As the years slip away…

By: Joe P Attanasio

Time is ever moving at a near constant rate. I state it that way because of the proof offered by Stephen Hawkins that gravity does in fact effect time.

How we perceive time to be moving is relative to thousands of factors. When people get in the latter part of their lives time seems to pass faster and faster. The seasons and even years sometime seem to go by in the blink of an eye. As a young boy I remember long summer days that seem to last forever. Also true is the idea that when you are having fun, time flies, but when you are being punished or are sick, it can drag on ever so slowly.

I have another birthday tomorrow and it made me think about time, hence the topic for today. I have an interesting life (in my opinion) and enjoy myself most of the time. Perhaps that is why time seems to be moving so fast for me. I am not getting older by any standards except chronologically (alright physically too!). I embrace life and the constant change that inevitably accompanies it. I look forward to crossing new horizons and challenging myself in ways I cannot yet perceive.

I have lived long enough to have personally witnessed many changes throughout out the years. Technological innovation of course was huge in the last 66 years. I have also witnessed cultural change growing from many roots, some good and some bad. I am aware of a trend in self-satisfaction and attention deficits. I am also aware of a loss in patriotism in general among the younger generations. I see morality being redefined, some good and some bad.

I always was a passionate person in general. I despise apathy as anyone who know me has heard me say time and time again. I find I am becoming even more opinionated as I get older. Perhaps I feel I have earned the right to speak my mind a little bit more. I truly believe wisdom comes with age, perhaps not intelligence, but wisdom for sure.

I find organized religion to be something I feel I do not need or want. I have a deep respect for people’s beliefs however, no matter what they are. I believe there is more to life than conception, birth, death and nothingness. I will leave that right there without getting philosophical.

I have a wish for the world that all people learn to love each other at least in some basic way. I will settle for acceptance if love seems too intimate a word. In the sixties we used words like, “It’s your bag” and “do your own thing” to signify that we accept each other being different. I am not just talking white, black and yellow here but gay, transsexual, Arabian, Russian and South African etc.

With respect and acceptance of others, human nature can rid itself of the ideals impressed on us through the media and replace those ideals with what we ourselves feel in our hearts is right.

I will leave this article with a couple of poems from my collection: Thanks for reading along as I ramble.

NOTE: On the left is my face on Conan's body taken on my 25th wedding anniversary. On the right is me a few years ago taken for a funny story about the scarf that I will share someday here.

One of my first poems takes a look at what a day is and what it can mean.

What is a day?

By: Joe P. Attanasio

.

.

.

Some think a day is just a measure of time.

Some think a poem is just a measure of rhyme.

But each day is a life, complete with birth and death.

Not sharing with others, but standing alone from the rest.

.

As dawn is born we have a new beginning, a chance.

For goals of all sorts; and for romance

Some days seem long and some very short.

Some are hard, some are restful, all sorts.

.

Sometimes in the morn, we are already dreary.

As a day draws to an end, we may hold it dearly.

But one thing is for sure, each day will hold.

So much more for those who are bold

.

The days in the past are written in stone.

The ones not yet here stand empty and alone.

Remember as each day begins to unfold.

We have a say, how the story is told.

.

If you’ve planned a day from dawn to night

You know, they never come out quite right.

You can enjoy a day fully without any plans.

Just let it happen and see how it lands.

**

             Perception

         BY: Joe P. Attanasio

 .           

Sensory input, rationalized mentally

Conjured and intuitive assessment

Conceptual, biased reality, imagined

Mental recreation of fact; perception

                    *

We see what we want to see,

And hear what we want to hear.

“I can’t believe he was a killer,”

“He seemed like such a nice guy”

                     *

“She is such a slut”

“He is a selfish bastard”

“She is a bitch”

“He is a womanizer and a cad”

                    *

Labels, based on perception

Judged reality by our assessment

Shared with others for validation

Of our own ambiguous imagery

                     *

Our own perception of ourselves

Not based on reality, but conjured

Camouflaged by desire and confidence

Blended with self-esteem and fantasy

                           *

Our lives are controlled by perception

Input from our senses processed

With semi-conscious assessment

Always question your perception!

**

Please check out other blogs from my archives.