Play On Words!

Play On Words!

©Allen Merritt (2015)

I love Word Play.

I find Word Play helpful to engage my mind, interact with the world around me, as stimulus toward changing perspective, finding humor and for turning things around in such a way as to create a sense of the calm, cool and collected within.

This week I would like to share examples of Word Play, because I think once you play it and see it in action, the results and outcomes speak for themselves toward the subject of positivity.

First of all, what is Word Play? According to Wikipedia, it’s a literary technique used primarily for intended effect or amusement.¹ Personally, I find it fun (amusement) and helpful (positivity).

Word Play can be comprised of just about anything including but not limited to jokes, puns, riddles, anagrams, innuendos, double entendres, phoneticals, spoonerisms and more. When you need a little boost, a change in attitude or even some self-assuredness, Word Play can help. Anyone can play.

Another interesting effect of Word Play is how it allows you a chance to see into something, make greater observations and take a look at things which at first do not appear to be what they seem to be. Word Play is applicable to our daily lives in that it renders us perspective and changes our perceptions. In many ways it’s like looking at Magic Eye picture. At first it appears to be what you initially perceive. But if you’re good at looking deeper into the picture, you’ll find something else embedded there.

Look deeply into this photo and see if you notice anything embedded within it.²

 I love looking at Magic Eye art. While this is not Word Play per se, it demonstrates the idea of looking into things outside initial impressions and beyond the moment. In effect, you are manipulating words in a creative way.

In a previous blog I focused on the word Stressed as an example of Word Play. I discussed how turning it around creates the word Desserts.

This game allows you to turn words around to find different meaning and revelation; or you can drop letters, add letters, silence letters or pronounce letters differently to change the impact of the word.

Here are some other examples:

Heart

Drop the "T" and you have the word "Hear"

Drop the "H" and you have the word "Ear"

For me, this means you hear with the ear of your heart.

How about something fun like the word Disco?

Learning to dance is as simple as telling your feet where to go.

“Dis-co here and Dis-co there!”

I’ve often responded to people telling me they needed a drink of water by saying, “Wat-er you mean?”

Dare can be, “Dare she goes!”

Window might mean, “Wind-dow you think we’ll eat supper?”

I know, I know! It’s silly, but that is the fun of Word Play.

I feel lighter and humored at seeing things from another angle. 

How about words that mean the same forward as they do backwards: mom, wow, racecar or pop.

Think about what happens when you reverse a word. Sometimes it goes from negative to positive. 

Loop = Pool

Evil = Live

            Rats = Star

These are small examples of self-enlightenment via Word Play. Once you get into the swing of it you will find yourself doing it more often, especially at times when you are looking to improve a situation or an unfavorable moment. 

I see signs all over the place and find humor in them because of Word Play. I may hear something on the radio or television that sparks a moment to see something in a different way. Some of it’s silly. Some of its grandpa humor. Some fall into the potty humor category, but it doesn’t matter. Word Play puts you in the drivers seat so you can visualize a different outcome than what's in front of you right now and that is the purpose of the game; main point being, turn your life around. Look for the positive in everything. What have you got to lose?

Nothing!

Give it a whirl!

Cheers!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Word_play (Viewed on 5/30/2015)¹

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/30821578672103062/ (Viewed on 5/30/2015)²

Sneaky Snakes

Sneaky Snakes

©Allen Merritt (2015)

Once upon a time there was a little blonde-haired, blue-eyed boy who visited the San Antonio Zoo with his parents. He rode an elephant, swaying from left to right so much he felt as if he would fall off. It was the same feeling he would identify with several years later while sail boating in Boston Harbor. He believed the boat would capsize due to the extreme leaning toward the water. He never fell off nor capsized proving his excitements coupled with fear were in effect not correlated with actuality.

Anyway, following the elephant ride the little boy went into the reptile building. He made his way around the walls peeking inside every aquarium recessed into the walls. They were filled with small frogs, snakes, lizards, salamanders and more.

Inch by inch the little boy made his way around the room. Suddenly, the boy stepped backwards until he was up against something. It was an extra large aquarium which took up the entire center of the room. When the little boy turned around he found himself up against the glass face to face with a 25 foot boa constrictor whose mouth was wide open at the little boys head ready to swallow him whole and eat the boy as a meal. The little boy screamed bloody murder before running maniacally out of the building.

