Michael Robert Dyet's Blog, page 49

Earth Day: If Not Now, Then When?

Hmmm, are we at the tipping point when there is no tomorrow if we do not act today?

If you paid attention to the Google doodle today, you know that April 22 is officially Earth Day – an official day devoted to drawing attention to environmental protection on this fragile planet we inhabit and to encourage us all to adopt environmentally friendly practices.

I have been aware of Earth Day for some time. But I did not know that its roots go back almost 50 years. The idea was born in 1969 when a devastating oil spill occurred off the coast of Santa Barbara, California.

As a devoted nature lover, Earth Day should be and is important to me. But I must confess that the pressures of daily life, and trying to keep my head above water (pardon the pun) in my work world, have distracted my attention from it. So I thought it incumbent upon me to do my part to demonstrate the importance of this initiative.

I found some interesting and also disturbing facts on the Youth Connect website that should make also all stand up and take notice.

Pollution negatively impacts over 100 million people. That’s on the same scale as global diseases like malaria and HIV.
One million + species have become extinct, or are facing extinction, due to global warming.
The amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has risen by 34% since the 17th century and continues to steadily rise.
The human population has grown as much in the last 50 years as in the previous four million years.
Every second a portion of a rainforest the size of a football field is destroyed.
There is a garbage island floating in our oceans the size of India, Europe and Mexico combined. Plastic bags and other plastic garbage thrown into the ocean kill as many as 1,000,000 sea creatures every year.
1/3 of the people on earth will be facing severe or chronic water shortages by 2025.
3.2 million children under the age of five in developing nations die each year as a result of unsafe drinking water and poor sanitation.

Many of us have at one time or another have used the term Mother Earth to personify the life-giving and nurturing aspects of nature. But too often we – and I will hold myself accountable on this point as well – do not really take to heart the truth of that metaphor.

Mother Earth is suffering and we all must do our part to help her recover. If not now, then when? For when it is too late for her, it is also too late for us.

~ Michael Robert Dyet is the author of “Until the Deep Water Stills – An Internet-enhanced Novel” – double winner in the Reader Views Literary Awards 2009. Visit Michael’s website at www.mdyetmetaphor.com or the novel online companion at www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog .

~ Subscribe to “Michael’s Metaphors of Life Journal aka Things That Make Me Go Hmmm” at its’ internet home www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog2 . Instructions for subscribing are provided in the “Subscribe to this Blog: How To” instructions page in the right sidebar. If you’re reading this post on another social networking site, come back regularly to my page for postings once a week.

The Unsolvable Rubik’s Cube: Can you Embrace the Chaos?

Hmmm, am I the only one who thinks that life, in this unpredictable time in which we live, is becoming much too complicated?

Truthfully, complicated does not fully capture what I am trying to express. Too busy is part of the problem – too much to do and too little time to do it in. Too fast-paced – or perhaps too much change too fast – factors into the equation. And let us not overlook, too many new technologies emerging too fast for me to learn and make peace with.

And speaking of too many new technologies, some of that technology seems like more trouble than it is worth. I was completing a fillable PDF application form this week at work. Digital signatures are often built into these forms. Seems like a good thing, right? Well, not so much.

I had to create a digital signature within the backend program which required inputting my name and company name, inputting those same details again in an ascci compatible format, creating a sufficiently secure password, entering that password and then inserting the signature.

In the time all of that took, I could have printed the form, signed it, scanned it and e-mailed it twice. Not to mention miniscule print in the form too small for my 59-year old eyes to decipher.

And on the subject of my aging eyes, I have had to concede that I now need two pairs of eyeglasses – one for general use and one for computer work. I am less than enthused about the expense and more than a little concerned that my overtaxed brain will slip a gear and forget where I left one pair while I am wearing the other pair.

And on the subject of aging in general, I have had to adjust to the reality that my body can no longer properly process some types of food (i.e. dairy and gluten). In my twenties, I could eat like a horse – any type of food you can name – and never gain an ounce. Now every mouthful shows up on my waist and many of my comfort foods are on the no-can-do list.

