Connected

I love looking at kites flying high in the sky.  I remember the first kite I ever had was a butterfly kite my dad bought for me one beach holiday.  I loved it, although it was not a good flier.  I could not wait to hold the string all by myself, and begged my dad to let me try it on my own.  In my young mind I thought it would fly better if I were to let go of the string, but although it took off with a great "whoosh", it soon tumbled from the sky and got tangled in the undergrowth.  Painstakingly my dad untangled it and we tried again.

From a very young age we have been raised to do things for ourselves.  Almost from the moment our children are born we encourage them to become independent,  we are ecstatic when they start sitting up by themselves,  we applaud them when they can hold onto their own bottle and we are ready with the camera to record their first unaided, wobbly steps.  Day by day we marvel at how their independence grows.  Of course there is nothing wrong with that, it is the natural way of life.  However, the problem comes in when we become so independent, so self-sufficient, that we start believing  we need nobody else, we can do it all, we are an island.

This type of thinking will lead you on a bitter and lonely road.  "Needing people" is seen by fiercely independent people as a weakness.  They believe that they have to be a Superhero, strong, undefeatable, self-sufficient, powerful.  They never ask for help, never admit defeat and never open up to anybody.  They even experience God as an entity outside of their lives, remote from their lives. To accept and receive anything is foreign to their whole being.  Very often they not only distance themselves from other people, but they even distance themselves from their own feelings.

People need people.  We have to connect with others, learn from others, inspire others and in turn be inspired by them. Independence that is out of control is actually just a mask to hide behind.  Behind the mask often lurks fear, pride and low self-esteem.  It is a way to protect ourselves from disappointment, hurt or rejection.

Looking up at the sky, watching the kites ducking and diving in the breeze, I relate it to the way life is.  Although the kite is tethered by the string, it sails through the air and rides the wind with such freedom, such abandon that it leaves me breathless with excitement.  As my dad explained that day on the beach, it is the very fact that it is held by the string that it can fly so high and so gracefully.  The minute my little hands let go of the string, my kite's future was lost and all it could do was to tumble down and crash.  It needs that connection, that guiding hand to fly.  The same way we need to be connected to God, to interact with others as it is in that connection and that interaction that we find our true strength, new inspiration and freedom.  

I leave you with a quote from a song by Barbra Streisand : "People who need people are the luckiest people in the world!"

If you flutter by here and would like to share your thoughts  please feel free to do so.

Oh my Word!

I have said this before "I love words.  I love the way they feel in my mouth, on my tongue, the weight they carry.  The way they can be sweet, or heavy or sometimes just a gossamer whisper slipping over my lips." (Post "Words have Wings 02/02/2015)

It is the primary way of communication in a civilized world.  Words are thoughts expressed in sound patterns.  Ideas are brought to light through the words we speak.  Parents eagerly wait for their baby's first word, and note it down in the baby book.  It is a major achievement.  Most people love to talk and to converse with their friends, family and colleagues. Words tumble effortlessly from our lips.
However, the older I grow the more I start to value something else. More than words, I love the actions behind the words.
Words without the action to back them up are meaningless and useless.  They are like empty shells scattered on a beach.  They may be pretty to look at and beautiful to hear but they have no substance.  They are unable to change anything, they create nothing but expectations and their end result is nothing but disappointment.
When our words and actions are out of sync we gain the reputation of being at the very least a yaysayer and at worst a liar, and we lose any integrity we might have had.  Words tell people who we would like them to believe we are, but it will always be our actions which will show people who we really are.  It is our actions which gives form, substance, comfort and hope to our words.  Our actions give true meaning to words such as "I love you" and "I am sorry".  Spoken promises become reality through the actions which back them.
Let us be careful with our words, let us not waste them on idle chatter, senseless gossip and meaningless promises.  Let us be men and women of our word.

One Thing.

September is finally here.  I say finally, because in the Southern Hemisphere September is synonymous with Spring.  It is also the ninth month, meaning we are entering the third quarter of the year.  Incredible! I thought it is an appropriate time to take a little stock.  Remember that pesky little list?  Hmm, you do not remember, do you?  That list of new year resolutions you had made.  Those notes you had jotted down about things you would like to do this year.  Well, it is time to have a look at it.  How many of those things you had planned have you managed to do so far?  Lost weight?  Starting a fitness program?  Painting your kitchen or reading that self-help book?  Chances are, if you are anything like me and the majority of civilization, you may not have accomplished as much as you have set out to do.  Well, it is not necessary to hang your head in shame.  You are just human.  What I do want you to do is to give yourself ten out of ten if you had done just one of those things on your list.  Maybe you de-cluttered your desk, maybe you made contact with one long lost friend or you are drinking water more regularly.  Whatever it is, well done to you.  We are often so concerned with what we did not achieve that we forget about those things, however small, which we did manage to do.  Reward yourself for these.  When we focus on what we have achieved it energizes us to do more.  Now take your list and select the ONE thing you really would like to accomplish or start before the end of the year.  Write it down in big letters where you will be able to look at it everyday.  Do not be tempted to choose more than one thing on that list.  Focus on that one thing, set a date for the completion of it  and every week make sure you do one thing which will take you closer to your goal.  Remember it all starts with the first step forward.  Good luck to you.