Random Act of Kindness?

I'm not sure how random this was. I think I may know the person who perpetrated this thoughtful thing but I can't be sure. Regardless of whether I know who did it or not, I was the recipient of a loving act of kindness yesterday. What a great feeling.

I was on an access road traveling south along one of Austin's main thoroughfares (they call it MoPac after the train that runs alongside it). Now I've been here long enough to get around pretty well but am still not that familiar with the roadways. My vision is not the best either, if I'm not wearing contacts or glasses, so you can imagine how easy it is for me to get in trouble.

Anyway, I was planning to get on the freeway but the lanes are kind of crazy at the intersection right before the on-ramp. I didn't know it at the time but I was in the wrong lane to pull that off. A car that was behind me, passed on my right (that always gets my attention) and maneuvered into the correct lane for freeway entrance.

By this time I was already asking myself if I was in the right lane. I HAD been here before but I've also made the same mistake before and somehow my brain has it wired wrong. All this was going on in my head when, the car that moved around me into the correct lane, moved back into the right lane and blinked it's tail lights in a syncopated rhythm - a move similar to what truckers do.

He was signaling. That was confirmation for me that sure enough I was in the wrong lane. Ultimately, it gave me time to get in the right lane in time to make a safe passage through the intersection and onto the freeway.

This small action made me feel so loved and cared for it's hard to imagine. Now this has a lot to do with who I am as a person and how I respond to actions that demonstrate caring. It touched me that a person I don't even know would go out of their way to protect me. In fact, it made me feel so good, I sang all the way home:)

I've been listening to a lot of the Robbins-Madanes training materials with the coaching package I purchased and some on-line relationship materials as well and that has heightened my sensitivity. Last week I wrote about a 5-part free training series that spoke deeply to me on issues of trust. I took the post down because the series was temporarily unavailable. It's back up. You can see it here.

Who knows how long the series will be available free online. It's great stuff on human-needs psychology and how to build and repair relationships - all essential material for writers. Whether you're in a relationship or not, I urge you to check it out.

Silly Story Wisdom

Sometimes I think the universe has a sense of humor. I KNOW it has an uncanny sense of timing. This one hits home especially right now on the theme of entering new territory and learning how essential it is to ask the right questions. Here goes:

Bagpipes

As a bagpiper, I play many gigs. Recently I was asked by a funeral director to play at a graveside service for a homeless man. He had no family or friends, so the service was to be at a pauper's cemetery in the Oklahoma back country.

As I was not familiar with the backwoods, I got lost and, being a typical man, I didn't stop for directions.

I finally arrived an hour late and saw the funeral guy had evidently gone and the hearse was nowhere in sight. There were only the diggers and crew left and they were eating lunch.

I felt badly and apologized to the men for being late. I went to the side of the grave and looked down and the vault lid was already in place. I didn't know what else to do, so I started to play.

The workers put down their lunches and began to gather around. I played out my heart and soul for this man with no family and friends. I played like I've never played before for this homeless man.

And as I played 'Amazing Grace,' the workers began to weep. They wept, I wept, we all wept together. When I finished I packed up my bagpipes and started for my car. Though my head hung low, my heart was full.

As I opened the door to my car, I heard one of the workers say, "I never seen nothin' like that before and I've been putting in septic tanks for twenty years."

Apparently I'm still lost....
(anonymous)

Writer as Watchdog

My college professors would be proud. Here I am performing the role of "the fourth estate" (which can be dangerous these days) - following the trail of a story and searching out the truth. Funny thing is, I feel like now I'm wearing a white hat. It's a big responsibility - even in a small little town.

It's investigative journalism on the microcosmic scale and it involves a set of people skills akin to mediator. I love a challenge so in that sense it's fun - AND I get paid to do it. Today I'm on the case...back to the sleepy village of Wimberley to interview parties on a very polarized issue.

Leave it to me to kick up the dust. It will at least sell some papers!

Finding Motivation - Taking Action

Every accomplishment I have ever claimed has been the result of reaching deep down, making the absolute commitment and taking action. Failure is not an option. Today is one of those days.

