Jetliner

So, I haven't posted on here for a long... long time now but, saw this thread and HAD to chime in. I have a fortune from a fortune cookie somewhere that reads: "Music is the divine way to say beautiful poetic things to the heart." I just thought that was soooo... perfect. Music really is the universal language. Words mean different things to different people but music crosses all language boundaries. It's truly the language of the heart. And beyond speaking to the heart of another in a way that words could never hope to, it also has been my experience that music helps my own heart say things that, I just can't seem to find the words for. People who know me, know that I'm never at a shortage for words! Lol! But sometimes, words just aren't sufficient to express the depth of emotion that the heart is capable of. When that happens, out comes the guitar or the piano and THEN, the full scope of the heart's expression can be felt. I used to have this link up here but, think I deleted it. Just if anyone's interested, here's my page with links to things I've written. Some are complete songs - most are just ideas as they came to me. But maybe, something will touch someone's heart. http://www.youtube.com/user/Jetliner757?feature=mhum And if I may, the lyrics to a song that I find so moving... It's by Point of Grace and called, "Heal the Wound." I used to wish that I could rewrite history I used to dream that each mistake could be erased Then I could just pretend I never knew the me back then I used to pray that You would take this shame away Hide all the evidence of who I've been But it's the memory of The place You brought me from That keeps me on my knees And even though I'm free Heal the wound but leave the scar A reminder of how merciful You are I am broken, torn apart Take the pieces of this heart And heal the wound but leave the scar I have not lived a life that boasts of anything I don't take pride in what I bring But I'll build an altar with The rubble that You've found me in And every stone will sing Of what You can redeem Heal the wound but leave the scar A reminder of how merciful You are I am broken, torn apart Take the pieces of this heart And heal the wound but leave the scar Don't let me forget Everything You've done for me Don't let me forget The beauty in the suffering Heal the wound but leave the scar A reminder of how merciful You are I am broken, torn apart Take the pieces of this heart And heal the wound but leave the scar

Actually, ignore me... I obviously don't know what I'm talking about. ..

Hey, I think we're talking about two different journeys here. Journey TO the mountaintop is one thing. But I was talking about journeying through life itself. Okay, let's do another metaphor, shall we? Lol! You and several others are travelling from NYC to LA, all in separate cars. Don't ask me why, I don't know why you're going anyway! So, you hit a snag on one highway and get stuck. You could sit there and think, "I can keep going or turn back" or, you could ring up a friend and say, "Hey, which way did you go? Can you see what the problem is? Is it clearing up or should I take a different route? What's it look like from your perspective?" Even better, if you know the guy in the traffic copter, there's a perspective NO ONE else will have! Again just suggesting getting various viewpoints. I know how easy it can be to get stuck in tunnel vision, thinking I've already exhausted every possibility... only to then open up to someone and hear a perspective not only that I hadn't considered but, one I was unable to see, because my experience just never allowed for that possibility to exist. Now, what the heck was that all about? ~ John

Mark, if I may, I too often have found myself, "trapped" into a way of thinking. That what I'm doing is all there is and it's the best I can do but somehow, it's never good enough or, something. The name of my therapist's practice was called, "Perspectives" and that was the greatest gift she gave me, other perspectives. It's one thing to have an open mind. It's quite another knowing what to put in it once it's open. I tend to get stuck in a, "this or that" way of thinking. That there's option A and option B and which do I choose? She encouraged me to step back and by conversing with her and others who see things in ways and from perspectives I simply do not have, I was able to see C and D and E and so many others. It's like trying to cross a mountain range. You are walking the path and see only forward and back. By simply, "opening your mind" you can try to picture what it would look like from different locations and then use that to guide you. But instead of picturing it, why not call out to those on the mountaintops and ask what they see? I know, the metaphor maniac strikes again But, consider it anyway. ~ John

..........

