The Beauty and Benefit of Water

At times the day may not start out great for some of us.
I looked outside and saw

Weaving the Tapestries of your lives at the campfire

As I am sitting at the desk typing this piece as my other pieces here, they are done at the desk which my grandfather and then my dad and now I built our careers and lives successfully. Where decisions get made and where futures are cast.

And I also smell in the distance the aroma of a campfire which brings me to the camping trips that I used to go on with our family and during retreats where stories are shared around a campfire and good times are had.

While I was not directly at a campsite this evening. I did have the opportunity to wish a good friend of over 15 years having shared in different fellowship groups over the years. As I helped him celebrate by sharing our lives over the phone for his 54th year here on earth, it felt good to connect  just as I had in the past in a lounge at Black Rock Church over 15 years ago.   And I helped sing birthday with another one of my friends who turned 60 today.

When I look at these ages, I see that it is relative. When I was younger in my teens, my parents were in their late 40's and early 50s.  Back then it seemed old to me but now as my mom approaches 86 and is about to embark on a Lewis and Clark expedition to the Midwest from Maine in less than 4 days, I bring my experience of having an understanding of what life is all about and age is what we experience for I am approaching 51.

I look forward to the new chapter that this adventure will bring for my Mom will bring. I am fond of the Lewis and Clark adventures for my Mom and I read about them after I had ankle surgery and was catching up on some of my classwork during the 5th grade at home.  It was a bold time in the country at that time as explorers took root to what lay fallow and brought productivity to it.  For this time of exploration will bring with it an expansion of territory.  And a chance to meet new people and try new things.  And to start afresh.

While there will be some changes of not sleeping in the room where my dad slept for many years and calling it Dad's room.  And not looking out at the coast and the 5 picture bay windows that I considered my stage to see and view God's beautiful creation.  Or having the Mary Jane drink and eating the delectable combinations in the dining room at Piper Shores.

I heard on the news today of how there are some candidates lined up for a mission to Mars. However, it may just be a one way trip for I hear that it takes a VERY Long time to get there.  And there may not be enough time to make it back.

How to pack for that trip would be a mystery!!!  And when I hear the words" packing for a trip", those were the words that my dad shared in 2009 with a nurse in his last cogent days of what he was doing before he fell ill during his final week on earth.

So remember to take that time to reminisce with your friends and follow the prompts and memories of your days. For you will be greatly rewarded as you continue to weave the tapestries of your lives and make those valuable connections as people experience down times. I think of it as the steeping of that tea bag in a tea cup getting just right for some enjoyable sips.

Now if only I could open up that bag of marshmallows and place them on a stick and stick them in some graham crackers and chocolate candy.

Will rest from the day's travels and savor those wafts of smoke and reflect on the boatload of memories that I have experienced and celebrate what life has to offer.

So I thank you Dave for being that catalyst and prompt to have something written on the page and not let thoughts drift off into outer space never to be captured again in exactly the same way.

An inspirational Voice

Voice is all about breath. Whatever we do in life causes our ideas to expand and grow.
This breath brought about the life in the beginning can be all about magic.

Voice is what all singers have and is what empowers them.

They have the power to halt and the power to soar.


There was a pepsi song long ago that mentioned, "we will teach the world to sing in perfect harmony."

Voice is that stage for singers  and is what empowers them.

They have the power to halt and the power to soar the audience.  To bring us to a moment's rapture and then to a moment's pause.

I love going to concerts and have attended several memorable concerts where singers have graced the stage.
My first one at the Arena at Harbor Yard was to see Sarah Brightman. That summer our family rented a cottage in Maine and on one of the shelves there was a Sarah Brightman CD and we listened to it and were mesmerized. Later that autumn, I saw advertised in the paper for the Arena Sarah Brightman's Harem Tour.  It felt as if I was suspended in mid air as I sat in section 100 directly across from where Sarah soared into the air and where her dancers moved as she performed her classic operatic songs.  I was disappointed that there were only about 1,200 in attendance for she could have commanded a much larger audience.

Another concert that I went at the Arena was Andre Bocelli for the winter skating special that aired on NBC.  That too was magical with Andre's singing and the skaters dancing amidst the scenes of the winter backdrop.

