Today it rained. Rain of course is not a common occurrence in Los Angeles. It was a cold rain (my least favorite of all of the rains). It caused my world to change... ever so slightly, but change it did. Minor alterations.
I had to wear long pants today. And a sweater. And I kept my doors and windows closed. I enjoyed my coffee a bit more on this nippy morn and I postponed some errands to avoid going out in the rain.
Bradley had to walk in the rain (which he hates) and it further necessitated my juggling an umbrella along with his leash and my iPod. I even wore a sweatshirt. (Bradley, by the way, it not a fan of rain either... he avoids puddles and walks close to me to stay under the umbrella).
Later in the day, Steve Jobs died. (To paraphrase a friend of mine who posted this: "Thank you for knowing what I wanted before I knew I wanted it.")
Shortly after that, I got a call about a temporary job offer that could last a few months.
What does this all mean? How do these relate?
As the day wound down, I realized that in retrospect, this day was not really unlike any other day. It was merely your average routine day, but on any given day the routine is hardly that.
We face weather daily and adjust to it. We hear news that's good or bad... about politics or money or life or death. This might cause us to think about something differently. We receive phone calls that change or alter what we do... an invitation, a request or just a conversation that causes us to do something.
These changes - no matter how big or how small - alter the ripples of our world.
My point is, we are all on a course that is not set in stone. Our course can change from moment to moment. It is all fleeting and temporary and very fluid.
Just keep that in mind the next time something is not going as you hope... it could change a moment's notice - it might be changing now and you've yet to realize it.
Open your eyes. Breathe. Relax. Smile. Enjoy.
Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans. -- John Lennon
=October Job Hunt=
10/01 (Sat) - Applied online as a Production Coordinator for E! Entertainment Television.
10/02 (Sun) - Answered an ad for an Executive Assistant to two show runners for a television series.
10/03 (Mon) - Answered an ad for someone with mad Excel/Word skills for a project in Glendale.
10/04 (Tues) - Reviewed Job Boards for NBC, Paramount, Warner Bros., DreamWorks Animation, Sony Animation, and the Walt Disney Company, Applied online for the Universal Pictures Leadership Program.
10/05 (Weds) - Receive a call about a temporary position covering for a Maternity Leave (four months). More details to follow.
The World is a very big place, yet most times we only see a small portion of that world. Most people cannot see beyond the edges of the bubble they live in.
A few years ago I was chatting with a Photographer. He was having a problem focusing on his work. He took lots of pictures and wanted to be a Photographer, but was lost as to why he took them.
I told him that there must be something singular in what caught his eye or he wouldn't be snapping away. He just needed to recognize it.
An objective eye can do that. You really just need to be able to step back and look - that is the talent... stepping back. Be able to do that and it will become your greatest asset if you can master it... most people can't.
The next time you are in the supermarket take a look around... watch the people. Most are oblivious to the world around them - trapped (naively and stupidly happy) in their own little bubble. They probably won't even notice you watching them. They will continue this way through the rest of their lives until they die.
They are unable to step back and see the bigger picture.
And that's OK... the big picture is not for everyone.
I went on to tell the Photographer to take a look at a pile of his pictures (and to have some post-it notes handy). Look at each one and jot down the FIRST thing that catches his eye. Write it down on the post-it then look at the series. I bet him that the common denominator would reveal itself.
Sadly, I know not the outcome of this exercise, but I bet today he's a better, focused (no pun intended) Photographer.
We all need to learn to take that step back. Don't simply continue to go through the motions of your life without taking that moment to assess the world around you.
See the bigger picture.
=October Job Hunt=
10/01 (Sat) - Apply online as a Production Coordinator for E! Entertainment Television.
10/02 (Sun) - Answer an ad for an Executive Assistant to two show runners for a television series.
10/03 (Mon) - Answer an ad for someone with mad Excel/Word skills for a project in Glendale.
The Tree.
