Michael Robert Dyet's Blog, page 9

The Cyber Security Contradiction

Hmmm, agree or disagree: Version 9.5 canwait while R&D works on securing the cyber door.

The term cyber security is thrown around a lot these days but mostly in a negative context. It is apparent that there is an inherent contradiction in the term. In fact, it arguably meets the definition for an oxymoron. If you have not heard that word, it refers to a figure of speech in which apparently contradictory terms appear in conjunction. Example: bittersweet.

There is a semblance of security inplace for the cyber world. But in my estimation it is about as effective as asieve. There are countless tiny holes that hackers can and do readily exploitto their advantage. Ransomware attacks – malicious software that denies auser’s access to a system until a sum of money is paid – are the mosttroublesome form of this exploitation.

Ransomware culprits have recently made apractice of targeting municipal governments. The City of Hamilton experiencedan attack in late February and is in the midst of the chaos it creates. TheOntario towns of St. Mary’s and Stratford were also hit in recent years. Both optedto pay the ransom: $290 in cryptocurrency for St. Mary’s and $75,000 in bitcoinfor Stratford.

Ransomware attacks are rapidlyescalating – reportedly up by 50% during the first half of 2023 –  with ransomware attackers pulling in over $1billion from victims for the year.

The culprits carrying out these attacksare getting much better at what they do. From what I have read, the averagenumber of days taken to execute an attack has dropped from around 60 days to only4. Equally concerning, the perpetrators are now exploring ways to useartificial intelligence (AI) to automate and accelerate attacks. Thank you verymuch AI!

I confess that I understand only about one per cent of the cyber world and its working parts. But I cannot help but wonder why the industry does not do more to protect us. FYI: Increasingly complicated multi-factor authentication protocols do not qualify as solutions in my book. All they do is delegate responsibility for guarding the cyber door to end users. In essence, saying: Stick your finger in the hole in the dyke. Problem solved.

We all know about phishing e-mails anddo our best to recognize them. But these e-mails are getting increasingly clever.I received one a couple of weeks ago advising me that my Facebook account wouldbe frozen within 24 hours – for “inappropriate content” – and instructing me tofollow the link to dispute the claim. It was quite convincing and I almost fellfor it.

I have maintained for some time that thebig tech companies should reallocate half of their R&D staff to developingbetter protection against these attacks. If they can develop increasinglysophisticated systems, surely that expertise can be applied to the cybersecurity problem.

Cyber criminals are the 21stcentury equivalent of burglars looking to break into our cyber house. It is incumbenton the tech industry to better secure the cyber doors to the systems theycreate.

Hey, tech guys: Put Version 9.5 of your software – with ten new functions I will never use – on hold until you can effectively secure the software. The security sieve you have in place now is woefully inadequate. The cyber doors are hanging half open. You need to secure them now!

~  NowAvailable Online from Amazon, Chapters Indigo or Barnes & Noble: HuntingMuskie, Rites of Passage – Stories by Michael Robert Dyet

~ Michael Robert Dyet is also the author of Untilthe Deep Water Stills – An Internet-enhanced Novel (now out of print) which wasa double winner in the Reader Views Literary Awards 2009. Visit Michael’swebsite at www.mdyetmetaphor.com .

~ Subscribe to Michael’s Metaphors of Life Journal aka That Make Me GoHmmm at its’ internet home www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog2 . Instructions for subscribingare provided in the Subscribe to this Blog: How To instructions page in theright sidebar. Ifyou’re reading this post on another social networking site, come back regularlyto my page for postings once a week.

Walk Your Own Path

Hmmm, is being a left-handed monkey wrenchyour badge of honour?

My interest in insects and photographingthem occasionally garners strange looks from casual observers. People who seeme walking nature trails with my telephoto lens generally assume I ambirdwatching. I mostly let this misconception stand as it avoids awkwardexchanges.

But when I kneel down and point mycamera at a tiny insect that escapes casual observation,  raised eyebrows and puzzled expressions arecommon. I can sense the voice in their head.   There is nothing there. What the devil ishe photographing?  

