All posts by X Teri

The Sunrise Admonition Principle

blake-richard-verdoorn-15549.jpg

If you post glowing sunrises speaking of the beauty of god’s creation but privately judge gays, the impoverished, addicts, Hispanics or Muslims, you are missing the point of a graceful god. If it irks you to read this, imagine the hearts of those you are judging as they live their lives surrounded by distrustful eyes and dark wishes.

In so doing, you are also being dishonest. You are only sharing those things which serve as window dressing, the reflection of things you know which will draw no controversy.

All of us can look at the easy things and rejoice.

Few of us can see our own prejudice against the ‘other,’ much less admit it to the world. Like the admiration for the sunrise, however, the bile of dislike you might feel toward marginalized groups is just as much a part of who you are as that appreciation for light.

If I know you deeply, I can look at your picture of the colorful sunrise and smile – but not fully, as I understand that behind that window you present, there is a sneer of superiority, one which discolors my regard for your worldview.

Who you are is both the sunrise and the concealed dark shadows you guard so closely inside your heart.

Share who you are or change those things which shame you once revealed.

A Word About Religious Expression

From a local pastor and friend of mine: “…I insist on a secular government that prevents any religion from having power in public discourse and allows people who are not interested in religion to be left alone. I believe that my pursuit of ‘the Holy’ is to be between my own ears and will be reflected in my daily relationships with those around me. Be Loving, full of Laughter, and overflowing with Generosity and Grace…”

ian-espinosa-243798

A Day Late For the Circus

My wife me gave me permission to relocate to D.C. to pursue my dream of music. My new band name: HarMonica Lewinsky.

.

.

“Die Hard” one too many times: I can’t see a length of hanging chain without calculating whether it would hold a pendulous swinging body, as when national hero John McClane finally gives Karl a lethal dose of oppositional gravity.

.

.

For those of you suffering from a lack of whimsy, a guaranteed eye-roll from me to you…

rwerwwerw.jpg

.

Opening for autobiography: “….my father relished violence to such a degree that he insisted that the cook inspect each pea to ensure that it was indeed black-eyed.”

.

.

trtere.png

.

.

aaron-burson-242131

.

2560x1440-ghost-white-solid-color-background

Word(s) Of the Day, Sponsored by “Presidential Ignorance: A Study.”

.

ferdinand-stohr-198748

Another great quote from “Catch-22.” The unassailable logic of this still is at play today.

.

.

You’ve all seen those personality tests? My answers are much more honest than yours.

Person you were named after? Technically, I was named after everyone, since they were all born before me.

Why did you change your name? Because I couldn’t change my parents.

Favorite holiday? Billie, even though I’m not a huge fan of the blues.

First thing you notice about a person? Whether they are on fire or not.

Do you still have tonsils? Yes, John’s, in a jar at my bedside. #silenceofthelambs

Night owl or morning person? Night owl, because they are easier to cook – and fit in the leftover bowl.

Would you bungee jump? Yes, as long as they promise to tie at least one end of the rope to the bridge the next time I try it. #loudscreaming

Do you smoke after sex? I don’t know, I’ve never looked. (An oldie but a goodie. 🙂 )

Jason Rapert or hemorrhoid? This is a trick question as they are the same thing.

Bath or shower person? I prefer a shower, but whatever you’re comfortable with is fine by me. #letsbefriends

Do you feel blue very often? No, I usually trust my eyes.

Do you like being the center of attention? I prefer to call it the epicenter of attention.

Do you follow the rules? It depends on where they are going.

Do you prefer wild flights of fancy? Business class only.

Do you use flattery to get ahead? No, concealed carry usually covers all the bases.

What’s your favorite contradictory thing? Early morning sunsets.

Cats or dogs? I prefer cat hair in my food.

What thing about you would surprise people the most? That they read what I write all the time without ever realizing it came from me.

.

.

A Fool’s Bet

“He was so insanely competitive that he refused to even leave his own shoes tied.”

.

.

