Silently sitting...

It was right after supper, and I had scarcely a moment for my own the entire day. Everyone was occupied, this was my chance! Surely, if I missed cleanup once they couldn’t be that mad. So, I edged toward the door and left unobtrusively. They didn’t notice.

Outdoors, wonderful outdoors! The charming scent of wood smoke and blooming flowers mingled together and made me want to leap into the sky. I marveled at the perfectness of the atmosphere. I couldn’t linger long- I might be drafted to the kitchen.

Into the backyard I went; barefooted, the grass -wet from a rainstorm- chilled my feet. It felt lovely as I strolled around the house and danced on the delightfully sodden earth. Though the ground was wet, the heavens were dry, and the colored clouds swirled throughout the sky like pale pink icing on a light blue cake. I sat and watched them until the notion of time was as far from my thoughts as the Sahara Desert. They seemed alive- breathing, gossiping, and dancing…They changed shade and shape and behavior; they seemed as if creating the sweetest song imaginable.

Birds flew over me, some fluttered, others glided; all were silent. I imagined what it would be like to be a bird. A fragile winged creature owning all the skies of Earth... To have not a care in the world, so they seem. Perhaps they do- winter, predators, food? It’s nicer to think they don’t.

Such thoughts of mine soared off with the avis when a dog barked. This sad four legged animal had known no love in its life. Save from perhaps its own Mother when it was born. Now it was owned by the type who long for a pet, receive one, then have no idea how to take care of it. I often pitied the poor creature, but now it was disturbing my few minutes of peace.

Silently sitting, I noticed something never I perceived before. There was a simple way onto the roof of our shed… could I make it? I sat a while longer and calculated the distance, and height. Finally, fearing the sunset would be gone before I reached my perch I climbed. Not a bit of trouble! From this zenith I gazed about me in wonder. Never before in this neighborhood had the sky seemed so vast. A certain wideness usually reserved for Colorado or Montana. It seemed as if I could see over the ridges of mountains clear to the Atlantic Ocean. I sat on the summit for quite a while, only faintly listening to a little voice telling me that it was time to leave. Finally with a heavy heart I reached the solid ground safely and left this hushed haven.

I had been tired of the rest of the world. The problems, worries, chores, people. Strangely, I felt a bit like Descartes, not sure of anything material, except that I was. The loneness of the sky and the birds renewed what I had run out of. Everything had a meaning once more.


TIP: Find a quiet place, isolated from the world. Sit there and think. Let you mind wander and the birds soar away with your thoughts….

On Uncertainty

Hey all, Samantha here. I'm new to the PG Tippers, so I'm not sure if I am doing anything right. ^_^ Anyhow, I figured I'd post this little piece I wrote a couple months ago. :)

On Uncertainty

Uncertainty greets us at the strangest times – times when education has filled us from core to edge; when brains are fit to burst. What to choose, what to say; one wouldn’t think that after learning such an amount, we would truly know so little. Changes within us are forming fast, and time refuses to halt; still our minds suffer from a multitude of opinions and thoughts – those which are not always our own. What to trust, we ask ourselves. Should we listen to those who we hold to our hearts, or those who our minds have submitted to?

Faced with this uncertainty, one can only search for the truth. The truth is not always easy to find; yet the One Truth is always easiest to obtain. He is always there; within, around, and beside us. All we must do is find Him; with the Truth as the base of our lives, building up our persons is not always so hard. Decisions become easier to make; we become ourselves, rather than what we have been shaped to be. Responsibility begins to reveal itself from under the shadowed veil; our time has come. Our generation is to rule. Yet, some of us still have not found our steady foundations. Because of this, each and every one of us is facing yet another time of uncertainty.

TIP: Logic + Love = Happiness

Exposition of Viva La Vida

There are relatively few songs that I can listen to over and over without hating them ever after (three to be exact), and Viva La Vida is one of them. Who knows why this song in particular has gained so much attention? Is it the lyrics, the melody, or just the fact that it gives one shivers down his back to listen to it? I vote all three.