That little boy was me. Needless-to-say; I’ve never appreciated snakes as a result of that experience. I’ve always been freaked out by them for obvious reasons. I’ve seen snakes feeding on large prey on the internet. I’ve watched a show where a man dared to feed himself to an anaconda. I’ve sat in the woods near Memphis and noticed a large blue snake slithering around me. I’ve read many stories about how various snakes are taking over the everglades and destroying the ecosystem. I know they’re out there, but I do not like them. This has impacted my life both metaphorically and in general.

For example, I remember filling out on application for the television show Fear Factor. The application listed all types of things one could possibly fear and, of course, snakes were one of them. Facing a fear for the sake of a reality show was not worth the risk.

Metaphorically, snakes generally are representative of the negative, dangerous and not so good. Take a look at the biblical story of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. I think you have to love snakes to find real purpose for them. Some say they’re good for our ecosystems to control certain animal populations and help prevent spread of various diseases which threaten humans and plants.¹

In considering how the ideology of snakes real or imagined affects our lives, I remembered my own story mentioned above. It brought me to consider ways positivity can render happier solutions.

I recognize there are people who represent "snakes" in our world. They are negative, dangerous and serve no purpose. This is the hard part, because many people tend to hold on to things longer than they should despite intuitively knowing something is not right and fails to provide any measurable benefit. Coming to terms with “snakes” attached to our daily routine that cause us fear, anger, misery and so on, means discovering how we have choices to change our existence, turn it around and move on. It may simply mean, walking away. It may mean choosing not to encourage or condone something while not interfering with another person’s choices.

The lesson here for me in contemplating snakes is more about how I don’t have to be afraid all the time just because there are “snakes” in the world. It helps me understand I don’t need to purposefully put myself in a position to face my fears all the time. Taking unnecessary risks is not the same as taking a leap of faith risk to fulfill a desired accomplishment. Often times, things change for the better on their own and snakes move on and weed themselves out of your life. I have seen that happen more than once. However, keeping life on a positive note may require you to weed them out yourself. With that in mind, I’d like to celebrate and encourage our ability to rid, purge and take out the garbage; to not let those "sneaky snakes" become a problem.

In closing, here’s a song by Jim Stafford featuring Dolly Pardon called Spiders and Snakes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4lYdD9DdLNY

Have fun. Enjoy and don’t let the spiders, snakes or bed bugs bite!

Cheers!

https://www.chetenn.org/home/blog/2014/07/04/what-purpose-do-snakes-serve (Viewed 5/30/2015)¹

Moody Blues!

Moody Blues!

©Allen Merritt (2015)

Mood rings! 

Remember those?

Oh, I do!

How cool was it to find a magical ring you could place on your finger which would miraculously transform into a range of colors indicating whether or not you are happy, calm, cool, relaxed, upset, and nervous or stressed? Like we all need a ring to tell us that.

Supposedly, when these colors change they depict your mood and various emotional states; sort of a little mind reader, if you will. At any given moment you could pull out your color chart and measure your current emotional state of mind.² In reality, the mood ring is nothing more than a thermachromic device¹ of liquid crystal. Or, in a nutshell, a thermometer!

Still, they were fun for a hot minute, especially when you’re first introduced to them and before the novelty wears off. But herein lies an internal discussion about moods, how we experience them, alter them and are impacted by them.

Moods vary from day to day and impact our lives both positively and negatively if we aren’t paying attention. For example, ever wake up grouchy and feel like the entire day is dragging on forever while you stumble around a series of hurling obstacles? Maybe you’ve witnessed other people swinging from one extreme to another and often feel like you are walking on eggshells to keep the peace or to avoid feeding into that same energy. Nobody wants that, do they? I think most people want to feel good about themselves, who they spend time with, what they do and keep a general sense of the positive and peaceful running through their every waking minute. However, sometimes moods get the best of us.

Moods are not just about changing your attitude (albeit that helps), but it’s in relation to being mindful of where you’re at, as well as what you’re feeling and/or experiencing. If you wake up thinking, “Oh, no, it’s Monday.” and then announce it periodically throughout the morning while at work (with a frowny face, mind you), then you are perpetuating the mood and projecting it on everyone else. I would dare say many folks know when to give a little leeway and space to the situation, but if negative moods keep on keeping on, it only serves to make for unpleasant outcomes.

So what do you do?

Start with a sense of being mindful, conscientious and with a determination to alter and eliminate one mood for another. Of course, it may take a while, but every step you take leads you in the right direction of creating a better day for yourself and for others.

