(part of my) Introduction

I N T R O D U C T I O N

People running for president, politicians, rock stars, movie stars. radio and TV stars, 'big wheels' in ANY organizations and famous sports figures are all unimportant, really. You heard me. Why? Because they entertain your thoughts elsewhere, away from what is more important. What is much more important in your life. Y O U. You are more important, you and your game. Don't let them and their game in life interrupt you and your game in life. You playing your game is more important than going ga-ga over others at their games. Being a fan of somebody else is like 'playing hookie' on yourself. Never quite 'showing-up' for your class at school. Being a fan of other 'stars' and success stories diminishes the stars in Your eyes. The important and talented thoughts you once had about yourself need to return. Because You, it is YOU that really counts. It is You that R O C K's here, man. You are a galactic human. Treat yourself as such.

 

Some of us humans will be taken by the awesome beauty of the rose blooms in our life, and some that will be snagged by the thorns in their life. But there are those, like myself, once caught, that are able to now see the thorns for what they really are, and enjoy the blooms of life even more because of the thorns. Meditation gave me that time to step-back and differentiate my thoughts before I act on them – then acting on them later with better feelings behind my words and actions.

Now, I don't know about you but this here 'Pennsylvania-farm boy' certainly had no idea what meditation was. First time I heard it I thought my friend Jack said the word that sounds damn close to it. Almost rhymes with it. One of the words I learned, red face included, at a middle school recess. I got embarrassed like I did then. Didn't particularly want to talk about masturbation with him on that day, or really any day. Thank you. Then he repeated it, to my relief, but like the other word, Jack gave it that mischievous 'shouldn't be talking about it' aer or air about him.. He wasn't kidding either. Acted like it was illegal, looking around behind him, before continuing, like spy’s were watching us. He sure kindled this teen's fires of interest as to what Jack was going to divulge next. He knew a lot of real cool Carnival stories. His Dad was a 'carnie' born and raised. He got up close to me. I always remember he smelled like his Dad's cigars. He whispered to me, “Meditation is just sitting and hearing your thoughts.”

Parents across the globe are set in their ways and their ways, immune from scrutiny in most cases, are passed on to the children. And their children are to decide whether to follow those foot-steps or use those lessons as examples as what not to do in their life. What not to pass on to their children. Some children, no matter how wrong their parents decisions were, and realizing how wrong they were, still wont change. To me this is not growth but stagnation. I should know, I was there for a time, until Jack came along. Without him and his cousin, my family wouldn't have been aware of another life out there. A world just on the outskirts of the one we were born in.

I know what you're going to think now when I tell you this. I didn't believe it either. Took a lot of proof for me to believe him. “Yeah right,” I hear your thoughts already. Ya might want to sit down though. Do some deep belly-breathing. Ready? Jack was never sick and never missed a day of school for as long as I knew him. You heard me, yep. I know, you look at me like that's unheard of, and I would have agreed with you, back then. I can remember getting my usual one or two colds or more a month, and my yearly flue as well as chicken pox, etc. One day at his house, soon after he told me about meditation, we were talking and this tardiness subject came up. I had a cold then because he asked me if I was tired of getting sick like this. I think I said, “yeah why,” but I don’t remember for sure. It was forty five years ago, mind you. What I do remember is looking at his report cards in his bedroom.“Our family doesn't get sick,” I needed proof. Sure enough there were zeros in that area on every report card. There were even zeros on his sister's report cards. I needed more proof. His father wasn't home at the moment, but his mother looked at Jack like he said a cuss word or something. I needed even more proof. “You can tell your parents, of course, but please don't tell anybody else,” she told me. She got a call from Mom soon after I think. Needless to say, we were studying meditation from Jack's cousin soon after that.