Honoring a Hero (February 23rd) …
February 23 – Honoring a Hero: Name your current residence after your primary hero/role model. Be clever and Respect-full, both with your choice of hero and how you express that choice. Hang a sign(s) somewhere in your domicile to make it “official”. Bonus Activity: Order new mailing labels & include your new home’s name on them.
Well, even though I don’t really have a residence of my own, I figured I could still honor my current abode by naming it after one of my heroes. And yet, which of my many sources of inspiration should I choose to do so?
The teachings of Jesus Christ (as portrayed in both the canonical Bible and the Gospel of Thomas) have been an invaluable guide for my Way, so I thought of naming my apartment “Jesus’ Jazz-joint” – but that just didn’t feel right. After all, Jesus went out of his way to deflect any honors that folks were trying to give him. So I decided to honor him by not naming my place after him.
Then there was “Gandhi’s Getaway”, and yet retreating into solitude was the last thing Gandhi wanted for himself or anyone else.
I also thought of the “Peace Pilgrim Palace”, and yet she didn’t have an abode of her own at all – much less a “palace”.
So that left me with one of my very first heroes – Opus from the cartoon “Bloom County”. I loved Opus back in college (ad still Love him today) for many reasons.
Opus is loyal to his True Self.
he is fastidiously clean (evidencing a fundamental level of Self-respect),
while remaining humble about his personal appearance …
Opus sees past religious dogma,
Opus sees beyond economic temptation,
and Opus sees through political manipulation (albeit innocently).
Opus is pure enough to still be pained by our hyper-negative media …
possibly because he still revels in the Beauties of Nature.
Opus is purposefully pensive,
which helps hims to fend off superficial “entertainment”.
Opus pauses to express his gratitudes,
and he pauses to consciously self-sacrifice for others (He is Kind).
and this is what enables him to be the world’s only penguin who can truly fly!
And so, for now & evermore, my Home – wherever it might be – will be known as an “Opus Oasis”.
See You when I see you …
… ands until then, Be Now!
Scaughdt
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