When Mattel, Inc. contacted me to seek permission to base a new doll on me, I was excited – until discovering I was to be 1st in their new line of Inaction Figures.

.

.

cierra-klatt-104068

.

ian-simmonds-124054.jpg

.

frank-mckenna-118432.jpg

.

The only difference between a jawbreaker and an aquarium rock is one of enthusiasm while chewing.

.

.

At what exact point in his life did the snowman actually become abominable?

.

.

 

nils-rasmusson-214651.jpg

.

The gurus tell us to avoid hate letters. Which is why I’m about to launch a new line of “Screw You” postcards, for those occasions you don’t hate someone but wish to send them a quick note to let them know that you can’t wait to start missing them.

.

.

“I am not a fan of gratuitous violence,” he sagely intoned. “Me neither, but everyone thinks their violence is necessary.”

.

.

1200px-Convenience_store_interior

.

shane-rounce-236808

.

jenny-hill-202504

 

 

 

Words to Light a Candle By

mmm.jpg

.

mohamed-nohassi-210438.jpg

My definition of minimalism.

.

q.jpg

…and then it’s over. Just ask someone old enough to have felt the years sneak past.

.

r.jpg

But you would think that in so knowing, we’d be more patient and forgiving with everyone else; we are all fairly creative with the breadth of our stupidity.

.

robert-dickow-46104

.

 

y

We don’t have to put batteries in the megaphone, though.

.

zzz

(I hate the female candidate, so let’s vote for the guy who thinks women are for his amusement.) (The current healthcare system isn’t perfect so let’s cancel coverage for millions who need it.)

.

3 Thoughts

jd-mason-65460.jpg

One day, my pepperoni arteries will give up, leaving a pile of bones. Unlike so many, though, I won’t leave behind a blank page. Blank pages have given people so much license to corrupt the ideas of those who’ve died before them. Even though my crazy beliefs have evolved over time, you can go back and see common themes, most of which shine like a searchlight. I’ve been punching the same litany of themes for so many years, hoping that whatever it is that I think will linger just long enough to silence the inevitable parade of goofs who will try to overshadow what I clearly expressed with phrases like, “I think he really actually thought this,” or some variation thereof. It is not where you started, it is where you end up. As we compile our own list of missteps and errors, we eventually tend to figure out a better path, even if our trip along it is cut short.
.
.
jjjj.jpg
It is a lazy and uninteresting game for other people to accuse you of being ashamed of your own people. Where I was born and to what degree I acquire a sunburn are factors I can’t claim as a choice. All worthy spiritual thinkers point to our collective and innate worth – none of them tend to throw darts at a map. It’s more important to use our incredible minds and vast resources to sweep everyone into the circle we identify as our ‘tribe.’ It not only will save us all and keep us closer to the message, but it will remind us that each of us was dropped into the place we inhabit out of sheer luck. To pound one’s chest in pride toward things beyond your control is an abdication of the task we’ve been assigned as human beings.
.
.
jon-flobrant-49794.jpg
With great satisfaction, they crowed about being a member of a “nation of laws,” as if slavery wasn’t once legal – and ratified by those we hold in such high esteem.

Two Thoughts

edu-lauton-71055.jpg

I follow my own advice; I write several thousand words a week. I don’t expect people to clamor in appreciation or even agreement. If we would all take a moment to express and create, we might do so imperfectly – and we might alienate some folks. But in so doing, if you do so honestly and without a sharpened arrow, you are opening your door for them to know you and understand you. If they choose to dislike or distrust that person at the door, you have done both yourself and the other person a favor. So many people obsess over the opinion of the anonymous, sometimes forgetting that people are often to assume the absolute worst or wrong thing about you without any basis whatsoever. If you don’t like celery, don’t pretend you do; and if you hate that we can fund war, which is almost unsolvable, but rarely hunger, which is, then say so – comfort is for each person to find in his or her own way.

.

.

 

aaa.jpg

With practiced scorn they look upon the less fortunate, convinced their steps and choices were made and placed upon some invisible red carpet: this gigantic sphere, separated by imagined lines of supremacy.

.

.