A singular symbol of strength. Visually simplistic in design from afar, this ever-growing structure of life is nothing less than admirable in its complexity. Such is life. Both are a fascinating and mesmerizing thing.
Consider the humble trunk. This thick, strong cylindrical base rises up from the soil and supports what rises above. Yet as solid and strong as the trunk may appear, what lays beneath the soil may be a twisted confused mass of roots - from thick tendrils to wispy hairs. But these not only anchor the tree firmly to the Earth, they reach out to absorb a constant supply of nutrients and fluids to sustain that which is more visible.
Not all trunks emerge as gracefully from the ground, though. Some actually give us a glimpse of the turmoil that lays below the surface. From twisted chaos grows singular strength. There may be conflict there, but its future will be an eventual resolution into a majestic, living and breathing entity. What comes next is - for me - where the magic lies.
 |
| Socotra Dragon Tree |
From the solid and stoic trunk emerges a network of branches that dart out in every direction, oft times in what may appear to be a haphazard and random way. But random is rarely what the tree actually does.
Its seeming randomness tends to be necessitated more by outside forces that cause it to adapt. A branch may suddenly change its course - alter its direction - possibly due to encountering a shadow it wants to avoid as it continues to reach skyward.
And what we encounter up there is nothing less than magical! Ever-growing paper thin little sprouts that unfurl into a complex design that not only add an entirely new dimension of beauty, but engage in complex processes triggered by the warmth of the sun. They breath in our excess waste carbon dioxide and exhale the absolutely vital oxygen needed to sustain our life.
As I said, to me a tree is a fascinating and mesmerizing thing.
Life is often like a Tree. Our tangled and seemingly chaotic beginnings (roots) come together into our singular identity (trunk) which in time can diverge in very many directions as life throws us variables that cause us to adapt and change (branches), ultimately rising above it all to unfurl ourselves into the majestic entity we show the world (our leafy canopy). This is what we are meant to be
I - like the tree - am a singular symbol of strength... from twisted chaos grows that singular strength.
=October Job Hunt=
10/01 (Sat) - Apply online as a Production Coordinator for E! Entertainment Television.
10/02 (Sun) - Apply online as an Executive Assistant to two show runners for a television series.
As October begins, I find myself with a sense that my life has stalled... and it needs a jump start!
There is one over-riding cause for this malaise... unemployment. Thus far, 19 weeks of unemployment and the sense of freedom that initially permeates one's life when the shackles of a 9-5/M-F work week are removed, has long ago worn off. Tedium as set in.
Each morning when I rise I think, "Now what?" I've lost a sense of purpose. Where do I turn? What do I do next? Mild depression like a coat of dust in a empty house begins to coat everything.
Things I used to find enjoyable are no longer worth the effort. Weekends have no meaning for me... everyday is a weekend! I'm irritable, grumpy, short-tempered and blah - all on a regular basis. My passions are gone and have been replaced with silent stares, sighs and lots of sitting. Projects are half completed, everything is an effort, and nothing seems to give me a feeling of accomplishment.
How do I shake this? How do I move forward? How do I break the spell of complacency and kick-start my life once again?
Well... . I don't know. But, I'll start with trying to force myself to do something consistent on a daily basis.
Therefore, welcome to "Blogtoberfest 2011" - a daily blog similar to Blogapaloozza from July 2009. This will be a reason to complete at least one task a day, exercise the creative mind and spend some quality time thinking.
I will NOT dwell on my employment situation, but as a curiosity and as a sort of a diary, I will document my daily job search actions and results in an ongoing listing at the bottom of each blog... they may not be much, but may become and interesting and telling track record of one man's attempt to find a job during this ongoing 2011 Recession.
I hope you find it at least mildly amusing and entertaining. Until tomorrow...
=October Job Hunt=
10/01 - Apply online as a Production Coordinator for E! Entertainment Television.
Today it rained. Rain of course is not a common occurrence in Los Angeles. It was a cold rain (my least favorite of all of the rains). It caused my world to change... ever so slightly, but change it did. Minor alterations.