A final magical concert was Carrie Underwood's Blown Away tour which had images shot on the screen of houses and possessions being blown away by hurricanes. Being swept up into the magic of the moment. And fantastic images of words and pictures perfectly themed to the music being presented.

There was a Pepsi song long ago that mentioned, "we will teach the world to sing in perfect harmony."
Voice is what brings about that all about.  To that we need to gather more to unite our voices and create magical moments. I did that when I was in elementary school and we got to sing in a vocal concert. Our class sang a couple of numbers and I had fun memorizing the songs and then singing them.  And after the concert, I was exhausted from singing and to relax my voice, my Mom made me hot chocolate so I could relax at the kitchen table and reflect on how much fun I had.

Even the famous NBC show Voice  has ordinary citizens competing for the top prize and a chance for big bucks and a spot on a national stage and show of their own.  I love the red chairs and how the judges push the big red buttons to turn their chairs around to show their liking of a given song.
And one of the KEnnedy Center Cabarets I attended had audience cast votes for the best performer for each of the halves of the performance.

The Beauty of My Mother

March is Women's History Month.  A very important part of the creation of life is that of  a woman.
She is that essential ingredient for life to blossom and happen.  But sometimes we neglect to share the importance that the women in our lives serve to make our lives that much better.

There are many influential women that I have had in my life who have shaped it and have given it meaning and I am going to share some good qualities that make my Mom one of the most important people in my life today.

Now we are going to weave through the present and the past to see what great women can do in our lives and continue to do even today.  For my Mom is a living example of who I look to for advice and wisdom weekly.

To get me to where I am today, I could not be who I am without the tireless efforts and influence of my Mom who took a detour on her career path to be a librarian and instead continued her full time quest in being a mom who would open up and unlock my mind so I could forge many great paths in life. For I had several complex physical, social and intellectual challenges growing up.

The assignment at first for Mom was rather difficult for it was not a curriculum that was well established in the early 60's.   For there is only one Scott R. Davis in this world.  But as with work in libraries, there are card catalogs with books listed under author and title and subject.  And we as a family had to create our own catalog of resources and people to draw on to make my life work out and bring me into excellence.


A good character trait to describe Mom is that of caregiver and nurturer.
Oftentimes around the seaside cottage in Maine, Mom went to the flower garden out front and tended the flowers deadheading those who had no buds left.  I asked Mom, "why do we pluck off the buds?"
Mom replied, "we do it son so that more growth would come later on."  For flowers, it is relatively easy for the dead growth is clinging lightly to the end of that stem. For me as a human, there are many things that I cling to whether it be attitudes or possessions that are sometimes difficult to part with.


Growing up requires some deadheading in my life in getting me to see things from a different and wiser perspective.  I never found some of those times to be especially pleasant but often afterwards I understand the wisdom behind Mom's words.

Part of this nurturing quality is the time Mom spent in the kitchen each night preparing exceptional recipes for us at our dining room table.  She chose different recipes from the lightly stained wood recipe box with a lid that my Dad made for her.  In it were about 400 recipes on cards categorized by meat, soups and stews, desserts and other tasty delights.  Mom had a scoring system ranging from 5 star to 7plus.
Some of our dishes did not pass the  muster the first time through so we gave it a grade of a 5 star but then there were some dishes which were lights out and they were mainstays that we had once or twice a  month at 7 plus.
My Mom started doing a lot of the cooking to help save on the food budget and often found great deals at the local grocery store wisely using coupons and taking care of the store deals often slashing the prices by 30 to 40 percent a week.  And cooking the meals fresh made sure that my Dad got the low cholesterol diet that he needed. Our favorite dish was the Meat Loaf recipe which required the loaf to sit for 10 minutes after it came out of the oven.
Getting the table ready for the meal was one of the first chores I had in my family and gave me the chance to follow a routine and be held responsible in life.
That wooden box is now long gone from one of the moves and my brother now is using many of the same recipes for his family.

My Mom is an excellent caregiver as she looked after my Dad throughout his life and the challenges that he faced when communicating and understanding what went on.  He suffered from hearing loss and struggled with issues of dementia and Parkinsons later on in his life.  She made sure that the meds were given on time and kept careful records of what was dispensed. Almost being like a pharmacy dispensary.


