When Your Soul Cries

There are times in life when a soul cries out. Sometimes it cries for sadness or regret, other times it cries out because it’s time to do something.

It may be a photo or a name that triggers something deep within, then a thing or an action just has to be done. For some people it’s not very strong, not very loud and those things or actions are not done, they are past over. In old age, these people cry tears for the loss of what might have been. They are old and regret. They are identified by the verbal wondering about self but the lack of action and the dodge of responsibility even when they stand at death’s door. But for those who listen to the stirring of the soul, a great wonder is the reward for following the yearning created from the depths of self.

Little is it realized when a mother looses a child that the rest of her children become dearer to her. Little is it realized that when a child looses a parent that the other family members become more important but that the vulnerability of acknowledging or accepting the new and diminished situation creates a space for inequity. Little is it realized that surviving trauma makes a soul stronger, a voice unique and force with which to be reckoned.

It is all the traumas, big and small that properly handled create empathy and compassion. Compassion as an understanding without words, peace within a heart, a broken heart made whole, not by repair necessarily but by understanding and acceptance that things done cannot be changed.

When your soul cries, seize the moment, appreciate the direction from the inner self, the conscience, do what can be done to listen to and act accordingly. Amazing things happen.

Listen 3 Days Grace

3 Days Grace

Wise Women in the Kitchen

Some of the best memories of childhood often center in the kitchen. Ask people about the things that made their childhood good, it usually includes yummy food from the kitchen given with love by a parent or grandparent who served the favorite food. Taste, Smell, Touch Sight and Sound these are the hallmarks that bring tears to the eyes of the old people when they recall their own family, their own childhood.

The wise women of today, often overlooked by contemporary culture quietly continue the tradition of kitchen memories; giving to their children and grandchildren old or new versions of family recipes. These are the things from which our souls and our bodies gain strength.

To create a family tradition and sensory experience children will take with them through life, you must rotate enjoyment of favored foods sprinkled with love and smiles.

Make a list of recipes you enjoy cooking. Make a list of recipes your family loves to eat.

Survey the lists: How many recipes on the list are for every day meals? Do you keep these ingredients on hand? How many recipes are for special occasions? How often do you prepare these recipes?

One of the points of wisdom grandmother so cleverly included in family traditions was the variety of meals that offered an array of foods over the course of the week, month and year. Many meals were prepared from similar ingredients but changed in taste and texture by the side dishes or the spices.

Traditional meals don't just happen. There is a plan, maybe grandmother didn't share the plan with you but if you smell a certain dish and think holiday or Sunday afternoon, I guarantee that your grandmother had a plan.

Where do you get your stories?

Writers get asked that all the time. The simple answer is that we make them up. The more complicated answer is that we observe life, mix things around a bit and come up with what is hopefully interesting, if not, exciting.

Take my neighbor, please!! (Thank you, Henny Youngman). But seriously, my neighbors are a great source of material. Because I try so hard to ignore there idiosyncrasies (read: scum-bags), it’s only the truly moronic triumphs or their ultimate asshole exhibitions that get my attention.

How does this become a story?
Honestly, the process is different depending on how I’m feeling, that I can not change. But I can share how it works in this particular case.

The facts, Watson, just the facts:
1) The neighbor is an ex-military guy who was trained to be an electrician.
2) Going through a mid-life crisis. At 40+ he decided to buy a motorcycle and play biker.
3) He protects and gets nervous about what he calls, his “man-cave”.
4) There is a strange humming noise that comes from his house, periodically.
5) When his house hums, my house lights blink.
6) This only happens when he’s home. When he was gone on vacation, no hum (his house) and no lights blinking (my house).
7) The service guy from the electrical company said that it seemed someone in the neighborhood had something pulling a lot of electricity but he couldn’t be sure which house.

Add bits that are seemingly unrelated
Alta Vista Search for the following:
1) Electro magnetic fields
a. Learn about electrostatic, magnetostatic and electrodynamic.
2) Electro magnetic device
a. Surprise > E-bombs < top the list
In further reading, I find that the pulses of electro static energy can disrupt power within a short distance.
b. The government believes that terrorists may use this type of device to disrupt our communications and defense systems.

So the story might be:
A mid-life crisis, disgruntled former military guy who has decided to disrupt commerce and is planning to attack the largest retailer (the HO or home office is just a few miles away) in the country with his device to wipe out not only their systems but their sister company, a banking institution with which he had a less than pleasant relationship.
Or
An electrician gone mad sets out to contaminate the country with E-bombs by traveling from biker rally to biker rally setting up a network of drunken neophytes he’ll use to create chaos.

But the REAL story is more than likely the piece of shit is stealing electricity from the power lines, reducing it in his basement without a proper Faraday cage or grounding, and my house, for whatever reason is the recipient of parasitic pulses, or maybe the jerk really is a terrorist?