This tends to happen even more at thistime of year. In cooler weather, insects that are still active are mostly foundon artificial surfaces warmed by the sun: sides of buildings, windows, wood ormetal railings. I have staked out a few natural areas that have these kinds ofsurfaces.

A strip of Confederation Beach Park inHamilton is one of my regular, cool weather haunts. In particular, there is arestaurant (closed in the winter months) constructed of concrete painted white.It also has a patio with a half size, white concrete wall around it. Thesewhite wall seems to attract insects and accordingly attracts my interest.

On a warm day earlier this week, I wasscouring the walls of this restaurant with my camera at the ready. A manstanding out in front of the restaurant (I suspect he was the owner or manager)was giving me that puzzled expression. The following exchange occurred.

“What are you looking for?”

“Insects. The white walls of yourbuilding seems to attract them.”

“Is somebody paying you to do that?”

“No, it’s just a hobby.”

I could read his mind as a suspiciousexpression emerged on his face. I don’t believe that for a minute. He’s upto something nefarious and I don’t like it. I smiled and moved on so Iwould not draw his ire. But I did circle back later, when the man had left, fora closer look.

My interest in insects is relatively new.But strange looks from other people are not. The fact of the matter is that Iam a bit south of normal. I sing a different tune. I am a sore thumb. Aunicorn. A left-handed monkey wrench. Pick your metaphor of choice.

It can be disconcerting when you fallinto the category of a puzzle piece that does not fit. But eventually, with thewisdom of age, you come to terms with the fact that you are who you are. Youlearn to be comfortable in your own identity even if that identity puzzlesother people.

Frankly, I have come to believe thatbeing normal, a relative state at best, is overrated. It does make youblend in with the crowd which is comforting. But some of us were not meant toblend in. We were meant to go our own way however off the beaten path that maybe. We accept puzzled looks and raised eyebrows as a badge of honour. Our mottobecomes:

This is who I am. Sorry if that makesyou uncomfortable. But that is your issue, not mine.

~ Now Available Online from Amazon,Chapters Indigo or Barnes & Noble: Hunting Muskie, Rites of Passage –Stories by Michael Robert Dyet

~ Michael Robert Dyet is also the author of Untilthe Deep Water Stills – An Internet-enhanced Novel (now out of print) which wasa double winner in the Reader Views Literary Awards 2009. Visit Michael’swebsite at www.mdyetmetaphor.com .

~ Subscribe to Michael’s Metaphors of Life Journal aka That Make Me GoHmmm at its’ internet home www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog2 . Ifyou’re reading this post on another social networking site, come back regularlyto my page for postings once a week.

Random Act of Metaphor: The Mighty Midge

Hmmm, can we find inspiration in a creatureso small it is rarely even noticed?

As you will know if you follow my posts,I have long been an admirer of butterflies and dragonflies. I have spent many asummer day trekking through conservation areas in pursuit of these wingedwonders and snapping photographs of them.

I was always aware that there wereinnumerable other insects in the habitats I was frequenting. But it is only inthe last year, since I retired and since I invested in better photographicequipment, that my interest (arguably my obsession) expanded to the full spectrumof insects of which there are an astonishing 44,000 + species in Canada.

The El nino winter we are experiencing inthis area has made it possible to continue to pursue this interest throughoutthe winter months. And in that time, I have become a particular admirer of theminiscule yet mighty Winter Midge as shown at the head of this post.Such an elegant creature it is with its translucent wings, feathery antennaeand spidery, thread-sized legs.

It seems improbable that these mosquito-sized insects could survive winter temperatures. And yet they do. I have learned that they can survive freezing below –20 degrees Celsius (-4 degrees Fahrenheit) by suppressing their freeze-point with antifreeze-like biomolecules in their blood.

So when most other insects are dormant, WinterMidges are often still out and about. However, they have only a very shorttime to enjoy their resilience. Their lifespan is little over a month most ofwhich is spent in larvae stage. Their adult life lasts a mere three to fivedays.

Live in the moment takes on new meaningwhen you’re a Midge. So it seems appropriate to nominate the WinterMidge as a random act of metaphor for the need to make the most of the timewe have – for that time may be far shorter than we imagine.

