Doubt | Tracks In The Dust

Archive for the tag “Doubt”

08 Oct 2013

Passing Through Here Kind Of Fast

I had someone ask me the other day why I call my WordPress blog “Tracks in the Dust”.

We all know that we are human and only here on this Earth for a precious small amount of time in the scheme of things. Some of us shorter than others, we have a bit of time to enjoy life, cherish it. pass on the wisdom and faith to the others coming behind us.

Eventual we all will have to count on what we have done while we were here on this planet to leave our impressions on the lives and souls of others. Some of them we may not ever realize we had done anything, but that small thing- that action of “grace” may last forever and move forward in someone else’s life. Eternity will let us know someday.

Still some of what we are doing will be simply “tracks in the dust”. Leaving an impression that the wind of time will blow away.

That is what made this song by David Crosby ( of Crosby, Stills and Nash) such a special one for me. Why my blog is named what it is. All that “hippie” hopefulness seems to wane with age. But it is still there as we passing through here kind of fast.

Tracks in the Dust

Four of us were having dinner
And I threw down the paper with a curse
And my wife said, “Complaining doesn’t get it
You got to do something or you can bet it
Will get worse”

And my friend said, “You’ve been watching TV too much
And all that hippie hopefulness is just a crutch”
But if thinkin’ that way helps you
To make it through the night
Then who am I to say what’s wrong and right

But I think, we’re passing through here kind of fast
Did you think these tracks in the dust would last

I think, we’re passing through here kind of fast
Did you think these tracks in the dust would last?

So you think we should just sit here
And have another glass of wine
While the world goes to hell
Which you know damn well
It’s going to do just down the line

And his lady said, “I don’t know how can you be so sure
I mean some things seem to get better
You know the hero still saves the
Damsel in distress, the villain doesn’t get her
And I said, “Where have you been living
I mean they’re selling death in the streets”

Cheap and the lying politicians
Are rolling in the profits they reap.
And he said, “He’s right honey
But I think it’s always been that way”
And he smiled kind of patiently
And I knew he was going to say

I think, we’re passing through here kind of fast
Did you think these tracks in the dust would last

I think, we’re passing through here kind of fast

Posted in Learning Lessons Along the Journey Of Life and tagged Acceptance, Crosby, David Crosby, Doubt, Faith, Grace, Life, Memories, moments, Nash, Reality Check, Self-Awareness, tracks in the dust

03 Oct 2013

“Who Are You?”

Not to get all Freudian or something, but i constantly continue to meet people who are struggling to understand themselves better. So I am bringing it up again.

It seems that people may not be able to personally define who they are perhaps. They have a lot of friends, family and lovers (past and present), around them who are more than willing to tell them how they define them.

But the reality is: if you could not ask the people around you…how would you define yourself?

Easy to put on different costumes and personalities to show to others, through different phases of a relationship with someone, different pieces of the “real you” may not be immediately exposed.

Asking the question “Who do you believe you are?” without parroting back what others say you are is hard to do and seems to require inner inspection. Are you the same person inside as you appear to others? So easy at first to say “yes”- but the last person you should lie to is yourself and it is easy to do ( at least I can say that personally in a truthful way).

So go ahead…ask yourself who you are. Be honest. Are you a singer, a lover of horses, a follower of sports? Labels.

Are you someone who thrives on interaction, or just likes interaction to validate who you are… letting that define the real you.

Deeper, who are you spiritually? Sure there are labels: a scientist, a teacher, a lover, a friend. That’s easy to do… just add it to your Facebook profile already… but who are you when the world and others don’t label you.

Worse yet, once you think you know who you are– try comparing that to how others see you.

Some of my closest friends have lost marriages, significant family relationships and friendships because they realized that they were trying to become someone they weren’t ever going to be, or worse yet were trying desperately to fit into something someone else wanted them to be. We always evolve from the foundation of who we are- but before you can really grow- you need to know what that foundation consists of.

I sound like a bunch of songs from the Who (queue “Who Are You” or “The Real Me“) or like the dozens of philosophers from my college classes. Seems like we are always in need of introspection.

My advice to my kids:

In this busy world – with constant input coming from so many different places- with almost instant feedback [more than any other time before in history], we need to be sure our first definition of ourselves is ours.

Your Circumstances Don’t Define You, Your Response Does (betterlifecoachingblog.com)

Posted in Learning Lessons Along the Journey Of Life and tagged Acceptance, Being Labelled, choices, Defining Yourself, Doubt, Ego, Faith, Love, relationship, Self-Awareness, Who Are You

09 Sep 2013

Songs About “Changes”

There are so many songs about changes. This song always reminded me ( along with Bowie’s Changes) that no matter what happens, everything changes except for change itself.

