Michael Robert Dyet's Blog, page 60

Lifelines: Iconic Memories and Sunrises Yet to Come

Hmmm, is the story of my life already cast in stone or is the denouement yet to come?

I have been encouraged recently to examine my lifeline – the path my life has taken including the peaks and valleys. It is an interesting exercise to cast a backward glance and reflect on the watershed moments.

We each have our predisposition to certain behaviours. But genetics is not necessarily destiny. Who we are today is in many ways the sum total of our life experiences.

The rapid fire pace of modern life makes it challenging to indulge in a retrospective life scan. Many days it takes all my mental resources to simply keep my head above water as the waves of life keep cresting higher. Life seems to be at a perpetual high tide in these times.

One of my favourite comic strip scenes is a single Ziggy frame. Ziggy is sitting at a desk with papers piled high all around him. The quotation reads “I’m going to stop trying to get ahead so I can slow down the rate at which I’m falling behind.”

I have learned that memory is also quite a unique process for each of us. Some people can remember, with remarkable clarity, moments from their earliest childhood years. These moments have become imprinted in their consciousness.

I do not seem to have that range of recall. I have a handful of iconic memories from my early years. But episodes my siblings remember often draw a complete blank from me. I seem to have passed over these moments and let them slide away rather than imprint them.

As revealing as it is to trace our lifeline, I believe it needs to remain a conscious exercise and not develop into an obsession.

Quite often I open my e-mail inbox and see a bunch of “Undelivered mail returned to sender” messages. I see this as a metaphor for the risks of looking back more than you look ahead. Past experiences are formative I nature. But they are also locked in time and space.

If I get stuck in the behaviour of looking back and lamenting what might have been, I can get caught in the “undelivered, return to sender” loop. It becomes difficult, or even impossible, to move ahead because I am trapped in the past.

So I will learn what I can from the road I have travelled thus far. But then I will turn my face to the wind and forge onward. I may be the sum total of my life experiences to date. But there is much life yet to be lived.

I am still living the story of my life. In fact, the most interesting scenes may still lie ahead. When the final chapter is written, I hope it will say that I honoured what came before but always remained open to the next sunrise.

~ 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.

 

 

Battling the Buzz in an Email Obsessed World

Hmmm, is there a cyber spray for that incessant buzzing in my virtual ear?

I am old enough to remember the days before desktop computers and therefore the days when we survived without email as a form of communication. Admittedly, it is difficult now to recall that time. But there are days when I desperately wish I could turn back the clock. The constant barrage of emails in the work environment causes me a considerable amount of stress.

A few facts about this habit-forming jewel of technology:

Extrapolations by a research group estimate that 294 billion e-mails are sent every day. This translates to 90 trillion emails per year and 2.8 million emails every second.

Apparently, somewhere in the neighbourhood of 90% of these messages are spam and viruses. That is a scary thought and a blog post for another day. Even filtering out these offenders, there are still 1.9 billion genuine email messages zipping through cyberspace each day.

Admittedly, there are upsides to email technology. It allows us to communicate in real time with people on the other side of the globe. It has made our world a smaller, more accessible and more intimate place. Unfortunately we as a species have become addicted to this form of communication. A few facts I turned up from a simple Google search:

Researchers have determined that, on average, we check our e-mail every five minutes. One study found that we spend 23% of our working day dealing with e-mail. This is a scary thought for corporate executives with their eye on the bottom line.

AN AOL survey found that 47% of respondents claim to be hooked on email, 25% cannot go without email for more than three days, 60% check email on vacation and… wait for it… 59% of people check email from the bathroom. (Insert your own joke here.)

Generation X and Generation Y grew up with this form of communication. It is a part of their cultural DNA. Their brains are programmed from an early age to adapt to the constant interruption involved and not be bothered by it.

As a Baby Boomer, I am part of the generation that is caught in the email double-blind. Checking my email messages every five minutes is distracting and stressful. I wish I could wean myself away from the practice. But the prospect of an overflowing e-mail list after a few hours is even more disconcerting and compels me to do battle with my inbox on an ongoing basis.

Email messages are metaphorical mosquitos buzzing in my ear. No matter how often I swat at them (AKA read and delete), they just will not go away. And I cannot resist the itch to keep swatting.

I have no doubt that one or more of the big pharmaceutical companies are in the R&D stage of a medication to curb our addiction to email. The supreme irony is, when the breakthrough is made, we will all probably get the news… in our inbox.

~ 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.

 

Agents of Hope in a Time of Discontent

Hmmm, should I bar the doors or throw them open in this time of troubling discontent?

A couple of years back, I wrote a post titled A Rallying Call to Defeat Old Man Apathy in response to a collective mentality I perceived at the time. I see increasing signs now that this mentality has further devolved into a state of cynical discontent.