~ Available Online from Amazon, ChaptersIndigo or Barnes & Noble: Hunting Muskie, Rites of Passage – Stories byMichael Robert Dyet

~ Michael Robert Dyet is also the author of Untilthe Deep Water Stills – An Internet-enhanced Novel (now out of print) which wasa double winner in the Reader Views Literary Awards 2009. Visit Michael’swebsite at www.mdyetmetaphor.com .

~ Subscribe to Michael’s Metaphors of Life Journal aka That Make Me GoHmmm atits’ internet home www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog2 . Ifyou’re reading this post on another social networking site, come back regularlyto my page for postings once a week.

Desperate Doug: Adding Fuel to the Fire

Hmmm, is there a more embarrassingpublic spectacle than the crash and burn of Doug Ford?

Contrary to what you might think, I amreluctant to post about Doug Ford and in any way contribute to his Hey, lookat me, I’m the best thing that ever happened to Ontario nursery rhymes. Buthe keeps getting under my skin and forcing me to vent.

Ford’s public communications in the lastyear have been mostly about damage control and are desperate attempts toreverse the downward spiral of his ill-fated government. He loves being infront of the camera but digs himself into a deeper hole every time he opens hismouth.

His latest political defeat is beingforced to repeal Bill 124 that capped salary increases to one per centper year for broader public sector workers including teachers and nurses. The Courtof Appeal ruled it unconstitutional as we all expected. This embarrassmentpiles on top of his other fiascos and political reversals:

The Greenbelt Scandal, the stench ofwhich is still clinging to him, and the reversed course on changes to municipalofficial plans and regional boundary expansions.

Backing away from the proposedDissolution of Peel Region which would have left Mississauga, Brampton andCaledon as independent cities.

Throwing in the towel on the law thatimposed a contract on education workers and banned them from striking using thenotwithstanding clause to guard against constitutional challenges.

Ford’s latest attempt to garner public favour is this week’s announcement of legislation that would in theory require any future Ontario government to hold a referendum before introducing a provincial carbon tax. This misguided political volley is so transparent it is laughable.

What is abundantly clear is that DougFord is desperately worried about new Liberal leader Bonnie Crombie who ischampioning the revival of the provincial Liberal party. He has dubbed her thequeen of the carbon tax – a juvenile attempt at a slight that Crombie islaughing off.

Fully two years in advance of the nextOntario election, the Ford government is running attack ads aimed at Crombie.Crombie is laughing in his face as she appropriately dubs him Desperate Doug.The Ford Government is also spending our money on a Look what a good jobwe are doing on the Ontario economy advertising campaign.

Doug: None of us our buying into your rhetoric any longer. Manyof us never did. Stop spending our money to try and put a positive spin on yourfall from grace.

Where Doug Ford is concerned, we arewitnessing the spectacular implosion of a political career. Every move he makesto try and salvage some respect falls flatter than the one before. Severalmembers of his government jumped ship in the Greenbelt Scandal. I expect thatothers are plotting their escape as we speak.

Adding fuel to the fire is usedto describe those who make a bad situation worse. It fits Doug Ford like aglove as he stumbles and fumbles his way through the demise of his politicalcareer.

~ Now Available Online from Amazon,Chapters Indigo or Barnes & Noble: Hunting Muskie, Rites of Passage –Stories by Michael Robert Dyet

~ Michael Robert Dyet is also the author of Untilthe Deep Water Stills – An Internet-enhanced Novel (now out of print) which wasa double winner in the Reader Views Literary Awards 2009. Visit Michael’swebsite at www.mdyetmetaphor.com .

~ Subscribe to Michael’s Metaphors of Life Journal aka That Make Me GoHmmm at its’ internet home www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog2 . Ifyou’re reading this post on another social networking site, come back regularlyto my page for postings once a week.

When I Grow Old: A Walk in the Sunshine

I grow old… I grow old…

I shall wear the bottom of my trousers rolled

~ T.S. Eliot, The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock

As I grow old and wear the bottom of my trousers rolled, Ilament the loss of the simple things of days long usurped by time.

Ah, the good old days. Simpler times. Whenthere was time to stop and catch your breath. I find myself using these expressions more often thesedays. It is an inevitable development when you have more years behind you thanahead of you – the polite way of saying I am getting old.

