Joe ~ May 22

 

Structure

 

I am finding out more and more that structure is no doubt the essence of supporting my own personal growth. What I do and when I do it is so imperative in crossing the stream of life, one stepping stone at a time. I had recently heard on a podcast that the old posture beatdown of new recruits in bootcamp which soldiers in training were bombasted with terms like: Shoulders back, chest out, chin up and arms at your side were nothing more than unnecessary commands that meant no difference to these young men and women. Now, I beg to differ but I have found that this posture is indeed valuable because it gives a clear pathway for the air to travel into your lungs, thus giving them a better oxygen intake. It’s just a structural technique that allows one to breathe more efficiently. Bathing, eating, praying or meditating at designating times during the day frees the jumbled thinking that I’ve been prone to for too long. I must say that the monthly writing workshops have disciplined me to sit down at a certain time each day and write. After three of these workshops and currently doing my fourth I willfully have gotten into the habit of getting it done. I know I seem to do it last minute, but the time to me is the right time. I can process the day and relax, letting my thoughts flow and allow whatever is going to come out materialize. Another trip to wrap up some business in PA, which was scheduled to get a lot of little out of the way, which I did. Simple chores, that I was able to achieve because I planned ahead and it took the guesswork out of what could have been a much longer day. After I submit this piece I will walk in the park for an hour using  my handy-dandy walking poles which have been so beneficial to my general fitness. and damaged knees. I have also decided that my next painting will be of tulips. I have never used flowers as subject matter but I took some photos at this magnificent tulip farm in central Jersey and it calls to me to put it on canvas. A big part of my own structure is getting out of my own way. Listening to what the inner me is telling me is the best way to go. It doesn’t mean it will be the ultimate success. Failure is something to be faced and embraced. I have learned that the perfect entity is not real or achievable. I just have to keep moving forward and structure will support my endeavors. As I build this new found approach to living I realize that what I thought I knew and what I know are more than naught, fuzzy around the edges. Socrates is credited with the term, “The Only Thing I Know For Sure Is That I know Nothing At All, For Sure. I find this to be a blinding light that is exposing so much that leaves me dumbfounded and in awe of what is out there. Humbly I accept the structure that I will need to digest the new, the strange, the untried and the path not taken.