Desiderata

Written in 1927 by Max Ehrmann, Desiderata is one of my favorite poems.  I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I do.

Go placidly amid the noise and the haste,

and remember what peace there may be in silence.

As far as possible, without surrender,

be on good terms with all persons.

Speak your truth quietly and clearly;

and listen to others,

even to the dull and the ignorant;

they too have their story.

Avoid loud and aggressive persons;

they are vexatious to the spirit.

If you compare yourself with others,

you may become vain or bitter,

for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.

Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.

Keep interested in your own career, however humble;

it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.

Exercise caution in your business affairs,

for the world is full of trickery.

But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;

many persons strive for high ideals,

and everywhere life is full of heroism.

Be yourself. Especially do not feign affection.

Neither be cynical about love,

for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment,

it is as perennial as the grass.

Take kindly the counsel of the years,

gracefully surrendering the things of youth.

Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.

But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.

Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.

Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself.

You are a child of the universe

no less than the trees and the stars;

you have a right to be here.

And whether or not it is clear to you,

no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

Therefore be at peace with God,

whatever you conceive Him to be.

And whatever your labors and aspirations,

in the noisy confusion of life,

keep peace in your soul.

With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams,

it is still a beautiful world.

Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.

Thank you mom and dad for teaching me everything in this poem ... it molded me into the woman I am today.

The Bliss of a Kiss

In the words of Oliver Wendell Holmes, “The sound of a kiss is not so loud as that of a cannon, but its echo lasts a great deal longer.” Absolutely, Mr. Holmes! In fact, that echo can last for weeks on end.
 

V-J Day in Times Square by Alfred Eisenstaedt


While the scientific definition takes the sexiness out of it, isn’t it amazing that the anatomical juxtaposition of  two orbicularis oris muscles in a state of contraction brings such pleasure? Moreover, reveals emotions without words and on occasion, allows reality to slap us in the face.

Regardless of exactly how people got the idea to kiss or what they mean when they do it, anthropologists are pretty sure that people started kissing thousands of years ago.

Four Vedic Sanskrit texts, written in India around 1500 B.C., appear to describe people kissing. This doesn't mean that people didn't kiss before then, and it doesn't mean that the people of India were the first to kiss. Artists and writers may have just considered kissing too private to depict in art or literature.

After its first mention in writing, kissing didn't appear much in art or literature for a few hundred years. The world’s longest epic poem Mahabharata describes kissing on the lips as a sign of affection. The Mahabharata was passed down orally for several hundred years before being written down and standardized around 350 A.D. A feat in itself, as it contains 1.8 million words in total, roughly ten times the length of the Iliad and Odyssey combined. The Vatsyayana Kamasutram, or Kama Sutra, also describes a variety of kisses.

Some anthropologists believe that kissing is a learned cultural behavior and theorize that the Greeks learned about it when Alexander the Great invaded India in 326 B.C., but many other anthropologists disagree and believe kissing was part of courtship rituals for centuries before it was ever recorded.

Kissing was quite popular during the Roman Empire and Romans used kisses to greet friends and family members. Citizens kissed their rulers' hands. The Romans had three different categories for kissing: Osculum was a kiss on the cheek; Basium was a kiss on the lips; Savolium was a deep kiss. In Rome, it was tradition that couples announce their wedding by kissing passionately in front of a group of people, including family. Today modern couples kiss at the end of wedding ceremonies.

The Romans also sealed letters and documents with a kiss and so the term "sealed with a kiss" comes as no surprise. Kisses were used like handshakes to seal legal and business agreements and even during political campaigns.

The British took it one step further with "kisses for votes" scandals in the 18th century which led some candidates to kissing only the very young and very old.

Most cultures around the world kiss today, but there are differing views on the appropriateness of kissing.

Personally, I’ve never believed in love at first sight. A kiss? Well - like the Romans - I believe a kiss can seal the deal.

A Chattahoochee Morning

After a grueling workweek - several 14-hour days - a sunrise stroll along the Chattahoochee River was just what the doctor ordered. The serene landscape and flowing water instantly instill tranquility. Light fog rising wispily above the water on a cool fall morning resembles mystical creatures with magical powers. While watching the fog rise, I thought about the history of the river. 