I have no doubt that every generationfalls back on these expressions in their senior years. But I believe that my generation– Baby Boomers – has a greater claim to them than ever before. We have seen atidal wave of change over the course of our lives. Life has become so dizzyinglyfast-paced and so much more complex.

Oh, how I miss the simple things of mysmall town youth. Things that required no digital technology and could be doneon a whim.

Getting on my bicycle, with its high handlebars and banana seat, to go for a ride for an hour with no destination in mindand my own company to keep.

Strolling down to the vacant corner lot(long since occupied by an apartment building) to pick wild strawberries andcatch grasshoppers.

Playing football in two neighbouringyards because no one felt the need to build fences around their property orworry about trespassers.

Going fishing at the creek with no GPSfish finder, no high tech – high speed – ultralight – gear ratio reel and noscented baits – just a dew worm on a hook and two lead shot sinkers.

Rotating the TV antennae to the rightposition to bring in the station you wanted to watch. Is that better? Whatabout this?

Playing catch with myself throwing arubber ball against the house and trying to get the perfect rebound from thespot where the foundation meets the ground.

Gathering at the neighbour’s yard in latesummer to climb the big tree, pick pears, put them in a six quart, woodenbasket and lower it to the ground by a rope tied to a branch.

Admittedly, part of this nostalgia islinked to the carefree days of youth when I had minimal responsibilities. But itis equally grounded in the simplicity of those times before the Internet,digital technology and the relentless sprint of progress.

As I grow old, I long for the days whensimplicity reigned supreme. When a walk in the sunshine with nowhere to get towas the best part of the day and a source of fulfillment all by itself. Simplertimes. The good old days. I miss them so.

~ Now Available Online from Amazon,Chapters Indigo or Barnes & Noble: Hunting Muskie, Rites of Passage –Stories by Michael Robert Dyet

~ Michael Robert Dyet is also the author of Untilthe Deep Water Stills – An Internet-enhanced Novel (now out of print) which wasa double winner in the Reader Views Literary Awards 2009. Visit Michael’swebsite at www.mdyetmetaphor.com .

~ Subscribe to Michael’s Metaphors of Life Journal aka That Make Me GoHmmm at its’ internet home www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog2 . Ifyou’re reading this post on another social networking site, come back regularlyto my page for postings once a week.

Facebook, Google and Kafka

Hmmm, what’s on Facebook today?

I will confess that this is a regularprompt for my curiousity these days. (Yes, I know Facebook is now Meta.But it will always be Facebook to me.) It is the only social media platformI actively participate in and I do enjoy what it offers.

I am intrigued about the algorithm that Facebookemploys. For those of you who may not know, this algorithm is a set of rulesthat evaluate and score each piece of content to identify the most relevantcontent for each user based on predefined factors. It applies these rules todetermine what your feed displays. Some of what is appearing in my feed thesedays makes sense:

Lots of wildlife photographs and naturevideo reels. This makes perfect sense as I regularly post photographs to nature-relatedFacebook groups.  

Posts for the television series NCIS.Makes sense as that show leans toward my demographic (the 60+ crowd). I do enjoythat series and the various spin-offs from it.

Excerpts from old comic strips like TheFarside and Peanuts (i.e. Charlie Brown & Snoopy). Makes senseas I am old enough to remember and enjoy those comic strips.

I am seeing lot of the “25 Most Embarrassing…”video reels – epic trips & falls and bonehead activities that end badly.Somehow the algorithm has figured out that these videos fall (no pun intended)into my guilty pleasures soft spot.

What is more intriguing, and a bit disconcerting, is that there is a clear connection between my Google search activity and what appears on my Facebook feed:

I had to buy a new smartphone andchecked out the Rogers website to get an idea which phone I might want. Facebooknow displays Rogers sponsored ads on my feed.

I am a Scotiabank customer andregularly access their website for online banking. Facebook now displaysScotiabank sponsored ads on my feed.

I check out the Toronto Maple Leafsgame schedule regularly. Facebook now displays posts from the MapleLeafs page in my feed.  

I cannot help but think that Facebookand Google have some sort of agreement to exchange information. Does Facebookknow all my Google search history and vice versa? These tech giantscooperating to track my digital footprint is too invasive for my liking.

