Thursday, August 7, 2008

perception? deception? or temporary state of mind?


when you first look at this photo what do you see..or think of?
is she peaceful, lying on the cool grass on a warm day maybe? thinking comforting thoughts of how good she has it. good friends, happy life, happy marriage, happy children, successful fulfilled life?



or how 'bout this one?
nice old couple, maybe married and best friends for the passed forty years.
content together , even on a rickety ole boat out on the freezing water, just being together.
kids surely grown and moved away, with the grandkids even grown , and moved on too.
yet content, and maybe the old couple next door that you watch walk down your quiet street every day hand in hand like clockwork, talking non stop- after all these years.
wondering, if you and your young marriage will weather the storms that you know theirs has,
as you watch the love between them become visible with each look or touch between them.

OR-what if THIS-




is what she saw-- unrealistic, psychedelic bugs , crawling on her skin--maybe even biting-
but only she believed they were butterflies, and it made her seem peaceful?
or maybe she pretended to be peaceful while in public-- while in reality she was confused?
or worse, terrified, but afraid to say anything?


OR- what if-THIS-
happens to be the old folks life behind closed doors?
maybe they walk hand in hand down that quiet street, looking at each other the way they do,
only because any day may be the last for one of them.
perhaps he or she is terminally ill, and though they do love each other,
one could be gone at any moment.
maybe they have no children, grandchildren, or other family;
not only not nearby, but maybe not at all.
maybe they don't have enough food to eat,
or money for medicine to keep the ill one going a little longer?
maybe the time the spend on the rickety old boat on the freezing water , in the freezing rain and temperatures,
is perhaps only in hopes that their feeble ship, and bodies will go down as one.
and their suffering will end together , just as their happiness began so many years before.


how do we know when we are reading the right signals from people?
whether we know them well, or only watch from a distance?
how do we know if we are even sending the right signals to people around us---
or even to ourselves?


for me, i can overlook the in your face type stuff---
and nit pick to death the hidden message-
that may not even be there.
how do ya know which instinct to follow??
when to push for answers when you don't get any?
does letting it go at--
"i don't wanna talk about it"

suffice as
"ok, i respect that", and you leave it alone?
or do you dig for more when you know there's more going on,
but some sort of fear of "something is holding someone back from
simply being open about it??


i'm not trying to confuse anyone-- and i don't want anyone trying to guess at who--if anyone i'm talking about--
it's a general question.
i will say a lot of it does have to do with ME and MY own perception-
of just about everything , and everyone-
and i know y'all already know how messed up that is.
but really.
i am not, and never have been the great communicator -
from me- or to someone else.
maybe in writing...occasionally.
but when it comes to crunch time--
i just can't find the words that i want to.
if i do-- it's hours, days, even months later--
and hell- what good is it then?
if it's about me.. the light bulb may go of and i can make changes if needed.
but if it's about someone else-
i always feel it's just too late-
wasted epiphany-- wasted whatever.
so why bother.
i keep it to myself 9 out of ten times--
and i never know if it still may have helped.
or not.

is any of this making sense?
or did i wake up too early again??

mixture of both maybe?
all i know at this point-
i was up way too late...
BUI-first time in awhile--
no tellin where i was or what kinda fool i made of myself.
just know it was prescribed-- and i try not to get online in that condition :))
sometimes i just do.
hubby saved me from the ole laptop strangulation yet again.
i know he thinks i'm insane-- but he loves me anyways.

i think early early way early on..
i said here somewhere
to know me is to love me..
i think that's a bit true---
cuz if you don't --
you surely gotta run as fast as you can to get away--
i really am --
well, in the words of foster and my blue hue pix...
KOOKY
:))
what a word...

hey-- the week is almost over---
anyone got big weekend plans-- let's hear em!

17 comments:

Smocha said...

WTH??Really, I mean WTH?? 'Splain ,Missy!

I woke up dreaming about your mother.
They had taken off with a full uhaul, being pulled by some piece of junk car. hours later we realized they had forgotten their GPS (yeah , I know. LOL)We ,of course had done all the work of loading said uhaul, fixing car, etc.
When Cavuto woke me up I had just said "they just showed up in a Humvee."

These are the kind of dreams where ya wake up looking and feeling like you have not slept at all. Because really, you haven't. You've been living some other life all night long. One that "Thank God, I no longer live."

ack!


P.s. Don't be a mind reader:)
Love me

SOUL said...

you tell me WTH-- i asked, remember? :))

btw--- i had a your mother dream recently too. dammit. wtf??? they are so realistic it is terrifying. isn't it?
omg.
i hate to have those dreams.
it really is disturbing-- and does leave you feeling like you have been "out of body"---in another life for many hours-- or a few hours-- whichever.

do you remember that letter kathy sent us-- that dad sent to a lawyer? stating that we lived in conditions "worse than immigrants?"

i was looking for my va home loan paperwork a few weeks ago and came across that letter-- maybe about the time i had the dream. UGH.

just ugh.

happy dream haunting-- you know you'll re-live it all damn day-- or week.

til it happens again.

thanks mother , may i have another? :))
luv you

JLee said...

I like this post, Soul. It just makes you think about how not everything is as it seems, or you never really know what's going on with people. Just like those senators and church leaders who are seeing hookers on the side. They may seem one way in public, but are something different. Also, reality is perception. Things are the way you make them. I think about that a lot, it's all in how we look at it :)

ac said...

