“Maturity does not mean age. It means sensitivity, manner and how you react”

Photos from a past stay around Moab, Utah.

Not too long ago, someone in the Art profession throughout an interview said “we live in shallow times” and I heard it, and it resonated with me. This Artist, not that I compare myself to one, far from it, a very famous Artist and well regarded, made a point to also say that she lived her Life as herself very adamantly. Always myself writing while embracing the generality of today’s currants, emphasize on generality, I find her to be so correct and so much praised her ability to do so regardless of the hardships she has endured. We all suffer hardships I think, one way or another, yet, too many have pulled the shade down for all of us to only see and feel their surfaced of the moments aspects throughout the many Social Media platforms, such platforms too often a double edge sword. What happened to the under currants? Hidden and swallowed for no one to see? Putting on this long coat in always bright colors for no one to notice our real clothing which sometimes so dark and painful but which cannot stay in hiding too long. They will either way some day surface to the surprise of many exclaiming only “Wow… I didn’t know…”. Of course you did not know!

I am not trying to find someone to blame and I say this because that is what the general populace is lately only trying to do so. Blame this, blame that and on and on. Seems to be the trend, seems to be how these days our inner hurts and angers are released and truthfully turns me off and very tiring to the point of abandoning 99% of any Social Media coming my way. Evolution of our society? I find it to be the opposite as I look up for its antonyms. Shrinkage? Lessening? Stagnation? Are these the pages “are” the ones we are going to leave in plain sight for the next generation which already have traded their Mother’s umbilical cord for a screen. The bottom line really is the fact that I feel fortunate myself to have such a platform as these pages, regardless if anyone reads them or not, and have the ability to express myself honestly while I have never wore that long coat except in a photo…

There is a certain nervousness these days I feel towards honesty including such honesty amongst Friends. I have been asking myself the question “how honest can I be with my close Friends?” while in any way speaking up without the objective to hurt their feelings but only for maybe a faint help. An opinion on a reality that maybe they are not perceiving without throwing their way any judgement or impressing that I would be right or wrong. All only a perception from somehow personal experiences as the years have accumulated and I feel that maybe I am wiser today than I was 50 years ago. Maybe! I have to stay true to form with myself. I cannot deviate and because of these shallow times we live through these days a wall slowly has build up called “integrity”. I will at times step back while thinking if I should instead step forward as I often do and wait for “the reaction”… I still have a basket half full of words I would like to say, I just have not decided if I should or not as myself often undecided if a counterpart would like to hear them and more importantly, will they ruin a Friendship build up on the many past years communicating and spending some time here and there together?

It all goes back to wanting to live without that long coat. It all goes back to not wanting to live while only skimming the surface of Life while instead diving deep down and trying to swim within the under currants with sincerity and candor, both loaded guns these days. Society is finding out a much easier way. Plaster the daily posters of a cheeseburger or a motorcycle dropped in the mud. They are sadly the images which brings on the most likes just as on You Tube the 20 million views are the ones of accidents. Sad but true. Off the road now for almost two years these are the facets I notice and in turn I have to more or less shelter myself from what I find being hurtles, as I am living through a stage of Life where I do not allow such. None. Thank You…

So really, what is the bottom line? For one I express myself and selfishly I feel better! Secondly I still go around minding my own business with a smile, an honest smile on my face followed by gracious words. I was at the local Library the other day as the clerk explained me that with my membership also came some free music I could download on line and keep forever. So the conversation went on to music taste as she told me that hers was, her words “angry rap”. What could I say but only smile with respect and as I was leaving, to her surprise I thanked her and also told her that she was very kind. She turned around and loudly told her colleagues “hey, this man told me that I was very kind…” which was followed by a group laugh while I also heard “you? kind?”… All just a minute example of true Social Media in real Life, in real time and not for that 15 seconds of fame… in the mud! Maybe I made her day as her smile stayed on all the way through my exit. Who knows? Be kind, smile, be gracious and at the same time always be yourself as you are only one person and the other one you might be projecting is only an altered copy.

      Rest in Peace my Friend… [04~04~2018]

Stay well, Ara and Spirit