Who do I want to be when I grow up?

Ya know how we always ask kids “What do you want to be when you grow up?”  They usually respond with some category – policeman, fireman, rock star.  But maybe the question we should be asking them, as well as ourselves, is “Who do you want to be when you grow up?”  This question causes you to think more about the human characteristics of your chosen “profession.”  More about the intangibles, than the outer trappings of the job.  So, here’s my list:

Dain Heer

Kenji Kumara

Michael J. Tamura

All three of these men are healers, but that’s not why I want to be them.  I don’t know if I want to be a healer – or if I can be – but I do know that all three are incredibly joyous.  They are playful.  Laugh a lot.  Make very bad jokes some times.  To me, their joy is infectious.  I want to be that joyous for my own entertainment and maybe to spread this kind of joy to others as well.

So, who do you want to be?  What characteristics do you admire?  Want to emulate?  Wish people would notice in you or praise you for?  And, finally, what is stopping you from embodying those characteristics?

Butterflies are not born free…

I recently was fortunate enough to spend time at the Key West Butterfly and Nature Conservatory in Key West, Florida.  Since they can give you much better information than I can, I suggest you visit them at

http://www.keywestbutterfly.com/

Butterflies are their key attraction:

Blue Morpho Butterflies Feeding on Fruit

These Blue Morpho butterflies are feeding on fruit.  We did see many with open wings, showing their vivid blue tops, but I didn't get any pictures of them.

I did not take the time while we were there to look closely at the exhibits which would have told me what the butterflies were.  It was much more fun (and relaxing) to walk in the conservatory instead and look at them.

Black and White Longwing

This black and white longwing was feeding on a flower.

Fritillary of some sort

I was not able to find an identification for this one, but it appears to be a fritillary of some sort.

Swallowtail - Possibly a Pipevine

Unidentified Longwing

Unidentified Longwing

White Button Quail

In addition to all the butterflies there were birds flying around.  These White Button Quail were adorable.

Flamingos at the Waterfall

There were two flamingos, who are apparently quite playful.  I did not see them playing, but there were two tennis balls in the water with them. 

Turtle

I saw three turtles - looking like a momma, papa, and baby.  They probably were not - just small, medium, and large.  This one looks like he's trying, rather unsuccessfully, to hide behind that fern.

If You’re Going to Lie about Your Age, Lie Older!

I’ve never understood why people lie about their ages.  OK.  Maybe actors and actresses “need” to lie to get parts or make people who hire or admire them think they’re a different age than they are.  But average, run-of-the-mill people seems to do it all the time.  Or at least decline to state their ages when asked.

Personally, I have no problem with telling the truth about how old I am.  It’s a matter of record:  public documents are available if someone really wants to go to the trouble to find out.  But more than that, it’s publically available on my face and body:  I don’t look 16 any more!

That said, if you feel a need to lie about your age, I’d lie older rather than younger!  I guess that’s because the only reason I can see for lying about it is to get compliments.  But if I say I’m 45, people won’t believe it.  And certainly won’t compliment me!  (At best they’ll keep quiet or give me a skeptical glance.)

If, on the other hand, I say I’m 75, people will say, “Wow!  I never would have believed it.  You look so much younger than that!”  (Obviously, you can’t go too far over your actual age or it again is unbelievable…)

So, if your goal is to impress people and gain compliments, lying older beats lying younger!

Change Does Not Have to Be Hard.

Why do you suppose we make change hard?  We make “New Year’s Resolutions.”  But often we don’t keep them.  We say we want to be thinner – but eat that doughnut.  We say we want to be more fit – but find excuses not to join a gym, or go to one we have already joined.  We say we want peaceful relationships within our families, but do not resist the temptation to snipe at someone.  Why do we do that?

In the case of being thinner, but eating stuff we know we shouldn’t, I think it is a case of instant gratification as opposed to long-term goals.  The doughnut is here, now, right in front of us.  The “thinner me” is some figment of our imagination, some “future me” which may or may not be attainable.  But the doughnut is here.  Now.  And will taste good.

The same reasoning applies to exercise.  It’s here, now, and for many of us not fun.  It may be because we think we’re uncoordinated.  Or that the others in the gym will look at us with scorn for letting our bodies get into the condition we’re in.  We don’t see immediate results after the first gym visit – in fact, we may face a sore and aching body the next day.  That puts us off from continuing.

This line of reasoning is not new – and certainly not original to me.  But I think there is a deeper issue at stake here.  I think we make change hard to justify why we didn’t change sooner!  If it were easy, we’d have done it ages ago.  We would not have eaten the original doughnut that is now sitting on our hips.  We’d have kept in better shape.  Etc.

We fear change.  How will one little change affect the rest of our lives?  Our relationships?  Many have experienced the fact that when they try to slim down, family members urge them to have just one more dessert before starting their diet.  The fear of the “saboteurs” is that their lives will be changed if we change ours.  Maybe, if we become healthier or more “desirable” we will no longer need them.  Maybe we’re already picking out our next relationship…

Again all of this is not news to you.  But I really think we make change hard to justify why we didn’t change sooner!  Give it some thought.  I’d love to hear what you think.