Van Morrison

It is so completely disgustingly cold outside, and I have four layers of tops on. The grass and trees look greener than ever, but I feel as though I have been transported to Greenland. At least somewhere in Greenland I have fascinated about, as I have never had the privilege to travel to the vast land, I have to dream about what it would be like. It's wet as can be outside, it actually reminds me a little of Washington state.

We used to live there, in the Seattle area. I grew up on Whidbey Island until I was 12, when we moved to Texas. I reminisced of those days on the green shady Island cool, but sunny until I returned when I was 22 after graduating from TCU. But, it wasn't exactly as I remembered it, and was glad to move back to Texas.

Recently I have watched two inspirational movies, as I am a movie watching guru. Namesake, and God Has Grown Tired of Us, both profound movies about the human spirit and the human culture, have inspired me to think about life a little differently. It's not just what exists beyond the end of your nose. There are worlds out there that are in fact different than mine. Most people fall into the habit, much like I have of being ego/ethnocentric. You only concern yourself with what is immediately important, and work yourself into a lonely place, though surrounded by others, you can't help but feel alone in your world.

These two movies made me realize how sad our culture here in America is. By sad, I mean literally, not that it's pathetic, but we are literally a nation that is sad. We inwardly seek to strive for better not realizing it is at the sake of our happiness. We live in a world crammed full of others, but we never even raise our heads to say hello, and when someone digs through the trash for a bite to eat we look the other way as if ignoring him or her will make it go away, after all it is so 'uncivilized'. We trick ourselves into thinking that we are better than everyone else, and our lives are the most important.

Perhaps I am going through a midlife crisis, but this doesn't seem right, and it doesn't seem like a great world to live in, but we do live in it and we do ignore others, and we do surround ourselves with mirrors so that we can always look our best reminding ourselves that we are...the best that is.

I titled this blog Van Morrison, because I have brainwashed myself today with his CD Blowin' Your Mind...while I researched umbrella non-profits, called Easter Seals of Central Texas, and others, and cut Penn's pictures out for insertion into our Christmas cards. Now I have to go build a fire, as the temperature is decreasing as I type!