Mindfulness &

how to be aware in an unaware world

Author: Josh Avery

  • Peering Out

    Peering Out

    I peer out into the vast Atlantic Ocean as the moon peers back slightly above the horizon.

    I pause for a moment, hesitating with a camera in my hand and yearning to stop time and stay a while at the shore, just peering out.

    The date is May 8, 2017, around 4:48 PM. I am in Miami, Florida, sitting on a long, sun-worn pier. The stretched, sandy beach is to my left, and an old weathered port is to my right.

    My father and were wandering down the beach in search of something to satisfy our minor hunger after soaking in the sun and taking a dip in the bubbling ocean.

    We met a local couple at a local seafood restaurant while enjoying some local music in a local community (we felt like locals).

    The couple kindly invites us on their deck boat after some time for wine and hors d’oeuvre. We agree enthusiastically to the invitation and watch as the water stills and the sun lowers in the sky.

    We sit comfortably on the edge of the stern for some more time, sipping some palatable red wine and softly swaying as the small waves gently rock the boat.

    In the distance, my eye catches sight of the moon again as it rises higher in the sky, like a child who is becoming less shy with time.

    The owner of the boat asks if we want to go out on the water before the sun sets and the moon rises. We agree, happily, and head out into the waves before dusk, peering out.

    Want more reading on the moon? Wish granted!

    1. 24 people have been to the moon so far!
    2. NASA plans to go back too!
    3. The next lunar eclipse is coming near you.
    4. Yes, the moon landing was real.

    Thank you for your time and attention in reading this post. It is a rare gift these days. Feel free to leave a comment or share this post. You can also Buy Me A Coffee if you feel so inclined!

  • Fame

    Fame

    “I wish everyone could become rich and famous so they could realize it’s not the answer.”
    – Jim Carrey

    Have you ever fantasized about being famous? Rich? Important? Admired?

    Ever dream of the ability to buy just about anything you want without a single concern?

    Ever dream of effortlessly swiping a credit card over anything you want or opening a big-ass brown briefcase full of hundred-dollar bills? (Who said you had to be legally rich?)

    In my opinion, because I know you care about my opinion, one doesn’t make it to the level of ‘let me just casually purchase whatever I want’ without exploiting at least a hundred people in the process).

    Or have you ever lost sleep over the deep desire to be famous?

    Ever wish you could slip backstage to meet your favorite band or step out of a sleek, black limo and onto a ridiculously long, red carpet? (Why does it have to be a red carpet by the way? What if you were famous and color blind, then you might think you’re walking down a green carpet, or maybe that’s not how color blindness works. I don’t know because I can see the color red, but you get my point).

    You’d also be lying if you said no. Now I’m not calling you a liar unless you are of course, what I’m saying is that everyone who is a human being has struggled with these unfortunately hyped illusions at some point in their life.

    You might be asking me, what the hell is this guy talking about? Fame and riches aren’t bad things, they are the paths towards success and wealth.

    But then you are reminded of the age-old truism, that happiness is not predicated upon the amount of money you make or the number of people that do and don’t care about what you wore to dinner last night.

    Happiness is found right here and now. There’s no place you can find it nor any price you could pay for it.

    But if you can have fame, fortune, and true happiness all at the same time, then you, my friend, have cracked the code.

    If you’re famous, you lose the careless stroll down the street to a nice, local coffee shop or fireside chat with a stranger at a pub in Edinburgh.

    If you’re rich, you lose the meaning of value and what it means to be content with what you already have, because there becomes a price for everything, and people should definitely not be measured that way.

    If you’re truly happy, well you don’t really lose anything, I was just on a roll there for a second.

    Studies show, don’t ask me which studies damn it, that after a certain amount (say $70,000 in the US of A), a greater level of income does not equal a greater level of happiness.

    In fact, more income often increases your levels of stress and responsibility, which in turn decreases your personal time and energy.

    Fame too comes and goes with time, it’s notoriously unstable and unpredictable (Heath Ledger, Robin Williams, MJ, Prince, Lindsey Lohan).

    Okay, she didn’t die, but she did disappear for a long time and I’m pretty sure many people thought she had died.

    Look, the point is that fame is a horrible idea to put stock in. It has the worst return on investment in the world (other than DuPont or Dogecoin, of course, but they’re due to fame too really).

    I encourage you to try and observe the rich and famous of today.

    Do they seem content? Do they look happy? If their life is on display, what surrounds them?

    Then ask yourself, are you content, happy, and present? What makes it possible or nonexistent right now?

    Link It Up Baby

    1. Jim Carrey Leaves the Audience Speechless
    2. The Long List Of Stars Who Died At Age 27
    3. Divorces of the rich and famous: a 1% solution or the start of a trend?

    Thank you for your time and attention in reading this post. It is a rare gift these days. Feel free to leave a comment or share this post. You can also Buy Me A Coffee if you feel so inclined!

  • Schoolbuses

    Schoolbuses

    Photography to me is magic, a time capsule that triggers a memory, capturing the stillness of that memory and storing it for future pondering, this was just science fiction not too long ago.

    On my Instagram, I have many posts just like this one, with a photo I took somewhere on my journey through life and a long, detailed description attached.

    This picture was taken on September 30, 2017, at 11:25 at a boat dock and parking lot in the White River National Forest in Farner, Tennessee Valley. 

    These rafting guides were preparing to take a group down the gorgeous white river, discussing the outcome and reflecting on the day.

    I paused, looking through the viewfinder of my camera, and snapped a moment in time (a wild realization in retrospect).

    Later, I used Lightroom to chip away at coloring the classic yellow school bus and provide some interesting contrast. I de-colored the background and left the bus as it was after some small filter adjustments. 

    I love it when these old buses become repurposed for different adventures, tour companies, hippie vans, and whatnot.

    This one has a flat roof constructed to tie rafts on but I would have added a jacuzzi, threw a few lawn chairs, and just chilled up there with my best friends.

    The whole trip was prompted by my father and I as were traveling to spend quality time with a great uncle who was in his late 90s at the time.

    It was a memorable and enjoyable trip, driving up winding roads through dense pine and oak, listening to Jack Johnson, and stopping at parks along the way.

    Maybe one day, I thought, I’ll accompany a group of fellow adventures in a big yellow bus and vote to add a jacuzzi.

    Three Links

    1. Who invented the school bus?
    2. The gorgeous White River National Park.
    3. 11 Tips to Become a Better Photographer

    Thank you for your time and attention in reading this post. It is a rare gift these days. Feel free to leave a comment or share this post. You can also buy me a coffee if you feel so inclined!