HeartBeat

Simple repetition and scattered thoughts...

Repetition. Architecture, nature, atomic particles, Oreo cookies, church pews, habits, waves.

"The happiness of most people we know is not ruined by great catastrophes or fatal errors, but by the repetition of slowly destructive little things." – Ernest Dimnet (Thank you Quote Me On It, whoever you are.)

  "It's the repetition of affirmation that leads to belief, and once belief becomes a deep conviction, things begin to happen." Muhammed Ali, via Think Exist. Wish he'd blog, I'd link to him on BlogDay2005. "I AM THE GREATEST". You go, Ali! Also wish Brian Andreas would blog, but that's a story for another day. Shampoo, rinse, repeat. Isn't it fascinating the trains of thought you can follow, and so much faster because of the internet?  It feels like hopping from stone to stone over rushing water, only we don't know what the heck we're doing here, what's on the other shore and why we shouldn't just give up and go eat Oreos on the couch.

Think I'll go watch waves erode the shore...  by repetition. I'm out of Oreos.

[For more on Ernest Dimnet, who is pretty insightful, Edward Vielmetti quotes 1930's best seller The Art of Thinking at his Vacuum blog, and tells you how to get it. Think anybody will link to HeartBeat eighty years from now and call it insightful? Naaaah. I just hope there's somebody around to link.]

Boom

I used to joke that I had a million friends. Being a boomer, whenever I had an original thought it quicky became apparent that at least a million boomer peers had it too. The upside to sharing the planet with those pesky interlopers was the implied comraderie in our numbers. But what our numbers didn't support was genuine one on one –much less one on one million– communication. That avenue was controlled by media, publishing and marketing powers who limited what we bought, watched, read and thought with accuracy only profits would allow. So I abandoned the million friends idea and settled for a few close ones.

Look at us now– blogging. Idea by  idea, we share opinions, hints and mentorships. Search an author, Anne Lamott or Dan Zadra, say. Or an artist – Damien Rice  or Rod Cook– and find a million friends who share that particular interest and offer a whole lot more. Age, race and gender barriers succumb to open exchange with these newfound millions. Bakerina introduced me to Duane Keiser who led me to sell my daily posting photographs for a cause. Cary Tennis  advised, "make a major choice to live in a lively, provocative city, one that will teach you things you can't learn in the suburbs, one that will bring out parts of your personality that you want to bring out, one that will nurture you in ways you want to be nurtured and discourage you in ways you want to be discouraged." Seth Godin sends me all over the internet for good ideas without a consulting fee. The list goes on and, blissfully, on. Thank you all. I now have a million friends, and they share. This changes everything.

Nice to meet you. Have a donut.