by Jennifer Johnston
Artist's illustration of bright gamma-ray burst
Nasa Image from Wikipedia Commons, public domain
All changes, even the most longed for, have their melancholy; for what we leave behind us is a part of ourselves; we must die to one life before we can enter another. ~Anatole France
Some of you may have noticed that I haven't written for the blog in a while ... some may have been doing the happy dance about that (grin) ... some may not have given it a moment's thought. As it happens, there are many things going on in my life right now which are bringing me some melancholy, a little sadness, a little mourning, but overall a glorious sense of rebirth and just downright joy.
As I have previously opined, failure and/or refusal to change, to be open to change, to move through life's journey and phases and stages without a continually renewed sense of discovery and wonder, lead (I believe) to stagnation at worst, or at best to a self-satisfied complacency, which prevent further growth and development ... and I find that to be a truly sad thought.
Some hold that as one ages, one should slow down, and settle, and accept things as they are, without seeking (or tripping over sometimes) the new and different ... indeed without any desire for the new and different. But as was recently proved to me, I am still capable of surprise and wonder and awestruck delight about new ideas, new friends, new people, new or slightly altered philosophies.
One the greatest facilitators for growth and new knowledge I believe is the Internet in general, and social networking sites like Facebook and its ancillary applications (apps ... like Dog World and Vampire Wars), which have not only opened my world to reconnection and renewal of some relationships with people I knew long ago in Childress, but have given me a whole new outlook and perspective on a couple of particularly important and resonant ideas and considerations in connection with new friends and new branches in my path. And for the most part, I have been overwhelmingly delighted with my experiences in these venues.
Unfortunately along with all of the very, very good things there have been a few occurrences which have not been so pleasant or desirable. I have had to block a couple of people who seem to think that they have the right to invade my Profile page ... my FB home, if you will, my personal space and time ... and leave unwanted and unsolicited messages and Biblical quotations and condemnations because they disapprove of something I have said, or something I find fun, or exciting, or at least mildly amusing. And why these people think they have the right to do such a thing is beyond me. It is indicative of a small mind and intolerance for others, which I find repugnant and abhorrent in the extreme. But apparently such people don't get (still don't get) that I have the right to my opinions, as they have a right to theirs.
As I pointed out to one before I blocked him, I would never dream on going onto someone else's page (or into their home) and leaving screeds about my ideas of life, and if he disapproved of my comments, quizzes, etc. that popped up in his newsfeed, then he had the option of blocking me and/or my news feed ... and I asked him to please leave me alone. He didn't, and I blocked him ... and apparently from what I am told by another friend, he is still railing about me, even though he can't do so directly.
I mean really ... at one point when I was chatting about VW and commenting with some friends, this troglodyte actually told me that he didn't like what I was doing/saying, and that he was "personally offended by vampires" ... his words. As I told him: Dude, lighten up! Get a grip!! It's a game!!!! But apparently this failed to penetrate his thick, concrete, parochial skull ... and so I blocked him, and will continue to block anyone who demonstrates such insensitivity and intolerance.
Hubble Space Telescope image of Wolf-Rayet star WR 124 and nebula
Wolf-Rayet stars may be progenitors of long duration
NASA Imagem Wikipedia Commons, public domain
But for each retro-Neanderthal that one occasionally runs across, I have found three or four genuine treasures (which means at least around 10-12 or more people) with whom I have recently become very close friends, people who will be close to me from this time until I leave
We don't all have to agree about everything ... indeed only a minuscule number of us will find a true meeting of the minds (and memories) and complete agreement and affinity with some mirror soul. But when that happens, it is a joy without measure, a sustaining and thrilling lift on this road we all travel ... and the people who come into our lives like this, particularly at this late stage, are valued all the more for gracing and blessing us with their presence and their essence!
I will always choose life and renewal ... glorying in that rebirth and discovery and expansion of consciousness that is so important, so vital, in my life. For those who are happy as they are, without change, that is your choice and your life ... but my life, this life, is mine to live as I see fit....
And this phoenix has risen from its last immolation and is spreading its wings to welcome the next burning, the next sun, the next catalyst, which will lead to even further growth and advancement.... I embrace the incandescent, white-hot fusion of all the elements ... air, earth, fire, water and aether ... and that explosion and regeneration with all the blinding brilliance and searing heat of a thousand suns! I choose life ... this life ... and the next life ... and the next....
Those who can't stand the heat should definitely stay out of the kitchen and away from the Big Bang!
C-est la vie, c'est l'amour ... c'est l'amour de vie ... eternal and ever-lasting.... Small death ... brave new life! Quelle surprise!!! Slow sweet smile ... and kvell kvell kvell....
)O(
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