“The best plans of men and mice often go awry”

Robert Burns (Scottish national Poet of Scotland 1759-1796)

Basically what Mr. Burns meant by that famous statement was that no matter how well you plan something, always expect the unexpected, in other words, just because you think you've done all you can for something to go right....something can still get messed up. "Murphy's Law" or in other words, What Can go Wrong Will Go Wrong!

Trust an Irishman and a Scot to open our eyes to Reality. Bloody Celts.

We all have moments when we would like to throw our arms up in the air and beat a hasty retreat to our bedrooms, to either climb back into bed or hide under it. "Life isn't meant to be easy!" a once Prime Minsiter of Australia , Mr. Malcolm Fraser (quoting George Bernard Shaw) once murmured ... BUT sometimes we wonder if it was meant to be this F**king hard?

When I first sat down to plan this issue shortly after the publication of the last issue, I had a fairly rough idea what the August Editorial was going to be about. Alas, “The best plans of men and mice often go awry” and here is where another well know cliche can be thrown into the mix: "SHIT HAPPENS!"

Many of us at times have a tendancy to feel sorry for ourselves and we have every right to do so ... but often sitting down to watch the news, listening to the news on the radio, reading the newspaper or scanning the head-lines on the internet ... there comes a sudden REALITY CHECK. We are sometimes better off than some other person.

Like many of you, dear readers, I could very easily climb onto my pity potty and cry "woe is me" but that would only turn people off, raise the ire of many of my close friends and irk my internet friends, associates and connections no end. So I will try not to dwell on negativity and will accept my lot in good grace.

SHIT HAPPENS!

On Saturday (South Australian time), I published the following message to several groups, my facebook and myspace profiles and emailed a few associates:

"Due to an eye infection and a sty on my one good eye, I have not been able to write much without making massive spelling errors (if you haven't noticed by any comments I have written recently on-line).

As such as I have not been able to write coherently, see the blasted screen very well or see what I am doing to edit the Newsletter. I am therefore running a trifle late with the August publication. To keep my creative juices flowing however, I have (if you haven't noticed) been producing some entertaining and I hope amusing music videos for your perusal."

... But wait, there is more ...

About four weeks ago, I was presented with some terrible news. Dragonfly arranged an appointment for me at the Optometrist ... no big deal everyone needs their eyes examined especially if they need new glasses (I accidentally sat on my only pair about two years ago and have been going without ever since) ... it was the second appointment she had made me as I cancelled the last one ... I knew I would be told something ... that I already knew for a while now ....

This was one of the major reason why I come across so unapproachable at times (on-line and in real-life)... some of it has to do with Fear ... NOT Fear of not knowing or fear of knowing .... but fear of having something confirmed that you knew in your heart was occuring.

I am blind in my right eye as many of my close friends and on-line friends are either aware or have been informed... Can't read ...can't see anything other than blurs ... (great for reading Auras and that's about it).

The greatest fear that any person who classifies themselves as an Artist could have happen to them ... has been confirmed.

I am going blind. I am blind in my right eye and have a cataract forming on my left eye.

I am getting a prescription for one bi-focal ... for the left but was informed that within five years if that I would possibly need surgery and there is no guarantee that this would improve vision or save vision in the long run.

SHIT HAPPENS!

After all there are a great many people out there worse off than me ...and probably even You! It took me a while but I managed to regain perspective and quickly came to terms with the eventual reality which in five years time many actually never happen.

So dusting myself off I ambled back onto the path and continued the journey of life. There is No Time to be dispondent and dwell on Negativity.

One week before the due deadline for articles and collation of the August edition, disaster struck ... I got an eye infection and a bloody great sty of my only good eye and as stated in aforementioned message, I had "not been able to write coherently, see the blasted screen very well or see what I am doing to edit the Newsletter."

Nothing like staring at a Televison screen or a computer screen and seeing nothing but a blur. Made it a real challenge to put my music videos together and work on the website that I created for my sons. I could of taken up knitting whilst I was waiting for the swelling to go down and my eye sight to return. Fortunately, I was reminded by my Dragonfly that I might do myself an injury with a knitting needle. She shouldn't of reminded me though, it brought back memories of the time she left a 14" large knitting needle in the bed and I found it in the most inappropriate and uncomfortable manner possible.

SHIT HAPPENS!

Before you conclude that I am once more delving into the world of Obfuscation, I would like to ensure my dear readers, that this is far from the truth of the matter. I am being forth-right and truthful and telling you as it is. Fortunately the eye infection has subsided and although my vision is failing me, I have been able to once more allow my fingers to tap dance up and down the keyboard.

