Carly's Ramblings Blog - Style

Creation Saturday & Giving Is Living

30 Day Blogging Challenge

Creation Saturday!
How are we gonna get to the bottom of this?
I'm gonna try to combine 30 DBC with Blog City and see what happens.... but I am going to need a coffee first... in my WDC mug.

"So how are we gonna get to the bottom of this?" Gabe said in a grizzled snarl as he rubbed his gnarled fingers over his patchy chin stubble.

"Didn't figure the sprites would have cannibalistic tendencies..." Ross croaked out as he squinted at the sun glistening off the cranberry fields.

Gabe grunted as he surveyed the devastation. "It's bloody appalling."

"You got the bloody right. s***, look at this mess. How we gonna.... s***." Ross stomped at the ground dislodging the half sprite that had begun to crawl up on his boot. "They ain't all dead."

"Oh, they will be. We'll have to call headquarters.... means the Men in Black haven't got the news yet."

"Oh, we've got the news Mr. Torrenes." A calm baritone voice said and both men turned to see two, tall men dressed all in black approaching. Their eyes hidden behind dark sunglasses, there faces grim.

"Figured this had extra terrestrial written all over it. No one in his right mind would believe we have cannibals in our midst..."

"And that they're sprites."

"Parasitic sprites." one of the agents clarified.

"The team will take care of the cleanup. We'll do our best to get to the bottom of this...." the other agent told them.

"But you ain't gonna let us know nothing, are ya?"

"No, Mr. Torrenes. We aren't." the agent lifted a silver tube and pushed its side, emitting a red beam of light. Gabe and Ross froze and their faces dulled.

"Seems a shame to erase their memories, K. Gabe and Ross have been helpful in the past."

"Yes, well. Seems the aliens have figured that out and sent their cannibalistic sprites to take care of the Torrenes's. We need to protect our own."

The other man looked saddened by that, but he nodded.

K pushed the button on the side of his silver tube again. Then he spoke calmly making up some farfetched tale of drunken teenagers having stolen a neighbour's supply of barn paint and deciding to paint the fields red.

"That's weak, K."

"Yes, well. It will do. Besides in this area, it is plausible."

The other agent chuckled as he moved off to leave the two farmers gawking open mouthed at the scene before them.

"Go home, gentlemen." K told them. "Nothing much to see hear. Our men will take care of it."

Gabe and Ross nodded dumbly, then turned and headed back across the field.

Blog City – Day 846

Let's play with that random word generator again.
http://www.textfixer.com/tools/random-words.php oh boy, they are interesting
sprites, cannibals, parasitic,sun, appalling and cranberry.

See the story above. Only the Men In Black can save the day.

Love Louder - Amplifying My Life

I have decided as part of my blog to comment on each of Preston Smiles's ways to Love Louder. He has written an intriguing little book or 33 Ways To Amplify Your Life. The full title is Love Louder: 33 Ways To Amplify Your Life.

Day 4 - The Key To Living Is Giving
"Giving is a selfish act. You can't give to another without giving to yourself first."

My first response to this is to get up in arms and say 'No. It is not selfish to give to others', but upon reading Preston Smiles's commentary I would reconsider... but only to the wording 'selfish'. Being selfish means keeping things to yourself and yourself alone. Giving doesn't do that. Giving without expecting anything in return is not selfish... when we give do we consider the ramifications of our actions? I don't think so. I think, in giving, we are merely acting out of love and connection to others. But I suppose some give thinking they will get something - they have an ulterior motive. In all cases we do get something back from giving... it is that sense of having connected, having done something to help another and that makes us feel good about ourselves. Still I would not say that that is done as a selfish act.

He quotes from Romeo and Juliet to make his point:

My bounty is boundless as the sea,
My love as deep; the more I give to thee,
The more I have, for both are infinite.

To not give, to be miserly, we shrivel as human beings. It is in us to give in order to survive. Yet I still do not deem that as a selfish act, but one of sustainability. Giving is a life enriching act would seem more a propo. He says Shakespeare is pointing out the universal law of circulation, or what he calls the "double boomerang effect, where you throw from one hand and receive someone else's throw in the other." You could also say 'what goes around comes around' - whatever you put out there, whether positive or negative, comes back to you in kind. I prefer to spread positive energy and be kind.

He goes on to explain that his book is a result of his decision to sit with a certain person at a conference. A person sitting alone that he decided needed company. What he found out was that this person was the CEO of the HeartMath Institute. They shared stories and laughed... and three months later this same person introduced him to his publisher... but I thinking that original act of giving did not have ulterior motives. He was simply making a decision to give the man company.... what came of that was fabulous, but he did not do it for that reason.

It is true we need others and that our interactions and moments when we give to others raise the level of love in the world... but I can't bring myself to call that selfish.
God gave us gifts and talents and told us to share them with the world... not to hide them under a basket, but to let our lights shine. The essence of what Preston Smiles is saying is essentially that - "The key to living is giving, and I urge you to give your gifts away, coming from service. Look for ways to add value to everyone you encounter in life, and indirectly you cup will be filled (and you'll feel pretty amazing in the process)."

I have heard that one way to draw yourself out of a depression is to get out there and share of yourself. It may be hard, but the benefits pull you out of the darkness that seems intent on binding you.

#LOVELOUDERCHALLENGE
Over the next 24 hour period, find creative ways to give to another person without using money. This could be anything from a compliment, to a chance to laugh. It could be a shoulder to lean on or an ear to listen to their story. We all want to know we matter. Giving allows us to do that.