Random Jottings ~ Acceptance
grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change
accept that it’s better to be alone than to be unhappy with someone else
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some people just will not accept that they’re in the wrong
they buy an assault rife instead
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the older and wiser I get,
the more I believe that the greatest gift is acceptance of others
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compassion and tolerance are not a sign of weakness
they are a sign of strength
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whatever life brings to you, accept it and learn to live with it
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a real man learns to accept his own faults
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I’m not OK, but that’s OK
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jack collier
jackcollier7@talktalk.net
never accept that you cannot change what you are
Monochrome Monday ~ The Beehive State
you go to Utah to get away from people
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jack collier
jackcollier7@talktalk.net
Wasatch Mountains
Random Jottings ~ Werewolf
some werewolves are women, they’re the most frightening
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she wore black, shame it was her fur
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in the silvery moonlight, the werewolf’s eyes gleamed a yellow gleam
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he’d tamed the werewolf, but what was he going to do with her?
the hair and teeth weren’t a problem
but her growls in bed upset the people in the next apartment
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when the moon rose, so did the werewolf
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he had the silver collar, he had the silk sheets, he was bloody stupid
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jack collier
jackcollier7@talktalk.net
he was her true love
shame he was a werewolf
but he was great at fetching sticks
Peace and Tranquility
the prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective
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Each day I go down to the sea to pray to my Goddess. Always at the same vantage point, I face the morning sun, calm myself and say my short prayer for the day.
This morning the sea was very grey and calm, with a surface like hammered metal, the colour of slate to match the grey clouds which had suddenly appeared overhead.
I asked that my Goddess help me find greater peace and calm in my life, because a peaceful and calm life brings more and better, kinder things along with it.
At the instant my prayer ended, the clouds parted a little and a shaft of sunlight struck the sea, turning the area I was looking it into a sparkling, burnished silver mirror. More than quite surprising.
You know what? I took that as a sigh that my Goddess looked favourably upon my prayer, and the generosity of spirit in which the prayer was meant.
As I turned away that shaft of sunlight vanished too.
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jack collier
jackcollier7@talktalk.net
if you talk to your higher power
sometimes they may answer
Tunes on Tuesday ~ Insane
when love is not tinged with madness, it is not love
This song could well be the story of my life, given that the roles were reversed. But these days I’m a very cool guy, living a really great life. I am already a winner.
Please listen without identifying too much.
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jack collier
jackcollier7@talktalk.net
even lunatics fall in love
Accepting the Past
you can’t learn anything if you deny history
the gloomy sunset can still presage a bright new dawn
Some things in our past may be painful, uncomfortable, unpleasant, disgusting, illegal, or just a big mistake. Personally, I will admit to trying hard to forget the painful, uncomfortable, unpleasant mistakes I’ve made ~ and there have been more than a few. But, you know what? Without fully accepting and trying to understand the what, why, and how of the mistakes in my past, I will never learn anything. To be a real man I need to learn from my past so that I will not make the same errors of judgement again in the future.
More people would learn from their mistakes if they weren’t busy denying them. ~ Harold J. Smith
Conversely, I also need to remember the good people, places, events, and things in my past so that I can repeat and reinforce anything virtuous, righteous, ethical, principled, and enjoyable things I have done, experienced, or been responsible for. And you know what? There are far more of those good things in my past than there are expressions of my dark side.
The very worst kind of people are those who will never honestly look at their past and say; ‘I should not have done that…..’ But, those who look at the past and see only negativity and darkness are not such good people either. The past is what it is, nobody can change it, we can only accept what we do in this moment and resolve to do better in the future.
Perhaps the very worst people of all are those who have no ambition to be better tomorrow than they are today. Those who have no good aims, goals, dreams, desires, and aspirations are doomed to fester in the slough of despond forever.
Some say that the past has nothing to teach us. And that we should wipe out history as being unacceptable and pointless. All I know is that as you give to the world, so you shall receive in return.
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jack collier
jackcollier7@talktalk.net
tomorrow is another day
another chance to be better
Writing
English, the finest and truest language ever known to mankind
Nobody can write a scene like Shakespeare, even though he couldn’t even spell his own name.
We few, we happy few, we band of brothers
For he today that sheds his blood with me
Shall be my brother
I cannot write prose like Mark Twain, even though he was naught but a steam boat pilot.
Never allow someone else to be your priority
while allowing yourself to be their option
Few can stir the blood like a Tennyson or Coleridge.
Half a league, half a league, half a league onward
into the valley of death rode the six hundred
Or evoke love and passion in the way of a Keats or Shelly.
A thing of beauty is a joy forever
its loveliness increases, it will never pass into nothingness
But I can write like me ~ direct, pithy, sanguine, and terse.
Haunting music of the wind, wave counterpointed, pink sky echoed
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jack collier
jackcollier7@talktalk.net
perhaps not the greatest writer
Fleming created an iconic character
Home Alone
for many, the greatest fear is abandonment
I am pretty certain that over the past couple of months there have been more people living mostly at home, alone and isolated, than ever before. All of the reasons for people being abandoned at home and alone are related to the COVID-19 virus. At best they could be working from home, and / or suffering lockdown, quarantine, self isolation. Many will have lost their jobs, or in the UK have been furloughed, or been unable to work at their business because of the lockdown. There may be more tragic reasons such as a severe illness or death.
