Monday, February 15, 2010
Friday, December 11, 2009
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Thursday, October 29, 2009
A bolt of Blue
When one of the training wheels on my 5 year old boy’s little blue dirt-bike-style cycle feel off, I said to myself “Yup! it’s time for the universal father-son ritual. I take the other wheel off. Hold the seat firmly while he gets his little unsure butt on the seat. We take a couple of practice runs. I secretly let go off him and before he knows it, he’s riding a bike – without training wheels.
He remains eternally grateful.”
He was managing well enough with the single extra wheel so I didn’t think it was a huge hurry to get down to training day.
I opened the front door the other day and was startled by a streak of blue that whizzed past me.
Turns out the other wheel fell off too. And he just kept riding. The little bugger learned to ride on his own. And how! I didn’t know whether to be proud. Or to be angry. I guess I was both. Proud of him. Angry with myself.
Because once again I'd forgotten.
That life can’t wait.
He remains eternally grateful.”
He was managing well enough with the single extra wheel so I didn’t think it was a huge hurry to get down to training day.
I opened the front door the other day and was startled by a streak of blue that whizzed past me.
Turns out the other wheel fell off too. And he just kept riding. The little bugger learned to ride on his own. And how! I didn’t know whether to be proud. Or to be angry. I guess I was both. Proud of him. Angry with myself.
Because once again I'd forgotten.
That life can’t wait.
Monday, August 24, 2009
The Unforgiven
For some reason I got thinking of Metallica's Unforgiven trilogy, and going through the lyrics i thought i saw distinct shifts in the tone of the lyrics - which is also true of the music.
I've pasted parts of the songs here. To me Part 1 is aggressive. Angry. Accusatory. Part 2 is more empathetic. Accommodating. Part 3 seems to be accepting. Like the fingers are no longer pointed outward.
This journey somehow seems to be summed up in a quote from an American Novelist, Leon Uris:
“The ability of a person to atone has always been the most remarkable of human features.” (courtesy Shopdead)
Or maybe I'm just crazy. ;-) Talk to me!
UNFORGIVEN - I
They dedicate their lives
To running all of his
He tries to please them all
This bitter man he is
Throughout his life the same
He's battled constantly
This fight he cannot win
A tired man they see no longer cares
The old man then prepares
To die regretfully
That old man here is me
What I've felt
What I've known
Never shined through in what I've shown
Never be
Never see
Won't see what might have been
What I've felt
What I've known
Never shined through in what I've shown
Never free
Never me
So I dub thee UNFORGIVEN
UNFORGIVEN II
Lay beside me, tell me what I've done
The door is closed, so are your eyes
But now I see the sun, now I see the sun
Yes now I see it!
What I've felt, what I've known
Turn the pages, turn the stone
Behind the door, should I open it for you?
What I've felt, what I've known
So sick and tired, I stand alone
Could you be there?,
'cause I'm the one who waits
for you
Or are you unforgiven too?
I take this key (never free)
And I bury it (never me) in you
Because you're unforgiven too
UNFORGIVEN III
How could he know
This new dawn's light
Would change his life forever?
Set sail to sea
But pulled off course
By the light of golden treasure
Was he the one causing pain
With his careless dreaming?
Been afraid
Always afraid
Of the things he's feeling
He could just be gone
He would just sail on
He'll just sail on
How can I be lost,
If I've got nowhere to go?
Search for seas of gold
How come it's got so cold?
How can I be lost?
In remembrance I relive
And how can I blame you
When it's me I can't forgive?
I've pasted parts of the songs here. To me Part 1 is aggressive. Angry. Accusatory. Part 2 is more empathetic. Accommodating. Part 3 seems to be accepting. Like the fingers are no longer pointed outward.
This journey somehow seems to be summed up in a quote from an American Novelist, Leon Uris:
“The ability of a person to atone has always been the most remarkable of human features.” (courtesy Shopdead)
Or maybe I'm just crazy. ;-) Talk to me!
UNFORGIVEN - I
They dedicate their lives
To running all of his
He tries to please them all
This bitter man he is
Throughout his life the same
He's battled constantly
This fight he cannot win
A tired man they see no longer cares
The old man then prepares
To die regretfully
That old man here is me
What I've felt
What I've known
Never shined through in what I've shown
Never be
Never see
Won't see what might have been
What I've felt
What I've known
Never shined through in what I've shown
Never free
Never me
So I dub thee UNFORGIVEN
UNFORGIVEN II
Lay beside me, tell me what I've done
The door is closed, so are your eyes
But now I see the sun, now I see the sun
Yes now I see it!
What I've felt, what I've known
Turn the pages, turn the stone
Behind the door, should I open it for you?
What I've felt, what I've known
So sick and tired, I stand alone
Could you be there?,
'cause I'm the one who waits
for you
Or are you unforgiven too?
I take this key (never free)
And I bury it (never me) in you
Because you're unforgiven too
UNFORGIVEN III
How could he know
This new dawn's light
Would change his life forever?
Set sail to sea
But pulled off course
By the light of golden treasure
Was he the one causing pain
With his careless dreaming?
Been afraid
Always afraid
Of the things he's feeling
He could just be gone
He would just sail on
He'll just sail on
How can I be lost,
If I've got nowhere to go?
Search for seas of gold
How come it's got so cold?
How can I be lost?
In remembrance I relive
And how can I blame you
When it's me I can't forgive?
Monday, August 3, 2009
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
"Sorry, Tommy"
Some years ago i heard that Tommy Hilfiger made a pretty nasty racist comment.
So i became a self-appointed anti-brand-ambassador of sorts. And ensured I never even considered buying his products. I was pretty vocal about my dislike for Tommy. after all, i thought, it's typical of a firang to say something like that.
Until the other day when my friend Hetch sent me a link that kinda opened my eyes (and ears) to the truth. There he was. Grey haired. Dignified. Pained by the hurt inflicted by the rumor.
Tommy was innocent. I was the guilty one. He had said nothing. I was the one who was judgmental.
What bothered me the most was how stupid i was to not get to the truth myself. I easily could have. But i just sat on my high horse and did something easier - I pointed a finger.
I was no better than the dogmatics. The fanatics. The critics. I was "Them".
Last night i went out and bought my first Tommy product.
A pair of shades. At full price. (I really hope they marked it up like crazy!)
Finally.
Finally, I am seeing things through Tommy's eyes.
So i became a self-appointed anti-brand-ambassador of sorts. And ensured I never even considered buying his products. I was pretty vocal about my dislike for Tommy. after all, i thought, it's typical of a firang to say something like that.
Until the other day when my friend Hetch sent me a link that kinda opened my eyes (and ears) to the truth. There he was. Grey haired. Dignified. Pained by the hurt inflicted by the rumor.
Tommy was innocent. I was the guilty one. He had said nothing. I was the one who was judgmental.
What bothered me the most was how stupid i was to not get to the truth myself. I easily could have. But i just sat on my high horse and did something easier - I pointed a finger.
I was no better than the dogmatics. The fanatics. The critics. I was "Them".
Last night i went out and bought my first Tommy product.
A pair of shades. At full price. (I really hope they marked it up like crazy!)
Finally.
Finally, I am seeing things through Tommy's eyes.
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