Discontent itself is not a bad thing. It prevents us from becoming complacent and can light a fire within us to take action against an unhealthy state of affairs. Discontent is often the precursor to significant leaps forward in human endeavour.

But the situation changes profoundly when the discontent is shaped by cynicism. Cynical discontent causes people to raise their guard and focus on protecting their own turf. Eventually, turf protecting turns outward and results in acts of aggression.

The recent killing of two soldiers in Ottawa and St-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec seem to me to be examples of such acts of aggression. Yes, I know there is a long and complicated history of conflicting ideologies at play. You can convict me of oversimplification if you choose. But I believe that cynical discontent is a central driver in these acts.

We are on the eve of a municipal election here in Ontario. Cynicism often shows up in elections in the form of low voter turnout. This time around I am inclined to think it is manifesting itself in the bewildering number of candidates who have put their names forward – at least here in Brampton where I reside.

I can hear you saying: But isn’t that a positive development? These people are stepping up to take action. I agree with that assertion to some degree. A number of these people are community advocates who have done the groundwork to qualify themselves as viable candidates. But others have no qualifications whatsoever for the job.

It is increasingly difficult today to find something solid to which to anchor ourselves. Our trust has been betrayed too many times. I suggest that the plethora of candidates is a symptom of this mistrust. Some of these people have thrown their hat in the ring because they have lost faith in elected officials in general. I can’t trust any of them so I’ll put my own name on the ballot.

As I pondered this state of affairs, I took a walk to enjoy the extended autumn we are blessed with this year. I stopped to admire a striking maple tree. It had a near perfect globe shape with leaves adorned in a palette of goldenrod yellow and waning crimson.

The other trees had all passed their peak of autumn colours. But this maple stood out in all its seasonal glory. A voice from above seemed to be saying: Do not dismay. Here is a metaphor of hope to replenish your faith in these troubling times.

Let each of us radiate optimism as we go about our daily lives. We need to be agents of hope – throwing open the doors rather than barring them – in this time of spiraling discontent.

~ 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 October Harvest of Colour

Hmmm, what lessons should we take from the blaze of October splendour?

It is that marvellous time in October when the fall colours have reached their peak. A single scan of the landscape below my window reveals a rainbow canopy of earthy orange, mustard yellow, rusty red and burnt umber with occasional splashes of white-freckled green.

If only it were possible to freeze-frame this view and preserve it for the frigid winter days that lie ahead. But that is the bittersweet quality of autumn at its climax. This exclamation mark is simultaneously the sign that change is in the air.

Over the next few weeks the leaves will release their fragile grip, tumble-twirl to the ground and curl into dried wisps. The trees will sigh one last time and surrender to winter slumber. The last of the migrant birds will depart one night with no fanfare.

The October harvest of colour is a metaphor for eternal successions to which we are relentlessly tied. All of life ebbs and flows through time-honoured cycles. There is no pause button at our disposal. We bear witness to the passage of time and tides but cannot influence them. The most we can do is honour them by never turning away from elemental truths:

Life is fleeting. Time is borrowed. Regrets are futile. Face into the wind.

~ 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.

 

Smart Belt Buckles, Wi-Fi Lapel Pins and Personal Holographs

Hmmm, are there any R&D wizards out there looking for ideas for truly useful 21st century applications of technology?

I read an article today that suggested the following marvels are not far away. And since Canadians are reported to be among the heaviest Internet users on the planet, they well may debut in our country.

Internet-enabled cars that can pay for gas at the pump
Shopping for food on online grocery stores via an internet-enabled refrigerator
Paying for in-store purchases with a wireless watch or bracelet device
Internet-enabled eye glasses
Retinal scanners to pay for items in a store
A chip implanted in a finger to tap in order to complete an in-store purchase

None of these technology marvels have much appeal to me. My debit card works just fine and I am rebellious enough to still carry actual money in my wallet. My credit card takes care of larger, unexpected purposes and still seems preferable to a laser scanning my precious retinas.

But I do have a few ideas for creative uses of technology that would make life easier. These are things that I would actually part with my hard-earned money to possess.

A brain implant that detects when you have reached multi-tasking overload and erects a magnetic force field around you. Anyone who attempts to pass through it is fried and reduced to particulate matter.

A scent-sensitive, smart belt buckle that alerts you to a deodorant-challenged person approaching so you can take evasive action.

A microchip in the engine of your car that diagnoses a major mechanical problem two weeks ahead and automatically posts a “Car for Sale” ad on Kijiji or Craig’s List.

A Wi-Fi lapel pin that picks up tiny disturbances in the force signaling that someone in the vicinity is about to pop their cork and go postal.

An e-mail spam filter that tracks back to the source of the spam message, locks out all the programs on their computer and burns a photo of water buffalo copulating into their monitor.