But wait ... it much better than that! As now, I can read! As the editorial which I really planned to write has been postponed for another time I found myself madly searching for inspiration and came to the conclusion that the personal dramas of the last month would be the ideal focus To further enhance this intrepid journey into the realm pf pity-pottydom, I came across a few newspaper and magazines articles, as well as some information forwarded to me about others of a more personal nature.

"People like to Complain." It is a fact of Life. Someone is always more worse off than you and there are many who like to broadcast this fact, especially on the internet and especially in group forums.

A very good column which I read regularly titled "Looking at Life" by John Ovenden which appears in our local Adelaide Hills Community newspaper: The Weekender, endorses the aforementioned statement : "that people like to complain". I particularly enjoyed reading the few examples that he used in his column. Two of the "top complaints made by holidaymakers overseas" (a British survey found) brought a chottle. The one about no one telling a British couple "that fish would be swimming in the sea" and the other, "over the presence of too many Spaniards in Spain" were real corkers.

Also, reading a well written article in the NETT magazine by Stefan Sojka - "You can Blog but you can't Hide" had me in deep contemplation especially on the subject of Cyber Bullying.

The opening paragraph of this wonderful article was extremely philosophical:

"The entire internet is happening inside my head. In fact the entire universe is happening inside my head. Each of us experience life through our senses and our brains recreate their own virtual version of the outside world, within the massive matrix of cells of which they are constructed. There is no outside world. If I became brain dead the universe vanishes."

Deep! Bery Deep! Very much like "The Brain in a Vat" philosophy. The creation of the Internet has sporned a matrix of virtual realities, increased and enhanced communication globally, inspired many creative and business opportunities and encourages a communal sense of friendship. A Virtual Community has evolved. Unfortunately, there are many people who use this electronic medium to denigrate others and who hide behind psuedonyms to launch their vindictive and sometimes unexpected attacks on others from the shadows of their own little virtual realities and created virtual worlds.

In was the concluding paragraph of Sojka's article which really struck me. He wrote:

"The more directly our minds interface with one another, the more we are creating each others reality, the more responsible we become to improving that reality.

We must relinquish the repugnant used car salesman, bitch or control freak who lurks within us all and focus on developing our inner Obama. Its time for change we can believe in."

Of course, there will remain those narrow-minded, malicious and vindictive individuals and detractors who have their own axes to grind and who will take the opportunity to be Cyber Bullies and launch their nasty attacks on people. I, personally, have gotten use to it and have learned a few valuable strategies with the help of my Dragonfly and some trust-worthy, close friends. "Ignore Them!" and "Hit the Delete Button!" I now, refuse to give power over to IDIOTS!

Why complain?

SHIT HAPPENS!

Recently I was informed, how an ex-friend of mine was bemoaning the fact that: "There are times when I wonder if Asatru is viable or not as a religion in the 21st Century or whether we are living a pipe dream." I was told that he went on to state: " ... yet lack committment, many promote individualism as an excuse for bad behaviour or drunkenness or simply bad manners. They fail to realise that what Asatru is really about is not the Warg nature of the individualist but "Individuality" within the context of community." (mind you this was the same man who pooh-poohed my article on Individualism)

If I was still on speaking terms with this old friend, I would offer the following advise: "Pick Yourself up! Dust Yourself Off! Get Over it! Get On With Building your Community and Stop Bloody Complaining. "

SHIT HAPPENS!

Before I sign off on this editorial, I would like to share a story which occurred many years ago.

I once got on a train in Warwick Farm (a suburb of Sydney NSW, Australia) wearing sun-glasses with my black cocker spaniel on a leash. At the time it was against (and still is) the law to have a dog on a commuter train unless you purchased a (rather expensive) separate ticket for the animal and even then, you could be refused.

Half way through my journey (as I was going to visit a friend many suburbs away and took my dog to show off to the friend), a ticket inspector approached me and said in no uncertain terms: "It is against the law to have a dog on a train!" I acted rather surprised and said: "It's my seeing eye dog!" He gasped "What? It's a Cocker Spaniel!" To which I equally acted surprise and said: "What the ???? They gave me a Cocker Spaniel?"

If I do go blind ... and this I hope shows my strength of character to my friends as well as my laconic wit ... I will be the blind-man with a Rottweiller as a seeing-eye (Guard Dog) and then, let someone try and tell me I have been given the wrong f**king dog.

You will note also, that during the course of writing this article I never mentioned The Druid's Dreaming Festival Event once. Okay now I just ruined that. Once!

If you want to change the world my friends change your thinking first.