All the time. That's why I like camping so much or more specifically, backpacking. When you get so far away from everything and the only sounds are the crackling of the campfire; the only lights are of the stars filling the night sky. I get lost in the vastness of it all. Then, the technical side of me makes it even worse. Lol! Proxima Centauri is the closest star to us, beyond our own sun. And it is about 4 light years away. With the speed of light being 186,000 miles per second, that makes the distance 186,000 * 60 * 60 * 24 * 365.25 * 4 or 23,478,854,400,000 miles away. That's trillion! To give some perspective, the space shuttle travels near 15,000 miles per hour as it blasts into orbit. At this incredible speed, it would take 178,560 years to reach Proxima Centauri. And that's just the CLOSEST star. There are billions of stars in our galaxy alone and beyond that, billions of galaxies in the KNOWN universe. NOW do we feel a little small? And yet, part of something big and wonderful at the same time.

Misty, I'm sorry; I know you don't want to hear from me and I wasn't going to respond but, I wanted to tell you how very happy I am for you. I had tears when I read this. And I've still been offering a little prayer for you every night on my way to work. Even though we don't talk anymore, doesn't mean I've stopped caring about you and what you're going through. I also wanted to say a personal good-bye. This will be my last visit to this site; it's time for me to move on. But before I go, just wanted to tell you that I love you; and that you'll always be my friend. If you ever... well, if maybe... I mean... if you ever want to be friends again and, just friends... well, you know how to reach me. <3 Hug <3 ~ me P.S. - I know you said you like listening to my music so, here's my main youtube channel. http://www.youtube.com/user/Jetliner757 I'll keep it updated so if by chance you ever want to listen, please feel free. Take care of you, okay?

..........

Mark, Dude, you have no idea how your words rang true to me. We seem to have a lot in common you know. I'd like to comment more but, maybe later. I haven't slept much this week; haven't really eaten in days and so, my mind isn't actually clear right now. Just wanted you to know that, I've been there man. It sucks, I know but, there is a bright light at the end of the tunnel. Just make sure it's not the front of a train!

..........

..........

Mark, may I paraphrase you here? Misty, what you're going through is a process that will have it's ups and downs. This is not a matter of, "fixing" you like you would grab a tool and fix a machine and it's done. It's more like healing a wound or an illness; it takes time and proper treatment. I'll share a little something embarrassing here. My teeth aren't exactly the greatest; in fact, they're pretty awful. My dentist must be a miracle worker to have fixed me up the way he has! Anyway, it comes from years of not brushing my teeth; guess I was a lazy kid, I don't know. Anyway, at some point along the way, I developed canker sores. This is a form of virus that comes and goes due to various triggers. If I keep everything clean and don't bite on the end of pens or hold guitar picks between my teeth while doing two-handed stuff on the neck, everything is pretty much okay. But, the guitar pick thing for example; that is such a natural thing for me that, I do it without thinking sometimes. And not long after, I'll often encounter a canker breakout which can last a week or two. Do I want the sores? No! Am I trying to do the right thing to keep them away? Absolutely. But my patterns of behavior in this case are often subconscious and only AFTER do I catch myself. Sometimes I do but, it takes a conscious effort to rewrite my programming, so to speak. I believe this is where you are now, re-writing the code in your mind and, your old patterns are resisting. You have years and years of behavior and thoughts and patterns all working against you so, yeah, it's going to be tough and you're going to stumble every so often. But keep at it hun because, you WILL break it. The times between stumbles will increase. You really can't fail... unless you give up. Strange analogy here but, did you see Forest Gump? The section where he was running across America - he started alone and as he ran, others came out to join him. Pretty soon, there were many all running with him. Picture that as you accumulating your various thoughts and actions over the years. You AND all those have all this momentum going and now, YOU are turning and running the other way; with everything else continuing on in the other direction. And it's knocking you down and making it very difficult. I'm going to send you a video link and you tell me if you can relate to it, even on a basic level. Not 1:1 but, in general. Anyway, talk more soon. Big hug my friend.

..........