For close to two years now, the creation of this blog has been the focus of my day. I arise at 0600 or so and spend the first three to four hours of the day putting together the Pearls of Virtual Wisdom that you see every morning, wherever you are….. Then, for most of that two years, the remainder of the day was spent on activities at home, like reading, cooking, reading, washing clothes, reading, surfing or reading blogs, and generally, stuff I can do around here, as I had only enough money coming in to pay the rent, the phone and other bills, and buy a couple hundred bucks worth of food, to last an entire month… that was it. Without the help of my friends, especially TC and S, I would have been hard pressed to survive without extreme hardship…. As it was, it was not an experience I care to repeat, but, it didn’t crush my spirit, so I’m good with it….

During this period, creating the Pearls went a long way toward maintaining my sanity, as well as improving my typing speed, and keeping me from the worst enemy of the recluse, boredom. It had to be that way, because I didn’t have the strength to walk everywhere, or the money to ride buses and/or cabs…. I can do stuff, I just can’t stand or walk for long periods, so I was limited to what I could do close to where I live.

That has all changed, now that I have been awarded my Social Security benefits, and I find myself in the midst of a small conundrum…. How do I keep writing my blog while doing stuff out in the Big Blue Room?…. Trying to do both isn’t working so well, as I don’t feel I’m giving either one my absolute best, due to time constraints……

Making Pearls has been my focus for quite a while now, and it’s hard to give it up altogether; besides, I really don’t want to stop writing, nor do I think I could…. It’s become an important outlet for me, and I enjoy it a lot…. Plus, just thinking about NOT writing gives me the heebie-jeebies; I get the shakes, and can’t catch my breath, all the while feeling waves of anxiety, and a failure of hope for the future…. Not exactly the way I want to feel for long, so have no fear, I won’t be stopping altogether…. I will, however, be making some changes, and I’m not certain at this point what they may be…..

Since I’ll be traveling, and given the lessons of my first trip (to Texas last week) while trying to post a Pearl each day, I have a feeling that the overall length of what I write myself will go down a bit…. many might say that’s a good thing…. In any case, I would like to start writing more about what I see when I’m traveling, as well as post some of the pictures I’ll be taking with my new camera… It will be great if for no other reason that I won’t have to give any attribution for the pix, since they’ll all be mine….

There may also be fewer rants, as it is hard to maintain outrage when one is not suffering as much from the effects of the BRC and the 1%. Money cannot buy happiness, but it can sure make life nicer while you’re looking for it. Since I don’t think so much about where the next meal is coming from, I find myself less angry, less focused on what is wrong with our world….

Oh, don’t worry, it will still hit me, as it does almost every day, how rapidly our freedoms are disappearing, and how many lies are told every day by the people in charge, and how near the end may be…. I’m sure that as I travel, I will see things that cause me to think, and to realize how things are…. but, I’ll also be looking for the beauty that I know is out there to be seen, and intend to spend a lot of time watching people in other countries.  People watching is the pinnacle of entertainment, for me, and I’m looking forward to doing it a lot, wherever I go…..

So, be aware, ffolkes, “the times, they are a-changin'”, and will never be quite the same…. I see that I’ve rambled and blathered quite enough for two or three intros, so we’ll just get on with today’s dive….. Shall we Pearl?…..
__________________________________

I forgot to mention, this will also mean a return to using old-school pearls more frequently, as they can have the same impact as a rant, but take far less time, and less energy, to put together…. So, we’ll start today with a randomly chosen group, all on one theme, leading to one particular bus stop, where you will find shelter from the rain…..

“There is nothing so simple that it cannot be made difficult.” — Merle P. Martin

“If you want to get the plain truth,
Be not concerned with right and wrong.
The conflict between right and wrong
Is the sickness of the mind.

— Seng-Ts’an

“Everyone has a photographic memory. Not everyone has developer.” — Smart Bee

“The fire you kindle for your enemy often burns your self more than him.” — Chinese proverb

“Walking in a forest between two hedges of ferns transfigured by autumn – that is a triumph. What are ovations and applause beside it?” — E.M. Cioran

“If you love the sacred and despise the ordinary, you are still bobbing in the ocean of delusion.” — Lin-Chi

“Good friends, good books and a sleepy conscience: this is the ideal life. (The conviction of the rich that the poor are happier is no more foolish than the conviction of the poor that the rich are.)” — Mark Twain

Don’t strain yourselves trying to figure out the point of this one, ffolkes; it came out just a little bit obscure…. and it won’t be on the Quiz anyway, so, just enjoy it for its strong sense of odd, and the insight provided….
__________________________________

Okay, so here’s another freshly made haiku, and another old poem…. This one, though, is on of my favorites, from fall of last year…. It’s still a valid vision today…..  As every day this month, these are being included as part of the April National Poetry Writing Month Challenge, with the updates to be found here:  http://www.napowrimo.net/    I hope you enjoy them…..

In my no doubt too-lengthy dissertation in the intro section earlier, I mentioned how my outrage is less active, since my total amount of stress has been reduced. I haven’t been able to find a quote in Smart Bee today to tickle that sense in me, and I’m running short on time (merely a self-made deadline, but still compelling….)… Any who, here is another harlequin pearl of the old-school variety. This one will hopefully be a bit clearer, but if not, there is some Windex in the pocket on the side of your chair, and paper towels right there in the dispenser…..

“I was making donuts and now I’m on a bus!” — Zippy the Pinhead

“It is far easier to be wise for others than to be so for oneself.” — La Rochefoucauld

“If you expect something free to live up to your expectations, you had better be prepared to see your expectations shattered, since there is no such thing as a free lunch.” — Smart Bee

“Do not seek death; death will find you. But seek the road which makes death a fulfillment.” — Dag Hammarskjold

My guard stood hard when abstract threats too noble to neglect
deceived me into thinking I had something to protect.
Good and bad I defined these terms, quite clear, no doubt, somehow
Ah, but I was so much older then;
I’m younger than that now.

— Bob Dylan

“As near as I can tell you’re not any crazier than the average asshole on the street,” — Ken Kesey via R. P. McMurphy “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest”

“Only fools are quoted.” — Anonymous Fool

See? I told you it would be easy…..
__________________________________

I’m a bit worried about this one…. but, again, I’m too lazy to do it over, so…. Let’s see how it proofs….  Better than I’d thought it would be, so, definitely a go…. and without further hesitation, as well….  See ya…..  😀    Y’all take care out there, and May the Metaphorse be with you…..

When I works, I works hard.
When I sits, I sits loose.
When I thinks, I falls asleep.