Imagine Water

I’ve been giving a lot of thought to water lately. It makes up so much of our daily lives our bodies are largely water. The human body is about 60% water in adult males and 55% in adult females. Fact is we simply can not live without it.

Ever sit along side a stream, a river or on the beach and just absorb the sights, sounds and smells around you? Watching the tides roll in and out, the streams forming over the rocks as they head their way back to the sea?

Ever consider how the stream, the river and the ocean are one system? The streams flow over the rocks and meet up to form the rivers which flow into the seas. The seas produce moisture that condenses in the atmosphere that moves inland and gets trapped by the mountains. The clouds drop rain which forms streams and the cycle repeats endlessly much like the tide changes and rhythmic surf coming and going on your favorite beach.

Point being it’s all water, it’s all connected and all continues in a rhythmic cycle.

Water has a way of seeking its own level. Water is capable of penetrating into the smallest of cracks and holes. Water seeks the lowest points on the planet not the highest points. Waterfalls are called waterfalls because they fall. Water naturally goes toward the lowest point without question. Water overcomes all obstacles by wearing them away, flowing around them or moving them.

Since we are so dependent upon water for our very survival maybe we should act more like it and even possibly stop polluting it.

Thinking Outside Our Finite Box

I enjoyed reading this ancient oriental poem;

The Tao is empty
but inexhaustible,
bottomless,
the ancestor of it all.

Within it, the sharp edges become smooth;
the twisted knots loosen;
the sun is softened by a cloud;
the dust settles into place.

It is hidden but always present.
I do not know who gave birth to it.
It seems to be the common ancestor of all, the father of things.

I remember early thoughts as a child lying under the star filled sky at night, "How far does the universe go? If we came to a wall what would be beyond that wall and the next and the next?"

As I became a bit older and read more deeply into the scriptures I found myself trying to make the connection of a God that lives off somewhere in heaven yet lives inside me. Is so far away and untouchable, yet so intimately close. How One could be without mother or father and never be born, yet always to have existed.

A Native American saying made sense to me at that point in my life, "You become a man (grown person) when you realize how much there is that you do not know."

The ancient poem above was written 5,000 years BC. I guess it doesn’t matter so much when eternity is forever.

Acoustic Six String on the Way

After much thought and research I have decided it’s time to build myself a 6-string acoustic cigar box guitar.

I found a nice all wood cigar box with brass hinges and clasp. It has some nice artwork right in the middle of the lid that I think will look good. The wood is lighter in color with a decent grain pattern on the top and bottom with a darker mocha colored wood for the sides and end.

I spent quite a bit of time just sanding it and getting it ready for the golden oak stain. I was going to use tung oil but plan on using a several coats of polyurethane and didn’t know how well it would hang onto the oil.

I found a couple of dings in the wood on the bottom and decided to try a technique I found on utube for “pulling them out”. I put a few drops of water in each one until it beaded up. Just short of the running stage so it would still hold its form. I came down the next morning and the water had done its trick. The dings were gone and the wood was perfectly level.

I got a really good start on the neck for my CBG. I used a 2 inch wide piece of red oak and beautiful piece of African padauk for the fret board. I finally got to try out my Stewart MacDonald fret miterbox and saw along with my new fret template guide. All I can say is, "Nice!"

There will be a tail piece that extends out of the opposite end of the cigar box to anchor the strings to. With 6-strings there will be a lot of tension on the neck and by having the neck extending clear through the body will cut down on any tendency to warp the neck.

Retire when the work is done; this is the way of heaven

Let Go, Let God

For several years now I have have had the thought in my mind, "Let go and Let God". I came across this information and thought I would share it.

The sage who grasps the everlasting nature of the Tao has gone beyond false identification with the ego, and instead has a living connection to the Tao. This person puts others first, asks nothing in return, and wholeheartedly serves. In this way, the sage lives the ultimate paradox of the Tao – by giving without asking, the sage attracts everything that he or she is capable of handling or needing. By putting others before themself, the sage endures just like the Tao. The sage emulates the natural philanthropy of the Tao, and all of his or her needs are fulfilled in the process.

The more you pursue desires, the more they’ll elude you. Try letting life come to you and begin to notice the clues that what you crave is on its way. You’re in a constant state of receiving because of the ceaseless generosity of the eternal Tao. The air you breathe, the water you drink, the food you eat, the sunshine that warms you, the nutrients that keep your body alive, and even the thoughts that fill your mind are all gifts from the eternal Tao. Stay appreciative of all that you receive, knowing that it flows from an all – providing Source. Stop the chase and become a witness – soothe your demanding habits by refusing to continue running after more. By letting go, you let God; and even more significantly, you become more like God and less like the ego; with its lifetime practice of edging God out.
Qouted from Dr. Wayne Dyer's Change Your Mind Change Your Life (excellent read!)