Sunday Reading - 01 July 2007
July 1st, 2007 by Richard CockrumI’m back home after a three day trip to the middle of the state. Lady Glynis tells me there were severe storms here while I was gone, but little of that affected us in the middle of the state. To get where we were going we had to travel through the edges of the mountains of Pennsylvania. Half the trees we saw appeared to be dead. I don’t know why. It may be due to a fungus. Or they may really be dead, though even dead they serve a valuable purpose. I do know I’m happy to be home.
I have a lot of reading to catch up on. Even though I don’t subscribe to many feeds, articles still built up to a high level. One interesting post I have read is by Aaron Potts at Today is the Day in which he asks what we expect from you. Are we writing for the fun of it? Do we want to be a newspaper? Or do we want to influence you to take some kind of action.
As I told Aaron in the comments to his post, I want to put myself out of a job. In personal growth and development, the idea isn’t to read another blog post, or another book, or to attend another seminar or conference. The idea is to reach the point where you are your own authority, the point where you have woken to the freedom, and the knowledge, that lies within your core, and that will lead you to be the you you really are. The most that any blog, any book, any speaker can do is help point the way to what already lies within you.
As the theme for my podcast, from We’re All Stars by Corey & Cosmo, says
I’m a star.
You’re a star.
Yeah we’re all stars
Trying to find our way home
Through the dark of night
My thanks to everyone who visited Shards this week, and most especially to those of you who referenced Shards in your own posts
- Carolyn at Thoughts & Philosophies in A List: Stuff We Know But Forget - Part 6 of 7.
- Aaron at Today is that Day in Successful Blogging - Are you Creating Something or just Reading and Writing.
- Danielle at Modern Musings in Thinkers.
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July 1st, 2007 at 9:36 am
Rick,
I appreciate the Link Love, but even more than that, I appreciate your inspiring post!
I’m sitting here on Sunday morning going through a TON of email, comments, and RSS feeds that accumulated during my full day off yesterday (YAY!), but I was feeling a little overwhelmed.
We got home late, and I woke up to a huge “to-do” list. I didn’t make the realization until I read your post that I was allowing my perception of my task list to make me forget to be happy right now.
Thanks for the reminder, Rick! Your bit about personal development jarred me back to reality.
July 1st, 2007 at 11:05 am
When I read that post of Aaron’s, it got me to wondering exactly where I’m directing my writing. Seems to me all three directions work, depending on the subject and/or the mood du jour. It’s good that way. Writing, as with any art, is meant to be flexible. And I think that that flexibility is what’s needed for “the freedom, and the knowledge, that lies within your core, and that will lead you to be the you you really are”.
And thanks so much for the trackback.
July 1st, 2007 at 10:07 pm
Hi Aaron,
Oh no! How am I going to deal with this!
I know that feeling. I’m glad you were able to get over it quickly.
July 1st, 2007 at 10:11 pm
Hi Carolyn,
You’re right. All three directions do work. You just made me realize part of the reason why I’ve never thought of myself as a writer. Usually I write because I think I have something to say (though others often disagree
). It’s only when I’m writing poetry that I do it for the sheer joy of working with the language.
July 2nd, 2007 at 10:56 am
Thanks for the mention Rick.
This is why you are considered a Thinking Blogger in my book. Achieving peace within is the catalyst for creating peace without.
Be well and enjoy the day.
July 2nd, 2007 at 9:49 pm
Hi Danielle,
Someday we’ll learn this well enough for it to stick.
Peace be with you.