And on the subject of adjusting to new realities, I am having trouble accepting that:

Murdering and maiming innocent people in the name of your ideology is as morally defensible as dropping an MOAB (mother of all bombs) from the sky in retaliation.
Spending trillions of dollars to build a border wall to keep out people do not like is somehow a wise expenditure.
A red traffic light now means punch the gas pedal rather than step on the brake pedal.
Marijuana will soon be legal in Canada,
And holy crap, Batman, the Leafs actually made the playoffs!

Life is becoming a Rubik’s cube that resets every morning. Some days I am able to get a couple of the sides to align. But time always runs out before I manage to get all six sides figured out. Embracing the chaos seems to be the only solution. But that is a little too much of a new trick for an old dog like me

~ Michael Robert Dyet is the author of “Until the Deep Water Stills – An Internet-enhanced Novel” – double winner in the Reader Views Literary Awards 2009. Visit Michael’s website at www.mdyetmetaphor.com or the novel online companion at www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog .

~ Subscribe to “Michael’s Metaphors of Life Journal aka Things That Make Me Go Hmmm” at its’ internet home www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog2 . Instructions for subscribing are provided in the “Subscribe to this Blog: How To” instructions page in the right sidebar. If you’re reading this post on another social networking site, come back regularly to my page for postings once a week.

Random Act of Metaphor – A Turkey Vulture Battling Rogue Winds

Hmmm, would the good days be as good if the bad days were not as bad?

It has been a crazy, chaotic work week. One of those weeks where your hope is just to make it to the weekend with your sanity more or less intact. An encore performance by winter thrown in seemed almost predictable.

What was not predictable was the Turkey Vulture soaring overhead as I drove down Dewside Drive a few minutes from home on Friday afternoon. Turkey Vultures are common, but not in urban neighbourhoods. This particular Vulture was pitching and twisting like a lost kite in the blustery conditions that prevailed today. I felt sorry for it as it battled the impetuous wind.

Hawks, Eagles and Vultures migrate through this time of year. They follow high ridges and hills taking advantage of air thermals to ride the wind and conserve energy. My guess is this particular Turkey Vulture was blown off course by the high winds and was struggling to take back control of its journey.

It occurred to me that this Turkey Vulture and I had a lot in common. Life was knocking us around and testing our character. It was tempting to throw up our hands (or our wings, as the case may be) and surrender. But there was a lesson to be learned – the importance of staying the course when events seemed to be conspiring against us.

A Turkey Vulture battling rogue winds: a random act of metaphor to remind me that if life was easy, it would not be anywhere near as interesting.

~ Michael Robert Dyet is the author of “Until the Deep Water Stills – An Internet-enhanced Novel” – double winner in the Reader Views Literary Awards 2009. Visit Michael’s website at www.mdyetmetaphor.com or the novel online companion at www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog .

  ~ Subscribe to “Michael’s Metaphors of Life Journal aka Things That Make Me Go Hmmm” at its’ internet home www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog2 . Instructions for subscribing are provided in the “Subscribe to this Blog: How To” instructions page in the right sidebar. If you’re reading this post on another social networking site, come back regularly to my page for postings once a week.

Digital Wallets, Bitcoin and Cryptocurrency: Old Habits Die Hard

Hmmm, are we on the fast track to a truly cashless society?

I have heard the term bandied about for some time now. Honestly, I have not paid a lot of attention to the idea because I did not believe it was something I had to worry about in my lifetime. But it appears that might have been short-sight thinking.

What exactly does cashless mean? It depicts an economic state in which physical banknotes or coins go the way of the Dodo bird. The transfer of digital information – an electronic representation of money – between transacting parties becomes the norm.

An article I read indicated that cash transactions now account for only 30% of all purchases. An expert in the field has predicted that cash transactions will drop to 10% of all purchases by 2030. I am not planning to cash out (if you will pardon the pun) before that date so it seems I will live to see the world at least on the verge of cashless.

