"Imagine..." she said "the madness unleashed if we surrendered to beauty and love and creativity and the mystery of being intimate with our own intuition and insight,"
Imagine that... then weep at the realisation the imposition of unilateral meaning is already in motion, psychiatric wards are filling, children no longer know the art of quiet reflection in more than 5 second bites!
And, Alpahbetti Spahgetti is disgusting!
A great read Jonathan, fun but ultimately and deeply disturbing.
This is such a fun read Jonathan! And to that doctor I reply, “We largely DO impose unilateral meaning on all that chaos, and the society we live in IS a psychiatric ward, trying to keep us all in line.”😂 Like you say, most people don’t want to examine the meaning they give things (or have unconsciously adopted) and that very ignorance blinds humans from all the beautiful, essential, creative potential we could experience in a lifetime.
I hope your next bowl of Spaghetti-o’s delivers you a message of wonder.
I know I say this all the time, but your intuitive smart reading is such a pleasure for me, Kimberly. Your reply to the doctor is exactly what I'm getting at, and that blindness to all the potential that we miss through "unconsciously adopted" meaning. Or at least I wanted to be getting at that, but as I said to Michaela, there's something about this one that annoys me. I don't know what it is, so I'm especially grateful for your seeing past whatever irks me with this story anyway :)
I'm working much more attentively on next week's offering and I'm already kinda pleased with it...
I can never hear it enough! I feel like I humble through my words, feeling so much more than I’m ever able to convey. I don’t think you’re giving yourself enough credit for this one. The meaning landed right where it needed to be—in that mysterious place that lives only in the beholder.
Kinda reminds me of that moment in The Matrix when Neo sees some words on his computer screen, "Wake up, Neo." There must be many different kinds of worlds all about us that nudge up against ours depending on how our tuning is working. thanks Kimberly and you too Jonathan.
That film was soooo good at the time, still stands up well I reckon.
"There must be many different kinds of worlds all about us that nudge up against ours depending on how our tuning is working." - thats's a great way to put it, tanks Wes.
I’m not sure if I managed to get what I wanted in this one. I’m not so pleased with it. I sat and wrote it in one sitting and that’s never a good idea. Oh well, we live and learn.
That's incredibly encouraging, Michaele. It's a roller coaster really, writing, but I'm holding on tight even when I lose balance a little :) Thanks pal.
“…and a strangely phallic arrangement of asparagus,…” Goodness gracious, Jonathan, I can see it all, and smell it too, as if it was just placed right in front of me.Though it is only an olfactory hallucination from many years ago, so rudely awakened. My mom used to stock the pantry with a Campbell’s soup product called SpaghettiOs .I remember the little jingle; Uh-Oh! SpaghettiOs! is this the same product? I’d hate to think there were actually two different versions of gelatinous, orange stuff with alphabet noodle “yellowing bones “. It did not pour out of the can like soup, it slid out in one slick mass after pounding the can on the table then pounding on the bottom. Makes me gag just thinking about it. When my mom actually cooked a noodle meal, she would make the spaghetti noodles ( no, I will not dignify it by calling it pasta) a day or two before and then bake it in the oven. This is what happens when your writing dredges up childhood memories, you have to hear all about it, well at least from me you do. Life is presented to us at our first breath. How we perceive what is in front of us is what matters. But there is an endless amount of input/output every minute of every moment we exist. If we continuously “…assign meaning “, how is it possible to process it all without going insane. I am sure you remember Frederick Perls, classic quote; “Lose your mind and come to your senses”, I like the idea. Kimberly mentioned, she was going to “start paying more attention to my morning cereal”. I’m going out to buy a box of Alpha Bits , if they still make them. Maybe we need to start the day by subliminally messaging ourselves, effect a change with positive messages, by ‘tricking’ our brains unconscious to conscious awareness. A little morning re-wiring therapy if you will. Then digesting them? Ok maybe not that, but you get the idea.
Yep. Alphabetti Spaghetti is like a canned pasta version of Alpha bits, except more disgusting. We never got them as kids. When we were small the world and my mother seemed more responsible. As we got older the world and my mother seemed to lose their goddam minds.
Much warmth and live to you, Lor :) Thanks as always for being you!
I’ve had to wait days for enough quiet in my life to savour such a delicious dish as this, (not the spaghetti which quite frankly should be banned). The story of this hell on earth that has no meaning, no connection, no spontaneity, no quiet, no chatting with Corvids, I mean who hasn’t wanted to chat with a Corvid? Fabulous as always, you wonder about your writing, I dream of achieving such wonders!
