Developing powers of observation and awareness. A walk from and to my home in my neighborhood, observing in detail my surroundings. The following exercise of mind will be told in a Cryptic style.

1.   Today is a cloudy and overcast day, but the temperature seems nice.

2.   Geraldine has installed a security light at the rear of her home.

3.   Ronald has a new layer of topsoil in his yard. I didn’t realize that he needed this.

4.   The Bingo Hall has closed, due to the influx of Gambling here in my hometown. The parking lot is empty and desolate, when at one time it teemed with the comings and goings of patrons trying to win a few dollars. Hoping to get lucky while losing their hard earned cash that is severely needed at home.

5.   Tony’s Doughnuts, is no longer open for business. Too much pressure and stress from mean spirited people of the night and day. Now vandalism has taken it’s toll, the store looks very sad.

6.   A small grocery store on my left across Plank Rd. is burned out. Inside sits a settle aged gent, or vagrant looking as vacant and burned out as the building itself. Wonder what’s going on in his mind?

7.   A bag of clothing on the sidewalk in front of St. Vincent DePaul’s used goods store. It’s contents spilled out or thrown out, by someone looking inside for useful things.

8.   Across Choctaw St. is an old building with a new sign, that reads: Caligula. Hope this new owner fares better than the last one.

9.   The large Catholic Church’s parking lot is overflowing, out into the sidewalk with worshippers cars, and vans, and trucks. Plenty of business for the Lord.

And I continue my walk thru my neighborhood. Absorbing, in a mindful state of awareness.

10.   Good old Burger King, stopped to buy breakfast. I noticed it’s only 9:30 am, only 30-min  before breakfast is over. Smells good inside as usual. Paid for my food, waited, gathered my BK bag and left.

11.   Walking down Chippewa St., I stopped at the Texaco for orange juice, a newspaper, and a Peanut Pattie – love these things, but my teeth do not.

12.   Coming up the walkway to my home, I took an objective view of my rear property – fence on the NW corner needs a new horizontal pole. My yard needs an early February mowing and sprucing up a bit.

13.  Nearing the front porch, my house looks like it could use a good paint job, yesterday. It cannot take on the visage of my neighborhood. This is not allowed by me.

14.   Inside, my wife is still sleeping, it’s approximately 9:50 am. I call out to her that “breakfast is here”, and she responds in a very sleepy, and cumbersome, drag your sleepy feet type of walk thingie, comes into the living room and commence to chowing down.

I am back inside my cozy home now, pondering my neighborhood walk. What did I Spiritually see? Overall observation: sadness, no real sense of hope. Plastic blank faces, no empathy, hardness, loss of compassion, a negative change of humanity’s inner consciousness, Desolation.

Is it me that I am looking at from the outside, or is it me, on the inside, really looking at harsh reality on the outside? I hope the latter is true, for my sake.

ADDENDUM.

This exercise is also a form of objective thinking. Looking at facts and conditions without malice or distortion or bias. No judgment casted. It simply Is what It Is. I hope my exercise up there attained it’s goal of helping someone somewhere in this dear world, to wake up, to show you how to start practicing, and developing your own sense of awareness wherever you are. Keep watch of this world, as the element of surprise is your greatest enemy. You never know what is coming at you, to rend and to destroy. Watch your own back, elevate your own sense of consciousness. Watch!