Here is the really puzzling development.My feed recently included a link to an excerpt from Franz Kafka’s novella TheMetamorphosis. Kafka is a Czech novelist and short story writer from thelate 1800’s who wrote rather strange and highly metaphorical stories. TheMetamorphosis is about a man who wakes up one morning to discover he has turnedinto a large insect.

Why is this disconcerting? In my universitydays (40+ years ago), I took a course on Kafka and wrote on essay on his workincluding The Metamorphosis. Somehow the algorithm determined that TheMetaphor Guy has a latent interest in Kafka and that is very spooky!

~ Now Available Online from Amazon,Chapters Indigo or Barnes & Noble: Hunting Muskie, Rites of Passage –Stories by Michael Robert Dyet

~ Michael Robert Dyet is also the author of Untilthe Deep Water Stills – An Internet-enhanced Novel (now out of print) which wasa double winner in the Reader Views Literary Awards 2009. Visit Michael’swebsite at www.mdyetmetaphor.com .

~ Subscribe to Michael’s Metaphors of Life Journal aka That Make Me GoHmmm at its’ internet home www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog2 . Ifyou’re reading this post on another social networking site, come back regularlyto my page for postings once a week.

Getting Away is Okay

Hmmm, are you finding joy along the winding road of life or focusing only on the destination?

Recently the lyrics of the classic TV sitcom Cheers have been running on repeat in my head. It was 40+ years ago that this lyric was written but it rings even more true today.

Making your way in the world today takeseverything you’ve got / Taking a break from all your worries, sure would help alot / Wouldn’t you like to get away…

It feels like there is nothing but bad and depressing news flying at use every day. A few examples to illustrate my point :

The Israel Hamas war is raging on withthe humanitarian crisis in Palestine worsening every day.

Houti rebels are attacking commercialships in the Red Sea. The USA is responding with missile attacks.

The Russian invasion of Ukraine iscoming up on its two year anniversary with no end in sight. Patrick Sanders,Chief of the UK General Staff, is warning that UK citizens must be prepared forwar with Russia.

The “mother of all cyber securitybreaches” has been reported. A staggering 26billion records have been exposed in a supermassive leak from popularplatforms including LinkedIn, X, Dropbox and Adobe.

Health Canada and the Canadian Food InspectionAgency have issued more food recalls for reasons ranging from possiblesalmonella contamination to undeclared productsthat may cause reactions to those with allergies and sensitivities.

Donald Trump, despite all the charges laidagainst him and his increasingly unstable behaviour, has won the Iowa and NewHampshire primaries. It is not out of the question that he could becomepresident of the United States once again.

We are living in messy and worrisometimes. We all need ways to get away from the messiness for a while. Forsome of us this may mean jumping on a plane to go to a sunny destination for aweek. For others it may be as simple as shutting off the news and going to seea movie – or closing the blinds and curling up in front of the fire with a goodbook.

At times like this, it is necessary to remind ourselves that life is a journey. There are times when the roads are straight and smooth and other times, like the present, when they are winding and treacherous with gaping potholes that threaten to swallow us.

We have to remember that a destination is not the goal for our life journey. Finding pleasure in the things we can along the way, despite the worries and setbacks, is a necessary survival skill. We never really arrive. In the final accounting, it will be how much joy we found along the way that will define how successful our life was.

Please know that getting away now and then is okay. Now if you will excuse me, I am going to curl up with a good book and escape the craziness for a few hours.

~ Now Available Online from Amazon,Chapters Indigo or Barnes & Noble: Hunting Muskie, Rites of Passage –Stories by Michael Robert Dyet

~ Michael Robert Dyet is also the author of Untilthe Deep Water Stills – An Internet-enhanced Novel (now out of print) which wasa double winner in the Reader Views Literary Awards 2009. Visit Michael’swebsite at www.mdyetmetaphor.com .

~ Subscribe to Michael’s Metaphors of Life Journal aka That Make Me GoHmmm at its’ internet home www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog2 . Ifyou’re reading this post on another social networking site, come back regularlyto my page for postings once a week.

