choices really matter
The best luck of all is the luck you make for yourself.
In the past couple of weeks I have had the fabled luck of a sailor being followed by an albatross, (never, ever, shoot the albatross). Something has carved out a window to let me see who I truly am, and allowed me to start to take control of my fate. But, it’s also enabled me to surrender to the will of the cosmos ~ working with natural energies to empower my body, mind, and spirit to true and lasting enlightenment.
I shot the ALBATROSS…..
I had done a hellish thing, and it would work ’em woe: for all averred I had killed the bird, that made the breeze to blow. ~ Samuel Taylor Coleridge
These changes in me are never going to be some quick way to amass a fortune, (I don’t need to), or find an easy way out of life’s problems. Instead, taking control of my fate allows me to discover the interconnectedness of all things that binds us and the cosmos together, and creates the web of infinite circumstances, places, and people that allows me to walk the warrior’s path.
You know what? I am excited about all this enlightened thinking that seems to have taken over my psyche. However, whatever wisdom or enlightenment I have suddenly gained access to is more than a little bit complicated and confusing for an ordinary Englishman such as I.
I know that this is a positive and strong time of decisive action for me, and I need to harness all the determination I can muster. I firmly believe that, in the next few days I will need to take some action that is critical to the shape of my future. The snag is, right now I have no idea what that action is supposed to be. I’ve got no idea what I most need to do, except that it’s going to be a balancing act between passion and practicality.
So, I’m already working on my general health and fitness ~ walking everywhere, breathing plenty of clean and fresh sea air, and detoxifying my life of crap and negative influences.
I have a feeling that I also need to work on better friendships and more meaningful and mindful connections. I need to give more attention to particular special people in my life. I should build greater self-worth through more integrity, more confidence, better and more authentic interpersonal relationships.
I should be shrewder in my choices of friends and the type of friendships I want, need, and desire. But, being a shrewd operator does not mean that I would ever be underhand or less than utterly honest about how I nurture my friends and friendships, or be dishonest in how I choose the people I wish to associate with.
Some say that communication skills is an art we go on learning throughout our life. And, that interpersonal relationships never stop being a work in progress. All I know is that sometimes we only say to others what we ourselves need to hear.
Sometimes a man just has to howl at the moon.
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jack collier
jackcollier7@talktalk.net
just remember, interpersonal relationships can be dark….. and as deep and strange as still waters.
And, choices rule your life.
Crete ~ another vacation
Socrates and Plato took a house on Crete in the summer months.
Another month, and another vacation planned.
This time I’m going to Chania on Crete, a spectacular island in the blue, blue Mediterranean sea. I fly out to Crete on Tuesday September 4th for a week, and I’ll be staying at a small, family run hotel, the Pella Steve II, which is exclusively for the more adult single traveller.
Chania is the most beautiful, interesting, and evocative town on Crete ~ from the Venetian Harbour to the narrow shopping streets and waterfront restaurants. Chania also has it’s own international airport, which is very cool when it comes to transfer times.
I’m fully expecting the weather, hotel, sightseeing, shopping, entertainment, food, drink, and company to be brilliant.
These singles holidays are something different and exclusive. Always in a smaller hotel, everyone has their own double room, everyone is open and friendly, and there always seems to be a lot going on among ‘the group’. These singles vacations are not just sitting by the pool and reading. In my experience these singles vacations are fun from waking in the morning to getting off to bed early the following morning. Luckily, these days I never touch booze and get by with a few hours sleep.
In my experience you don’t need to worry about not knowing anyone before you get there ~ on this kind of vacation, new and very interesting friends are made pretty quickly. Anyhow, on this type of vacation everyone hangs out with anyone they wish to ~ starting at the hotel bar.
However, I was thinking that it would be cool to have a travelling companion to share the experience with, not as a couple, but as friends who travel together. Being a guy, of course I’d be the one spending all the money. That’s what guys of my generation do.
You never know, I may find a cool travelling companion yet. And, after this holiday on Crete, there will be another vacation coming along soon.
My email is always at the end of these blog posts.
~
jack collier
email: jsckcollier7@talktalk.net
Crete is a very beautiful island
my character defects
Character defects exist to remind you of how much you were wounded.
