Contemplatively Charming

aMusing Me, Selfie

Reflection is our frenemy. When I was a sweet young thing I’d stare into the Lake Murray waters so deeply there were times my nose bounced to wetness touching the surface. Therein lay a piece of me. Ever since I’ve been rapt by her attention of any persuasion from murky inland spreads or lochs to vast salty swathes teeming with life below I could only fancy were the heirs to those dragons or unicorns I’d read about in favored books. Everywhere I looked was an opportunity of deliberate immersion into self. More than half the times I had lofty ideas or opinions. As time persisted, many of those notions formed patterns of support. Habitually, I’ve been known to issue psych-notable appropriate helpings for friends or family. Rarely am I caught slurping my own scrutiny.

She generally gave herself very good advice, (though she very seldom followed it). ~Lewis Carroll, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass

Sometimes fattening one’s wisdom merely makes a pudgy Buddha. In each study of myself, I have grown stronger, if not exactly more clever. All represent the birthing of a peach tree from a single pit tossed casually after a laborious but sizzling Southern summer’s heat. It was endlessly conceivable that there was more to me than even meets the eye. Likewise, under the best or worst of conditions, I’d elicit an entirely new layer of personality. The nurturing Cinderella extraordinaire became the jive-taking disco queen on roller skates or the posh Riviera yachting VIP escorted to the front of lines. Ad nauseam, any of them may be beaten to a pulp given an inappropriate mortal encounter. While a good musical number or a flogging might not be tasty to everyone, they’re mere metaphors for the bewitching trance of a solid contemplation.

The wise man knows how to run his life so that contemplation is possible. ~Gabriel Marcel

“Mirror, mirror, on the wall.” Fairytales are a superb setting for a rendezvous of some cerebration. In fantasyland, our wildest imaginings get carried away. Back on earth, we ought to mix all that headiness with a few spoonfuls of black coffee to balance the saccharine. The application of a sound mind isn’t so simple a path to follow or pill to swallow. We’re so very adept at overthinking ourselves. The enchantment a good contemplation offers is both detachment and engrossing. When we plunge into our personal soul pool or launch a pensive absorption over any prospect we’re telling ourselves how much we appreciate thoughtfulness. Along the same road, we pick up flowers of respect, honesty, accountability, or commitment. Without a proper contemplation, we’re merely flinging our opinions and judgments all over. Using insight expands our comprehension. Then, this lends a boost to our most valuable intuition. All for the sake of slowing ourselves to think thoroughly. I like to playfully use words to remind myself of useful adages. Too fast, too furious is a new favorite motto of mine. It’s a sage satire using the film franchise The Fast and the Furious. In our fast-paced world, it’s actually those willing to remember the benefits of slow going that often produces productively logical outcomes.

The ultimate value of life depends on awarenesses and the power of contemplation rather than mere survival. ~Aristotle

We are nothing without a passionate examination. He called me with the shrill of disbelief in his typically perky voice. Here was my most positive male friend losing it. I admit he had a right, as his venting was a client that had refused to pay their agreed contract fees for nearly six months. I grasped the situation quickly, which is frequently easier to accomplish when you’re not the target. I suggested he amend his future agreements to include a specific clause that work will halt in the case of any unpaid invoices. We spoke about being grateful for having the business (mostly as I’m still seeking to generate more on my end). Our honoring added the intention that we should not feel required to fulfill results if there’s not a two-way street of courtesy. He bounced from the call happier, as was I for refreshing myself with best professional details as a checklist. Then, she phoned me as her usually fierce alpha exterior was fighting back tears. This powerhouse babe was melting under the pressure of her boy friend who was acting more like a boyfriend that she’d been attracted into entanglement with far too long. Boy, was this dialogue catered for me! Life does imitate life regularly. I counseled her firmly and lovingly, just as I’d wanted to do for my younger self, as much as I needed to whip the current me into the repetitive exercise of my own verbal medicine.

Contemplation seems to be about the only luxury that costs nothing. ~Dodie Smith

In a culture of excess, freebies stand out. Contemplation is not lost on me with this nugget. Inquiring minds deserve to know as much as you might feed them. Therefore, that we manufacture rumination any old time we wish is quite a wealth anyone deserves. So, flaunt your abundant integrity by getting more contemplative. Never hesitate to earn freely. Let us be diligent in all our dealings and politely mindful of all we effect. Same as foretasting that and those surrounding all we confront. Aloof or joyful, serious to meditatively enlightened, a contemplation nudges personally intimate innovation of self by way of its promise of empowerment. As you look forward to your day, your future, all that is your life, please do so with some fully expressed charming contemplations.

May the velocity of your contemplativeness match the beating of your heart on any good love pump.