The Chattahoochee River has played a key role in the history of Georgia. Paleolithic and Woodland Indians called it home. The Cherokee and Creek used the river as a border, first between their Nations, then between themselves and early settlers. The Cherokee had named the river "Chota," which was also the name of a town in the Nacoochee Valley. When the river flowed into Creek territory, it became the "Chattahoochee." When the Cherokees were forced out of their homeland, the name "Chota" disappeared with them. The Chattahoochee, though, carried on.

In its watershed, the first great American Gold Rush (1828 - 1840) occurred. Crossing the river was a major accomplishment for William Tecumseh Sherman during the Atlanta Campaign of the Civil War. In addition, the noted Georgian poet Sidney Lanier commemorated the beauty of the Chattahoochee River in an epic poem, The Song of the Chattahoochee (1877). Today, it helps grow peanuts and cotton in southwest Georgia, powers turbines, and flushes every toilet in Atlanta.

Rivers typically meander and change course over time. However, the Chattahoochee River is one of the oldest and most stable river channels within the United States. It is essentially "locked" in place, flowing along the Brevard Fault Zone, which is the dividing line between the Appalachian Mountains and the Piedmont Plateau. The fault itself serves as a natural barrier to movement. The Brevard Fault, which cuts diagonally from northeast Georgia to Alabama, is probably the Chattahoochee's most important geological feature and has contributed much to the scenic beauty of the river, both above and below Atlanta.

This morning’s photos of picturesque nature scenery were taken at Cochran Shoals/Powers Island, part of the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area, a 48-mile stretch of the Chattahoochee River. It begins at Lake Lanier's Buford Dam, near Buford, Georgia, and continues downstream through four counties to Peachtree Creek near downtown Atlanta.

Crabs in the Bucket

Growing up in Southeast Louisiana, I had the luxury of experiencing Sportsman’s Paradise to the fullest. As a child, I’d spend endless summer hours with my father boating, fishing and crabbing. Having an inquisitive mind, I’d often sit and watch the crabs in the bucket after daddy removed them from the traps. I thought crabs were truly fascinating.

What I found to be the most interesting was the behavior of the crabs in the bucket, as one would climb and rise above the rest, the others would grab the hind legs of the climbing crab, pulling it back into the bucket. “No need for a lid,” he’d say, “because no crab will allow another crab to move up and get out.”

I questioned that behavior and thought, “Can't they lend a helping pincer, form a chain, climb up and pull the entire group out of the bucket? Why can’t they do like ants and work as a team?” Instead of thinking about dinner, at 10-years-old, my fascination with behavior began.

Although crab behavior should not be analogous to human behavior, I can think of many instances where it is. Just show a little ambition to escape the confines of your situation in the workplace and your management and co-workers will swoop in to give you that extra boost of support you need to make it to the next level. Right? I don’t think so. Far too often the ambitious are kept in their place and the mediocre dictate how it’s going to be for everyone, pulling you back into the crabby abyss.

I escaped the abyss by being kicked out of the bucket. Having an ambitious soul, I’ve moved on to better things. When asked recently, “How did you land that gig?” I smiled and thought to myself, “I expostulate crabs in the bucket behavior and embrace the social networking of the ant…for the greater good of all.”

This week’s blog is dedicated to my mentors, thank you for the amaranthine encouragement, overlooking our temperamental differences.

Absurdity and the Consequential Stranger

In his essays, Albert Camus states that individual lives and human existence in general have no rational meaning or order. Since most people have difficulty accepting this notion, they constantly attempt to identify or create rational structure and meaning in their lives. The term “absurdity” describes humanity’s futile attempt to find rational order where none exists.

We don’t always pay attention to the cumulative effects of a warm hello, or help with a package, or a daily text, or a photograph that makes us smile. But when someone or something is no longer there--you realize how those brief, subtle, everyday interactions add up. And, it’s not a futile attempt to create rational structure … consequential strangers matter. Relationships needn't be painted as "close" or "not-close," but rather as meaningful. Why--because meaningful relationships are important social and spiritual principles.

We genuinely need people we can trust to tell us the truth, even when it is difficult to hear. In a fast-paced, high-tech, highly mobile society, we must be intentional in cultivating connectedness and community. The joy of living well is found in stepping beyond our independence and isolation towards a quality of life only to be found with others.

If nothing had any meaning, Camus would be right …