I'm pickin' up good vibrations

I have been tagged by Heartsinsanfrancsico to list five ways in which I raise my vibrations. Oh, there are probably more ways than five, and some of them might not even be suitable for my (recently) PG Rated blog, but I am up for the challenge, and here I go:

1. Writing: Aside from the fact I write to earn my bread-and-butter, I also write compulsively and feel a certain sense of exultation at a well-turned-phrase – or in receiving a sum of money from someone who happened to like that old well-turned-phrase. Honestly, if I don’t write for any extended period of time, I even go through a withdrawal of sorts.

2. Painting: This is my other creative outlet. I don’t know if I am a good, bad, or indifferent painter, and the quality of my artistry is of no consequence to me. Unlike my fellow blogger, Andrea – at whose artistic shrine I worship – I paint because it takes me away from my writing, and sometimes I need that. It allows me to drift off into a world of my own making. I like that.

3. Snorkelling: As a Piscean, I love anything to do with water, be it swimming, boating, water-skiing, sailing, canoeing, kayaking or cruising. Most of all, I love snorkelling. About 20 years ago I was in Hawaii, and was feeling stressed with overwork and other things – go figure, I was in Hawaii, but was feeling stressed. My wife and I decided to go up to the north shore on Oahu and find a place suitable for snorkelling. And so we did, and after just a few moments of immersion with the fishes and other creatures, my depression completely slipped away. Since that time I have snorkelled many more times in Hawaii, and also in the South Pacific, and even around here in the North Pacific. This is an activity that assuredly raises my vibrations.

4. Reading: From the moment I could read, by about age five, I have never looked back. I can read anything, and indeed I must in order to feel centred. I hate being trapped using somebody’s bathroom and finding there is nothing to read. How can somebody have ‘nothing’ to read in his or her potty? So, I will read shampoo bottles, tampon boxes, and foot powder containers. You can learn a lot in somebody’s can. But, seriously, I cannot fall asleep without reading, and can’t really enjoy ‘down’ time without having something to read.

5. Being in love: I absolutely love being in love. It is the most positive and life-affirming emotion we can have. I’m not talking about making love – which is pretty darn nice, too – but feeling that sense of rapture, almost unworldliness that comes from being smitten with somebody, and then watching that initial rapture of ecstasy evolve into a genuine and mature love. Fortunately, I love my wife dearly, and that makes life much better. But, in years past I have been in love with many females, and I cherish each and every memory of those bits of bliss.

By the way, I couldn’t squeeze travel into that list, but that is more than just a matter of good vibrations, but has always been a way-of-life for me ever since I became an adult. Therefore, it’s kind of a norm.

Now, according to the rules, I have to choose five bloggers to tag. This is the hard part. Not because I can’t think of five, but because there are many more than five. Anyway, if you are not chosen, I’ll catch you next time. My five are as follows:

1. Andrea: I love her blog, her wisdom and her artistry. We think in similar realms, but I don’t choose her because she massages my ego in that regard, but because I always like what she has to say. And sometimes she doesn’t ‘say’ but just presents an example of her work. If you haven’t been there, go and look. You won’t be disappointed.

2. Jazz: My soul-sister and Evil Twin, as she puts it. The times we evolve to the same conclusions, about damn near anything, are so commonplace it’s almost uncanny. And she’s funny – funny tempered with a lot of intelligence. A lethal combination.

3. Voyager of Spindrift and Dreams: If you haven’t been there, go. Again, wisdom and wit – delicious and irreverent wit, which is the best kind. I found Voyager a few months ago and I never miss a shot of her.

4. csl: Travels into realms geographic, domestic, and psychological and takes her readers with her. She’s also a fantastic photographer and obviously a gourmet cook. A very multi-faceted person whom I also enjoy visiting on a regular basis.

5. Janice Thompson: A poet par excellence. There are few poets around these days, which I think speaks ill of our society. And no, in my biased view, rap-music is not poetry in the true sense of versification. I like visiting Janice’s blog because so many of her bits of brief verse make me think, and ponder, and reach conclusions that maybe she never even intended. That’s exactly what true poetry should do.

So, if you didn’t get included in the list, it’s only because I had to limit myself to five, and could easily have added five more, and five more after that. Cheers.