My Mom has served as an advocate for those around her. And I remember the time that Mom and Dad advocated for me to be on the bowling team in elementary school so I could master the gutter ball or aim for an outstanding score of 120.
And she spent many an afternoon chaperoning 20 of my classmates on a tour to the Essex Steam Railroad or to the Connecticut Audobon Society.

Throughout life, Mom still finds time to serve in the school libraries or in the library at Piper Shores.
She loves to accession and shelve books and recommend biographies for Piper Shores to order for their community of readers and learners.

And she served as a great caregiver for her Mom who was left widowed in her late 60's and she and my dad and I often visited my Grandmother in Schenectady and brought her to visit us in Fairfield or in Maine and often carted stuff from her Mom's house to ours.  And we often went to local restaurants such as the Three Bears in Wilton and Cobbs Mill Inn. And we even spent a Halloween with Grandma so she would not be alone with the trick or treaters coming to the door.


At the water's edge, my Mom teaches me about the tidal pools in front of the cottage and shows me the periwinkles, the barnacles, the sea urchins and the clam and mussel shells that lived within the tidal pools formed from the erosion of the rocks over the years.

Finally Mom is a great teacher who helped me through a month when I had an operation on my feet and had to be in the hospital and then helped me to get caught up at home. I remember the time that we read about the Louis and Clark expedition and the discovery of the United States through its expansion.
And as I mentioned Mom continues to teach me so much and has given me a love of the English language as I am able to solve all kinds of word puzzles and Scrabble.

Later in  life, I was challenged by my friend Chip to learn Greek but I rescinded because that could get rather tricky with all of the characters and letters to be deciphered. Traveling through the world of English can sometimes be challenging enough for me.  As I also found Spanish challenging translating from English into Spanish which was rather easy. Now Greek would be another story.


As I look at her great example of going strong and still ticking at 86 this June 8th, she keeps rediscovering life and she will have that opportunity later on this May as she embarks on a Westward journey beginning a life in the Twin City of St. Paul to be near my brother and her granddaughter.
Who knows what new discoveries and adventurers are going to open up for her out there.
Almost living that Lewis and Clark expedition I learned about almost 38 years ago.

Ultimately the great miracle in life is that Mom continually helps others reach their potential whether it has been with myself, my Dad, my brother or her Mom. And she has never lost steam along the path of life!  And continues to help others reach their potential!

Looking forward to learning along the journey still as we help others in their journey as well.

And now to many more years of joy in selfless service to others.
My Hats off to Mom!!!
Thank you!!!

The Olympic Reality

Every four years, the Olympics comes to town. Not really in my town but in the town of Socci for this year's Winter Olympics event of 2014.  And in the town of our backyards as communities and families gather to watch and celebrate the moments of this great spectacular graceful movements through space and time.


One word can describe the olympics and that is love.  And during the same time as the Olympics, our country is celebrating the arrival of the Beatles 50 years ago to America and John Lennon's song of Imagine ties in well to the olympic dream where we are asked to imagine a place where there is no hatred and no war at all.

What is also wonderful is how the paralympics uses the same facilities from the official games and they claim it as their own to face their challenges on their own scale.

The pageantry always fascinates me as there is a preamble to the ceremony when there is  a foretaste of the artistry that is to come.  Then a few moments later there is the great pageantry of the world being featured lined up on the continents displayed on the ocean like floor and the presentation of dreams of an 8 year old child is brought before us. While London had the beds of children,  Socci had a child floating above the crowd and later walked amongst the stage floor.

Then the Olympians can walk in to the stadium with all of their colors and the flags waving in front of them.  They are talking and communicating with one another. Yet without borders of fences and security lines. They are people who embrace one another. Embrace their dreams and cross over into other countries to train and be part of their team as well.

I would love to see that in our world today on a more regular basis.



All of that pageantry and pomp. That celebratory force that a country once tucked in the corner of the world has now found its voice and is on the world stage.