And finally, a holographic stunt double for those picture-perfect summer days when going to work is the absolute last thing on earth you want to do. In my case, of course, the hologram would need to be metaphor-enabled.

If anyone out there thinks one or more of these are worth pursuing, remember that you got the idea here. I expect a handsome royalty in perpetuity. I am also open to an upfront, lump sum payment. Half a million feels like a nice round figure. You know where to reach 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.

 

Soliloquy for the Cavalcade of the Seasons

Woodland Creek Summer 2014

Hmmm, are the seasons of our life measured the precious moments of joy we string together?

October has a quality all its own. As the birds depart species by species for their winter homes, the leave salute their going forth with a pageant of autumn garland – russet orange, mahogany, scarlet red, goldenrod, apple green and variations too numerous to describe.

Even as I marvel at the rainbow hues, the first cool day triggers a longing for the summer that slipped away too quickly. Yes, it was a damp summer with temperatures that at times struggled to get past the mid 60`s. But it had its memorable days.

The photograph at the head of this post was taken in early August at Hilton Falls Conservation Area. The vista captured my attention as I hiked a woodland path on the prowl for butterflies and dragonflies.

Normally this creek is reduced to a trickle by August. But the abundant summer rains this year kept it flowing at spring levels. The hazy, sun-washed view of the creek, tumbling over rocks and logs and disappearing over the cliff into the reservoir below, was a Norman Rockwell painting in the making.

I recall that the day this photograph was taken was one of the cool days that were common this summer. The sun was an escape artist – appearing and disappearing at random intervals.

But it was around enough to coax a few winged wonders to strut their stuff in the small woodland meadow that is one of my treasured hot spots. I always find a Saffron-winged Meadowhawk in the tall grass there. This year was no exception. The Great Spangled Fritillary, an orange flash darting by, was a bonus.

It was also a two-hairstreak butterfly day. Finding both a Banded Hairstreak and a Striped Hairstreak on the same day is always a summer highlight. The larger meadow, hidden down a side trail, my reliable spot to check off the classy Gray Comma butterfly on my season list, delivered on its promise.

Summer has now relinquished the field to the audacity of autumn. I am caught in between my affection for the colour showcase of fall and my love affair with the abundance of summer.

In a few weeks, autumn will wane and fade into the grays of November as winter rounds the corner. Then I will begin counting the days until spring blooms and brings wave after wave of avian migrants returning to their breeding grounds.

The older I get the more important it seems to live into the fullness of each day. For each season (with the exception of Old Man Winter) is a passing fancy that runs away from me before I have had my fill of it. Never enough is the plaintiff cry of my restless heart.

The glorious woodland scene that graced my August day is a heaven sent metaphor for living in the moment and stringing together those precious moments into unforgettable days. We cannot   freeze time. But now and then we can expand it and place our stamp of joy upon it.

~ 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 Least Bittern in the Yacht Club Bay

Hmmm, how many years will pass before this exquisite moment is repeated?

I can count on one hand on the number of Least Bitterns I have seen in 25+ years of birdwatching. They are shy, furtive and solitary birds that stay hidden in the marsh where they sometimes straddle reeds as they hunt for fish. Their buffy colour is effective camouflage.

I was certainly not expecting to see one in the yacht club bay. Waterfowl are common in this particular bay. But there is precious little cover for skulkers.

No doubt this one had stopped to recharge before making the daunting, nightlong flight over Lake Ontario on his southward migration. It found a tiny patch of reeds, in a small channel at the south edge of the bay, which afforded it the anonymity it needed for a day or two of rest.

It occurred to me, as I watched it hunt for a much needed meal, that I might not see another one for years. And in that moment, this Least Bittern in the yacht club bay became a random act of metaphor for the exquisite moments of privilege that nature offers up for those of us who worship her. Such moments are precious few but well worth waiting years to behold.

~ 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.

 

Red Light Rednecks and Other Reckless Road Rats

Hmmm, when did a license to drive become a license to be an idiot?

I have come to realize that people show through true colours when driving. Something about getting behind the wheel of a car unleashes their worst traits. I have identified several distinct species of drivers based on their road behaviours.

Intersection Interlopers: This species shows up at major intersections during rush hour when the traffic is backed up. They creep insidiously ahead into the intersection and end up blocking it when the light turns. The interval between green lights is an unbearable eternity to them.

Red Light Rednecks: I am not pointing the finger at those who make a questionable judgment call when the stoplight turns to caution. I am referring to the rednecks who see the light turn red long before they reach the intersection and blast through anyway. Newsflash: You may not value your life but the rest of us do. Your car is equipped with brakes for a reason!

Toxic Fumigators: This species drive vehicles that are 10 years of age or older and have not been tuned up since Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt. Their vehicles spew a toxic cloud of blue smoke out the tailpipe that under the right circumstances could be weaponized.

