sloppy seconds

This is essentially going to stem from my previous post in an attempt to avoid sophomore slump.

“As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.”

- John Fitzgerald Kennedy, US President 1917-1963

As I write this, I’m sitting outside; on the edge of the decking of my alfresco with feet on the welcoming artificial grass; the late morning sun alleviating my skin of the icy cold that my home seems to consistently bestow even if it is, like today, a brilliantly sun-saturated day.

Yes, I know, it’s really indie. But that’s another discussion for another day.

I thought to myself. I could just unwind and spend the day pickling myself with mindless reality television shows or I could attempt to pen down the (I can’t think of the word to describe the crazy inner workings of our minds) deepest thoughts we virtually always have but never tell anyone.

The sun is ridiculous.

I was driving home last night and I couldn’t help but wonder – and I’m always wondering – about how remarkable the world works.

In my previous post I briefly described the beauty of the sun rising in the morning. I said that the world is an amazing place, if you knew where to look. And ever since the beginning of this year, every day has been a wondrous episode. Up or down, I can look back and admire the fact that every day has been different. Every day is filled with something diverse. Some days are not as good as others but that in itself simply highlights that there is so much to be thankful for. We can choose to be like everyone else and take for granted the splendour of our world or we can better ourselves and, to the best of our abilities, we can capacitate what our fair lady has to offer.

One night I was driving homeward bound and as I pulled into my estate the moon came into full view through my windshield.

By now you’re probably sick of me instinctively attempting to describe things that are aesthetically pleasing but I’m sorry, if you saw the moon that night, you would have had to agree with me. Regardless, this is my piece and if you don’t like it, why are you still reading? Obviously you don’t have the aptitude to understand and comprehend what I’m trying to relay to you. I suggest you start slower with easier texts such as a Dr. Seuss book.

Actually, even that’s probably too hard for you. Try something from Roger Hargreaves.

Moving on, the moon looked spectacular that night. She dressed herself in a gorgeous night white and she radiated evening sky. And in regards to the sun and its ridiculousness, the fact that the moon’s beauty is a reflection of the immensity of the sun is just plain impressive.

Seriously, my words do not do it any justice. I literally had to stop my car in the middle of the road and just stare. I couldn’t help but just smile. And for me to smile out of nowhere and not on the verge of laughing is quite profound for me. Not often enough do I just smile at something when no one is around. You know that when you do it’s genuine. I mean think about it, why do we usually smile?

For others.

Those around us.

We smile because it makes others around us feel better. Smiles lighten the atmosphere. They set the mood of a conversation. They can make someone’s day. But most of all, we smile because it’s mutually beneficial; it makes us look good and appear to possess a happy & joyful quality whilst simultaneously providing the former benefits. We seldom stop and admire something and accordingly produce a genuine smile. Unfortunately.

So when I smiled at the moon that night, I came to realise, I should always be making better of my efforts to appreciate everything.

Take nothing for granted is how I roll. Especially the little things.

Yesterday during one my hectic journeys to work, I experienced a feat never before fulfilled in the 860 or so trips to and from Flemington.

Put simply, I did not stop. Everything just played out to my advantage; from sequential green lights, to open lanes and perfect timing. I mean don’t get me wrong, I got a few red lights, but I braked early so that I had about a hundred metres of just slowly rolling until it went green. Truth be told, those four wheels did not stop turning until I arrived at my usual parking spot.

The benefit? I beat my usual running time by 7 minutes. It should have been a significant amount more but I was driving at the speed limit as I was enjoying the sunrise which, that morning, was particularly grand.

It’s the random little things like those that I wholeheartedly appreciate and do not take for granted. Even something as obscure as not getting sick is of huge significance to me; whenever I see someone who’s suffering from a cold or something I’m always grateful to God that I’m not suffering some sort of similar ailment because every time I sample the idea of being sick, it disheartens me. And I bet you do too.

In addition, some of the most disregarded include the rooves over our heads, the food on the table and the ones that surround us. And I’m not talking about the hundreds or thousands you have on Facebook but the ones that when in a time of need, are authentically available. The ones that when you call, answer.

So plainly, don’t take anything for granted. Especially in your darkest hours, know that there is always, and I mean always, a light at the end of the tunnel. It’s just a matter of whether you’re up to the challenge of looking in the right direction. And if you believe in God then you must be familiar with His grace. Although it’s one of the most misunderstood concepts, it’s also one of the most enlightening as well as reassuring.
There is a reason for everything. And when it seems like you can’t figure out what it is, it’s most likely because you’re thinking too hard. It’s almost certainly right in front of you ready to present you with a king-hit to the face. In that case, take a step back and take the lemons. You know what to do with them.

The other day I was speaking to a friend of mine and he was being petulant about the weather. His deep expression for a desire to sleep for the entire period of precipitation caused me to tell him that it is those days that are the ones that should compel you to immerse yourself in appreciation of the idea that there will always be a new and better day; whether be it tomorrow, the next day or next week.

When we start to take things for granted, we sometimes miss out on the greatness those things offer.
We were having a discussion about movies and whatnot and a friend of mine was resolute to giving a certain film a chance based on the fact that he believed that it wasn’t worth his time; his standards had to be met. With this kind of mindset, we miss out on great things through our ignorance. I cannot stress enough how invaluable and courteous it is to give everything a chance. What’s the saying again? Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.

Cue cliché remark here – how would you feel if someone didn’t give you a chance?