I don't have time to read! The Captain is home. The man is a human whirlwind. Captain Hurricane! lol I'm just hanging on here by a thread. ha! He'll be leaving on Sat. I'll be back then and catch up. I'll even try to post something this weekend. Miss you! xo xo xo !!!

ac said...

Oh hell. I'm repeating myself. I think I said the same thing last time. lol lol The Captain is making me crazy. (I love to place blame.) That man is worse than 10 babies. ha! I'll be back when he goes back to work. T G for tugboats! HA!

Golden To Silver Val said...

The couple in the boat. Know what I get out of that picture? They aren't a couple at all. She runs that boat for a living and she's taking him to the mainland or to an island to see family or whatever. They aren't dressed like they come from the same household...she's older and more weathered than he. But she enjoys what she's doing...it puts bread on the table and she loves the sea.
NOW...WHAT does that say about ME? Talk about different. I guess I see an independent female, alone but happy because that was/is me.
Dreams are a product of our subconscious. Somewhere recently you must have had fleeting thoughts of Mom and/or your life as a child.
Hang in there. Everything is ok now. Hugs. Charlotte

Mary said...

Soul, this post is deep and well timed for me. I have those larger than life dreams, too, and they really are confusing.

I'm busy shaking off last evening and will check back later.

The Real Mother Hen said...

First picture, she was thinking about sex.

Second picture, two bitter people who try to be nice in front of the camera.

Third picture, oh that's dinner.

Fourth picture, results if you boys don't listen to me!

Jamie said...

Hmmm...interesting post.

Makes us all think, intended for someone we know? Yes, I know you said not...

This day has been weird.

I hope yours has been good.

xo

:)

SOUL said...

hi all--
looks like not too many wanna even touch this one huh. sorry -- i know it's a bit strange. just a lot goin on in my little head i guess-- that and lack of sleep.

ya-- the mom thing-- i think it's a timing thing-- she died in june --- and my brothers birthday is in july.
so they were both on my mind for a while whether i wanted them to be-or not.
probably the same for smocha.
anyone who has had anyone close like that die-- or a child etc-- it doesn't matter if you consciously think about them or not-- on birthdays,and deathdays-- you'll think of them or dream about them, or feel weird whether you try to - or try not to-- it just kinda happens.

anyhow--
back to the post-- looks like it got some thinkin.. sometimes that's good. long as yall aren't thinkin i've lost it. i haven't. i probably could have chosen a better way to word it-- just not at 330 in the morning after 2 hours sleep. so, that's what came out.

jlee and charlotte that's about right.

ac-- tell that man to get back to work your friends miss you :))

mary what's up--you alright?

charlotte-- it says about you-- that you are an alright kinda gal :))
i like your view of the pic.

and motha-- where do you come up with this stuff-- you should do stand up-- :))

anyhow-- nah.. jamie-- no one we know-- just me-- thinkin out loud. :]ox

g'nite peeps-
i'm beat- busy day- will get around tomorrow- didn't get anywhere today in blogland.

Smocha said...

You just think too damn much.
LOL

You should try being an airhead like me. :)

I have to agree with Charlotte....that couple does not belong together.She's the boat owner, taking HIM on some fishing tour.

The first one, she's probably some insecure floo floo who thinks she has to dress like a hooker , or no one will love her.


Then, if we look EVEN deeper.....they are all ...separately...human beings , going thru their own crap, thinking their own thoughts.We can never know what goes on in peoples lives unless they choose to confide in us. Which is what a lot of us do.Spill our guts to our friends.
I believe that's the healthy thing to do.Me and my peeps do it all the time.:)

So, what are YOUR thoughts about them and what were you thinking when you wrote this?

Love me

Raine said...

1st picture shes thinking bout swatting the damn bugs LOL. 2nd- they are smiling so big cause they are about to dock and get the heck off that boat where they been puking all day. 3rd picture- somebody's been eating some mushrooms...................... HA- how warped am I??

SOUL said...

smocha--
i DO think too much--i know.
but when ya do-- i always have.
that's why i need to write the damn book. that i can never sem to get passed a few pages on . grrrr.

good views on the pics for you too--
i could even look at them today and see different then i did when i posted this. seems on a state of mind. i reckon.

i already said i wasn't gonna go much more into this--
i was just thinkin, and tossin stuff around..
how much our perception.. of something real - or imagined-- can affect almost everything. and how we react to what WE see-- can make a lasting impact on us and others.
that's the best i can do in explaining my own warped mind. :))

that's about it.

luv me

SOUL said...

howdy raine--
can't be much more warped tan me-- cuz the one with the colored bugs? i thought the same thing--
shrooms duuuude !
LOL

Portia said...

I know just what you mean...or at least I think I do. That's the thing when everything is down to perception- you can never really know. So I just try to let go and roll on...only you kinda have to keep rollin and I'm still learning the let go part.

EE said...

Very interesting. I'm guilty of taking most things at face value.
How are you doing? I've been MIA... trying to enjoy the last month of summer & getting the kids ready for school.
Hope you are doing well. I'm settling in to get caught up!

SOUL said...

hi EEEEEEE--
how ya been?
don't worry bout bein MIA-
as you can see-- i have had a tough time keepin up myself-
lotsa folks have taken blog leave too lately-
good to see ya here tho!!!
hope your summer has been a GOOD one !!!
we'll have to keep in touch better when school gets goin again.
i'm hoping to get back pon track then too-
i'm actually hoping to do a lot of things better-- question is---
WILL I????
:))