Thanks to Katrina of A Sudden Unexpected Twist
It’s weird where curiosity takes you! (OK, I mean me. But, I hope you share in this.) After subscribing to Blogging Without a Blog, I noticed the above blog in its free register. It seemed girl stuff. Not for a 69.7 year-old man exactly. Besides, I dislike orange. Didn’t like the wide orange tabs for latest posts, comments, etc. Thought the print too small maybe. Yet liked the twirly bits of the design. But the independence, different attitude and roots, and go-ahead energy of the blog owner, writer, cook-and-bottle-washer (as all blog owners have to be), pleased me. So, I read on.
And on. Each day. Till today, a few weeks later.
Her today’s post, 3rd December 2009, had an orange-red car at the top. Matching the flaming blaze of the title. I came to discover I like orange, even when it flames! How can this be? If first impressions are so important, why do I take pleasure in what I disliked and now like?
Today’s post was Thankful Thursday, a regular feature of appreciation for any aspect of life however large or trivial. What a good idea to self-train and exercise with others on the mental gym equipment called Thankfulness! Unashamedly, I decided to lift the idea (in Internet morality) and use it myself. Thus my title above. I mean almost the same thing. But I am so glad Thursday exists! This Thursday.
Why? Because I found a sudden unexpected twist. At the top of K’s blog is “Life List”. I had never seen it before. Maybe it’s new. Maybe it was staring me in the face. Perhaps I was meant to see it today. It is a draft Life Plan, really. A world tour of fascinating places. What blew my mind was that it had 151 (or so) items to dream of and move towards. Her brain had clear goals and lots of daily joy to anticipate.
Then I was thrilled to read that K. has a wall board to progress her dreams. Something I had mused on having for many years. So, now it’s me-too! There was another wonderful thing that I realized. Each of the 151 items are nodes or growing-points of a tree of new life. There is the possibility of readers adding suggestions, brainstorming with her, offering photos of dreamed-of places. Each is a potential branch for discussion and shared discovery. If K. wants it.
We are all told to “focus”. But, we can misunderstand. Are 151 points a focus? I say, yes absolutely! And more! The focus is K’s own: her “Life List”. We move from the macro to the micro in a blink, yet focus on both.
So, unashamedly, I’m going to keep expanding my ideas. If there are 151 growing points for me, then, I say that is a good beginning. But, why not more? The passion behind my blog is huge creativity. (I wanted to say mass-creativity, but I funked it. I put it in brackets, for the present.) I believe in the release of not one person’s innovative dreams but that of a whole community and then society.
It just so happens that I began with the idea of transforming politics, because politicians in Europe and North America have undermined popular control. Something downright evil has occurred. Historically, this theft of wealth and power leads to major war, within a decade. I HATE conventional party politics. But, I do believe a better version of ‘democracy’ can be built fast by millions of Electors, and there is little politicians can do to really halt such change. It just requires initial lunatics to not see apparent obstacles. My idea of “democracy” is 100 times as inventive as we have now. And it includes helping each other change our lives and fortunes. Blogs being one aspect.
We wrong-step, mistake and surprise our way to success in whatever we do. We make Lists. We stick them on the wall. We blog and talk. Swap. Make ideas come alive.
LOVING THURSDAY is my delight in what others are doing that moves forward, pushes, invents, creates, inspires and “tries” (though I am suspicious of that word, as it can mean avoiding a real, firm decision).
I thought Katrina could be Visiting Professor of New Ambitions, Motivation, Power and Fulfillment. That’ll be number 152.
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