Sustainability

August 16

I am thankful for sustainability. That is a word that has been around for a while but I did not know it. Merriam-Webster defines it as "of, relating to, or being a method of harvesting or using a resource so that the resource is not depleted or permanently damaged." I was originally going to do today's blog on recycling but after some research into sustainability, I think that is more appropriate and encompasses more. Sustainability is doing what needs to be done to ensure that future generations will be a ble to live and function well in their environment. It is recycling but it is much more than that. It is a coomplete holistic approach. Therefore I am thankful that something is being done in regards to trying to preserve our environment. It may only be minimal lip service, but at least it is something. Perhaps in time, we will become more congnizant of it and improve upon it.

The thought that we are consuming our natural resources on this Earth at an alarming rate has been a concern of mine for some time. The way that we go through plastic bottles, steel, aluminum, other plastic materials, cars, electronics, and paper, to name a few, is sharmeful. It does worry me that we could be stealing from our future generations. I admit I do very little for the environment. I am sure I consume and throw away way more things than I contribute back to the environment. But I do recycle and am proud of that. Recycling is imperative. Something as simple as not littering is also a good start. It burns me up to see people throwing trash outside their car windows. I know I am not perfect and have done my share of sullying the environment. But if we care about our children and our children's children we need to be mindful of the impact we could have on the environment. I know that this is a sensitive political issue, however, whether you believe we are causing global warming or not, you have to admit that we as a people owe it to our planet to try to preserve it as much as  possible.

This is a photo of a sustainability recycling box I saw at LSU. I applaud LSU for this.

Here is a poem which I originally wrote as a song some time ago. It is definitely a protest poem. It's not just a protest about the environment but quite a few other things. I think I covered a lot. Bear with me. I promise that I will try to keep future blog poems light hearted, funny, or stupid. At least I will try, or maybe not, haha.

so this is progress

they’re clearing all the trees in this old place down

gotta have growth in this town

a bulldozin’, breakin’, and burnin’ the land

for a little concrete, rock, and sand

the ozone layer is drifting right away

the haze is hazier today

bad air warnings now commonplace

need to find a little breathing space

they’re bootin’ all the boys at the factory

no room for people you see

down the size and efficientize

it’s computers on the rise

protect yourself with a pocket pistol

life can cause you such harm

take one with you wherever you go

strike first with a killing blow

we’re playin’ games and saving time

livin’ a life leisurely

wishin’ our lives upon a star

hopin’ for the lottery

there’s something to take for all you’ve got

a suppository, pill, or shot

bacterial resistance on the rise

more drugs is what the money buys

so this is progress, progress

progress in the 15^th degree

leadin’ all of us passers by

through the 21^st century

so this is progress, progress

wouldn’t you agree

this progress is gonna be the death

of people like you and me

of people like you and me.

© rt tulley

Consistency

August 15

I am thankful for consistency. If I only had it! I think a better thing to say is I am thankful for the infrequent times of consistency. I got to thinking about consistency because of my golf game. As you probably know from reading these blogs, my golf game is not good. It is nowhere near what it used to be. But that is probably because I don't put the time and effort into it that I did in high school. Back then, golf was everything (at least until I discovered girls). But now it is a pastime, albeit a cherished one, that I may devote a day or so a month to, unlike the daily practice and play of the past.

In thinking about my golf game I came to the conclusion that it's not that I don't hit the ball well, because I do. At times. It's just that those times are too few and far between. When I hit it well, I come close to hitting as well as I used to. My irons are maybe a club less in distance than they used to be but my drives are probably farther than they used to be. My short game and putting are as good as they ever were. So it all boils down to a matter of consistency. And I have none, unless you consider being consistently inconsistant to be a consistency of a sort. My scores on my last round ranged from 4 to 10. There were so many penalty strokes that I lost count:  out of bounds, in the hazard, lost balls in the trees, and unplayable lies. Not to mention the hit my wallet takes from losing a lotal of 7 golf balls. I kept plodding along, trying to keep from falling apart on the inside, and was rewarded with one of the best shots I've hit in many a year on the final hole. Of course it didn't count because it was just a practice shot. Just my luck!

I did a Photo of the Day Blog about accuracy earlier. Statistically, you could consider accuracy to be how close you are to the target, or the target value minus the mean of your values. You want that number to be as low as possible. If you are at your target value, this number is zero. Consistency, is how often you can repeat the same way. It could be called standard deviation, or how scattered you results are. Of course, you could be very consistent but way off target. Let's call that consistently bad. It's like having a low standard deviation but bad accuracy. My golf game is a prime example, consistently bad! Or you could be consistently good. In this case the standard deviation would be low and the accuracy would be good. This is what we are all striving for. It is difficult to achieve but it stands as a goal for us to go after. And isn't that what life is all about? Striving to achieve the difficult. I bet you didn't know you were going to get a statistics lecture today (that is if I haven't lost your attention by now)?

Today's photo was taken at the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail's Grand National Links course in Opelika, Alabama, four years ago. This is the tenth hole, a par 4. I cheated a bit on the photo by cutting and pasting multiple copies of my golf ball on the green to demonstrate consistency. In truth, if I hit four golf balls, I would be lucky to get one on the green! So props to Photoshop! For your information, my real ball is the one on the lower left. One of my rare chances at a birdie these days. I don't remember if I made it or not, which probably means I didn't. Let's just say I did, ha ha!

consistency

there are those who are consistently good

they are the best of the best

they stand head and shoulders

above all of the rest

there are those who are consistently bad

they are the worst of the worst

for their lot is to plod along

and never come close to first

then there are those consistently inconsistent

what you get again and again

is who knows what and anybody’s guess

so say a prayer and an amen.

© rt tulley

consistency 2

she looked at him and frowned

said “i can’t ever trust you

to the all of the things

that you are supposed to do”

he replied with a grin

“at least you can say ‘bout me

that i am very reliable

in my own consistency!”

© rt tulley

Calm/Down Time

August 14

I am thankful for calm. Calm is nice after hectic days, high drama, and the high intensity lives we lead in this modern world. It is nice, just to relax, prop your feet up, and chill, as they say. Maybe too much calm could become boring, but not after high adrenaline sweepstakes. Everybody needs it every now and then.

This is a photo I took on our trip to Gulfport last week. It was late in the evening, just before sunset. The tide was out and there was a stillness and a calm that you could feel. I think this photo translates that feeling pretty well. A stroll on the beach was all I needed to relax me. This is another HDR photo.

calm down

“won’t you just calm down?”

is what i smugly said to her

as she fretted and worried

with a high intensity stir

“i hate it when you say that!”

she said with a frown

“you never get upset about anything

“and are difficult to be around”

hmm well ok

perhaps so

yes that could be

so i’ll chill and you fret

we’ll stay ourselves

no regret.

© rt tulley

calm

the calmness is all around

as i gaze out at the sea

i come here lost

lost to everyone and me

but i come here

to feel a renew

from the calmness around me

transfixed at the blue

there is plenty of space

for the still to take away the stress

that i brought to this place

so i let it work its magic

as it sucks the bad away

and i can leave behind

my stress for another day.

© rt tulley