I suppose I should not be so surprised. Here in Canada we are already regular users of Interac – a non-profit network that connects financial institutions to facilitate exchanging electronic financial transactions. Interac has 83 members and in excess of 59,000 ATMs. And, of course, PayPal, one of the world’s largest Internet payment companies, has been around since 1998.

But Interac and PayPal are only the leading edge of an increasing number of cashless financial transaction methods. The digital wallet movement, financial transactions by electronic devices, is a juggernaut thanks in part to the adoption of this technology into smartphones.

Since these systems authenticate the holder’s credentials, their applications are almost endless. For example, they could potentially verify the age of a buyer who wants to purchase alcohol. Booze and easy money – there’s a great combination.

And then there is this initiative called Bitcoin which I have been trying to wrap my mind around for some time. It is a form of digital currency created and held electronically. Bitcoins are apparently produced by people and businesses, running computers all around the world, using software that solves mathematical problems.

The thing that mystifies me about Bitcoin is that it operates independent of a central bank and no one controls it. It is part of a category of money known as cryptocurrency because it involves encryption techniques. How that works in practice is beyond me.

I have never stopped to do the math on how much of my purchases are cashless. I use Interac and my credit card on a regular basis while somehow managing to delude myself into believing I am not participating in the cashless movement. But in truth, my cashless transactions are easily in excess of 50% of my total purchases.

I have not been able to decide if the fast approaching cashless society is a good thing or a bad thing. I do know that the old “money doesn’t grow on trees” metaphor is taking on a whole new meaning in the era of digital transactions.

I am still in that generation that cannot walk around without at least some real money in my pocket. Old habits die hard for us aging baby boomers.

~ Michael Robert Dyet is the author of “Until the Deep Water Stills – An Internet-enhanced Novel” – double winner in the Reader Views Literary Awards 2009. Visit Michael’s website at www.mdyetmetaphor.com or the novel online companion at www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog .

~ Subscribe to “Michael’s Metaphors of Life Journal aka Things That Make Me Go Hmmm” at its’ internet home www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog2 . Instructions for subscribing are provided in the “Subscribe to this Blog: How To” instructions page in the right sidebar. If you’re reading this post on another social networking site, come back regularly to my page for postings once a week.

 

The 4,000 Mile Pilgrimage of the Canada Warbler

Hmmm, has the Canada Warbler, which I will spot in a thicket in May, already embarked on its epic journey to the boreal forest?

Spring has arrived. For nature geeks like me, that means one thing, – the spring migration spectacle. I’ve been witnessing it for 30 years. But it has not lost its fascination for me.

The highlight of the migration is the waves of Warblers that pass through in May. I thought I would trace the migration path of one of my favourite warblers – the Canada Warbler – pictured at the top of this post. (Credit: Google images)

The Canada’s migration begins in its winter retreat in South America. Let’s assume our friendly fellow sets out from the Reserve Tapichalaca in the Andes Mountains in Ecuador. The first leg of his journey sees him winging over Nicaragua, Honduras and Guatemala. The Gulf of Mexico is a rather intimidating obstacle, so he chooses the longer overland route through Mexico.

Flying all night taxes his strength. He gladly drops into the El Triunfo Biosphere Reserve in the Sierra Madre Mountains of Mexico to rest and feed along with a flock of fellow warbler migrants.

By nightfall he is on the wing again. The flock he is travelling with opts for another rest stop at The Quinta Mazatlan World Birding Center in Texas. He is a bit wary of the feral cats in the area. But safety in numbers dictates that he stays with the flock and spends the night there.

Time is a precious commodity in the migration and the spring days are rapidly advancing. He pushes hard over several days to make it to the Pheasant Branch Conservancy in Wisconsin. A near miss with the mirror windows of an office building has his little heart fluttering.