Everyone has his own interpretation, but as far as I can tell, there is not one relevant, official translation. Being Catholic, and having gone to the Holy Land recently, I have nearly found mine. I shan't give you every word of what I think the song means, but only bits and pieces. Every person who has ever heard the song has some idea of his own, and won't thank me for giving a long and detailed account of something quite unwanted, hence I'll only provide a few interesting points. Mind, every note regarding these lyrics is true. Why invent something that's not?

I used to rule the world
Seas would rise when I gave the word
The overpowering waves of the Mediterranean- the silent stillness of the Sea of Galilee...
Now in the morning I sleep alone
Sweep the streets I used to own
In Akko, -the city of the last crusaders- a man slowly treads by in the opposite direction.. his head is down, he walks slowly, caring nothing for the future, only the past. He is sweeping the deserted streets.

I used to roll the dice
Feel the fear in my enemy's eyes
Listen as the crowd would sing
"Now the old king is dead, long live the king"

One minute I held the key
I found the key. It was broken, lying on the abandoned cobblestone streets which Christ once walked upon.
Next the walls were closed on me
The walls of Jerusalem. To a pilgrim, they do indeed close in. Wandering aimlessly about the Old City, in the heat, the crowds, the hunger.
And I discovered that my castles stand
The castles are churches, long forgotten. Few attend the masses all said in Italian. The incredibility of the cathedrals' and basilicas' beauty surpasses words.
Upon pillars of salt and pillars of sand
Ach, such was the saltiness of the Mediterranean! And such was the sand.


I hear Jerusalem bells a-ringing
Oh, yes! How I heard them ring. Every hour, quarter after, half after, and fifteen till. The air rung with their beautiful sound. I still hear them; they will never stop ringing.
Roman cavalry choirs are singing
Be my mirror, my sword and shield
I turned around and saw them. All three together- there was the mirror studded with diamonds, and there were the sword and shield- in the hands of a knight.
My missionaries in a foreign field
It was a field of high golden grass, overlooking the Sea of the Galilee; there they wandered under the scorching sun.
For some reason I can't explain
Once you'd gone there was never
Oh yes, you left. Why did you leave me? You knew that I couldn't do it alone; I've waited.
Never an honest word
That was when I ruled the world
Clearly, the world is lost. Jerusalem is under the hands of the Jews and Muslims. Where have all the Catholics gone?

It was a wicked and wild wind
First it was friendly, it held the heat of the sun at bay. But growing steadily it became a fearsome rush- is this a voice I hear in it?
Blew down the doors to let me in
Shattered windows and the sound of drums
People couldn't believe what I'd become
Can you not believe it? I did not wish to be this, but it was not my choice.

Revolutionaries wait
For my head on a silver plate
Oh Saint John, pray for me!
Just a puppet on a lonely string
Oh, who would ever want to be king?
It was a foolish idea. No one but a fool could imagine that he could tame these....

I hear Jerusalem bells a-ringing
Roman cavalry choirs are singing
Be my mirror, my sword and shield
My missionaries in a foreign field
For some reason I can't explain
I know St. Peter won't call my name
Will you forget me, Peter? I made a mistake, and I well deserved the consequences.
Never an honest word
But what is forgiveness for?
But that was when I ruled the world.
Never, never shall I wish for power again.

TIP: The more you yearn for power, the farther you are from gaining it.

The Thought-

Came to me quietly sitting, with nothing on my mind
-as if hypnotized by the beauty of the world-
from every vexation and anxiety I resigned.

I hear the gossipy sparrows, feel the wandering breeze,
See the horsetailed clouds galloping through the sky
watch the wildflowers giving presents to the bees.

Ach! What's this? I just can't get a hold of it...
...seems to be a Thought!
It leaps away in fright, and away from me it flits.

And now I sit here thinking, was it important, this Thought?
Or was it of trivial notice, and worth not a penny to me?
Being of such curiosity, I'll wait here until it's caught.

TIP: Thoughts have wings, be careful unto where you let them fly.