Then there is the pain that some of the Olympians feel when they suffer and endure injuries. Yet the game and show does continue to go on.  Many times the athletes do not show those grimacing moments but carry on to display their fortitudes of courage.  Going down the mountains and on the ice rink.  Moving at fast lightning speed as they attempt to go faster, higher and stronger.

When I think of the Olympics, I also think of the word Transformation. Transformation comes in three forms.  It comes with the general facilities of where the athletes are competing, then it comes in the form of bringing forth a director's creative dream and then the spectacular competition of the athletes as they compete for their medals.

There is an athlete's village where everyone gathers in and mingles and lives in a harmony.

And the beauty is that every 2 years, we get to witness this on a global stage whether it is winter or summer.  And as they always say, Let the games begin.

Fully completing the Loop

Falling Up the Mountain
Gracefully going toward the medal stands
Taking it to that next level.



I watched on NBC Shaun White as he attempted to do a triple loop on the pike and the slope style obstacle course.

some thoughts emerged as he attempted to land some challenges amid some injuries and set backs.
Sort of an anecdote for life in a way.

fear drives us sometimes
frustration blocks us up
but being driven by an inner desire and a coach and mentor propels us forward.

Nothing in life is guaranteed.

This week I tried to break what was blocking me by sending out 3 inquiries of potential jobs.
I may get a few no's my way but I learned that "Yes does live in the land of no!"

We need to break that seal that can bind us in that fear.
   To open up that package and make new things happen in our lives!

To be challenged to take our sales to a new level. To a level not reached before.

Sometimes we can not contain ourselves.
  We  need to  give ourselves away to others.
That ultimately is where joy comes from.

     That in reality is what that moth becomes when he goes into the cocoon.
      He comes out as that beautiful butterfly.

Also reflect back to the manger:
   Born to us an infant babe.
   Emerging from the cocoon
      A world leader
      A personal revolutionary
      Set to change the world
       Standing in the cross and
        Emerging triumphant
          just like that butterfly.

We can all do that!!!

Where that waterfall can flow over the rocks and amaze us.
Or that ultimate Niagara falls that keeps on flowing.

Or Old Faithful that spouts each and every day!!!!
Coming from that inner core of the earth-
that molten magma coming through the crust of the earth.
  That very truth learned in the 6th grade during science class at Osborn Hill School.

Hope you have been blessed by some random wanderings of my life in thought.

The Idea Factory

District 53, I have a problem.  I volunteered to give a speech for Jan Jam.  Yet I have no idea of where to begin.
Have you ever found yourself to have this problem?  In the next 5 to 7 minutes, I am going to help you find ways to take something that may be in your mind and you never knew it before.  To have this be effective, I am going to need you to put on your thinking caps.  These will come in handy in that they will capture the ideas that are going to come from your idea factory that is going to put into work right  now.
As part of this process, it is real important that we examine how this factory of your brain is assembled.
It is divided into two hemispheres-the left and the right.    In our left hemisphere, we can describe it as logical, detail oriented, mathematical and deals with science and practical reality.
In our right hemispheres, we have the elements of feeling, seeing the big picture, and employing fantasy and risk.
As we look at the left and right hemispheres, it will help us to see how ideas can be created by answering a few simple questions.

First, when we use the left hand side of our brain, we need a map and a direction for which our ideas can be created and laid out.  It is best to jot them down. Once Ralph Waldo Emerson expressed that "we need to look sharply after our thoughts. They come unlooked for and like a new bird can be seen in your trees but if you turn your head they will just plain disappear."

It has been said that when an idea hits our head, it is almost like a light bulb that goes on. For this to happen, we need to have power.  Remember that our brains are a great powerhouse for ideas to be created and stored. And the end result can be of power, impact and persuasion.


Many of us have ideas that are all around us. I could call it an idea factory.  The key is to discover them and unlock them.  I have here a secret weapon that  we all possess. From our pockets, we have a common ingredient that we all must have to be successful: The household key.  How many times have we opened a door without thinking about it.
Each of our keys are uniquely created with its own pattern of the key.  It is the secret which will open us up into the world of the mind.

