Love 4 One Another @ the store

Okay, this actually happened a couple of months ago but I’m just now getting around to writing about it because… well, you know me, life got in the way. So, you see, Ms. Spooky and I were in the grocery store shopping and had just finished and headed to the checkout line.  We got behind this little old lady who only had maybe 20-25 items in her cart and was half way through checking out so we guessed it would be quick.  Well, we were wrong.  The cashier rang up the ladies purchase and told her the total. Now apparently the lady was on a fixed income and was also using some type of government assistance card.  Anyway, the little lady swiped her card and it was denied.  So she fumbled through her pocketbook and came up with some cash.  The cashier helped her count it out and the whole time the lady was apologizing for holding us up and making us wait.  We just told her it was quite okay and to take her time.  In the end, she was around $30 short of being able to pay for everything so she started trying to decide what to put back.  She had tears in her eyes and was really embarrassed.  I told the cashier to not put anything back but to ring it all up on my bill and let the lady take it with her.  But to my amazement, the lady refused.  She said she couldn’t do that and that it wasn’t right and started crying harder.  She paid for what groceries she could and then left the store. 

We talked to the cashier about that whole last part. She said she thought that the lady was really embarrassed that she couldn’t support herself and that it embarrassed her even more that I tried to help her.  Is that where we are today? When we reach out a helping hand to someone who needs it and they are too embarrassed, too proud to take it? This lady was probably in her 70s easily.  I am quite sure in her 70 plus years on this mortal coil, she has reached out and offered a helping hand to someone in need. But now, when she needed it she couldn’t accept it because of her pride? I hope that I get a chance to help her again one day.  That I get a chance to show her what Love 4 One Another is really about and that she will accept it this time.  After all, we only get a few chances to make a difference in this world and we have to take advantage of them when we can.  If you can make a difference in just one person’s life for just one moment, then it is truly a good day!

Until next time, Love 4 One Another, Love 4 Each Other, Love 4 Us All! Peace & B-Wild!!!

RSD 2018 - Hunting 4 1999

Let’s flashback to Saturday, April 21, 2018.  It’s a beautiful spring day here in the Music City which I was hoping would be a good sign for I was on the hunt.  You see, this day was Record Store Day and I was on the hunt for the Warner Bros. single disc reissue of the 1999 album. Since I am one of those nocturnal creatures of the night, I had just gotten off work, quickly changed clothes and Ms. Spooky and I made our way to nearest Wrecka Stow where a line had already formed. We took our place in line like the good obedient automatons that society has turned us into meanwhile I could not shake the image of the lines of children marching into the meat grinder from Pink Floyd’s The Wall. As we stood with the 200 or so other people in front of us, we idly chit-chatted and listened to the banal ramblings of three soon-to-be lawyers as they discussed how they had the solutions to all of the world’s problems. Even as one of them talked about how he couldn’t manage to even parallel park his car.  Wait… what? You can’t parallel park your car but you can solve the world’s problems? Okay there Skippy McGriffin!!! Sorry, I digress, but I had to listen to Skippy and the Wonder Twins for almost two hours until the store opened.  While waiting in line, I discovered that several people in front of me were also in search of the same record I was. Hmmmm… this did not bode well for me. I needed to come up with a Plan ‘B” but what could that be? Then inspiration struck me. Well, not really. I wouldn't say it struck me or that I was actually inspired at all. You see, what happened was I actually got a message on Twitter from my friend Gina in Ohio.  Seems Gina was in search of 1999 as well and was having much better luck.  Where I was in line with hundreds of others, she was at her local Wrecka Stow with just a couple of people.  So Plan “B” was born.  If she could, she would grab an extra copy of 1999 for me just in case I couldn’t grab one for myself.  So we waited.