Summer’s Glory Revisited

Hmmm, how fortunate to have exquisite reflections of summer sunlight to look back on in the deep freeze of cruel January.

We are into the dead of winter here.Temperatures have plummeted below the freezing mark with bone-chilling windchills. Venturing outdoors requires bundling up in full winter weather attireand summoning your will to brave the cold.

Confession: I am a winter wimp. It wasnot always that way. As a child I would charge out into the cold to go tobogganingor play road hockey. I actually liked shoveling snow back then. Butsomewhere along the way I went soft. Now I hibernate like a grumpy bear in thecold weather.

My antidote for the winter blues is toimmerse myself in my nature photos from the previous summer. I use these imagesto transport myself back to those hot, sunny days and pretend I am living themagain.

One of my discoveries this past summerwas Hover Flies aka Flower Flies. They are often seen hovering atflowers feeding on nectar and pollen. They are diminutive – less than ¾” in lengthin most cases – and are quite exquisitely attired (as illustrated in the Transverse-bandedFlower Fly at the head of this post) – in combinations of yellow, black andbrown.

I was fortunate to capture the Narrow-headedMarsh Fly above perched on a purple flower that provided a lovely backdrop.The delicate veined markings in the gossamer wings capture the sunlight and showto perfection.

The Oblique-banded Pond Fly aboveis a rather chunky fellow and nicely positioned on a green leaf. It is notoften that I get a photo so clear that the feathery hairs that fringe the body showup so distinctly.

The Common Drone Fly shown above survives quite late into the season when other Flower Flies are gone. This one had the fashion sense to perch on an orange leaf and appears to be contemplating its’ own shadow as a I contemplate it!

For today at least, Flower Fliesare my metaphor for the glory of summer, its radiant beams of sunlight and the symbioticrelationship that exists among nature’s many creatures. If only I could pushthe fast-forward button and leap forward into summer’s arms again!

~ Now Available Online from Amazon,Chapters Indigo or Barnes & Noble: Hunting Muskie, Rites of Passage –Stories by Michael Robert Dyet

~ Michael Robert Dyet is also the author of Untilthe Deep Water Stills – An Internet-enhanced Novel (now out of print) which wasa double winner in the Reader Views Literary Awards 2009. Visit Michael’swebsite at www.mdyetmetaphor.com .

~ Subscribe to Michael’s Metaphors of Life Journal aka That Make Me GoHmmm at its’ internet home www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog2 . Ifyou’re reading this post on another social networking site, come back regularlyto my page for postings once a week.

The Seasons of Our Lives

Hmmm, how profound that the seasons ofthe year mirror the seasons of our lives.

Up here in Canada we experience the fullprogression of the seasons: vibrant spring, extravagant summer, autumn’s colourcavalcade and the lockdown of winter. We are currently in the depths of winterwhich is my least favourite time of the year. But each of the seasons has itscharacter and mirrors a period of time in our life.

I think of spring as the season of prelude.The earth awakens from its winter slumber. The temperature trends upward and colourgradually returns to the landscape. Spring flowers adorn the woodland glades asshown in the photograph above. We began to spread our wings and prepareourselves for the promise of summer that lies ahead.

I think of summer as the season of magnitude.Everything feels larger and more emphatic. Nature bursts forth in vibrantgrowth and colour as the marsh photograph above reflects. All of MotherNature’s creatures mate and bear their offspring. There is a feeling ofabundance and unlimited potential. We open ourselves to the fullness of natureand bask in its glory.

I think of fall as the season of interlude.The leaves turn from verdant green to pastel red and gold, then to muted yellowand brown. Shadows lengthen and the days shorten as captured in the forest sceneabove. We put on our fall jackets, exult in the cavalcade of colours and begin,albeit reluctantly, to prepare ourselves for the coming of winter.

I think of winter as the season of solitude.We hunker down, pull in our wings and spend more time in quiet and solitarycontemplation. But solitude is not nothingness. It is a necessary discipline ititself. The Ring-billed Gull in the photograph above, perched resolutelyon a rock at the lake’s edge, symbolizes this time of year when we turn inwardand cultivate patience.

