Time for a Filter Change

"Chatty Kathy"
That was my very first nick name before I even knew I had a name!
Don't laugh ...
       I was born in the 60's
       Chatty Cathy was the name of a baby doll that everyone had to have in the 60's
       and I guess I liked to babble as a baby, I would talk and talk
              lots of sound, not much sense
(I'm sure my brother is laughing right now)

Cue the year 2012
     tweeting
     pinning
     blogging
     texting
     skyping
     streaming
     watching movies, Youtube, TV (what's that?)
and then there are those infamous status posts, likes, comments, links ......  ahhh!!!**

We live in an era in which we post every thought, every regret, every thing that ticks us off,
           we are told every opinion
                          and every mood
                               of every person on this blasted planet!**

The crazy part about this is
             I do pin, text, blog and tweet
             I do watch Youtube, movies, streaming events, and TV
             (born in the 60's remember?)

And you know ... I love my friends and family, I love knowing how they're doing
     how their babies are growing, and cooing and rolling
I appreciate when people let me know they're having a tough day or they need a friend
I do love being connected, hearing others' opinions and learning from other people's perspectives
I need people
But This is not about That

I'm afraid our "filters" are broken
Filters are what keep us from blurting out what we really feel at all times, to any one, any place
And those dang filters are in serious need of replacement, or cleaning or something.

Your filter is working when you start typing (texting), and then back space, back space, back space ...
          You start again, and then delete, delete, delete ...
You know how tempting it is to just press send or enter or post?!
DON"T DO IT!!!
Let's give those delete and back space buttons more air time.

It's like everyone has become an expert ...  It's like we all got a PhD in "smartness" all of a sudden
         What is often communicated with such seeming authority is often just passion
                  We feel it in our heart, or we just know it to be true ...
        (Careful! Those hearts of ours can really deceive us)
         What we claim to be a fact might just be a clip or song that went viral today
                   and because millions pressed like it must be ok
         What is written as right and normal might just be the voice of many,
                                       many who are wrong ??
We're looking for wisdom in culture,
in politics,
in music,
in entertainment
If we saw it on the internet then it must be true?  ... Really???
             
we speak, we emote, we criticize, we judge, we babble way too much
what we perceive as wisdom and truth might be just too much coffee ...
                                                                        I mean, not enough coffee,
                                                                        sleep deprivation, pizza at midnight ...

I'm afraid it's not gonna get better out there in cyberspace

So .... let's get out the hose and clean out that filter
         or maybe just go all out and get a brand new one

Then maybe there won't be so much babbling
            there won't be so much talking and talking
            less sound, more sense **

That's all ...
      I have to go clean my filter now


 **utilized the Delete and/or Backspace button

Dreaming...

I used to dream of singing,
   not just in the rain
  or even in the shower
          ... but on a big stage,
              with a sound system that made me sound good

                             with a band,
                             with back up singers,
                             with back up dancers (j/k),

   or in a small room with an enraptured audience,                         
           on a stool with a guitar,
           at the piano, effortlessly playing
           .... singing like no one else was in that room
           .... singing for an Audience of One

I used to dream of traveling the world,
      a flight attendant, a pilot
             suitcase never quite unpacked
    traveling this vast planet, seeing the world
I would be able to speak multiple languages, fluently.
       communicate to strangers, who would soon become friends because that barrier of language would be gone

I used to dream I could play instruments,
            not just piano
                but saxophone (very groovy)
                guitar
                    no....  bass guitar (very cool)!!!!
     I would definitely be in a "chick band"

I used to dream that one day I would be a mom to dozens of kids
             rescue the children of the world who seemingly had no one to call their own
                             those who had no parents, no one to take care of them
     or I would show up at bus stations, in large cities, ready to snatch beautiful, broken young people who had run away
run from abuse or from themselves
   rescuing them from the Predator, the Bully who was waiting
I imagined being the one to find an abandoned baby, maybe left on my door step, maybe crying out in a dark alley, or stuffed in a bag, left with little more than one more breath of life yet much more love to give

Now I dream of being a writer ...
one who spends hours on my laptop creating story lines,
                                                      chapters to books,
                                               lyrics to songs,
                                         posts on a blog
        words that encourage a friend
        words that annihilate that sense of isolation that creeps at our minds saying
             "we're alone in this, nobody can relate to what I'm going through"
        words that tell stories of true life, of what has happened, what is possible
        words that give Truth
        words that offer Hope
I dream of having that time, to share what flows out of my heart and my head
         generously offered to me by my Creator
To be one of His many ways that He answers prayer, He changes hearts, He gives purpose

I haven't sung in a while, I never did conquer the bass guitar (I'm not dead yet ...)
But I have sung in the shower, in the rain, and even on that big stage,
          for my Audience of One!
I never did get my pilot's license, or serve people their drinks thousands of feet in the air
But I have traveled the world, met strangers who became friends
There are not dozens of children living in my home, I've never rescued a run away or found a baby abandoned ... but again, I'm not dead yet!

I still wish I could grab a microphone once in a while, with a bass wrapped over my shoulder, singing a song in my perfect vocal range, belting it out with the strength of a diva

But this I can do
     I can write, I will keep writing,
                                 and I will keep dreaming!