Ahhh Sweet Mystery Of Life At Last I Found You??

Sometimes I wonder about what I am doing in this great big world....no security net to catch me if I make a mistake or slip on a "banana peel" of life. Why am I here? Why do I get to know people? What is the point of feeding myself with nutritional food and taking care of others? What is the bond that draws one particular being to another and sometimes with an unbearable lightness of being that it just bathes over your whole existence!!!!????

Do you ever sit and wonder to yourself about these thoughts and feelings? Of course you do! Do you want the truth dashed with a forthright answer? or would you like to hear the unadulterated, programmed into our heads version. If you're a free thinker, like I try to be, then you would want the latter...am I right? Okay, so here is the truthful, forthright, freethinking answer you require.


YOU

Yeah, it is you........all about you...only YOU!

OR IS IT?

ANGELO

The Pleasure of Gardening

This is the time of Mother Nature's calendar I love the best!.....and miss the most, as a gardener. Gardening is proven to reduce one's stress level which of course adds to one's life calendar. Gardening, to me, encapsulates so many ideas, feelings, artistic expressions, and personalities. To me, few things take precedence over the utter intoxicating joy and peace of mind that overtake me as I dig my hands into the soft, dark brown, rich earth or tenderly groom a plant. Even the mere act of providing food and water fills me with an overflowing happiness.

Saying "and[I] miss the most" stems from having my own "Eden" for many years. This magical place was my refuge from all of life's complications. It has been almost 4 years now since I have had the joy of taking my coffee into the garden in the early morning hours while weeding. Listening and conversing with nature while admiring her wondrous beauty! My heart aches thinking of it.

I now reside in the attic of an old home surrounded by sumptuous flowering trees. Though quite beautiful, my gardening is reduced to flower boxes which mainly contain herbs and a few favorite annuals. Although this helps to quench my thirst and remain at one with Nature, I long for my "Eden"once more. It is a love that transpires ALL other loves!

My completeness is gone for but a moment, when I shall once again create my "Eden." Another place, another time, another stolen moment of tranquility!

ANGELO

Oh L'Amour!

I have been thinking constantly about love, relationships, heartache, and everything that ties into these subjects for two reasons: my two friends who have had recent bouts with anxiety brought on by the subject matter, and my resistance to even think of beginning another possible relationship; even after three years of single living.

Each friend has an opposing view to each other on how to go about committing themselves to a romantic encounter, let alone how they view the physical side of a relationship.

The first friend is very passionate about his feelings, he gets excited about the physical appearance.... i.e. yumminess.....BUT gets even more excited about the mental and romantic capabilities said heartthrob may possess. I can say by pure observation that you would not find a more loyal companion! He needs someone who will occupy his mind, body, and soul because he will most definitely give you these things in return as your reward. I pray for the day love produces a bullseye in the middle of both his heart and his head. He deserves to feel such uncompromising and true love.....and then some!

My second friend is equally passionate about his relationships (there are many).....until he either gets bored or something about the guy angers him that he cuts him off before he realizes what has happened. He is definitely into the physical side of the relationship...he needs the stimulation like the rest of us need air to breathe and believes he is "in love" with evry plausible possibility he meets. He is a nice enough person but also not my idea of a companion. You will never be sure of loyalty or promises with this guy. Unfortunate!

Now for me, I fall in the middle of the two friends. I am the oldest, and have had more experience than the first friend but not nearly the quantity of my second friend. I look for both mental and physical stimulation. I prefer someone who is knowledgeable of the arts, good food, and who is in tune with nature and himself. Loyalty, honesty, and respect are the big three values I hope to find in the guy I fall for.

Thinking of all these things and not settling for less, it would appear I am chasing an elusive dream, maybe, but it is one dream I will follow to find out the long anticipated ending. I hope to one day discover the joy of sharing my life with a "true companion"; feeling the utter completeness and beautiful serenity of it all! WE ALL DESERVE A BIT OF THAT!!!!!

ANGELO

A LOFTY GOAL FOR AMERICANS?

