To Sit Or Not To Sit?

     There's no pilgrimage without discomfort.
     That belief proved true while I hiked across Spain on the Camino de Santiago. It's an ancient pilgrimage route ending inside a Roman Catholic cathedral.
     I contended with blisters, rainstorms, sleep deprivation, just to name a few. At one hostel in Castile Leon, half of the toilet seat was missing. And yes, I sat upon it.
     Discomfort is appropriate on a pilgrimage. By exercising self denial on a journey to a shrine, we demonstrate to God the sincerity of our devotion to him.

Ropeline Cliche

     Michelle Obama worked a ropeline in Cincinnati. Someone held a baby. The inevitable happened. Obama lifted the child. I captured the moment with a telephoto lens.
     The image was a cliche. Politicians often hold babies. The resulting photos are a dime a dozen. 
     That last sentence ended with a cliche.
     I am penning a novel. To my dismay, I've discovered overused expressions--cliches--in the text. I'm replacing most of them with distinct prose.
     There's no excusing a writer who overuses cliches.  Readers deserve originality.
     I'd love to photograph a baby throwing up on a politician.

Eyes Up

 

     One graduate kept his eye on the American flag. It happened during a playing of the National Anthem at a high school graduation. He's seen in the center of the photo.
     When the song began, most of the graduates looked up at the flag. The unity of purpose soon broke down. One by one, the graduates focused their attentions on other sights inside the gymnasium.
     The song neared its conclusion. Only that one graduate still looked faithfully at 'Old Glory.' His hand rested against his chest in accordance with custom.
     Why did he act with such dignity? Perhaps he was aware of the audience watching him. Perhaps it was a habit of respect.
     His name eluded me. I was unaware of his class rank, his grade point average, or his American College Testing score. I don't recall him being recognized for scholarships. None of those things will matter over time.
     Based on character alone, I envision that young man succeeding in life.

Fashion Boundaries

A man from Texas arranges chairs before a small town campaign event in Iowa. He wears a cowboy hat.

     Where is the fashion boundary separating cowboy hats and baseball caps?
     Here in New England, nobody wears cowboy hats. Baseball caps are popular. The same is true for other states east of the Mississippi River. Some people wear cowboy hats to country music clubs, but that is different than everyday use. 
     Even after crossing west of the Mississippi River, baseball caps are the norm. At least that's my observation after traveling thousands of miles by car.
     The hat boundary starts at the Louisiana / Texas line. Cowboy hats are synonymous with Texas.
     I don't know where the boundary passes through the middle of the country. I suspect it zigs and zags.
     Farther to the north, the Missouri River might represent the demarcation between baseball caps and cowboy hats. Landscape is the reason. While crossing the river westbound in South Dakota, I noticed an immediate change from cropland to cattle range. Ranchers work on rangeland. They prefer cowboy hats.
     I'm not familiar with hat styles in the west coast states. I suspect that most people living near the Pacific Ocean don't wear cowboy hats. But ranchers inland and Hispanic Americans might wear them.
     I'm glad that cowboy hats are regional instead of everywhere. A hodgepodge beats homogenization. 

Farmers in Iowa listen to a speaker. They wear baseball caps.

Selective Attention

Dragonfly rests on a board last week.

     Dragonflies are a good role model for people.
     Consider this statistic. When a dragonfly hunts an insect, it's success rate is around 95 percent. What other predators are that successful? None of them are.
     Dragonflies perform 'selective attention.' They focus on a single object of prey, such as one mosquito among many mosquitoes. Distractions are ignored.
     I'll repeat that last sentence: Distractions are ignored.
     Human beings also perform selective attention. The problem is, many people misuse this ability. Technology is the culprit. Smart phones, television, electronic games, and internet, distracts people from the pursuits of their dreams.
     By emulating a dragonfly, a person can better realize his dreams.

Powering Up Conscience

     The price tag caught my eye. Twenty-four batteries for $9.97. They were alkalines, the long lasting kind. A good buy.
     I brought them to a check out counter at Walmart. The cashier charged me $13.97. I politely disputed the extra four dollars.
     She called in a supervisor. Turns out, the batteries had been priced incorrectly. The higher amount was correct.
    To my surprise, she offered to honor the original price. I would save four dollars.
     Seconds later my conscience kicked in. The store had made an innocent mistake. They had owned up to it. Taking advantage of them wasn't right.
     I offered to pay the full price.
     The woman reiterated the stores willingness to honor the original price. Hearing that, I paid her the $9.97.
     Hours later, my conscience still bothered me. By asking to pay the price in full, did I rationalize not paying the price in full? Now I am considering whether to pay the difference during a later visit to the store.
     Conscience prods us toward conformity with God's will.

Liberty Stroll

     Freedom was everywhere.
     During a stroll in Boston, I passed a statue of George Washington. That man personified the cause of freedom.
      Across the street, Mennonite Christians sang hymns. Their presence brought to mind freedom. Authorities in some countries would persecute them for such a display.
     A contingent of demonstrators passed by. Their signs criticized drones used in warfare. Those activists also exuded freedom. Peaceful demonstrators like them risk arrest in other parts of the world.
     Chinese Americans in the vicinity got me thinking about freedom. They performed a meditation exercise. This activity is outlawed in their native country.
     If George Washington had strolled beside me, he would be pleased. Two centuries after the American Revolution, citizens in Boston still exercise the freedoms of speech and assembly he had fought for.

Role Reversing

     When I was a toddler, my parents would bring me to this lake. They'd escort me into the water and watch over me.
     Roles have reversed. Now I bring them.
     Mom and Dad are over ninety years old. They're unsteady on their feet. They usually stay inside the car. Sometimes I escort them for a walk closer to the sand.
     Mom and Dad don't visit this beach for the view. They visit for the memories.