Thank you so much Sarah. Your kindness arrived in perfect time. I was just contemplating that my new piece might be too ridiculous, but you've blown new wind in my sails. I genuinely appreciate that, and your reading and your kind restack too :)
And yes, I reckon Corvids know a thing or two, wouldn't mind chatting with them at all! Might even admit to the odd word, not that they've ever answered though ;)
Ah, but how can we mere humans understand the nuance of a jauntily tilted Corvid head, a direct stare, a casual feather ruffle! They undoubtedly heard what you were saying, they are just waiting for human communication to evolve from such a simple level:) I mean what human wouldn’t love to be able to ruffle their feathers!
Last night, I was reading about stillness and silence. Today, I woke up with a sore throat and no voice. It's a good thing I can still write, but I am not here to talk about the meaning of it all. Come, meet me down the hallway. We can find a way out of the ward.
I'll meet you down the hallway and we'll climb out this nice quiet window of opportunity in the stillness and silence. Ahhhhhh how nice that'd be :)
Thing is my friend, I reckon you're already out and running over the hill and far away from the ward, you're one of the sane ones. Your Alphabetti Spaghetti would just say "STAY AS YOU ARE".
Ha ha, I can guarantee, having eaten Greek food in Greece plenty of times, I can 100% guarantee you that you would find Alphabetti Spaghetti strange and vapid and utterly unpleasant. Imagine orange runny ketchupy sauce with a vague taste of machinery and cat food filled with very very over-cooked pasta letters that seems to slime down your throat on their own accord. Just weird food.
(OK, who knows, I can¨t speak for your tastes, but I'd be pretty surprised if my fictional restaurant Comfort, lasted 2 days in Athens!)
Enjoyed this. Meaning, like technology, is not a problem unless we believe in it. Like with religion, or politics, or science, or any other form of ideology.
But needing 'meaning' (whatever that is for us) drives us ... errr, well, drives us to somewhere, I guess, which might not be very healthy. However, reading your post was a healthy experience; so the fight back to sanity is off to a good start. :)
"Imagine..." she said "the madness unleashed if we surrendered to beauty and love and creativity and the mystery of being intimate with our own intuition and insight,"
Imagine that... then weep at the realisation the imposition of unilateral meaning is already in motion, psychiatric wards are filling, children no longer know the art of quiet reflection in more than 5 second bites!
And, Alpahbetti Spahgetti is disgusting!
A great read Jonathan, fun but ultimately and deeply disturbing.
Yep, tinned pasta in general is very disgusting but AS wins hands down as the worst.
I think you might have come up with a phrase for my tombstone there Susie, "fun but ultimately and deeply disturbing" :) Perfect
This is such a fun read Jonathan! And to that doctor I reply, “We largely DO impose unilateral meaning on all that chaos, and the society we live in IS a psychiatric ward, trying to keep us all in line.”😂 Like you say, most people don’t want to examine the meaning they give things (or have unconsciously adopted) and that very ignorance blinds humans from all the beautiful, essential, creative potential we could experience in a lifetime.
I hope your next bowl of Spaghetti-o’s delivers you a message of wonder.
I know I say this all the time, but your intuitive smart reading is such a pleasure for me, Kimberly. Your reply to the doctor is exactly what I'm getting at, and that blindness to all the potential that we miss through "unconsciously adopted" meaning. Or at least I wanted to be getting at that, but as I said to Michaela, there's something about this one that annoys me. I don't know what it is, so I'm especially grateful for your seeing past whatever irks me with this story anyway :)
I'm working much more attentively on next week's offering and I'm already kinda pleased with it...
I can never hear it enough! I feel like I humble through my words, feeling so much more than I’m ever able to convey. I don’t think you’re giving yourself enough credit for this one. The meaning landed right where it needed to be—in that mysterious place that lives only in the beholder.
Kinda reminds me of that moment in The Matrix when Neo sees some words on his computer screen, "Wake up, Neo." There must be many different kinds of worlds all about us that nudge up against ours depending on how our tuning is working. thanks Kimberly and you too Jonathan.
That film was soooo good at the time, still stands up well I reckon.
"There must be many different kinds of worlds all about us that nudge up against ours depending on how our tuning is working." - thats's a great way to put it, tanks Wes.
Oh yes, I like this idea. If only we were more awake to each one of them. I’ll start paying more attention to my morning cereal.:)
“The way we create meaning”….in your intro. I’m sitting with that. 😉
I’m not sure if I managed to get what I wanted in this one. I’m not so pleased with it. I sat and wrote it in one sitting and that’s never a good idea. Oh well, we live and learn.
Well, for me, what you wrote fit your “the way we create meaning” in your intro. So it was meaningful for me.
I get a good vibe from everything you write ✍️
That's incredibly encouraging, Michaele. It's a roller coaster really, writing, but I'm holding on tight even when I lose balance a little :) Thanks pal.