My past was darkness
anger, anxieties, arrogance
bigotry, blaming, boastfulness
controlling, cowardice, crudeness
dishonesty, destruction, deviousness
fear, guilt, hate, harshness, hopelessness
intolerance, judgementalism, lying, lustfulness
manipulating, negativity, perfectionism, recklessness
evil sarcasm, selfishness, thoughtlessness, unfaithfulness
unreliability, undisciplined thrill seeking, vulgarity, wastefulness
all my days were filled with misery, pain, suffering, doubt, difficulties
today I am empowered, self-aware, self-confident, accepting mindfulness
I have abandoned my character defects and found acceptance and happiness
~
jack collier
email; jackcollier7@talktalk.net
the pain you felt yesterday
is the strength you feel today
do not be just another sheep in the flock
To really live, first escape from the prison you made for yourself.
Some change, some significant shift in the way I think and feel has allowed me to better understand the infinite intricacies of life, to see my true inner self, and consequently gain a much greater self-awareness and feeling of self-confidence.
I firmly believe that I can now rise above the obstacles and pit-falls of this crazy chaotic life in a determined and assertive way. I know that I can follow the warrior’s path to happiness and genuine fulfillment. Quite suddenly and unexpectedly, there is a forceful and innovative energy bubbling away in the depths of my subconsciousness. Taken together this means that, since my return from a weird vacation in Turkey, I have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to strike out on my own, to feel confident and liberated, in control of what is happening in my own life.
I have always had a great deal of financial freedom, but emotionally and spiritually I have been utterly repressed, a prisoner of my own inadequacies and the negativity of others. Now I need to engage my true strengths and inner abilities ~ I guess working out how to do that may take a little longer than I think.
I have always had a strong character and a strong will, but always seemed to be afraid of leaving the well established fortress of my comfort zone. I believe that I am no longer fearful of releasing my strong will and doing things quite differently from other people.
In my life it’s been much easier to follow the flow of everyone else, but that route will never allow anyone to reach their destiny and discover their own ultimate truth. It seems now is the time for me to become more of a leader, and less of just another sheep in the flock,
Perhaps it really is time for me to break free of the limitations I have created for myself, and others have created for me, by trying to conform to what I think I ‘should’ be doing. You can please some of the people most of the time if you do what they want, but no matter what you do, you can’t please all your family and friends all of the time.
To begin with, my new and different attitude felt rebellious and disrespectful, but I now know that if I don’t dare to be different, I will never realise just how much I can enjoy This Life.
Some say that you only get one chance to remake your life into what you have always wanted it to be. And, that everyone who is close to you will do everything they can to stop you from breaking away. All I know is that I can and will do just what my destiny calls me to do.
I am no longer a prisoner, I am a free man.
~
jack collier
jackcollier7@talktalk.net
sometimes all you need is a very cool car
Inspired and Motivated
Life has many ways of testing a man’s will and inner strength.
Yesterday I joined a different gym here in my little seaside town. I had not been regularly using the ‘old gym’, and they had increased their prices. Often the walk there, around the marina, was so interesting and distracting that I never made the gym at all.
I’m pretty surprised that I just went ahead and joined a new gym, without hesitation, procrastination, or much thinking about it. But then, since my recent vacation in Turkey, I’m a changed man. In Turkey I had a bit of an epiphany.
I know that I’m now venturing on yet another important evolutionary step on the warrior’s path to discover what I am truly capable of, and I have come to know that I have an immense inner strength. Part of my journey along the warrior’s path is knowing what this inner strength and power is, and how I can use it, for the greater good, in my daily existence.
You have power over your mind ~ not outside events. Realise this, and you will find strength. ~ Marcus Aurelius
My goal is to unearth and understand this power and strength from the depths of my subconscious mind, my heart, and my soul. I have something to say and I need to learn how to say it. Perhaps I need to break away from traditional approaches and practices and accept that I am now a unique individual that deserves to receive more recognition and respect for who I have worked so hard to become.
As I was taking my leave from the new friends I had made on vacation, a very together lady said to me that; ‘You are a very different kind of man from most…..’ She said that and more in a very caring way.
However, right now I still do not feel as fully in charge of my own destiny as I could be. I know that I need a clearer vision of what lies ahead of me. I need to work towards more balance, acceptance, understanding. I need courage. I need to use my new-found self-awareness, self-confidence, inspiration and motivation. And, I need to eliminate negative energies and negative people from my life.
I know, trust, and believe that I am capable of forging my own path, that I have a manifest destiny to reach, a destiny that is not intended for anyone else, at least for no one who cannot share my vision, needs, wants, dreams, and desires.