By early May, he has reached the shores of Lake Erie. The all-night flight over the lake requires that he hang out here waiting for the right weather conditions. A cold front and a strong south wind persist for several days. The trees around him fill with other migrants as they stack up waiting for the weather to change.

Finally, the temperature rises and the wind shifts to a gentle tailwind – perfect conditions for the lake crossing. He joins a wave of Warblers and takes to the air over Erie. By dawn, he is exhausted and relieved to spot Point Pelee Provincial Park near Leamington, Ontario.

He lands near the tip of Pelee and works his way down the point to the swampy woodlands behind the nature centre. The urgency to reach breeding territory makes him restless. But he spends an extra day at Pelee to gather his strength for the final leg of his trip.

By the end of May, he is on breeding territory in the boreal forests of Quetico Provincial Park in northern Ontario. No time to celebrate. He has only a couple of months to claim a territory, find a mate, breed and raise his young before retracing his steps southward again

The epic pilgrimage of the Canada Warbler is a metaphor of its own for the wonder of avian migration and the amazing fortitude of the delicate creatures that answer its call. I’ll tip my Tilly Hat to the first Canada Warbler I see this year to salute the thousands of miles he has traveled to bring a smile to my face on a balmy spring day.

~ Michael Robert Dyet is the author of “Until the Deep Water Stills – An Internet-enhanced Novel” – double winner in the Reader Views Literary Awards 2009. Visit Michael’s website at www.mdyetmetaphor.com or the novel online companion at www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog

~ Subscribe to “Michael’s Metaphors of Life Journal aka Things That Make Me Go Hmmm” at its’ internet home www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog2 . Instructions for subscribing are provided in the “Subscribe to this Blog: How To” instructions page in the right sidebar. If you’re reading this post on another social networking site, come back regularly to my page for postings once a week.

My Bold Prediction: 2017 – The Year of the Cyber Apocalypse

Hmmm, where were you when the Internet crashed?

Don’t panic, you didn’t blink and miss it. The Internet has not crashed. But there is an ongoing debate about whether it could really occur. I should clarify my premise by explaining that I am talking about a total, world-wide crash of the Internet. It definitely would be a Where were you when moment if it did happen.

The brief research I did initially suggested that, in theory at least, it cannot happen. The Internet is a collection of independent networks maintained and controlled by different people or governments. Each network is designed to be redundant – if one network goes down, users can still gain access through another one.

The worst case scenario, again in theory, is knocking out a large portion of the Internet or even an entire country. Large power outages or an earthquake could do the deed. It has been suggested that the Internet as an entity could survive a nuclear war. That seems to me to be a moot point given that there would not be anyone left alive to confirm the hypothesis.

On the other hand, earlier this year a U.S. technology security vendor predicted that an actual shutdown would occur in 2017 for a 24 hour period and cause financial markets to nosedive.

How would you go about pulling off this feat? It involves what is referred to as a denial-of-service attack aka DoS attack – a cyber invasion where the instigator makes the network unavailable temporarily by disrupting services of a host connected to the Internet.

A DoS attack floods the targeted resource with superfluous requests to overload the system and prevent legitimate requests from being fulfilled. Think of it liking walking into a Tim Hortons at 8:00 am and ordering 783 extra-large coffees – the first one double-double, the second one double-cream no sugar, the third one double-cream one-and-a-half sugars… You get the idea.

Large scale DDoS (distributed denials of service) attacks have already occurred. Last October, a DDoS attack shut down Twitter, SoundCloud, Spotify and a number of other websites for over two hours. The technology security vendor makes the case that these massive attacks were in fact cyber criminals testing out their cyber missiles in preparation for the big offensive.

Metaphors for the Internet are almost too numerous to mention. One of the early and still oft-quoted metaphors is the Internet is a highway, or perhaps more accurately, a network of highways. Once you are on it, you can go almost anywhere.

Extending the metaphor makes a massive DDoS attack the equivalent of the entire population of Toronto getting onto Highway 401 at 4:30 in the afternoon. Actually, I think I have lived that nightmare a few times. But that’s a story for another day.

