Written May 2012
Birthday Presence (pres·ence / prezəns Noun: The state or fact of existing, occurring, or being present in a place a thought or thing on your birthday.)
It is so interesting contemplating my birthday this year in terms of trips around the sun. I have now been around the sun 62 times. That is 22,630 times around on the earth. It seems like a carnaval ride. There are times when the ride seems very serious and times when it is very light hearted. So much happens in a trip around the sun. In the material world everything is part of a cycle.
BEING
There are so many wonderful things about life. At this age I like to think about new experiences and learnings, and mostly, I enjoy thinking about states of being. What state of being can I aspire to, and what state of being can I attain?
For the last year I have focused much of my attention on the question of my purpose for being. Why am I here? What am I to be? The glimpses thus far are very simple, being kind is the one I am contemplating now. It is interesting that many say finding your purpose is really the easy part. Living your purpose presents the greater challenges.
As Maslow says “One is in harmony when that which one absolutely must do becomes identical to that which one most desires to do”. Wouldn’t this world be delightful if we all were in this state of mind? I find listening to people’s issues a timeless experience. I feel honored to hear their stories and to offer aid.
SHARING
I do not easily share myself. I grew up in Minnesota. My parents trained to be parents by watching their parents. We all have a family of origin with unique characteristics. So, grow up where I grew up and and you don’t “brag” about yourself. At minimum you must fake humility by not talking about yourself.
My life journey has had five perpetual activities; entrepreneurship, music (especially composing), photography, tai chi, and metaphysics. Each have waxed and waned at times, but have always been central to me. My traveling partner is my wife. We have been 16 times around the sun together.
I split my time between many activities. Most of my days are about hypnotherapy, website design,and property maintainence. I have been a founding partner in a Graphic and Web design company for 14 years. All the programming is mentally engaging and there is always something new to learn. We have rental houses where we live and they need the maintainence. I like having different tasks that use my right and left brain separately and in concert during different activities.
We have many acres of land and buildings that require maintenance. Sometimes when mowing the lawn I am very peaceful.
I play and write music as often as I can. I find it brings me into a wonderful trance like state of harmony and joy. Finally, another overriding aspect of my life is metaphysics. Metaphysics is a search for truth and understanding about the universe that is beyond current scientific verification. When I was 10 years old I believed I might be dying. This concern lasted for a couple of years. It made me very aware and interested in understanding the universe.