Fou

Fou (Fr.)/ Basketcase (Eng.): Noun

• a person unable to function, especially because of emotional disturbance
• anything that does not function properly.

"I don’t want to pass through life like a smooth plane ride. All you do is get to breathe and copulate and finally die. I don’t want to go with the smooth skin and the calm brow. I hope I end up a blithering idiot cursing the sun - hallucinating, screaming, giving obscene and inane lectures on street corners and public parks. People will walk by and say, “Look at that drooling idiot. What a basket case.” I will turn and say to them, “It is you who are the basket case. For every moment you hated your job, cursed your wife and sold yourself to a dream that you didn’t even conceive. For the times your soul screamed yes and you said no. For all of that. For your self-torture, I see the glowing eyes of the sun! The air talks to me! I am at all times!” And maybe, the passers by will drop a coin into my cup."
- Henry Rollins

Future

Today's horoscope seems especially applicable. I wonder if Madonna felt this same sensation before she embarked on NYC with only $35 in her pocket?

Guided by the Universe

You might feel convinced that your ideas are on the right track toward achieving your goals, for knowing what you want and how to get it could give you the sense that everything is going to turn out for the best today. Perhaps your self-assurance could be the result of your belief in yourself and your trust that the universe will guide you to find the right path. Focusing on your connection with the universe today can enhance your feelings of confidence and give you a greater sense of what the future may hold for you. Just reminding yourself periodically throughout the day that the universe will take care of you—and knows what is best for you—might make it easier for you to place your dreams in its hands. You may notice that your confidence strengthens the more you are able to let go of your desires and let the universe take over for you.

When we know that the universe protects and guides us, we cultivate a greater sense of ease about what the future holds. Our feeling that things will work out is usually rooted in our knowledge that there is a strength in us that will help manifest our dreams. Much of this strength comes from our relationship with a power that exists beyond us – something that can give us hope even when times seem rough. By placing your trust in the universe today, your confidence about your future and your dreams will flourish.

Rue

Rue (Fr.)/Street (Eng.) noun:

• a thoroughfare, especially in a city, town, or village that is wider than an alley or lane and that usually includes sidewalks.

An Autobiography in Five Short Chapters

by Portia Nelson (1993)

Chapter One

I walk down the street.

There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.

I fall in.

I am lost... I am helpless.

It isn't my fault.

It takes forever to find a way out.

Chapter Two

I walk down the same street.

There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.

I pretend that I don't see it.

I fall in again.

I can't believe that I am in this same place.

But it isn't my fault.

It still takes a long time to get out.

Chapter Three

I walk down the same street.

There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.

I see that it is there.

I still fall in... it's a habit... but,

My eyes are open.

I know where I am.

It is my fault.

I get out immediately.

Chapter Four

I walk down the same street.

There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.

I walk around it.

Chapter Five

I walk down another street.

Philosophy

Lately I have been dealing with a lot of uncertainty, vagueness, and roadblocks. Often, I find myself reflecting on "What would Wayne Dyer Think about this?". And every single time, it comes up that he would simply choose to think of the good that any given situation has to offer. He has been quoted as saying, "If you really focus on what you think, and choose only good thoughts, then nothing has to be bad."

I have been choosing to see the good in every situation-- when I am conscious, which is certainly not all the time, because I am human after all. Yet I am still affected by other people's interpretation of my positive outlook. Some may call me a "spin doctor" which I think has a negative connotation. I suppose that is because I have experienced this term being used to reflect inauthenticity, manipulation, or lying. Other people may simply use a strange tone or give me a look that I interpret as "I don't believe that anything good just happened to you, it is just what you WANT me to think because things are really bad."

So my challenge to myself is to avoid the people who can't accept this viewpoint. And if I can't avoid them, then my goal is to simply remind myself that they too get to choose. And it just so happens that they may be choosing bad thoughts. Go figure.