A life of SIMPLICITY, I feel, is a very unattainable goal for most Americans to achieve and I fear it has stretched out it's cancerous idea of "the american dream" to other civilizations. The very high-energy, stressful, competitive nature of the "american way" , which we defend as democracy and our God given right, is seeping like a tumor into other cultures and destroying the good that has existed for thousands of years. There is something to be said for technology, yes, but when it takes over the senses and sensibilities of a nation, it is a slow death to the naturalness of humankind.

Living SIMPLY is totally the choice of the individual; but it requires an understanding of the rewards and benefits to truly appreciate the beauty of the concept.

There are a multitude of reasons that this evolution of sorts has taken place. To name just a few....laziness, greed, opportunity, pride, and the attitude I will always shoot down in my blogs;"the pied piper syndrome", following the leader. Living a life of simplicity signifies and requires your individuality! The "american ideal" is actually not ideal at all! To live up to that level you must undergo tremendous stress and pressure in your daily existence, so much so that you run the risk of bringing on illness long before you might have ever experienced it in later life. Does that qualify as a reward? Does constantly being on edge bring about a reward? Always worrying about how much money you earn or things you acquire compared to the "national average"?...ie.....do I have the "right" car, the "right" home, the "right" clothes, and above all, wondering if you made the "right" choices that will "set you up" for your retirement? Is that a reward? All of these riches are bestowed upon you for achieving the "american dream"!
If all this is what it takes to reach that goal, definitely COUNT ME OUT!!!!

A life of SIMPLICITY reaps rewards beyond your imagination!! You will usually outlive your stressed counterparts, and if not, will die a happy, at peace individual. Let me give you just the tiniest glimpse into the world of SIMPLICITY.........

I woke up today(without an alarm clock) and my first thought was, what a beautiful day this will be! The reason I am able to think and feel this way is because I am debt-free, I have beautiful, sumptuous food to eat, I love my work(definitely NOT a 10 hr day), I have valuable friends and loved ones around me, and most of all, very few worries because I am myself and freed from the chains of the so-called "rat race". Bucolic isn't it? You could also relish this existence!

Would you like the education and knowledge to achieve this NOT so lofty goal? It's already in your head. You actually think of it everyday without realizing it's true meaning. It's just waiting for you to release it. You just have to re-train your thinking. As they say, "knowledge is power!" The power to control your destiny. I did not however say it would be an easy task but the rewards are on a much more grand scale than the so-called rewards you reap from the "american dream"!!!!! Think about it!!

Angelo

A FRIEND.. OF A FRIEND.. OF A FRIEND

Friend, a noun the dictionary defines as "a person whom one knows, likes, and trusts." I will add another word to their definition.....loves. Such a simple explanation of a word yet so complex in it's usage.

One can be referred to as "an old friend", "best friend", "just a friend", "fairweather friend", or even "friend of a friend." Friend is used to describe a work colleague, an aquaintance, and yes, the bond between two individuals for what ever reason it exists. It can be a very casual relationship or an intoxicating, lively, and passionate adventure. At any rate, a friend is there for you to talk to and do things with when no one else seems to care.

It is quite difficult to fit the idea of friendship into a neatly wrapped package because there are so many twists and turns in the emotions of the definition. To me, above all else, friendship encompasses truth and trust. Without those you can not have a relationship of any sort.

A person experiences the many levels of friendship throughout their life. Like true love, most people will never come into contact with the deep inpenetrable bonds of a "TWIN SOUL". I chuckle to myself knowing where I heard that term used, because my "TWIN SOUL" Wilmaryad proclaimed the rights to it's usage to describe our friendship. I can only say.....DITTO!.......I have never experienced such a bond in all my 45 years!!

My briend~~~I want to take this moment to thank you for your patience, guidance, understanding, thoughtfulness, kindness, your witty sarcasm, thought provoking conversation, glorious insights and MOST of all, your superior, tender heart!

FRIENDS4EVER
ANGELO

THAT'S WHAT FRIENDS ARE FOR!!

Here it is Wilmaryad Ben O'Scallas!!!
Without your insistence and gentle prodding I would not have done this for myself. You, my friend are the REAL DEAL!! Shakran! Merci Beaucoup! Grazie! I look forward to my first posting!