delusion, or a momentary high?

Obsession is the worst kind of focus, but there is good focus, and that’s even harder to achieve. Good focus is a skill that allows you to see the minor steps that will get you far along the path. It will get you building bridges to cross those chasms of distraction. Well, as I admitted before—I’m no expert on focus. I feel like I’m more of an expert on distraction. Cheers to you who are like me (who are distracted by every bird swiftly winging along, every window with something on the other side, every collection of insects, and every pebble shiny or dull). Cheers and good luck!

Spring!

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I love Mother Earth! She does amazing things. Several of these flowers, like the one pictured, are popping up in my yard, despite the snow. Or maybe because of it. Bulbs don’t need much water. They survive fairly harsh weather conditions: cold and icy, or dry and hot. I planted them because of their ability to withstand the weather conditions. They’re a native plant. I also have succulents that spread themselves and do just fine in the current climate. I don’t even have to water them.

I also love climate change—preferred to climate stasis 5 to 1!

On that note: It’s great that some of the agenda pushers are now calling “climate change” by a more appropriate name: “anthropogenic climate change”. It’s great, but it doesn’t change the fact that the title when simplified means: man-made weather. One of the funny things though, about this new title, is that I get to poke even more fun at the unscientific goofballs who push the agenda. Did you know that one of the favored solutions to anthropogenic climate change (a.k.a. man-made weather) is anthropogenic climate change (a.k.a. man-made weather)? Yep, things like cloud seeding and emissions control fall directly in the category. Talk about setting yourself up. How will they all decide if they’re FOR or AGAINST?

Is It Natural?

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It’s only natural to want to talk about yourself. We want to promote ourselves. We need to make our business sound compelling. However, talking about your own self all of the time can be tedious and dry, like a water polo match in an empty pool. Okay, that wasn’t the best analogy since a water polo match in an empty pool could be hilarious instead of tedious. Anyone play water polo who wants to try it? Let me know how it turns out. Aside from that funny, goofy, silly idea, the idea of promoting others is not a new one. It can be a good way to show you’re not so one-sided. It can show how you have depth enough to send accolades on someone else’s behalf. It can actually improve your ability to sell your own things. Find ten people or businesses that you would promote, take all of the adjectives you would use to describe their products or services, and chances are good that many of those descriptive words also describe what you have. Your skills aren’t so different from everyone else’s. Your products are similar to someone’s products. There’s really nothing to lose and everything to gain. Try it for a day. Try giving someone a great review. Try throwing out some positive vibes. After all, we see and hear plenty of negative; it’s time for some positive.