In today’s world, fear is all around us and a commonplace, yet it is not real. Fear is a purely imagined “worst case scenario” that hasn’t happened, is untrue and inauthentic. Those trained by the military and other service men and women are taught to stay calm during times of crisis. People who panic are those most vulnerable.
Living with fear continuously is a recipe for disaster and affects our mental capacity to absorb new information. This fear develops into becoming impulsive and emotional which leads to being negative in judging and decision making. Instead of being safer with fear, it actually weakens our immune systems.
Anytime you experience fear think about whether it’s true, then think of the actual truth (reality) by imagining the “best case scenario” and how that will feel. Enjoy the feeling of faith and trust by doing the best you can and leaving the rest to God.
Why do I love words so?
Because they play a melody;
words can be happy,
joyful and magic
when you chose them right,
they can dance like a
mad-in-love couple,
or jump and skip and make it hip.
The sounds, the rhythms,
the awesome vibes,
they help us feel alive.
When I think of the word “line”, I think of ways in which we are all connected. Our bodies are connected by veins that carry blood and oxygen throughout. A phone line, an electrical line, a gas line and of course – the World Wide Web connects people through a web of lines.
Traditionally, people used to hang clothes outside on a clothesline and it was common practice. How many of you have seen your parents or grandparents hanging up clothes on a clothesline? Hanging clothes on the line can be used as a form of reflection of the day, breathing fresh air, getting exercise and saving our resources by not using a clothes dryer. Connecting with nature in any way brings us closer to ourselves and who we are in the inside. This can be a welcome break from our busy lives.
My father enjoyed taking pictures of clotheslines and my mother loved hanging clothes on the line since she was a young girl. In fact, she has such fond memories of this that she remembers singing happily during the chore as the wind was blowing and the birds were chirping. A clothesline can be a very inspirational subject, as it creates interest in form, shape, color, environment and composition. Numerous artists used the clothesline in paintings including Charles Oldenburg, Renoir and Pietro Longhi.
A clothesline offers both intrinsic and extrinsic values for us: we are dependent on wearing clothes and people assess us by the clothes we are wearing. A clothesline can represent daily life as an ongoing process in which we all share responsibility.