I know for me every time I get comfortable with the routine, cruising on “normal” – then something changes. And I feel silly thinking “why did that happen”? Because in the reality of life, changes are good. Things have to change, and when it feels like it hasn’t you have to wonder. Seasons, time, a purpose to everything (Turn, Turn, Turn by the Byrds).

So if you don’t know it now- “before long you will find out”.

What are songs in your life that signify changes?

It’s a matter of choices
And a matter of time
For you it’s a matter of drive

You will let nothing
Get in your way
You set to conquer
Each single day

Everything Changes
But change itself
You can take out
What you think you know put it
Back on the shelf

And would you believe me
If I’d spoke my mind?
‘Cause nobody gets there they just
Try, try, try

Everything Changes
But change itself
Like a bird you’d sooner fly away
But you’re stuck in yourself
As everything Changes….

We stay the same
But we stay the same
You keep turning
Before long you’re going to find out
What’s in a name

So you look for the answer
Then pull it apart
Tear it up ’til there’s nothing there
‘Cause it hurts your heart

Everything Changes
And for what you lack
You keep turning
Before long you’re going to find out
Everything Changes
It’s not hard to tell
Like a bird you’d sooner fly away

Timing is Everything (karenmulvey.wordpress.com)
“Turn and Face the Stranger” (missbabybrysonthoughts.wordpress.com)
Songs About “Time” from Tracks In The Dust

Posted in Learning Lessons Along the Journey Of Life, Life's Sound Track (Music) and tagged Acceptance, Byrds, Change, choices, Doubt, Reality Check, Self-Awareness, Songs About Changes, tracks in the dust, Turn! Turn! Turn!

15 Aug 2013

Conditions and Compromise

It’s interesting how often these days interaction with someone can always come to “certain conditions”. Doing favors or helping someone with something can end up as a negotiation of sorts. Sort of the payback for things that are done.

The idea of “unconditional” love and friendship is still alive I think, It is definitely a spiritual center we all need to achieve. It makes our lives less complicated in a way. It is the grace of God. Yet it seems like there are days where things only happen under certain terms.

There are a lot of conditions in life. Sort of like: “I can help you with your problem, but IF I do you need to help me with mine.” Negotiation isn’t always bad, but it will struggle to lead to longer term relationships

Conditional love is the hardest one to cope with. Like trying to earn someone’s love and attention, it comes with a price. It has a manipulating qualifier to it. I will love you, if only you would be more attentive to my needs. I will love you if only you make enough time for me to do what I want to do.

It goes on and on : I will love you if you a) lose weight b) gain status, c) dress a certain way, d) be friends with the people I am friends with, e) NOT be friends with the people you are friends with. f) like the colour “blue” – or hundreds upon hundreds of other conditions.

There is something about compromise in a relationship (which is healthy) that can spill over into conditions. When it does there may not be an immediate way to recognize it. But it exists. And over time it can lead to resentment, to disillusion that ends in someone being very hurt.

So I always give my kids that advice, Be sure to “be yourself” and be aware of the difference between compromises in a relationship and conditions.

Practice Unconditional Love (alexiaisaak.com)

Posted in Doing Things That Will Change Your Life and tagged Acceptance, Advice, Conditional, Doubt, God, Grace, Perception, Philosophy, relationship, Self-Awareness, Sprituality, Unconditional Love

09 Jul 2013

The “Scale of Accountability” Again

Nearly every day something will trigger the Scale of Accountability. It keeps coming back to mind to me. I posted this last year, but it is something that has been great to keep a perspective on things on so many levels.

Often I see people around me angered and frustrated with the situations they are in- I hear them explaining things away as though they are “circumstantial” or must be blamed on other things around them. I wonder what their life is like day-to-day. Are they feeling like a victim; acting like a victim?

There are so many of those people who seem to appear in so many places in life. They seem to be lost because they don’t have a “center” in their lives, but they aren’t looking for one either. Often they surround themselves with more people who feel the way they do, which just makes it all the easier to stay in the place they are. They are unsure why they are stuck in a place they don’t want to be, but that is “the way it is” they’ll say…

So I ask my kids to be accountable to themselves and also to the life they choose and to God. Be aware, take action when they need to make a difference in what is happening. Things will change. Life will take on a new meaning.

The Scale of Accountability: What direction do you take?

Are You Accountable?