“…and a strangely phallic arrangement of asparagus,…” Goodness gracious, Jonathan, I can see it all, and smell it too, as if it was just placed right in front of me.Though it is only an olfactory hallucination from many years ago, so rudely awakened. My mom used to stock the pantry with a Campbell’s soup product called SpaghettiOs .I remember the little jingle; Uh-Oh! SpaghettiOs! is this the same product? I’d hate to think there were actually two different versions of gelatinous, orange stuff with alphabet noodle “yellowing bones “. It did not pour out of the can like soup, it slid out in one slick mass after pounding the can on the table then pounding on the bottom. Makes me gag just thinking about it. When my mom actually cooked a noodle meal, she would make the spaghetti noodles ( no, I will not dignify it by calling it pasta) a day or two before and then bake it in the oven. This is what happens when your writing dredges up childhood memories, you have to hear all about it, well at least from me you do. Life is presented to us at our first breath. How we perceive what is in front of us is what matters. But there is an endless amount of input/output every minute of every moment we exist. If we continuously “…assign meaning “, how is it possible to process it all without going insane. I am sure you remember Frederick Perls, classic quote; “Lose your mind and come to your senses”, I like the idea. Kimberly mentioned, she was going to “start paying more attention to my morning cereal”. I’m going out to buy a box of Alpha Bits , if they still make them. Maybe we need to start the day by subliminally messaging ourselves, effect a change with positive messages, by ‘tricking’ our brains unconscious to conscious awareness. A little morning re-wiring therapy if you will. Then digesting them? Ok maybe not that, but you get the idea.
“One good word leads to another.” (See below )
https://www.ebay.com/itm/372817737077
Yep. Alphabetti Spaghetti is like a canned pasta version of Alpha bits, except more disgusting. We never got them as kids. When we were small the world and my mother seemed more responsible. As we got older the world and my mother seemed to lose their goddam minds.
Much warmth and live to you, Lor :) Thanks as always for being you!
I’ve had to wait days for enough quiet in my life to savour such a delicious dish as this, (not the spaghetti which quite frankly should be banned). The story of this hell on earth that has no meaning, no connection, no spontaneity, no quiet, no chatting with Corvids, I mean who hasn’t wanted to chat with a Corvid? Fabulous as always, you wonder about your writing, I dream of achieving such wonders!
Thank you so much Sarah. Your kindness arrived in perfect time. I was just contemplating that my new piece might be too ridiculous, but you've blown new wind in my sails. I genuinely appreciate that, and your reading and your kind restack too :)
And yes, I reckon Corvids know a thing or two, wouldn't mind chatting with them at all! Might even admit to the odd word, not that they've ever answered though ;)
Ah, but how can we mere humans understand the nuance of a jauntily tilted Corvid head, a direct stare, a casual feather ruffle! They undoubtedly heard what you were saying, they are just waiting for human communication to evolve from such a simple level:) I mean what human wouldn’t love to be able to ruffle their feathers!
Last night, I was reading about stillness and silence. Today, I woke up with a sore throat and no voice. It's a good thing I can still write, but I am not here to talk about the meaning of it all. Come, meet me down the hallway. We can find a way out of the ward.
I'll meet you down the hallway and we'll climb out this nice quiet window of opportunity in the stillness and silence. Ahhhhhh how nice that'd be :)
Thing is my friend, I reckon you're already out and running over the hill and far away from the ward, you're one of the sane ones. Your Alphabetti Spaghetti would just say "STAY AS YOU ARE".
(I'm sorry you've got the lurgy Fotini, hope you're feeling better soon, pal.)
Never had an Alphabetti Spaghetti, and now with all this, I am not sure I would like to :)
Ha ha, I can guarantee, having eaten Greek food in Greece plenty of times, I can 100% guarantee you that you would find Alphabetti Spaghetti strange and vapid and utterly unpleasant. Imagine orange runny ketchupy sauce with a vague taste of machinery and cat food filled with very very over-cooked pasta letters that seems to slime down your throat on their own accord. Just weird food.
(OK, who knows, I can¨t speak for your tastes, but I'd be pretty surprised if my fictional restaurant Comfort, lasted 2 days in Athens!)
Good for me that I already ate before reading this...
Next time you're in Greece, I will take you out for proper food!
That would be wonderful
Wonderful and love the ending!
Thanks Jan, it was a bit of a rush job this one so I'm genuinely pleased it landed :)
Thank god I hate Alphabetti spaghetti!
Me too, disgusting stuff :)
Enjoyed this. Meaning, like technology, is not a problem unless we believe in it. Like with religion, or politics, or science, or any other form of ideology.
But needing 'meaning' (whatever that is for us) drives us ... errr, well, drives us to somewhere, I guess, which might not be very healthy. However, reading your post was a healthy experience; so the fight back to sanity is off to a good start. :)