Later

Procrastination isn't the problem, it's the solution. So procrastinate now, don't put it off.
- Ellen DeGeneres

Pro●cras●ti●nate \pre-‘kras-tƏ-,nāt\verb 1 : to put off repeatedly 2 : to keep postponing something supposed to be done

After Candelaria had posted, she told me it was my turn to post. I told her that I had no idea what I could write about. She said “Anything! How about dance?” I told her "Maybe...." But with my awful memory, I forgot. After her second post, she gave me a deadline “You have until tonight.” she said around 5:30. And again I said I had nothing to talk about. “Alright,” she said. “What did you do this morning, right after you woke up?” “I probably peed” I answered “But that’s not exciting enough to fill a whole post with”

Then we got talking about my “friend” I drew on my hand, while helping my mother clean our school room. I got in trouble for about .2 seconds before I came up with a perfect excuse. (“I’m going to need some help to clean this room.”) Candelaria told me to write about her (That is, my “handy” friend) and once again: I said no.

But, looking back at it now, writing in my chemistry notebook as my brother and his girlfriend hog the computer I find that the little “happening” is an example of my daily procrastination. Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m not too proud of this bad habit. I have managed to master the art of it over the years, but am now trying to cut back on it. (Just like biting my nails and cracking my fingers.) Do you understand how hard it is to walk by a teal marker and turn it down? It’s such an incredibly tempting invitation to add beautiful eyes to a thumb-friend. It’s unbearable, no matter how many times I am reminded that the ink will absorb into my skin! So, wish me luck as I endeavor upon this journey of turning down (any color really) markers, ink cartridges, pens, or anything for that matter. Maybe a bouncy ball, or just a book on grammar can catch my attention.

TIP: So, do it now, not later!

The Principle of Looking Up and Down

In this twenty-first century, it might be called normal for most people go about staring ahead of them, day by day. Which, admittedly, is usually a guarantee that they won't stroll out onto I-87, or bump into some vexatious person whom one would rather not meet, and in most cases insures that he won't fall off an unfathomable precipice.*

With me, it's quite different- I don't stare ahead of myself. Not usually anyhow. It gets quite tiresome, and there is much more to life, than what's in front of you. Applying The Principle of Looking Up and Down (TPLUD) considerably enhances the prospect of life. In short: I mainly go about my day looking either up or down. And my! Quite a few interesting things to see there. Above are the incredible contours of Cirrus, Cumulus, and Cumulonimbus clouds, flocks of birds, and occasionally a UFO, or two. Not to mention that beautiful, luminous sphere that happens to be about 4. 2 billion years old.

Now, ever so often you get a neck ache from looking up. Here's the point when you look down. To an unpracticed eye, one might see a bunch of grass, a few dandelions, some obstinate chewing gum stuck to the street, or perhaps a sleeping cat. The latter might not seem very probable, or useful to note, but let's just suppose for a minute that you hadn't seen the cat, and you just happened to step on its tail. Everyone knows the horrific consequent of such a deed, and the simply ghastly results.† Another benefit of watching the ground is the vital noticing of potholes and wet cement. But besides being saved from such catastrophic events, TPLUD has some brighter results. Such as discovering ancient pennies (or twenty dollar bills), and four-leaf clovers. (Not necessarily four-leaves. Five or six would be interesting as well.)

As with most things, the more practice, the easier it gets. Some professionals (*cough*) can manage to find several four and five-leaf clovers in 20 minutes, and can make Bactrian Camels out of every cloud that passes. Take note that it takes some while to become that accomplished. Nevertheless, all it takes is steadfast determination and a considerable amount of practice.

* --Most-- cases. Don't go about trying it unless you are quite familiar with TPLUD.
† No, walking onto I-87 and stepping on a cat's tail are in entirely different realms of this topic. In the first case it would only be the practice of a complete amateur to do something so stupid, while the second merely goes to show how TPLUD can be brilliantly used to avoid unnecessary funerals... err, accidents. Good Luck!

TIP: Interpret the World in an entirely different way, and take care not to tread on cats.

The Why and Wherefore

"If you are cold, tea will warm you. If you are too heated, it will cool you. If you are depressed, it will cheer you. If you are excited, it will calm you.
~Gladstone, 1865"

If you are confused, the Tippers will enlighten you. If you are bored, they shall amuse you.

Welcome to The PG Tippers!