The movie Field of Dreams immortalized the phrase If you build it, he will come. I tend to believe that the same principle applies in cyberspace: If you build it, they will find a way to break it – for monetary gain or just because they can.

I am officially going on record with my prediction that the Internet will crash this year. Call it the Cyber Apocalypse. Remember: You heard it here first.

~ Michael Robert Dyet is the author of “Until the Deep Water Stills – An Internet-enhanced Novel” – double winner in the Reader Views Literary Awards 2009. Visit Michael’s website at www.mdyetmetaphor.com or the novel online companion at www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog .

~ Subscribe to “Michael’s Metaphors of Life Journal aka Things That Make Me Go Hmmm” at its’ internet home www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog2 . Instructions for subscribing are provided in the “Subscribe to this Blog: How To” instructions page in the right sidebar. If you’re reading this post on another social networking site, come back regularly to my page for postings once a week.

Galaxies, Exoplanets, Black Holes and the Grand Symphony

Hmmm, will the scientific quest for knowledge one day take us literally to a brave new world?

The big news in the scientific world this week was NASA’s discovery of seven Earth-like planets orbiting a star 40 light-years away. What qualifies them as Earth-like is that water can likely exist on the surface of them which means life could also exist on them.

Technically, these newly discovered bodies are called exoplanets. What`s the difference? A planet is “a large astrological body which has cleared its orbital path within our own solar system aka galaxy”. The eight planets in our galaxy are: Mercury, Venus, Terre, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. An exoplanet is a planet that orbits any other star than the sun.

So then, what is a galaxy? A galaxy is a huge collection of gas, dust, and billions of stars and their solar systems all held together by the glue of gravity. Our galaxy, the Milky Way, apparently has a supermassive black hole in the middle. Supermassive black hole? Maybe that is where all my missing socks ended up.

The next logical question: How many galaxies are there? There are 17 named galaxies with colourful monikers like Black Eye Galaxy, Cigar Galaxy, Pinwheel Galaxy and Sombrero Galaxy. Scientists estimate there are 200 billion galaxies out there waiting to be discovered.

If there are in fact 200 billion galaxies, how many exoplanets are potentially out there? The figure is mind-boggling: 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000. I am not sure what to do with that figure except to hope that – if NASA resurrects space travel – we might be able to send Donald Trump to one of them and let him wreak his havoc there. But I digress.

How does one go about searching for and discovering galaxies and the exoplanets that inhabit them? You need a mother-f***ing big telescope. At the moment, the Hubble Space Telescope – which has been orbiting earth for the past 25 years – is the king of the telescopes.

But in the spirit of bigger is always better, in a few years the Hubble will have to give its crown to the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) currently under construction. JWST will be 100 times more powerful than Hubble with a mirror 6.5 metres in diameter. It will travel all the way out to something called a Lagrangian point 1.5 million kilometres away to operate.

What is a Lagrangian point? It is “a position in an orbital configuration of two large bodies”. Lagrangian coordinates are “a way of describing the motions of particles of a solid or fluid in continuum mechanics”. Okay, glad we cleared that up.

I am clearing getting in way over my head here. Men and women far more intelligent than I am are mapping the universe in a never-ending quest to unlock its secrets. We sometimes reach for metaphor to help us wrap our minds around these grand scientific concepts. The best example I have found: The cosmos is like a string symphony.

One can only hope that the knowledge gained, in this quest to write the symphony of the stars, will help us figure out how to preserve the fragile planet we are living on before our abuse of it makes it necessary for us to transplant the human race to another galaxy.

~ Michael Robert Dyet is the author of “Until the Deep Water Stills – An Internet-enhanced Novel” – double winner in the Reader Views Literary Awards 2009. Visit Michael’s website at www.mdyetmetaphor.com or the novel online companion at www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog

~ Subscribe to “Michael’s Metaphors of Life Journal aka Things That Make Me Go Hmmm” at its’ internet home www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog2 . Instructions for subscribing are provided in the “Subscribe to this Blog: How To” instructions page in the right sidebar. If you’re reading this post on another social networking site, come back regularly to my page for postings once a week.