Now on this factory floor, there are a variety of workers that are going to be creating something beautiful.
That new prototype which we can carry about our lives.
These ideas form from the simple building blocks of the alphabet which are just 26 letters. And there are a myriad of combinations-well past a billion.  We just need to mix them up and find what works for us.
Second, these ideas can be very detailed and form a mosaic when they are put together. It forms a puzzle which we can look at and when hung, we can see other possibilities emerge.
Finally, our ideas can take us on a course of adventure.  At times, we may be comfortable sitting in our seats at the arena before a great boxing match but when it gets exciting is when the 2 boxers come out on the stage and start fighting and exchanging their fists.


As a result of our time here together this morning, i hope that you have discovered your own factory floor where you can assemble some awesome ideas together to bring back to your home clubs or your world to share.
Remember to take your ping pong rackets and create a tremendous volley of ideas back and forth.
Enjoy where that white ball takes you.
And remember to unlock your mind to new ideas as you enter that world of thought.  Who knows where that next big idea may take you.

Have fun.  We have just scratched the surface.

Looking into the scenes of our lives

Frames
Stanzas
Paragraphs
Choruses
Scenes

All of these above words are fractured pieces of a whole that we can grasp reality around.
Have you ever looked at a movie and seen a scene from it and could look at its beauty or its thoughts and be transcended and mesmerized by it.

I like to look at the world in this way.
These fragmented pieces that break off are easier to digest and wrap our minds around as we figure out how life can work for us!!!

Identity

This poem below was read at the 5th annual Art Trail for an Open Mic Poetry Night Nov 9th:

One
Two
Three
Four

Hands Patting on one's knee.

Identity shifts
   Within light and darkness
      We are never alone with our shadows that accompany us on our paths.

Walking through the grocery aisles
   with a cart that has a mind of its own.
Packages promising Instant Happiness
Candy positioned in aisle #7
   on the other side and never looked at before.
Violations at instant check out of 12 or less.
  Not prosecuted but accepted without question or defense.
Bagged to supply several days of nutrition.

Be careful of our words
   For they are building blocks of thought
   Easily toppled or
     firmly cemented as the concrete of our lives.
    Becoming digested within our minds
       to recall at a moment's notice.
     Or as Richard Fewell shared:
      words gone by are then swooped up by someone else for their use.

Rivers slowing down in our lives
   And mirrors serving as a reflected memory of what is going on.
                                    9-11  11-9

Octopusses

Good afternoon world and a special dedication to my dad who has been gone from us for the past 4 years. For you took a trip as you announced to the hospice nurse that you were packing your bags  to get ready to go on a trip.

As I was listening to a conversation between a child and his mom, I overheard the word, "Octopus" and many good impressions come from dwelling and meditating on the word.

First, octopusses have to be rather flexible as they glide through the waters.
Next, they have firm footing as they stay glued  to the underbelly of a rock.

These octopusses have been known to be floaters who glide along the water.
They have that special ability to get out of a sticky situation by squirting their ink in defense to the sea above.

Our family has met one of these "octopuses" in Maine in our fishing encounters.
When my dad and I went fishing on our 16 foot motorboat, we caught a sea squid that had its 8 tentacles and then we released it back into the water.  I caught one or two of these and they were rather memorable but as a younger boy, I relied on my dad to take out the hook and release the critter back into the water.  Something that takes delicate and calm hands to safely maneuver the hooks out and not be sprayed.

And reflecting on those delicate and calm hands, my dad expertly released several racoons and even a skunk with the have a heart traps that Audobon provided us when we had our struggles with our woodchuck family which we shared our garden with. It seemed to be the Woodchucks who got to our goodies before we ever got to.

And my dad's hands were able to expertly guide companies as they went through their mergers and acquisitions.  Being able to calculate on the balance sheet their net worth and determine the tax consequences of a purchase related to accounting law.

Lessons that I am currently in the process of learning as I move along in life guided by the Hand of the Lord of what I am to do with my life.
That need to be flexible.
That need to have fun.
And the need to know when to let that ink fly in the sky above me.

So I thank you, Dad, for knowing how to do all the things that you did for me such as teaching me to drive a motorboat, to playing gin, being able to have fun with a calculator in Mr. Fuller's office, and how to be a man.  And to stay on course through life and as you told me last before you went home to "stay the course and keep on trucking." 
Very valuable words in our society today!

Kiva to a great man!!