It is time to explore my dreams and to experiment with the strength and power I suddenly possess. I need to become connected with who I really am, and I need to better connect with those I care for. I want and need to become the real Renaissance Man that some have thought I have always been. Until now I believe that I have always fallen short of that ideal.
Some say that we take for granted those things that are most deserving of our attention. And, that most people never show up for their Appointment with Life. All I know is that Real Life is what happens to you while you are busy making pointless plans.
~
jack collier
jackcollier7@talktalk.net
Marmaduke likes to sunbathe on one of the historic ships moored in the marina
Scenes on Sunday ~ Parasailing in Turkey
Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing.
Oludeniz is a big centre for parasailing. From the top of the mountain to landing near the beach-side restaurants the flight is about 40 minutes. I didn’t go up there on my recent Turkish trip ~ I was too busy on the ground, taking pictures.
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jack collier
jackcollier7@talktalk.net
it’s quite fun to do the impossible
President Trump Disrupts Britain
To be an ideal guest ~ stay at home.
Have you ever had one of those house guests you wish had never turned up at all? Well it seems that President Trump is less than an ideal candidate for a State Visit to the United Kingdom.
To be fair, this great country’s Queen Elizabeth II has hosted some very unsavory and embarrassing characters on previous state visits to her United Kingdom: from Mobutu Sese Seke in 1973, (then the president of Zaire), Robert Mugabe, in 1994, and Xi Jinping the leader of China in 2015. At least Mr. Trump isn’t a homicidal maniac who has criminalised homosexuality or stopped women from being educated or voting.
Mr Trump is merely ill-mannered, badly educated, and prone to saying what he really thinks. Really, in no way a typical polite and cultured American.
The president broke Royal Protocol three times when he visited the 92 years old Queen at Windsor Castle. Firstly he kept her waiting for a quarter of an hour in 80 degree heat, he refused to bow to the Queen, instead shaking her hand, and the he turned his back on the monarch and walked ahead of her when inspecting the guard of honour. You know what? You just don’t do that here.
An Englishman thinks all American males are ignorant, boorish, and uneducated ~ Trump proves it.
A significant proportion of the population of these Islands have protested against the President’s state visit; thousands of fucking stupid protesters have hit the streets in a display of left-leaning-liberal indignation, (including the leader of our Labour Party, the facile Jeremy Corbyn.) I’m not certain what English law says about banners that use Fuck and Cunt in their slogans, but that was deemed perfectly acceptable in the anti-trump demonstrations. A million people, (allegedly), have signed a petition to stop this state visit.
Meanwhile, the supposedly completely independent BBC has taken advantage of every opportunity it could find to denigrate President Trump, his State Visit, and America in general. It’s appalling that this state-funded broadcaster has lowered itself to the same level as those ignorant rent-a-mob street protesters.
In an interview with the Sun newspaper here, Mr Trump also enraged Brexit Remainers by saying that Prime Minister Theresa May had wrecked Brexit. And you know what? This president says it like it is, and more often not he’s right. As Prime Minister Mrs. May is as much use as a concrete life-preserver ~ no good at all.
So, President Trump’s State Visit has enraged some, but their petty indignation says more about their narrow-minded, juvenile attitudes that it does about Mr. Trump.
Some say that if you don’t agree with someone, you should stop them from talking. And, that if you take to the streets and protest loudly enough you will force ‘the authorities’ to sit up and take notice. All I know is that I like Mr. Trump better than I like the people protesting his visit to this Great Britain.
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jack collier
email: jackcollier7@talktalk.net
I think that slogan is so cool
Food on Friday ~ Summer
The blue sky in July trembles like a butterfly.
It’s high summer. I have just returned from Turkey and the best vacation ever. The food in Turkey was fabulous, and went perfectly with their hot summer sunshine.
These recipes may not all be authentically Turkish, but they are all the kind of dishes you would get in the better Turkish restaurants in the tourist areas, and they will all go perfectly with our long summer days.
First up this week, found by Elise Bauer at Simply Recipes, we have 4 Great Add-Ins for Hummus. Hummus is almost an essential component of a Turkish banquet, and these ideas from Katie Workman are just brilliant. I especially like the roasted red pepper hummus, and Katie even tells us how to make perfect roasted peppers.