Whatever the reason, being at home alone and isolated from physical social contact, is bad. It will make people very sick; physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. People suffering solitary confinement, (and effectively having to be at home alone is solitary confinement), become depressed and distressed. They will suffer insomnia, either be unable to eat or eat far too much, they may drink too much, use drugs too much, and feel so exhausted they can’t or don’t want to do anything. People in that state stop looking after themselves, don’t wash, shower, shave, clean their teeth, or get properly dressed ~ maybe they wear the same dirty stuff day after day. They may have thoughts of hurting themselves or others, they might go out and kill someone, loot stores, set fire to cars…..
Being at home alone and isolated touches the greatest fear most people have ~ that of abandonment. It’s a deep childhood fear, an abandoned child will quickly and certainly die, and our innermost psyche remembers that visceral fear.
There are some solutions, but none of them are easy, particularly for someone who has already suffered serious physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual decline.
What we need to do is;
- Go outside. And I don’t give a flying fuck what the rules and guidelines and official advice says, we all need to get outside into the fresh air and natural daylight.
- Get some exercise. And I don’t care how bad you feel. You’ve got to walk, do yoga, find an exercise routine on YouTube…. but do something to get your muscles and blood moving.
- Have strict routine. Get up at the same reasonable time every fucking day, get clean and dressed, have breakfast, do something positive or your job maybe, have lunch at the same fucking time every day, do something positive then prepare dinner. Go to bed at the same time every night.
- Eat healthily, don’t drink, smoke, or indulge your other nasty habits too much. Take good nutritional supplements. Especially vitamins B, C and D, along with iron, magnesium, zinc, and a good fish oil.
- Stay away from depressing news, and keep well away from social media. Instead reach out to your family and friends. Telephone, Skype, email, chat, write a fucking blog….. But don’t be alone, even if you can’t be together.
Some say that lockdown and social distancing are there to keep us safe. And that they can start living again when all these restrictions are lifted. All I know is that life is not a dress rehearsal, this is it, make the most of it.
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jack collier
jackcollier7@talktalk.net
refuse to be a prisoner
Take Good Care of Yourself
courage is about doing what needs to be done, when it needs doing
It turns out that COVID-19 is a very selective killer virus. It’s racist, ageist, fattist, and discriminates against those who have cancer, diabetes, or a heart problem. Doesn’t much like men either. You are also far more likely to get seriously ill or die if you live in a big city and don’t get much exercise, fresh air, and sunshine. If you want to sail through a pandemic then you should be younger, fitter, and free from underlying health conditions and addictions.
There is a little evidence that smokers are less affected by the coronavirus than people who do not and have never smoked. If you’re a smoker don’t congratulate yourself because smoking will kill you faster and more certainly then COVID-19 ever would. Also, smokers tend to be unfit and have a host of chronic illnesses ~ like heart diseases. In fact, anyone with any addiction; booze, drugs of any kind, gambling, junk food, casual sex….. is far more likely to die from that addiction than from COVID-19, but this virus could well just push you over the edge.
As an example; working age men are twice as likely to die of COVID-19 than a similar woman. And, the 70 to 79 age group are 50 times more likely to die from catching the coronavirus than the under 40s. It’s complicated.
We do not know yet how to account for this. Socio-economic factors may be an influence….. There could be hidden genetic factors we do not yet understand. ~ Professor Karol Sikora.
We can’t alter our age or ethnicity, and it’s hard to change our socio-economic status, or where we live. But, how long is a piece of string? There is usually a big difference between someone’s chronological age than their physical age. Most chronic illnesses are caused by what we do and how we live; alcoholics will routinely suffer from liver and kidney diseases, heart diseases, cancers, and dementia ~ as well as having a strong chance of dying in an accident or committing suicide. Type 2 diabetes is all about lifestyle…..
So, to have a longer, healthier, and more rewarding life we need to be brave enough to change, have some self-discipline, stop being self-destructive, and just take good care of ourselves; physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually.
For a start, no matter what else you believe or have been told, get out there and get some fresh air and exercise. Stop drinking, smoking, hanging around in bars, and eating junk food.
Some say you are just as old as you feel. And that they’re not really an addict, they just smoke the occasional joint, and like a beer or two. All I know is that most of us were on the Road to Hell but we can get off any time we like.
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jack collier
jackcollier7@talktalk.net
a glass of red a few times a week might be good for you
Random Jottings #19
you will have a much better life if you live your dreams
life is a long road to your dreams
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behind every successful person is a dream fulfilled
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real success takes hard work, persistence, and sacrifice
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if you aim to be perfect, you will only end up disappointed
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every piece of good fortune is usually the result of taking risks
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life is 10% of what happens to you, and 90% of how you react to it
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jack collier
jackcollier7@talktalk.net
you only live twice,
so make the most of it