As time crawled past with glacier like speed, I followed Gina’s progress on Twitter since she is an hour ahead of me.  She breezed in to her local Wrecka Stow and snatched up her copy of 1999 but alas, a copy for me was not to be found. But not one to give up, the campaign quickly turned to another Wrecka Stow that she knew had a couple of copies of the album.  Meanwhile, the line I was in slowly inched its way inside my Wrecka Stow here in Music City. Another update from Gina to let me know that she had arrived at Checkpoint Bravo and that golden goose had flown the coop, in other words, she was at the new Stow but they were sold out of 1999.  Damn! Plan “B” isn't looking too hot right now! Finally I make my way into my local Stow and what do you know, no 1999. Not a copy to be found anywhere, which is exactly what I feared. Ms. Spooky decided to ask one of the employees, you know just in case we had overlooked it or it was in some special place we hadn’t thought of looking.  So she finds an employee, some 20-something kid with shaggy-mop hair that looks like he’s closer to 12 years old and asks him if they have 1999 by Prince.  He says, “Prince? Hmmm… Prince is probably in the ummmm. Probably in the P’s.  I’d check in that area.” Wow!!! Thank you sooo much. I would never have guessed to look there. Someone call NASA and let them know that I found their missing rocket scientist. On a side note, do you know how hard it is to type while you are rolling your eyes? Pretty damn hard.  Anyway, back to the Mensa-Man of the Year candidate and our search for the ever-elusive 1999.  So after the shocking epiphany of checking in the “P” section, I decided it was time to leave.  As I slowly walked to the car, head hanging in defeat, I sent Gina a message to let her know that we had failed miserably also but thanks for trying.  She replied back, “Good news! I got you one!” Apparently while I was dealing with the rocket surgeon (yeah, rocket surgeon – you know - part rocket scientist, part brain surgeon), she had gone to a third Wrecka Stow and hit the jackpot. Then after a few days wait, I received a package in the mail and I was the proud owner of a Record Store Day 2018 Exclusive single-disc re-issued Prince album 1999.

This is what the Purple Army is all about.  True Funk Soldiers coming together in the spirit of Love 4 One Another and helping each other out. So thank you once again, Gina and of course thank you for each and every day, Ms. Spooky! To the rest of you, remember to Love 4 One Another, Love 4 Each Other, Love 4 Us All! Peace, B-Wild & Stay Funky!!!

Time? It's a trick!

Time. What is time? That precious commodity that we never seem to have enough of when we need it? Is it an illusion? Douglas Adams said, "Time is an illusion. Lunchtime, doubly so!" St. Augustine said, "There are three times; a present time about things past, a present time about things present, a present time about things future. The future exists only as expectations, the pasts exists only as memory, but expectation and memory exist in the present." Physicists from Einstein to Barbour have debated its existence and true meaning for years! 

What i found interesting was this essay that Prince posted on his old Love4OneAnother website back in the day concerning the concept of time. Here's what he had to say (copied from the website verbatim):

Time & Space: The great separation ILLusion

ONcE upon an eternity, the notion of "time" did not xist.... 

time: the origin of the term is the word 'tide', which comes from the Greek daiesthai, 2 divide.

Time is an xpression of separation, a means used 2 segregate life in2 individual portions instead of a whole. 

There r many who pull themselves apart by tying their health and sanity 2 a clock - the stockbroker monitoring the tickertape, hoping the market closes b4 his ticker does... the partier measuring the years since her day of birth as if rings on a tree, developing more rings under the eyes as she does so. 

When we dream, worlds xist without time or space. The mind accepts without judgment because the mental censor which filters r thoughts is turned off. A dream lasting minutes can feel like hours, and easily flows from one location 2 another as if the same... there is no separation. 

When doing things we injoy most, the sensation of time stops. When in love with life - when r minds and spirits r ONE and act in unison - there is always enough 'time.' Though the day may fly by, much is accomplished. Alternately, where there is conflict within the self - friction due 2 SEPARATION between one's inner knowing and outward actions - 'time' turns 2 drudgery, stretching endlessly with little fulfillment. 

