The Northern Territory's Big Sky

A recent post on Marvin the Martian reminded me of some experiences I've had with big skies. One of my favorite was the night sky in Australia.

I had the opportunity to travel down under the year I graduated from high school. I was there for six weeks, splitting my time half with a host family in a little town called Woomby in Queensland--about an hour's plane ride from Brisbane--and half traveling around the country. My favorite place by far was deep in the middle of the Northern Territory--the very red desert.

You could travel all day on this two lane road through the Red Centre without encountering another car.  On two nights, we simply pulled over at night and camped on the side of the road. We dragged out our tents, pitched them, made camp. 

The sky in the Southern hemisphere is more brilliant that anything, but out there--with no urbanization for many hundreds of miles--it's especially incredible. It literally looked as if the sky was 2 inches above my head and appeared as if it was descending on me. The magnitude of aliveness I felt was incredible: being far out in the desert, with a quiet breeze, seeing tracks in the shadows of the flashlight, there was nothing to separate me from the Universe. Above me there was a clear and giant expanse of the heavens which seemed to surround me like a blanket and include me with an ancient feeling of connectness.

A Big Freaking Annoying Inconvenience Thanks to Office Depot

Every once in a while, I appreciate the opportunity to complain. To much of it is bad news. But I'm annoyed and it's all because of Office Depot. And after all, what a great release writing is.

Yesterday:
Place an Office Depot order for materials I HAD to have this morning to complete a project on time.

Today:
1:15 p.m. Order hasn't arrived.
2:38 p.m. Order hasn't arrived.
3:31 p.m. Where the heck...?
4:14: p.m. I can't freaking believe it's still not here.
4:46 p.m. There are 14 minutes left until 5 pm.
5:00 p.m. Could it still come?
5:10 p.m. I'm a believer. Faith. I have faith.

Our receptionist had sent 3 e-mails and called.
I tweeted about it.

5:26 p.m. I call customer service. After going through the whole thing, I am disconnected.

5:32 p.m. Call back, ask for a manager. Which I never get. So tell me again why you didn't give me a manager? Is it because it's after 5:00 p.m.?  Well I'm here after 5:00 p.m. because you didn't deliver the stuff. (And this was the first night in a while I was actually going to leave on time.)

So after cancelling the order, I stop at Office Max to pick up everything that obviously may or may not ever be delivered by Office Depot and to get equipped for a fun night of work that I was supposed to do today. Here's what happens:

The SECOND I walk in "Hello, ma'am, how are you today? What can I help you find?"
He takes me right to what I need.
On the way up to the register not one but TWO representatives offer to help me carry the stuff.
The cashier offers to help me carry it out to the car.

Office Max, you're my hero. Office Depot, you're so dead to me.

And world, I know there are much bigger problems than whether an order was delivered on time. But just entertain my aggravation for one small moment.  And then let's move on to happy things...

Don't you hate it when a company doesn't fulfill its end of the bargain and it affects your productivity or your work?

The Big Backyard We Share

If you consider the world as your backyard, you have a big, big backyard.  I do.

I love roaming about in the woods, over boardwalks through marshes, by reed-lined rivers--anywhere I can find branches, a sky unblemished by buildings, and ants. Yes, ants.

I'm so content anywhere outside.  And being there creates a feeling of emotional and physical space for me where I can go outside of thought. It's meditative I suppose. 

I can forget my age, my job, my obligations and melt into a universal place of being where I am simply an observer.

Big Decisions

Like you, I've made some big decisions in my life.  Most of the big decisions are more intangible--they've been decisions more about the kind of person I'd like to be, the spiritual principals I choose to guide me. 

But of course there are those decisions that change the direction of our lives by virtue of a single sentence. These are the pronouncements that, in a series of words, can change everything:  a marriage vow, accepting a new job, starting over by moving to a new city or state, making a stand for justice that shapes all of your activities and friends, challenging someone you're close to, the choice to have (or not to have) children, etc.

I have a heavy decision churning in the old Gropius psyche today. I'm still collecting all the facts and doing the right scans needed to make the most informed decision I can. But it's one of those decisions that's hardly cut and dry.  One choice means way more potential opportunity for me but comes with risk.

Being "safe" isn't always the best way to lead your life. But risk comes with its own set of realities--the possibility that some of what you currently have and hold dear will be lost.

So I'm doing the good 'ole pro and con list, waiting until all of the information is available, taking my time without letting the hourglass decide for me, and doing my best to let intuition guide me. I'm still relying on the Universe to provide some pointers. I just need to pay enough attention to hear her.

What are the big decisions you've made in your life? What do you wish you knew when you made them?

Big Color in the Springtime

One advantage of living here in Sarasota's paradise is that we have year-round color. But nothing decorates my world like the big color of springtime.

Enjoy these photos from the blooming beauty of Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, one of the treasures of this community.

Big Friendships

Facebook has taken "Friends" to a whole new level of mediocrity.

It really sucked the day I realized that no matter who you are, there are few people you can call true friends. So many are there when times are good, when there's something they're getting from the relationship. Could be that you're the one to confide in, or the unfailing lunch date, or the one at the end of the phone call, or the  faithful blog commenter.

But when it comes down to having someone who considers you as essential and important as life itself, that narrows your pool of "friends."

Having realized this fairly early in life through some devastating disappointments, I now feel empowered by it. I reconize the Big Friends in my life. They're the kind of people you don't have to speak with everyday, but you know in a heartbeat, you could pick up just where you left off. And we would do almost anything to care for one another. Isn't it grand to know someone like that? And to feel that way about someone else?

I'll have a chance on Saturday afternoon to spend some time with one of my Big Friends. We haven't seen each other in months. We live in the same town but also live very different lives. Still, she could call on a me and in a moment's notice and I would be there, and know I could expect the same with her. We may have different perspectives, but we always have a common ground of trust and respect. And I find brilliance in her comments, thought processes and ability to see a purpose in everything--make everything work somehow, even when she doesn't fully understand it.

Any experiences with Big Friendships?

This Is a Big Sign

Can you read it?

That's right, it says "SLOW SPEED."  Brilliant! 

Many argue that these signs are strategically placed in front of large waterfront homes so their owners don't have to dabble in the noise of honkey fishermen's boats going past with their loud motors. I don't doubt that's true in some instances.

But the law is the law, people. The manatee is a protected species for good reason. If you're not in Florida, you might not know it, but soooo many boaters are not responsible--we see them navigating through no wake or minimal wake zones full steam ahead. My family includes boaters and fisherman, so I know that some of them are careful, law abiding citizens. 

The ones who aren't just kill me. I only wish there was more active enforcement. There were 97 manatee deaths caused by watercraft in 2009 in Florida, according to the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission.

The signs are big, people, but your brains, evidently, are not. Please learn to read.