I'm sad over the loss of connection with someone I'd hoped to start dating (he knows who he is - he wears a white hat). I have to take responsibility for my tendency to "hide out", to resist attempts to connect. It has to do with low self-image - partly because I've put on some weight and don't feel attractive. Tai Chi and walking are great but they aren't enough to make the ultimate permanent shift.

So today marks the beginning of a commitment to return to my ideal weight and fitness. I'm writing about it here because by making a public announcement, I raise the bar. It's easy to say you want to change. Telling people you've committed to a specific goal is a great support because nobody likes to fail in public.

I've identified my weight loss goal
I've located a coaching program
I've invested in it
Today I'm implementing my plan

This is exciting. Of course I wish I could have the results right now. A powerful motivator for me is looking forward to having the body AND the love I deserve (visualization). Another motivator is knowing I need to BE the person (or type of person) I want to attract - a person of quality, principle, integrity and action. For me, part of that profile includes taking excellent care of my body.

If you're into Tony Robbins (or even if you're not), you might find this video inspirational. It IS possible to be outrageous and fun right here, right now. Caution, not for the cynical or unromantic.

Houston Bound

Headed out to Houston today with my sister. It's a place I've never been. We'll be back tomorrow afternoon so it's just a short jaunt. If there's time we might stop in San Antonio (another place I've never been). I am, meanwhile, summoning the soul of the White Hat. It's a connection that happens in the weirdest ways.

Somewhere - Themes of 21st Century Angst

Although I'm inclined to want to talk about this last week, the media has a way of self-censoring. I can't really comment on what it's like writing for a community newspaper (and a magazine that's distributed all over Central Texas) without that coming back around. It IS grist for the creative mill and that's always welcome. I'm having fun.

Tonight I did finally watch Sophia Coppola's latest film Somewhere (which won the Golden Lion in 2010 and is now out on DVD). I loved it. This, from what I've read, is the better of two possible responses. It's minimalist in terms of structure but cheats a little in that there is a discernible beginning, middle and end. Like Sophia's other great film, Lost in Translation, the themes of isolation and alienation in the midst of bustling modern life run deep. To me, her films cut to the heart of what's missing in our lives - a sense of connectedness.

It's also no accident that she chose to shoot at the Chateau Marmont - a chic Hollywood hotel that has been home to many stars and where comedian John Belushi died of a drug overdose. The Marmont is symbolic of the film industry's twin companions, decadence and despair. Somewhere features a world famous actor who suffers both those extremes. What is perhaps unrealistic about it is that the lead character manages to get off the party wagon and take a new road. Thank God for that too because it places the film more firmly in hopeful, impressionist ground.

Critics have described this movie as semi-autobiographical and perhaps it is. Being the daughter of Francis Ford Coppola must loom large in her world view but Somewhere strikes a familiar chord on the emotional level for the everyman and that's the hallmark of a great film. Sophia leaves the camera stationary for long periods. You might call it her signature as an auteur. The characters move in and out of the frame like they did when cinema was in its infancy. Not cinema verite so much as stripped of bells and whistles.

I think big American films have largely lost touch with reality and the portrayal of reality with all the frantic editing and punchy dialogue. By being still and not filling screentime with endless chatter, Sophia captures the fullness of the moment with all of its joy, awkwardness and pain. This gives time itself a kind of weight and presence that most modern films can't claim. There's almost no dialogue, which makes it float like a tone poem with the soundtrack as a touchstone.

A Reporter in the Texas Hill Country

Today is my first official day writing for Wimberley View, which serves one of Texas' best small towns, the village of Wimberley. I pitched them the idea of an entertainment column and agreed to cover a standard beat as well. My stories and photos will appear in all three of Holly Media's papers: Wimberley View, The Kyle-Buda Eagle and Dripping Springs Century-News. This covers most of the Texas Hill Country - a hilly area along the Balcones fault that's become a magnet for writers, artists, musicians, millionaires and California transplants.