“Do not follow the status quo…” —Roy
“How’s the essay coming?” she says, looking at me with a youthful, I’ve got it covered reassurance. Editing time for #O365blogumentry is 3 feet to my left and at the helm of episode 451 is Amalie, our guest editor for the day. Hailing from Denmark she is beginning her path to theatrical fame and today she is part guest, part collaborator, in Operation-365.
Calling today a speed run would be somewhat of an understatement in explaining the meeting of today’s stranger now friend. Here is a quick timeline of our account.
2:00pm: The question arises, where should we go?
2:01pm: I lean on all of my well-aged wisdom and reply an eloquent, “I have no idea.
2:15pm: Into the car to begin our search for new friends.
2:20pm: In traffic conversation commences… Topic, how strange it is that in a city of so many, how sad it is that we are so easily isolated through windshield glass. A place where the comforts of air-conditioning, the convenience of speed and the mindlessness of GPS has temptation to direct us away from each other; and even though we are surrounded by 100s of humans as we drive, even they are unaware of our presence. The sidewalks are full of stories, expressions and possibilities for interaction. But from a car saying hello to a pedestrian would scream of abduction. So other than the occasional get out of my way honk, we keep our eyes stared forward without the slightest gesture of unity towards any our foot propelled friends. Now, I’m not suggesting that we start a hello from the car campaign. I’m just making an observation to modern society and its affects on the old neighborly good day. That’s all, an observation. Yet in, there is a call to action. One that does affect our decisions in the way we pace our daily routines. I see in in my life and I’m sure you’ve felt the rush stress in yours. Bottom line, do we allow ourselves the time to slow for a moment. To take the proverbial challenge to, what is it they say, “to smell the roses, or enjoy the day.”
2:30pm: Endlessly drive, North, South, East, West… Boy to I dislike being trapped in a car.
2:35pm: Conversation is halted when both Amalie and I turn to each other. “Let’s talk to him,” the solitary man sunbathing in the park. It’s as if he reached out to us through his sun washed slumber to whisper, “I have something to share.”
2:36pm: Short of coming to a screeching halt, we find parking 100 or so yards from our UV radiated stranger.
2:38pm: Hal opens his eyes to our introduction, and with to the point warmth and kindness (and as he offers us water), he offers us his succinct words of wisdom.
4:23pm: I look back to my left, and as Amalie works on the last pass of editing, we realize the symbolism of today’s experience. It lies in Hals gesture of a weekday in the light of the park. The message is loud and clear. We’ll just let Hal explain it.
Talk soon my good friends,
Richard
Great wisdom from Australia. Say hello to Melanie, our first Interview-365 friend of 2014.
Melanie’s words are inspiring and her thoughts towards the future call us to ponder our current impact as to what’s ahead.
Melanie, Thank you for sharing and it is with open arms that we welcome you to Operation-365.
“Know Thy SELF. We must look within to find love, peace, and beauty, and when we find it within, we will find it outside, in our lives, in people, in our existence. First one must face down the fears that are stopping them from accessing the deepest wellspring of knowledge inside of us all, the Source of all life. Once we look each fear square in the eye, walk through it, feel it, observe it, allow it to be heard, then we can let it go, because in the light, coming out of the shadows, it will disappear. As we pull out each fear, we allow room for more love, more understanding, more clarity, more beauty, and more peace, until we are filled to the brim with all these qualities and emptied of all the hate and judgment and guilt and jealousy and resentment and fear that we all project out into the world. Instead we will project the light we find within, and all the shadows and dark places in the world will be filled with the light and joy of your own heart. We need only to take care of our own hearts, and if we all did that, if we all took responsibility for our feelings and thoughts, we, together can make a heaven on earth.”
“Stay in the moment, be clear in the moment, be peaceful and loving in this moment, for this moment becomes the future. If you don’t take care of right now, the future will never be taken care of. The future is how you feel right now, what you see right now. Give your vision to the moment so it may become the future.”
I could write a long essay about Orlando. But to keep it short let me share a few qualities of this kind man: Humility, intelligence, caring, politeness, acceptance, courage and a loving commitment to family. Enough said. Orlando, welcome to Operation-365 my new friend.