Hummus
Now, from at How Sweet Eats we have summer BBQ Quinoa Salad, which is a perfectly Turkish inspired side dish, or a lighter meal to take to work.
Summer BBQ Quinoa and Chicken Salad
Well now, OK, this recipe for orozo stuffed red peppers with lemony basil tomatoes from Tieghan Gerard at Half Baked Harvest is actually Greek, but I had an exactly similar dish when I was in Turkey. This is a very quick and easy 30 minute vegetarian dish, (other than it has cheese, but you can buy vegan cheese).
Greek Orozo Stuffed Red Peppers with Lemony Basil Tomatoes.
From lovely San Diego girl Averie Sunshine we have this wonderful looking dish of Peach Chili Grilled Chicken, just the kind of thing you could be served in the better Turkish restaurants in the tourist parts of the country. This damn easy 10 minute dish needs no cleanup afterwards ~ how cool is all that?
Peach Chili Grilled Chicken
I almost never feature the same cook twice in one Food on Friday, but here’s another Dish from Tieghan Gerard, at Half Baked Harvest. Turkish fried eggs in herbed yogurt. You could have these at breakfast, lunch, or dinner ~ and the whole thing takes only 30 minutes to prepare.
Turkish Fried Eggs in Herbed Yogurt
For desert, this is another sort-of Greek dish: frozen honey Greek yogurt dipped strawberries, shown to us by Andrea at Cooking with a Wallflower. But, there is nothing to stop you from using Turkish honey and Turkish yogurt to make this guilt free desert recipe.
Frozen Honey Greek Yogurt Dipped Strawberries
Finally for this week we have a great collection of Turkish recipes from Delicious Magazine, including this fabulous Lamb Kofte Tagine. This is an easy 30 minute dish that would make a super mid-week meal, or something fast for a Saturday night in with friends. Buy Turkish beer to go with it.
Lamb Kofte Tagine
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jack collier
email; jackcollier7@talktalk.net
we sat in an outdoors restaurant watching the parasailors landing.
how cool was that?
Follow Your Dreams
The future is not something we enter.
The future is something we create.
My dreams have always been the fuel for my success. Without my dreams there could never have been any meaningful and lasting success in my life. And, some say I have been very successful ~ depending on how you measure success.
I firmly believe that behind every successful person there is a dream fulfilled. That all enlightened people have come to their enhanced state of happiness through achieving at least one of their dreams. There must always be something in your life that motivates, drives, excites, and captivates you, otherwise you are not living, you are just existing. Or, you may as well be living in a doorway on a sheet of cardboard.
The will to win, the desire to succeed, the urge to reach your full potential….. these are the keys that will unlock the door to personal excellence. ~ Confucius
My dreams became the goals that pushed me to believe in the impossible, to make interesting and unexpected changes in my life, to get out of my comfort zone and take unimagined risks.
Sometimes we choose to ignore or forget what it is that we really love, want, need, and desire. We let ourselves be guided and driven by other people’s’ expectations. We think my parents will never support my ideas, and, my wife will never allow me to do this…..
A dream doesn’t become reality through magic; it takes sweat, determination, courage, and hard work. Colin Powell
Really successful people never forget what they love to do, what they want, what they need, what they desire and lust after. Fortunate men and women learn to follow their own path and make the right choices ~ no matter how crazy or unpopular those choices might appear to others, especially parents and partners.
Think about this; If money was not an issue, what kind of life and work would you choose to have. Would you choose to live, or would you choose to just exist? If you aim to be perfect, if you aim to please everyone all of the time, then you will be very disappointed.
Some say that behind every successful person there is a dream fulfilled. And, that we should create plans, solutions, and strategies to achieve our wildest dreams. All I know is that today I live an enlightened life that others don’t even dare to dream about.
Sometimes, the Magic happens.
~
jack collier
email: jackcollier7@talktalk.net
last night, the England soccer team were not truly following their dream
lusts wants needs desires
When I am true to myself, I am strong beyond measure.
the application of will
continues to tempt me still
uninhibited too dangerous thrill
urges wants desires needs emotional
uninhibited casual sexual relationships fill
my life with seductress midnight encounters
hazardous erotic carnal liaisons midnight hours
rash instant gratification sensual lustful animal urges
I know that I should have become a better man than that
~
jack collier
jackcollier7@talktalk.net
the path to freedom from suffering
is through self-discipline in body, mind, and spirit
