MUSINGS and other writing by Mark Kolke

. . . . . . there is no edge to openness

TODAY'S MUSINGS

FEEDBACK / COMMENTS

MARK SPEAKS

MARK'S SPEAKING TIPS

ARCHIVED COLUMNS

ARCHIVE WINTER 2020-21

ARCHIVE AUTUMN 2020

ARCHIVE SUMMER 2020

ARCHIVE SPRING 2020

ARCHIVE WINTER 2019-20

ARCHIVE AUTUMN 2019

ARCHIVE SUMMER 2019

ARCHIVE SPRING 2019

ARCHIVE WINTER 2018-19

ARCHIVE AUTUMN 2018

ARCHIVE SUMMER 2018

ARCHIVE SPRING 2018

ARCHIVE WINTER 2017-18

ARCHIVE AUTUMN 2017

ARCHIVE SUMMER 2017

ARCHIVE SPRING 2017

ARCHIVE WINTER 2016/17

ARCHIVE AUTUMN 2016

ARCHIVE SUMMER 2016

ARCHIVE SPRING 2016

ARCHIVE WINTER 2015/16

ARCHIVE AUTUMN 2015

ARCHIVE SUMMER 2015

ARCHIVE SPRING 2015

ARCHIVE WINTER 2014/15

ARCHIVE AUTUMN 2014

ARCHIVE SUMMER 2014

ARCHIVE SPRING 2014

ARCHIVE WINTER 2013/14

CONTACT

MY REAL ESTATE LIFE

WHY I WRITE MUSINGS

SHORT STORY PROJECT

POETRY PROJECT

SELECTED OTHER WORK

 

GOING IT IS HOW
…  carving out time to look out your window,  just  listening to rain fall
Thursday June 19, 2014
 
 
 
How are things?
 
Business, social life? State of calm. 
 
Idea life? Energized, thriving. 
 
Ambition life? Bigger. 
 
Potential? Giddy-up-go.
 
Staring?
 
Out these windows.
 
Outside stares back – sees me clearly.
 
People matter. 
 
Things don’t. 
 
Experience matters. 
 
Thinking?
 
Pale half-measure of enjoyment.
 
Getting inside our heads, inside that big head – having some fun, enjoying this rain regardless of your aches, or my pains.
 
Life affords moments we take, gives no refunds for those left un-used.
 
You must be busy …
 
You must have so much on the go, there is no time for pausing …
 
I’m pausing, right now.  Paused yesterday. Paused the day before.
 
Decision, to look out windows awhile. 
 
Staring at nothing.
 
At everything.
 
There it is, to be carved out  from great walls of difficulty, made magical – then life, as I wish, is explained.
 
There are few things I enjoy.
 
Let me define enjoy.
 
Considering all things I describe as garden-variety enjoyment, so many elements of my life, work, play, circle-of-influencers, family and friends – love it all, get regular and sufficient stimulation for action, thought, value, accomplishment.
 
Let me re-define enjoyment.
 
Sitting here in my writing room/office, desk lamp on, Gusta so patiently waits. 
 
Windows open. Torrent (that’s what it sounds like).  Rain hitting ground, concrete and asphalt.  Musical, magical, powerful, reminds of times – snuggled warmly in beds, reminds of times – teeth chattering, in sleeping bags, in tents. Reminds, poignant big-head moments re-lived, re-enjoyed without regard for where we are today that’s enjoyment, that’s satisfaction.
 
I’ll purge enjoyment from vocabulary, replace with satisfaction. 
 
Satisfaction is not having everything going well, but this state of feeling incredibly content with how things are going.
 
 
 
Mark Kolke
197,072
column written/ published from Calgary
 
morning walk: 11C / 52F, steady rain (all of southern Alberta is getting soaked – flood risks concerning everyone, fearing a repeat of last year’s horrors), steady breeze brings it through the screen to wet those sills; little kids in raincoats and rubber boots being dropped at the daycare centre, gutters flowing downhill mighty creeks in search of Hudson’s Bay, ground saturated, tree-wells filled, low spots are now mini-ponds … Gusta loved it, she’s classic waterdog and loves being drenched. I didn’t notice a drop – feel invigorated
 
Reader feedback / comments always welcome:
 
IN SEARCH OF MEANINGFUL RETURNS
Invest in life and do so passionately and without concern for the returns.  GW, Bon Wier, Tx.
 
You spoke of investing. I am investing myself wholly in my life. My husband, my home, my community, my work. I hope with all my heart I will be able to invest myself in me again very soon. It is a constant struggle to carve out time for this but it is essential to me, anon
 
 
VERY COOL
Re: my big fat greek interview ..Thanks Mark. I enjoyed speaking to you and sharing. Its always nice when someone wants to hear "your" story. I read it and all is in order. You captured the "nucleus" of the man as Nacho said in that classic film Nacho Libre. Talk to you soon, GL, Calgary, AB
 
Ah!  Early morning sounds are like no other sounds from the day.  The creatures that we can only hear a glimpse of during the sunshiny moments.  Here in east Texas those sounds appear to our ears as the sounds of dreams.  The owl doing his hoo-hoo-hoo and the tree frogs all competing for air space.  We now have two ducks and twenty chickens that follow the ducks as the mice followed the pied piper.  Their voices mingle with the call of the wild in the wee hours of the morning.  They are free range and have been since Memorial Day and blessedly we have not lost a single one.  We also have peacocks that sound their alarms in the night from somewhere in the forest.  I treasure those voices unlike any I have ever heard.  GW, Bon Wier, Tx.

Sign up to get MUSINGS by Email
» click HERE to be added to our list!
For Email Marketing you can trust

MUSINGS
daily stirrings

 
read my posts on MEDIUM
 
read my posts on TWITTER 
 

 
quick link - to this season's ARCHIVED COLUMNS
 

 
quick link - to this year's DAILY QUOTES
 

 
quick link - to my weekly FACILITYCalgary newsletters
 

 
quick link - to my Linked in page
 

 
quick link - to my MaxComm business website
 

 
quick link - to my office leasing website
 

 
quick link - to my residential real estate services website
 

quick link - discussion of office leasing 
 

sign up to get Musings free daily


Comments are always welcome - please contribute to the discussion.  Reply to: kolke@markkolke.com

You can also connect with me on LinkedIn. This site is updated daily, each column is retained in the archive when the next day's column is loaded ...  


Copyright - all rights reserved - Mark Kolke, © 2003-2021