John Steinbeck, who is one of my favourite authors, won the Nobel Prize in literature in 1962. His novella entitled Of Mice and Men would undoubtedly be considered one of John Steinbeck’s literary gems. Although shorter than some of his other masterpieces, which include Grapes of Wrath and East of Eden, it is on par with their greatness. This morning, I was struck by an epiphany, which I believe may … Continue reading Beyond “Mice and Men”
When they were young, my kids really loved the kiddie rides at Funland in Rehoboth Beach DE. It’s extra special there because many of the rides have been maintained for several generations. As a kid, I rode and loved some of the same rides my daughters did. One of our favorites was one we called The Cars. It’s the typical kiddie ride set-up; glittery-painted sports … Continue reading Death, Daughters & Kiddie Rides: A Lesson
In this article, we’re going to figuratively gather around the collective “The Fire of Our Being.” We might imagine it is a large bonfire that is glowing with flames that are dancing lively and flicking their sparks toward the evening sky. The burning wood snaps with sizzling crackles as its energy is released. Around the fire, there are benches and chairs on which we can … Continue reading The Fire of Our Being
Look at this guy! Standing there in a pond full of flowers with an old, student model trumpet in his hands; bell facing the busy road, leaning back, aiming the notes to the sky. That’s confidence! Continue reading Confidence: Mettle In Metal
Regarding knowing recognition of our essential nature, it has been my experience that apparently “little” points can make a huge difference in the degree of our understanding. Through Grace, the gifts of clarity often arrive when we least expect them and displace more of our delusional beliefs. The following is the account of one such incident that occurred out of the blue: *** About three years ago, … Continue reading Ever-Present “I Am”
My emotions come at me in waves. Often I’m strong enough to withstand them – to hold the ship steady – but every now and then they catch me with my shields down. I’m swept away. That happened the other day when the movers came in to pack everything up. Seeing my whole life packed into boxes. That was difficult. But the hardest moment came … Continue reading The Ghosts of My Past
I want to finish this series of posts on personality I’ve put together over the past couple of months by giving you an analogy. To first recap, there are five major personality traits: extraversion, neuroticism, conscientiousness, openness and agreeableness. Wherever you lie on the spectrum of each trait – whatever the circumstances that shaped you – this is the hand you’ve been dealt in this … Continue reading The Hand We’ve Been Dealt
One of the books that I’m currently reading is entitled The Yoga of Knowledge, Jnana Yoga, by Swami Vivekananda. From what I’ve discovered about Swami Vivekananda, he was an Indian monk who was a disciple of Ramakrishna and played an instrumental role in bringing the teachings of Vedanta and Yoga to the West. Here, I offer you the quote which inspired this article: “Only the man … Continue reading To Swim As God
Hello to my fellow bloggers and blog-lovers! I’m Elle, or E.L. Jayne as my pen name states, and I’ve embarked my own rendition of an Eat, Pray, Love trip this summer, albeit, without the dramatic divorce and existential crisis at the onset, luckily. Deciding to travel for 4 months made me reflect on the catalyst that drives people to travel in the first place. Some … Continue reading On The Different Reasons People Travel
A tornado warning reveals that obvious things are not at all obvious to wives with different perspectives. Continue reading Tornado Warning: How To Survive A Twister While Married
With sighs of relief, Joe and Joe sat their conceptual body-minds down on overturned pails outside their shop. The morning’s case had been a stubborn one, and now it was time for a break and a smoke. These ego-busters were from the good ol’ days, and they made no bones about it. They liked their cigarettes strong, their muscle cars fast, burgers with cheese and onions, and fries with … Continue reading Joe-Joe’s Egoless Shop
Art doesn’t owe me (or anyone) any favors. It didn’t sell on becoming an artist like it was talking you into a time share. Art says, “You want to be an artist? Great. Best of luck,” and then it walks away, probably on its way to a gallery opening in the West Village, and leaves you to do the rest. Continue reading Art: It’s Just Not That Into Me (Or Most of Us)
We begin this article with a quote from Teachings of Sri Ramakrishna. Although its message may seem ludicrous to the masses, it will strike a resonate chord to those who’ve realized their true nature. Here, I offer the quote: “Pray to Him in any way you will. He is sure to hear you, for He hears even the footfall of an ant.” What nature of Power … Continue reading Footfall Of An Ant
Many Americans are convinced that the COVID pandemic is over. Thinking this way would be a mistake. I know because my wife contracted the virus at some point recently and tested positive on Friday of last week. Despite being fully vaccinated, she’s feeling quite unwell. As a result, I’ve moved into the front bedroom—the one with the television—leaving my wife to recuperate in our master. … Continue reading All that Jazz
Many humans will only purchase brand name items. They wouldn’t be caught dead buying anything less. They want the genuine article, the best of the best; and yet how easily they are fooled into buying into a false “i”-dentity. The latter was certainly true of me. With regard to the subject of “Know Thyself,” we most often–through lack of awareness–settle for a knockoff. The origin … Continue reading The “Real” McCoy
This past Saturday, I got up early because I had a Zoom meeting with a Pointless Overthinking colleague who lives on the other side of the planet. Despite my best efforts, I’d gotten up a touch late and was in a hurry to get breakfast eaten so I wouldn’t be tardy for our online rendezvous. For quite a long time now, right after breaking my … Continue reading It’s Not a Bug; It’s a Feature
In our modern age, Kristo and Morpheus would have excelled as ironworkers on the tallest skyscrapers; they moved with confidence and ease high above the ground. At the sound of the whistle, they set down their chisels and hammers and reached for their nearby lunch pails. Their torsos were dark bronze from many hours under the sun. With their legs dangling over the frontispiece of … Continue reading Lunch Break: Temple of Apollo
I would have made a poor Sherlock Holmes, especially when it comes to solving the mysterious case regarding the Truth of our Being. In that regard, I behaved more like Inspector Clouseau, of Pink Panther fame. That’s not to say that I was as bumbling in life as the inspector was with his investigations; but I was definitely a prodigal son without knowing it. Unbeknownst … Continue reading Connecting The Dots
So, as I have mentioned more often than is dignified, I have a theater company. Specifically, an online theater company we started in 2020. We did well critically in our first season, but the opposite of well in terms of making any money. We were also really bad at even breaking even. Frankly, we weren’t so hot at even running at a slight loss. The … Continue reading Allow Me To Use This Space To Express My Opinion That I Have Too Many Spaces To Express My Opinions
If you think back to the Middle Ages and compare what we know now to what we thought we knew then, you’ll probably come to the conclusion that we weren’t terribly smart. That most of what we thought we knew about the world was patently wrong. It seems obvious to us now that the earth revolves around the sun (and not the other way around), … Continue reading Why Being Wrong Is Right