Conjuring the Dragons of Summer To Tame the Chill of February

Hmmm, dare I begin the countdown to summer when icicles still dangle from the rooftops?

We are still firmly in the frosty grip of Old Man Winter. But already I am conjuring up images of the warm breezes of spring and the lazy, hazy days of summer. Around this time in the chilly days of February, I retreat into my photograph collection and transport myself to the gentler months that lie ahead where the dragons of summer hold court.

 

American Emeralds are the most common of the Emerald family of dragonflies. But convincing one to pose for a photograph is a true test of patience. Emeralds constantly dart and hover, dart and hover, dart and hover and only infrequently condescend to perch.

But the wait is well rewarded for the chance to admire the emerald eyes, the fuzzy teddy bear brown thorax and the spindle shaped abdomen. The perching posture of the Emerald show above seems ever so precarious anchored to the fragile beam of a broad green leaf.

Clubtail dragonflies, on the other hand, are quite cooperative as they perch at least as often as they fly. But distinguishing one Clubtail species from another is a daunting task and guesswork at best unless you are an expert in the field.

I’ve identified this specimen as a Lilypad Clubtail which may or may not be accurate. But kudos to it for resting placidly on the green expanse of a floating lily pad where its subtle colours and intriguing markings are shown off in fine style.

Spiketails are one of the larger dragonflies and always a treat to spot. You would think they would be difficult to miss based on their impressive size. But they are well camouflaged and blend in to their environment amazingly well.

This Twin-spotted Spiketail did me the favour of posting at just the right angle to show off both its twinned rows of vibrant yellow spots and its equally eye-catching yellow thorax stripes. It was the highlight of one summer day of dragonfly sleuthing.

The dragons of summers past remain ever faithful as harbingers of sun-bleached days yet to come and metaphors of the graces of summer in all its extravagance. The chills of February seem a bit less disheartening when I relive these memories of summers past.

~ Michael Robert Dyet is the author of “Until the Deep Water Stills – An Internet-enhanced Novel” – double winner in the Reader Views Literary Awards 2009. Visit Michael’s website at www.mdyetmetaphor.com or the novel online companion at www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog .

~ Subscribe to “Michael’s Metaphors of Life Journal aka Things That Make Me Go Hmmm” at its’ internet home www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog2 . Instructions for subscribing are provided in the “Subscribe to this Blog: How To” instructions page in the right sidebar. If you’re reading this post on another social networking site, come back regularly to my page for postings once a week

Memorial for the Muffin Man

Muffin

No hmmm today. Instead, a remembrance of precious years with a sweet and affectionate cat who brought joy to my life every day.

The love story began 16 years ago. I was married at the time. My wife and I had decided to add a cat to our family to go along with an adorable dog we called Bailey. My wife had visited the animal shelter and had her eye on an adult cat. But fate had other plans.

We walked into the shelter on a Saturday morning and learned that a litter of kittens had just come out of quarantine. Who can resist kittens? We went into the room to see them and I sat down in a chair. Promptly, one little guy scrambled up my leg, curled up in my lap and went to sleep. It was preordained that Muffin would come home with us.

Our Vet told us that male cats in his colour were very affectionate but known to get into mischief. Oh my, was he right! For his first two years, Muffin was a little rascal. Hardly a day passed without us hearing a crash and running into the next room to see what he had knocked over this time.

On one occasion, he got it into his head to push a glass vase of flowers off the kitchen table. It crashed to the ceramic tile floor and shattered into a thousand tiny pieces. I was more than a little perturbed at the time. But it is a treasured memory now.

Muffin and Bailey became instant buddies. They slept together and had regular play fights. On one occasion, we looked down the hall and saw Muffin with his paws wrapped around Bailey’s leg. Bailey was walking down the hall gleefully dragging Muffin along with him.