Dig into your tool box of options and anecdotes to aide in mood transitioning.³

Keep in mind you do not need mood enhancers (drugs) to improve the possibilities of your day. Many times moods dissipate on their own without out any fuss or hub-bub. In fact, mood enhancing is best served coming from the inside.

I love some of the options presented at greatist.com.³

Here are a few, but there are too many to list, so feel free to take a gander and add some to your toolbox!

• Smile
• Jump around
• Inhale favorite scents
• Chew gum
• Eat chocolate
• Light a candle
• Visualize your best self

Personally, I find I often prepare my day with the idea of being prepared for any mood. I pack my suitcase with a variety of clothes to accommodate potential moods. I stuff my book bag or backpack with anything I may need to help me in regards to mood adjustments such as writing paper, pens, books, magazines, music and ear buds, mints, cell phone to surf the net or take pictures of favorite or unusual things, etc.

But, I do not wear a mood ring!

While mood rings may not be a dead on predictor of our current state of mind and/or emotions, I am willing to concede they serve a purpose. If anything, they can bring us back to ourselves and remind us to pay attention to our feelings, how we encounter them, deal with them and project them. And, more importantly, use moods to our advantage for living in a positive state.

Cheers!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mood_ring (Viewed 5/29/2015)¹

http://www.bestmoodrings.com/blog/mood-ring-color-chart-meanings (Viewed 5/29/2015)²

http://greatist.com/happiness/34-ways-bust-bad-mood-ten-minutes (Viewed 5/29/2015)³

The Control Factor

The Control Factor

©Allen Merritt (2015)

Que sera, sera
Whatever will be, will be
The future's not ours to see
Que sera, sera

Remember that old song sung by Doris Day? It’s amazing how things work out when we allow ourselves to let it all go and go with the flow. Not everything has to be planned and scheduled to the inth degree. Sometimes the universe and powers that be can do just fine on their own at helping things along despite our attempts to control it.

Here is an example of a recent experience of mine demonstrating how allowing things to happen on their own can lead to amazing results.

After returning home from working on the road and living out of a suitcase for the better part of two months I got a call scheduling a local job for a Monday. On that day the coordinator asked if I would also be available for Wednesday. Now, on Wednesday a guest was arriving from the east coast, so I begged off the Wednesday job to make room to pick up my friend from the airport. A few minutes later, my manager notifies me I have an interview scheduled for Wednesday in Los Angeles. Suddenly, I have to make arrangements to travel, make sure my guest can find a ride from the airport and then begin my journey. All of this happened within a couple of hours. I didn't know if I was coming or going.

So, on Wednesday I began my commute and contemplated a plan on how to accomplish a couple of other tasks along the way. This meant trying to get through heavy city traffic and get the extra errands done in and around my job interview. The drive was smooth and free from vehicular congestion and allowed me to hit errand one on the way to the interview, make the interview earlier than planned before bopping over the hill to update paperwork at another location and get back on the road and drive home without any traffic whatsoever. I actually made the trip in about 9 hours.

Now, the point of my story is that I could not have planned any of this to work out the way it did on my own not even if my life depended on it. Yes, I would have tried everything possible to make these things happen, but from past experience I knew it didn't always work out, because factors beyond my control were in place. The powers that be opened the flood gates and helped me through it all, smoothly and efficiently.

Of course, I could say this schedule would have had just as great an outcome if I planned it from start to finish, right? Yes. Sure. However, when I look back at how it all began while I was scheduling my week on Monday, I can see the difference. I wasn't in control even though I was making effort to be.

It may not always work out this way, but perhaps there are reasons why one door shuts and another opens. Life is interesting that way. We just don’t always know why until later down the road. I guess when we try too hard, we are attempting to force things into happening by hanging on to that old control factor. As a result, it can interfere with the natural order of things.

I don’t necessarily believe that there is a magic formula to how things work out in life. We work hard, we learn, we grow, we plan, we schedule. We work harder. We do everything in our power and somewhere along the way we lose control. It never occurs to us that we are not always in control or that we shouldn't be in control. We are so busy jumping in and doing we forget to take a look at what we are doing and why.

Consider this: if we allow things to be what they are, perhaps everything will work out better than we could possibly imagine. Not always, but often enough. All we have to do is be present in each moment and be the best we can possibly be. For me, that’s something positive to think about, because I am always trying to get things under control.

Que Sera Sera, right?

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y7PrQX-bGCI

Cheers!