Sunday, September 19, 2010

Faith...

Faith
 
Some think everything's made to be broken
Some believe everything's made to whither and decay
And that we live in a world made only of distance
Always drifting yet farther away
 
You know, a man killed his wife and children
Painted their future blood red just the other day
'Said all the world was made of nothing but pain
'Said he wanted to save them from life
'Said there was no other way
 
If only he'd looked and listened
He could've heard the universe quietly say
"Need no faith in fate or destiny
Don't believe in the glory of Gods or the sacred USA
You can give yourself your own purpose
Don't wait, there's no revolution coming
No distant retribution
On some imaginary judgment day"
 
Life could always be better
There will always be things you can improve
But improving things is one of the joys of life
Perfection is a goal always to strive for
And will forever let you have something to do
 
Every morning as the sun quietly rises
And the dark night fades slowly away
Look afresh at the world around you
See with a child's eye the coming day
Notice a little black beetle busily stewing his morning stew
If you watch closely his industrious searching
Amid the tiny scuffling on grainy desert soil
You can see the universe gently smile your way
And in the new morning breeze
You can hear life softly whisper, "I'm here right now.
If you let it be, today will be a good day."

Dewey Dirks Copyright 2010

Saturday, September 11, 2010

Boxes of bullets...

Dangerous World

I walked down to the park
just the other day.
It wasn't very cloudy outside
and the sun was shining high
in the bright June sky.
I stopped to chat awhile
with a guy who looked pretty worried.

I said, “Hey there dude!
What's troubling you?
He said, “My God! Don't you see the news every day?
The world is a dangerous, dangerous place!
He said, “I got back from New York just last summer.
There were so many crusty lookin' people!
The place sacred the livin' shit out of me!
He looked around quickly, then continued on.
He said, “I got so worried,
I bought three extra boxes of bullets
for my gun just before I left town!”

I said, “Well, I agree there's some dangerous places
in this old world.
There's war zones in a few countries
and there's places like the Sudan
where complete chaos reigns.
There's always been places like that
and there probably always will be.
But maybe you ought ask yourself
how many bullets you actually used
when you shot your way out of downtown Manhattan?

He looked at me surprised,
“None,” he said
“And how many bullets
do you think you'll actually use today
when you shoot your way home from the grocery store?” I asked
“None.” he said

He thought for a minute
then he chuckled a little and said,
“You know, all those boxes of bullets I bought in New York
have been sitting in the back of my closet unopened
goin' on eight months now.
They're right beside a couple of unopened boxes
I bought two years ago in May

And how many bullets
do you think you'll probably use
by the end of the next month
as you shoot your way to work every day?” I asked
“Not a damn one,” he grinned.
I smiled back,“Well, it sounds to me
like the only place you ever go
where there's piles and plies of bullets
is the back of your closet.
And even there, there is really no need.”

So many people lookin' for monsters
under every rock.
So many cops with their hand on their guns
every time they stop some old lady
for drivin' forty miles per hour in a thirty-five zone.
So many people go through their lives
every day always worried
somethin' bad is gonna happen in the next five seconds.
Every night they go to sleep worried.
Every day they wake up scared of their own shadow.
Eighty years go by
and they become worried old men and women
Maybe by the time they're eighty-one
they'll figure out
it's far better to pay close attention to your everyday life
than it is to pay close attention to your anxiety.

Dewey Dirks---copyright 2009

Thursday, September 9, 2010

If things were perfect....

Perfection of anything is an illusion. No one and no situation is ever 'perfect.' Strive for a life that is very, very good, but not perfect.  Perfection is a goal to be striven for but never attained and the desire to be a perfectionist is not very compatible with being a fulfilled person.  You gotta learn that nothing that involves more than one person ever turns out exactly like you plan for, and you have to learn to be happy with the idea that things may turn out good or better but never perfect.


Tuesday, September 7, 2010

If you're thirty or forty...

You're fooling yourself if you're 30 or 40 years old or even 60 or 70 and you think you know what you've amounted to in life.  The worth of a lifetime isn't decided until many, many years after each of us has passed on and someone says, “You know, your Grandma used to say...” or “You know, your uncle used to do this....”  And if you're 30,  or 40 and you've had a few failures and setbacks, don't sweat it.  EVERYONE has had a few setbacks.  What matters is what you with you do with yourself in spite of your failures and setbacks.

Here is a song on youtube to go with todays post

Monday, September 6, 2010

Spend time every day...

Spend at least two hours every day doing each of these three things----Be productive. Work at something you want to accomplish. It can be your job, a project you want to finish or a goal you hope to achieve. Next, entertain yourself.  All work and no play leads to very dull life.  You HAVE to spend time every day doing something you really, really enjoy.  Third, spend time every day talking to someone you love.  The love between people is something that is meant to be indulged, and a good conversation with somebody you love is one of the nicest things life on Earth has to offer.  

Music on Youtube to go with todays post 

The Spark

The Spark

Hopeful as a lighthouse beacon
On a hurricane killer sea
Vengeful like a Kansas tornado
On an August night seethe
Powerful as an earthquake
In the city of Angels on mid-summers eve
Forever too small
For the big boys to see

Angry as a rap riot
Pounding out deeds
Sounds like Led Zeppelin and Cinderella
Or a Beethoven symphony
It’s on the breath of old farmers, children, and artists on fire
It’s in the passion of sailors just back from the sea
Tonight it sleeps with you and I
In spite of homeland security

Has coffee every morning
With code breakers hacking Windows XP
Stayed with the Jews at Masada
And the Sioux at Wounded Knee
Spends a lot of time in intifada city
Where it never dies
But often is the last gasp of those who are free

It can break the heavy chains of God
Keeps dying men alive
Lets blind men see
When Uncle Sam has a policeman in every pocket
And he shows us what to see on the wide screen TV
I’ll still see the spark in you
And you’ll still see the spark in me

Sometimes it’s the only survivor
When come packing the dogs of tyranny
Spark is the light in the wise mans eye
When he says ‘If I didn’t believe in love,
I wouldn’t believe’

Dewey Dirks Copyright 2003

Sunday, September 5, 2010

A word for writers..

A word for writers---some of the best advice you'll ever come across is found in three minute rock and roll songs.  So, if you really need to say something, and you can't say it in the same space as four stanzas and chorus, you probably need to work on being a better writer

Saturday, September 4, 2010

You just can't please all of them...

If a politician wins 55 percent of a vote they call it a landslide but there's still 45 percent of the people who disagree with him.  In your interactions with people around you—co-workers, family, and friends, you probably also rate around  55 percent approval.  Realize the truth of the idea that you can't please everyone all of the time and you'll lead a happier, more focused life....

Thursday, September 2, 2010

After winning an argument....

After winning an argument with his wife or girlfriend, the wisest thing for a man to do is apologize.

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

There is no problem...

There is no problem so huge or bad that it cannot be ignored---Just look at the way the government acts.