Wheel Burner U-Turners: A relatively new species that is rapidly reproducing. They lurk in the left turn lane at major intersections of divided roads. The moment the traffic light turns they dart out and make a wheel squealing U-turn. Most of us plan our routes in advance so we get to where we are going by legal means. But such foresight is apparently beyond these simpletons.

Nascar Wannabe Lane Leapers: A well established and annoying species who believe that speed limits do not apply to them. They speed recklessly down urban roads leaping from one lane to another at thirty second intervals. Driving is a wild thrill ride for these Nascar wannabes who are fatal accidents waiting to happen.

18 Wheeler Highway Hogs: This megalithic species frequents major 400 series highways. They pull up behind another vehicle traveling the speed limit and begin flashing their headlights which translates to: “Get out of my way.” Newsflash: You do not own the road just because you are driving an 80,000 pound vehicle!

Hothead Honkers: Life is too short to lose even a fraction of a second for this hyperactive species. Hesitate even for a moment at a stop sign or at a traffic light and they will blast you with their car horn. They have the patience of a five year old and one hand welded to the horn.

Some infamous cars have become metaphors. The Edsel: a metaphor for commercial marketing failure. The Pinto: a metaphor for cover-ups and scandal. The DeLorean: a metaphor for impractical dreams. The seven infamous species in this post: a metaphor for the fringe factor in the human species that drives the rest of us, literally and figuratively, to distraction.

Anybody have a good used helicopter for sale?

~ 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.

Where Were You When the World Changed?

Hmmm, are we posing the right question when we ask where were you when…?

I was on the 28th floor of the office tower above the Eaton’s Centre when I got the news. Not a particularly comfortable place to be when you learn that terrorists have crashed two airplanes into the World Trade Center in New York.

Companies throughout the city of Toronto let their employees go home early that momentous day. The entire Go Transit commuting population of the city descended on Union Station at the same time. The dynamics of that fearsome scenario was a subplot all on its own.

9/11 was the definitive where were you when day of our generation. It changed how we thought of the world and forever fractured our sense of security. Our lives were divided into before and after the day that we could never have imagined.

On that day we learned the scale of human disaster that is possible when ideology loses all perspective.

But 9/11 does not stand entirely alone. There have been other where were you when days for our generation.

January 28, 1986: The space shuttle Challenger exploded and disintegrated killing all seven crew members less than two minutes after launch. The root cause was the failure of an O-ring seal in a rocket booster.

On that day we learned that the twist of fate that determines our destiny may well arise from something small and apparently insignificant.

August 14, 2003: A software bug in an alarm system resulted in a widespread power outage that blacked out Ontario and parts of Northeastern and Midwestern United States. It was two days before power was restored to everyone.

On that day we learned that we are frighteningly dependent on computers and software. Ironically, the cascading effect of the blackout was an analogy for how interrelated our lives are in a world where so many do not see beyond their Blackberry screen.

December 22, 2013: An ice storm left half a million people without power in Ontario and Quebec. In the worst hit areas, there was an inch of ice accumulation on the ground. It took up to two weeks to restore power to everyone affected.

That day we learned that our sophisticated infrastructure – the testament to our apparent mastery of the world in which we live – is no match for the natural elements when weather systems collide in unpredictable ways.

These unforgettable days become iconic metaphors for how fragile our grip on life really is. The more we try to assert control over our world, the more we learn how vulnerable we are.

Could it be that the defining question is not Where Were You When?, but rather Where Are You Now – and is that where you really want to be? After all, today may be all we really have.

~ 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: Wind Turbine Alley

Hmmm, can my heart achieve the cadence of the gentle giants that watch over me?

I have had occasion to travel through Southwestern Ontario several times in the past few years. Wind generated energy is a growth industry in that part of the province. Each time I drive Highway 401 past London I pass through an area I have come to think of as Wind Turbine Alley.

Dozens of wind turbines rise from the farm fields along this stretch of the highway. Each of the towering white structures supports three massive, curved blades that gracefully slice through the air. They seem to be in perfect cadence as if keeping time by the same unseen clock.

There is something soothing and reassuring about the lazy spinning glide of the turbine blades. They never seem to speed up or slow down regardless of the weather. I cannot categorically state that this is so. It may well be that they accelerate in storms with high winds. But I prefer to believe that they maintain a constant speed.

Why do I choose to adhere to this belief? I like to think of the turbines as gentle, benevolent sentinels watching over me. Their influence slows down the too often chaotic pace of my life. They are random and mirrored metaphors for the reality that time itself never speeds up or slows down. It is only our perception of it that ramps up or cranks down the RPMs.

I aspire to live my life to the serene rhythm of the gentle giants of Wind Turbine Alley.

~ 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.