The progression of the seasons is thedefinitive metaphor for life – from childish glee and anticipation, to youthfulexuberance and expectation, to middle-age’s slower and more thoughtful pace, tothe wisdom and self-reflection of old age.

Prelude, magnitude, interlude andsolitude: Each has its gifts and its associated costs. We are all birds inmigration, from birth through life to death, grasping the fruits of each seasonto sustain us and prepare us for the transformations that always and inevitablylie ahead.

~ Now Available Online from Amazon,Chapters Indigo or Barnes & Noble: Hunting Muskie, Rites of Passage –Stories by Michael Robert Dyet

~ Michael Robert Dyet is also the author of Untilthe Deep Water Stills – An Internet-enhanced Novel (now out of print) which wasa double winner in the Reader Views Literary Awards 2009. Visit Michael’swebsite at www.mdyetmetaphor.com .

~ Subscribe to Michael’s Metaphors of Life Journal aka That Make Me GoHmmm at its’ internet home www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog2 . Ifyou’re reading this post on another social networking site, come back regularlyto my page for postings once a week.

Water: The World in a Droplet

Water does not resist. Water flows. When you put your hand into it, all you feel is a caress…” Margaret Atwood, The Penelopiad

Hmmm, what else could be both theessence of life and the world in a droplet?

We tend to take water for granted. It isalways just there to nourish us, literally and figuratively, and toinspire us in so many ways. Did you know: 71% of the earth’s surface is water-covered.

I have always loved to be around water:lakes, rivers, streams, ponds and marshes. I find them soothing to my soul in away that is difficult to express in words. Margaret Atwood does a much betterjob of it, in the quotation that is interspersed through this post, than I evercould.

We are particularly blessed here in the Great Lakes region. Did you know: The Great Lakes contain an estimated six quadrillion gallons of water – fully one-fifth of the world’s surface water. We have the luxury of being able to stroll the lake shoreline whenever we please and bask in its lifegiving force.

The Grand River is also just afew miles away. Did you know: The Grand River is the largest river inOntario stretching over 280 kilometres with 16 tributaries flowing into it. GrandRiver vistas, like the one above, call out to me to slow down, rest, put asidethe cares of life and be enveloped in the grace and wonder.

… Water is not a solid wall, it will notstop you. But water always goes where it wants to go, and nothing in the endcan stand against it…

Water takes on a different persona when it thunders over a drop in the land as depicted in the photo above of Albion Falls in Hamilton. We are also blessed in this area to be only an hour away from the majestic Niagara Falls. Did you know: Niagara Falls ranks fifth in the list of the world’s ten tallest waterfalls. 3,160 tons of water flow over the Horseshoe Falls every second.

Standing in the presence of one of these cataracts, I become aware of the ferocious force of water and how, as Atwood puts it, nothing can stand against it.

… Water is patient. Dripping water wearsaway a stone. Remember that, my child. Remember you are half water.

At the other end of the spectrum are waterdrops. Each are a wonder of their own when they rest on a leaf as shown in the photograph at the head of this post. Did you know: Waterdrops form because water is sticky. It clumps together because of its cohesive properties.

The water droplets on this plant leafare little islands of wonder. If I free my mind to roam as it wishes, I can seeentire worlds in each drop and imagine the leaf they cling to is a universe ofits own.

Water metaphors abound. A drop in the bucket.A sea of trouble. A river of words. But the one that most appeals to me is aflood of emotion. Did you know: Water makes up 66% of the human body andfully 70% of the human brain. So it literally does flood my emotions in everysense of the phrase.

Water: The essence of life and the worldin a droplet.

~ Now Available Online from Amazon,Chapters Indigo or Barnes & Noble: Hunting Muskie, Rites of Passage –Stories by Michael Robert Dyet

~ Michael Robert Dyet is also the author of Untilthe Deep Water Stills – An Internet-enhanced Novel (now out of print) which wasa double winner in the Reader Views Literary Awards 2009. Visit Michael’swebsite at www.mdyetmetaphor.com .

~ Subscribe to Michael’s Metaphors of Life Journal aka That Make Me GoHmmm at its’ internet home www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog2 . Ifyou’re reading this post on another social networking site, come back regularlyto my page for postings once a week.