When we all choose 2 live in the spirit of oneness, looking within rselves (instead of 2 outside, separate sources) and acting upon what r hearts reveal, we will also b united with one another. Living this way will free humanity from the hands of the clock 4ever... there will b no more desire 2 judge pure love, beauty and joy by putting increments on it because they r endless! The kingdom of love is upon us!

Uhhhh, okay brother! Why don't you play me another funky guitar solo and leave the quantum theorizing to someone else? Oh lawd! Somebody help him! 

And the Tears Began to Fall (Again)

Just when I thought I had fully recovered from the tragic lost of our beloved Prince, I discovered this wonderful tribute.  Now don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that I don't miss him.  I'm just saying that I have accepted his death and moved on with life.  Well, I thought I had.  This video is called APRIL SNOWS and it is by four musicians in New York who wanted to pay tribute to Prince.  They came together and recorded their completely spontaneous version of Sometimes It Snows In April.  This is not a new video, it was recorded back in May, but it was new to me.  Take a look below:

I will be the first to admit, I lost it about a third of the way through this video and the tears began to fall like rain. I don't know why.  I've listen to this song several times over the last several months and it hasn't bothered me but this version...something about it got to me. I can't pinpoint it or describe it but something about it touched my soul. I guess maybe I will never truly get over Prince's death but with videos like this, I can always celebrate his life.  After all, I think that's what he would've wanted.

Love4OneAnother! Love4EachOther! Love4UsAll!

Love4OneAnother at Thanksgiving

Last week, those of us here in the United States celebrated Thanksgiving, a time to be thankful for one's blessings.  If ever there was a perfect time for the feeling of Love4OneAnother, this would be one of those times in my opinion.  That's why I am writing this post.  To share an experience I had a couple of days before Thanksgiving.

 
It was the Tuesday before Thanksgiving and I was at the grocery store doing my weekly shopping.  The store was more crowded than usual, which is common this time of year, as people are preparing for their big Thanksgiving dinners. While walking down one of the aisles, I noticed an elderly lady (probably in her mid- to late 70s) on one of those motorized shopping carts.  She looked like she was in distress as she had a very worried look on her face.  I asked her, "Ma'am, is everything okay?" She replied, "I can't turn my cart around." I asked her why not and she said, "No one will let me." As she looked around wildly at everyone rushing by her.  I told her that wasn't a problem.  I took my cart and blocked the aisle in front of her and then walked behind her and told everyone to hold up for a moment.  She was able to get her cart turned around with no problem, thanked me and headed on to the next aisle.  I told everyone else thanks for waiting and then headed to the next aisle.  When I got there, I saw the same lady struggling to get an item off the top shelf.  So I walked over and got it for her.  We made our way down the aisle together and I helped her get three or four more items before we got to the end of the aisle.  When we got to the end of the aisle, she turned to the right while I turned left.

As I am walking away, another woman approached me and said, "Sir, I think your mother went the other way." I laughed and told her that wasn't my mother and that I had never met her before today.  The lady said she saw me helping her and assumed it was my mother and I told her, "Nope, never seen her before today."  So then the lady asked me the question that triggered this post.  She asked me, "Then why did you help her?" I was shocked!!! I looked at the lady and asked her to repeat her question.  She said, "If you don't know her, then why did you help her?" I looked her straight in the eyes and said, "That's not the question you should be asking.  The question you should be asking is why didn't YOU help her? That's what you should be asking.  Have a Happy Thanksgiving." I then turned and walked away.  When I got to the end of the aisle, I looked back and the woman was still standing in the same place thinking about what I said.  Hopefully I opened up her mind if just for a minute.

This elderly lady needed help and I helped her.  I didn't know her but I didn't need to because that's what we are supposed to do.  For that one moment in time, that lady and I were in Paisley Park! Isn't that what Love4OneAnother is all about? Shouldn't this be the true spirit of Thanksgiving? Shouldn't this be what the human race strives to achieve? Then again, am I just a dreamer too?

Love4OneAnother! Love4EachOther! Love4UsAll! Peace!