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Author Archives: John Swinburn
Walking Each Other Home
I like to read what Anne Lamott thinks. She and I often seem to be at odds on matters religious, but our philosophies about life align rather well. The difference, of course, is that she seems to live the philosophies, whereas … Continue reading
Posted in Philosophy
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September 17: Thoughts for the Day
Those things you wanted but failed to do in your youth? Now’s the time, right this minute. Today. This week. By the time the month is out. Before the end of the year. And the ultimate bucket list postponement: “Before … Continue reading
Posted in Thoughts For the Day
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Pointless Dispute
Poetry is a sheath, a protective shell to protect its creator from the ravages of living in the real world. No, the poet responds, poetry is a vision the poet sees clearly; the poem is the poet’s effort to share that vision … Continue reading
Posted in Philosophy, Poetry
2 Comments
September 16: Thoughts for the Day
Ad praesens ova cras pullis sunt meliora. For those of us who have not taken multiple years of conversational Latin courses, the phrase translates into English as “Eggs today are better than chickens tomorrow.” AKA, “a bird in hand is worth … Continue reading
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Hey, Little Sister…
Courtesy of Codeine Velvet Club. Via my friend Ellie and her favorite husband, Mistah!
Posted in Music
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Music Touches My Soul…Yours?
You probably don’t know it, but you’re on my mind right now. Yes, you are. Greg Brown…I don’t know him, but I know for a fact that we share perspectives on life. John Hiatt is among my favorite singer-songwriters. And … Continue reading
Posted in Just Thinking
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Only Moderately Depressing, with a Twist
Blank pieces of paper have the potential to change the world. Or, at the least, they can change lives. They can serve as the platforms upon which stories are launched. They can form the foundations of tales so ugly, so … Continue reading
Posted in Dreams
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Reports from the Front Line
Three days on, the invasion had not accomplished the results that had been promised in two. Casualties were higher than expected and the ground-gain amounted to a fraction of the progress planned. Things were going badly for the rag-tag Lichtenstein invasion … Continue reading
Posted in Absurdist Fantasy, Fiction
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September 15: Thoughts for the Day
What this place needs is a jazz/blues/folk/country coffee house that serves coffee and espresso in the morning and wine with carpaccio & capers in the evening. And an audience willing to risk engaging in intellectual challenges that might not always be won. There’s … Continue reading
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Flights of Fancy
Some days, thousands of thoughts flood my brain. On those days, my creativity seems to be bubbling over, my mind racing in high gear. On those days, it’s hard to concentrate on any one thing because there’s just so much … Continue reading
Posted in Travel, Writing
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September 14: Thoughts for the Day
I look in the mirror and see my reflection. I am not the reflection, but the reflection is me.
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Scenic getaway day
First, the photos, then the narrative. All four photos were taken on the Talimena Scenic Drive, west and northwest of Mena, Arkansas. We took US 270 from Hot Springs this morning, heading west. When we got to the intersection … Continue reading
Posted in Nature, Travel
3 Comments
Write a little…finish less
As I wade through masses of stuff I’ve written over the years, I come across detritus that tells more about my moods and mental state at the time I wrote it than anything else. But that may be what writing is, ultimately. It … Continue reading
Posted in Just Thinking, Writing
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September 13: Thoughts for the Day
Share a secret and it no longer behaves like a secret; it behaves like a lie with loud-mouthed friends.
Posted in Thoughts For the Day
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The Right Tools
The right tools can make all the difference. It’s just as true of a pottery shop as it is with a wood shop. And, as with a wood shop, good tools are expensive. One of the tools with which I … Continue reading
Posted in Art, Tools
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There’s a term for that…
Repetition has the interesting effect of making perfectly normal words sound like nonsense syllables. Try it. Prong. Prong. Prong. Prong. Prong. Prong. Prong. Prong. Prong. Eventually, perhaps already, the word has begun to sound like gibberish. It will work equally … Continue reading
Posted in Language
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September 12: Thoughts for the Day
If you are going to remonstrate against an opponent’s position, be sure you fully understand his position.
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In Lieu of Excitement
The cool front, promised in the early evening television weather forecast, did not arrive as predicted. I had hoped to walk outside this morning to find markedly cooler temperatures, but was disappointed. When I looked at the outdoor thermometer a few … Continue reading
Posted in Travel, Weather
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September 11: Thoughts for the Day
Don’t muddy the river from which you need to drink. Don’t chastise the person from whom you need compassion. Don’t behave as if one day you will rule the world. You won’t.
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Time and Experience
Almost seven years ago, I read a post on a blog called Withinsight. The post, entitled “Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana,” recounts research findings that suggest we experience 75% of our lives in our first 25 … Continue reading
Posted in Just Thinking
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September 10: Thoughts for the Day
One of my brothers sent me a link to a truly fascinating TED Talk by Sir Ken Robinson on the topic: Do Schools Kill Creativity? The video constitutes my Thoughts for the Day for September 10, 2014. I encourage you … Continue reading
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Fascicles
Fascicle. I do not recall whether I’d heard the word before. If I had, I certainly had never used it. But there it was, perhaps the best descriptor for what I’d been contemplating creating. I stumbled upon the word not while searching … Continue reading
Posted in Writing
2 Comments
September 9: Thoughts for the Day
Enlightenment is like the moon reflected on the water. The moon does not get wet, nor is the water broken. Although its light is wide and great, the moon is reflected even in a puddle an inch wide. The whole moon … Continue reading
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Perchance to Dream
I had two odd dreams within the past few nights. That is not to say that most of my dreams are not odd, but these seemed especially so. In the first one, two people I know from the Dallas area … Continue reading
Posted in Creativity, Dreams
1 Comment
September 8: Thoughts for the Day
Two open minds. That’s all it takes to engage in a calm, dispassionate argument about political issues. Oh, they both have to be involved in the same conversation.
Posted in Thoughts For the Day
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