I’m sorry for my cliché tendencies but everyone – and everyone as in the better portion of the English-speaking dominion - overlooks that too.

Actually, I’m not sorry.
It’s the cliché sayings that are the ones that tell it best. When you think about it, there is a reason why they’re called cliché; they’re overused but they work. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I’m more than happy to beat around the bush and try and put together a new saying but then that’s just too indie.

No sir I’ll take the mainstream path that no one seems to be taking these days.

But then that’s being indie… mmm. Sah.

Nonetheless, I think this all goes hand in hand with my previous post because with nothing but a negative attitude you will be unable to express gratitude for anything.
Auspiciously, pessimism doesn’t work in partnership with gratitude.

At least not sincerely.

Gratitude is a virtue. Ignorance is a vice.

Tua est electio.

Plain and simple: our world is an amazing place if you know where to look.

I've been meaning to write a blog for a while now but I just didn't know what to log. I had been waiting.

The time has come.

I have been traversing the same route to work for over a year now and only just at the start of this year have I really started to pay attention. Or maybe I’ve just been waking up earlier?

Getting ready for work this morning, I caught a glimpse outside the window and saw dawn fast rising. I urged myself to prepare at a faster rate so that I would experience the sunrise in all it's morning glory.

I live on a street.

My street is busy.

I always disliked living on a street.

You can't walk outside and grab your mail in nothing but underwear (I know, I know, I do it anyway).

But there was one advantage to the road I lived on. Busy roads are typically latitude-ly correct in Melbourne.

And mine was.

As I opened our garage door and fired up my rice rocket. I strolled onto the road and faced east. I was captivated at the beauty of our Victorian autumn sky. The pre-sun rays were beginning to beam through the centre of my perspective. The straight road created a clear line of sight to the horizon.

The colours depicted are so unique and difficult to describe but maybe that's because I don't really know colours. I like to think I do but I don't.

At best I can say that from the ground up, it began with a light transparent yellow leaking into a humble orange and then somehow managing to transpire to a heavenly blue and, since it was 06:33, it merged into a heavily dark navy blue as you started to reverse-nod your head in a vertical fashion. All the while, remnants of fog were still eminent. It was as if someone snapped a photo, then using Photoshop, used the Blur tool and made massive long blurred streaks.

I will leave the adjective selection up to you because I've truly run out of words that could accurately detail the beauty of the sun rising - if there even is a word that could.

I will note that this is not the first time I have seen something as gorgeous. My journeys to work are almost always overwhelmed with beautiful sunrises (the one advantage of living in the west).

My motive for posting a blog about it?

I was scrolling through my News Feed this morning and I saw a post from a friend from church and he mentioned that almost all his blogs entailed the beginning "I hate it when... blah blah blah"

He found it easier to write about things that he hated as opposed to things he loved. This is unfortunately true with most people - apologies for the generalisation but seriously.

Clearly there's a whole 'nother level of discussion there which could go on forever.

Staying on track, I decided to post a optimistic piece of work which entails me basically shoving my opinion down your throat about inaugurating ourselves to seeing the glass half full.

It saddens me that there are more pessimists vs. optimists. And there’s something very oxymoronic about that sentence…

In regards to a sunrise, I believe it’s one of the most beautiful things I’ve seen. Yet it’s a daily occurrence and we have the inclination to overlook it and hence not being able to appreciate it. Maybe I’m just blessed to be able to have a job that allows me to work earlier. Who knows.

But seriously, sometimes it’s healthy for us to just stop and smell the roses (cliché ftw).

This may seem a bit off-topic but there is this wonderful girl I know and when I was getting to know more about her, I came to realise she was this sort of neo-misanthropist in respect to mainstream social culture. I understood her standpoint because I used to be just like her but there was a tendency for it to influence her general outlook. She wasn't necessarily left-wing but she - let's just say that at most times, she didn't see the positive 50. Albeit I've only known her enough to the point where, if it was a normal relationship, we would’ve only just been able to comfortably talk without the advent of an awkward turtle. It was bewildering that we were lengths ahead of that. Or maybe she could have been lying to me the whole time; presenting me with a complete substitute of herself. I guess I’ll never know now.

Anyhow, she recommended I read a book which apparently is her favourite and it essentially tells the tale of a beautiful prostitute that captures the heart of a devout Christian man and has him taken aback. He perseveres in making a better life for her and bringing happiness into her darkly world. In all her obscurity, he saw the good in her and he was compelled by God to bring productive change into her life.

As I blitzed through it I somewhat felt as though that was why we met – why I was brought into her life; for me to insert affection, kindness and progression to her life. I saw the good in her and I wanted to bring it out so that it overwhelmed all of her.

Long story short,

It wasn't me.

Whoever it is, I pray he will carry the same level of perseverance, patience and effort - if not more. Because I know for a fact that in the end, the results will far outweigh the costs. As long as he sees the vista, win.

Where am I getting with this?

I believe we should strive to view the good things in life. As cliché as it sounds, it's basically all that we need right now considering the times. John Lennon was definitely on the right track when he once said that all we need is love.

I guess this is sort of timely bearing in mind that Easter has just passed.

And I wouldn’t be gambling if I was to say that everyone already knows the moralistic story behind Easter so I won't bother wasting precious bytes by retelling it.

By now I'm positive (no pun intended) that you’ve caught my drift. If not then... start from the top and concentrate harder and think inside the square - I'm not being cryptic. The first line tells it best.