It was apparent early on that Muffin would be a big cat. His paws were large with extra toes on the front feet that gave him a characteristic loping stride. On a trip to the Vet when he was one year old, our Vet exclaimed: “He’s not a Muffin anymore. He’s a full blown cake!”

My wife and I split up a few years after we adopted Muffin. My wife kept the dogs (we had two by then) and I kept Muffin. After all, he picked me that day at the shelter. My apartment became his kingdom and he was prepared to defend it.

A friend came over one day with her German Shepherd. Muffin was not pleased that I allowed another animal into his domain. He made his stand under the table — hissing and snarling every time the dog approached. At one point, he charged out from under the table, hissing and swatting at the dog, earning himself the nickname The Muffinator.

But make no mistake. Muffin was a people-loving cat. When I had friends over, he was right in the heart of things charming everyone. He had a particular liking for shoes. He would settle with his paws inside the shoes and be perfectly content while everyone fell in love with him.

Muffin and I had a special connection. One particular day, I came home from work quite distressed. Muffin knew I was upset. He snuggled up to me on the couch and decided to climb up on my chest and settle there. From that day on, it became our special bonding position.

It is almost incomprehensible how much we come to love these loyal little creatures that share our lives. They ask only that we provide for their simple needs and that we love them – and they return that love tenfold. It broke my heart to let him go and it will be some time before I stop grieving.

Rest in peace, Muffin Man. You earned your heavenly reward. I love you. I miss you. But I would not trade those 16 years for any treasure on earth.

~ Michael Robert Dyet is the author of “Until the Deep Water Stills – An Internet-enhanced Novel” – double winner in the Reader Views Literary Awards 2009. Visit Michael’s website at www.mdyetmetaphor.com or the novel online companion at www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog .

~ Subscribe to “Michael’s Metaphors of Life Journal aka Things That Make Me Go Hmmm” at its’ internet home www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog2 . Instructions for subscribing are provided in the “Subscribe to this Blog: How To” instructions page in the right sidebar. If you’re reading this post on another social networking site, come back regularly to my page for postings once a week.

Random Act of Metaphor: The Owl Tree

The Owl Tree

Hmmm, do you see what I see or is there always more than what meets the eye?

I happened up this tree last summer at a conservation area I frequent in my summer rambles in search of winged wonders. I named it The Owl Tree because my fertile imagination conjured the image of an owl from the knot holes and texture of its bark.

I am curious. Would you have seen the face of an owl if I had not planted the image in your mind? Would you have seen simply an ordinary tree indistinguishable from all the others?  Perhaps something entirely different would have crystallized in your imagination.

A factor in my conjuring was the fact that I am a nature geek. I derive great pleasure from being able to distinguish between the subtle features of lookalike birds, butterflies and dragonflies. My brain is programmed to see reflections of these creatures wherever I cast my eyes.

What is the point of this philosophical ramble beyond confirming that I am a bit of a left-handed monkey wrench? Simply that the gray matter in that orb that sits on each of our shoulders is more than just neurons firing in predictable sequences. There is no blueprint for it. It is, for each of us, unique, one-of-a-kind and impossible to replicate.

The Owl tree – a random act of metaphor for the undefinable and irreplaceable oneness of each of us that should be celebrated and held sacred.

~ Michael Robert Dyet is the author of “Until the Deep Water Stills – An Internet-enhanced Novel” – double winner in the Reader Views Literary Awards 2009. Visit Michael’s website at www.mdyetmetaphor.com or the novel online companion at www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog .

~ Subscribe to “Michael’s Metaphors of Life Journal aka Things That Make Me Go Hmmm” at its’ internet home www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog2 . Instructions for subscribing are provided in the “Subscribe to this Blog: How To” instructions page in the right sidebar. If you’re reading this post on another social networking site, come back regularly to my page for postings once a week.