Platyoceandanthes amabilisum (Streams of Consciousness in a Sea of Being)
Or In a Constant State of Flux, and yet Unmoving
by
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Sagrada Familia (I'm not a crier or even a laugher for that matter) As the taxi driver navigated streets so narrow, they seemed like sidewalks, we were pressed into the car's rear seat with thinly constructed cab doors and we plunged into each other with every turn by the driver, of which there were many, and often - I prepared myself for tears. I'm not a crier or even a laugher for that matter. But I love doing both. With laughter when control is lost, and our faces contort, and our teeth show and we lose inhibition and tears flow and for a moment we cannot see or care what we look like; I love that. Or when tears from sadness or poignant reflections trigger our memories and imagination takes us somewhere, and we cry. I love that too – that stretching of our emotions when not planned. I had a Brooks Brothers' handkerchief tucked into my lower shirt sleeve edge, like a mother in church, or just a paper tissue or Kleenex at the ready, from just inside a man-bag, as I enjoy being prepared. Through thoroughfares perfect for walking or maybe for mopeds and Vespas, the driver was adept at managing narrow streetways or alleyways and missing pedestrians or kiosks or piles of rubbish and fruit crates providing us safe transport to our first Barcelona birthday destination; a return to Sagrada Familia. There was this one time, when we were in Barcelona, actually the first time for me, and we were walking the beautiful boulevards and then more casual streets and I had no idea where we were - how could I have?, and then we turned a corner and there was the Sagrada Familia standing there, just waiting for me. And I cried; you know, not like wailing with facial contortions and runny mucous and sobbing, but actual tears like a surprise birthday party inside my head...like I had waited my whole life to see something so moving, so spiritual, so absolutely intoxicating and beautiful and just so weird. Fast forward to today's birthday gift to myself, to repeat those sensations and add new emotional connections and maybe just toss myself on the gorgeous floor and stare up towards the sky through orange stained glass windows. I should have, I could have. I almost lose control when emotion takes charge. I get weak!
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About the Book
The author utilizes metaphor, simile and the occasional reference to make one ponder and self-reflect. Through the use of streams of conscious, he encourages self-hypnosis or creative visualization that allows us to imagine our capabilities or to see our possibilities before making changes in our lives. Stressing the importance of remaining child-like when appropriate, allowing whimsey and daydreaming to stay an active exercise in our lives, the author stresses the importance of seeing what we are looking at, like a visual artist, but with word usage. A repeated theme places us on a cruise ship, staring out to where the sea meets the sky. By allowing ourselves to look outside of ourselves, we try to find meaning in our lives. Another repeated theme is that of defining or characterizing entities in ways to establish order and place expectations so that we conform or behave in ways as others would expect us to perform or behave. The author would encourage us to challenge such defining and characterizations, in order to develop a stronger sense of who we are. Bonus writings relating to changes imposed upon us by Covid and other World events, should seem meaningful to all of us, and likely in very different ways. Do you think we have learned anything from our Covid experiences? Would the author’s use of metaphor improve how we see ourselves, and our places in other people's lives? Spotting a sea serpent along the voyage would add even more self-awareness and insight.
About the Author
Acknowledging that he is one generation down from the plow, Dr. Shelton shares that in order to know where we can go, we must maintain a connection to our beginnings. The author was born in Illinois and has lived in Colorado, Florida and now NYC. With his clinical doctorate, he feels honored and rewarded to assist with promoting connections to all peoples.