The Boys

Little Man loves the new dog, Toby. However, he is no match for the affection of a growing Rottweiler, so he finds safety on the table.

I love these boys!

It's Getting Closer!

I know that this picture is blurry, but I still love it. I was a little reluctant to go to Rockefeller center last night as there are constantly large crowds this time of year, but I wanted to show Little Man the big tree, and seeing his excitement made the trip worth it. The tree is up, the stockings are hung, the music of the season is always playing, and there is a lot of love in our little apartment.

The boy loves his Jamba...

Even on a cold day, he still loves this stuff.

Dessert!

The Sufi Path

Reading the “Poem of the Sufi Way” as the final work this semester, seems the most fitting way to end a course that captured the varied life experiences of these ancient mystics.  From Rabi’a to Ansari, the philosophies and practices of numerous Sufis came to life in al-Farid’s prose.  From this poem al-Farid connects all Sufi fraternities into one great whole; there is no separation of belief, just separate methods of expression.  Perhaps the most compelling stanza in his poem is found on page 141.  Stanza 237 reads:

For after I fought, I witnessed

      that he who made me see,

             my guide to me, was me—

                               me, my own example.

The first line implies a struggle against some force.  The opposing force is not defined as each Sufi will encounter their own struggle in their own time.  Whether that struggle comes in the form of power, wealth, fame, hunger, abuse, or even a lack of faith, each person on the Sufi path will only have a witness after they struggle.  It would appear that the victory over the struggle is not the important part, for there is no mention of a win, but the glory is found through the tribulation and not around it.  This means that the seeker must come to accept what is placed before them and not try to avoid it or become something that they are not.  The Sufi must not only accept the world in which they live, but they ought to also forge through the obstacles that stand in their way.

            The line “that he who made me see,” implies the existence of a force outside of oneself that has significant power over the individual.  To force one into seeing something that was not already known reveals that the revealer comes from beyond the realms of the known world.  When the seeker acquires the knowledge that can only come from beyond the known realms, they have transcended into a new sphere of existence.  This transcendence is a true religious experience as they are now left to interpret the unknown witness into the known language of those that surround them.

            Al-Farid reveals the revealer in the next line: “my guide to me, was me—“.  This captures the Sufi principle of union between the Creator and the creations.  When one moves beyond their profane knowledge into the realm of the sacred, they have joined with the source of all knowing.  This line also shows the importance of the individual along the path to attain union with the divine.  While there may be many fraternities to join and masters to learn from, the most important teacher to be found along the path is the student who wants to learn.  This is reinforced with the final line “me, my own example.”  No matter what a person may want to learn from another further along the Sufi path, there is no greater teacher than the very student in learning the correct way to travel, for there are many different ways to get to a single destination. 

            The reason this stanza resonated with me more than any other in the poem is because this captures my own personal and religious philosophies more than any other.  It is important to learn from others, but they can never be a suitable substitute for what I have to teach myself.  The union that one seeks to find with the Divine will not be found in following the path of others, for the Divine speaks to each in their own way.  The masters who have gone on before are great to use as a general template for life’s path, but they ought not to be used as the only source of knowledge.  Why should the Divine communicate to and elevate a person who cannot communicate to and elevate themselves?  The struggle that each of us face is unique therefore the path we choose must be unique also.  The emphasis on the individual found in al-Farid’s poem truly embodies the many varied works of the Sufi masters who preceded him.

The Project

A couple weeks ago we finished a project.  Little Man has been working on shapes at school, and he had a project to make a shape collage.  I thought that the only thing better than making one collage would be making three collages, so we spent the weekend cutting circles, squares, and triangles.  Personally, I think these are awesome, but I am a little biased.  He was very proud of his work, and he really likes seeing them on the wall at his school.

To Infinity and Beyond!

We spent our Saturday morning on the M116 to Target.  We bought socks, a watch, Buzz Lightyear pajamas, and construction paper to make a collage for Little Man's preschool project.  The little one wasn't as excited about his new socks as I was about mine, but he really likes having a watch and awesome jammies (that is why he is wearing them at three in the afternoon).   

Today is a good day.

Perfection

I like her.  

A lot.

Halloween!

Tonight we joined the neighborhood parade and received candy from the firehouse, two restaurants, the frat houses, and the little park next door.  The street was closed to traffic, so all the kids could run freely between locations.  I have to admit that I actually had a good time... go figure.  

As if writing wasn't hard enough...

I like writing.  I don't write as often as I should, but there is something relaxing about finding the right rhythm and letting the words flow.  

Sometimes it can be difficult to find that happy place.  

Sometimes it is impossible.  

This is one of the impossible times.  I want/need to write a critique of an author's work detailing their use of binary language to create an argument that forms a symbiotic relationship between God and man, and my Little Man wants to play trains and sing "no more monkeys jumping on the bed."

I don't know what "doctor" he called, but I have a feeling that the prescription is to put the homework aside and be a dad tonight.

Choo-Choo!  

Fun Times

The boy and I went up to Fort Tryon Park this morning, so we could arrive early at the Medieval Festival held there every year.  Just a few years ago, I was one of those guys who would laugh at every person that walked through those streets, and in some ways I still laugh at many people there, but now I am a little jealous at the merry men and women who proudly embrace their inner pauper/prince/lord/lady/knight/mage/squire/quidditch player/pirate.  They all looked like they were having a great time.

We saw some great duels, pet a few dogs, watched a magician, learned to belly dance, ate a delicious brownie, nibbled an average cookie, had a tantrum, had an extra long timeout, bought a sword, rode the bus, and almost bought a giant turkey leg to share, but the lines were too long.

It was fun, and maybe next year we will dress up--maybe.  

Time to Wrestle

Little Man has been camping this weekend with his mom, and while it has been great to have the bed to myself and sleep past 6:30am, I miss him.

I think that we are going to wrestle this afternoon when he comes home.  He gets plenty of hugs and kisses from everyone in his life, so we don't wrestle as a substitute for affection.

We wrestle because it is fun, and I miss my boy!

Bad Mormon

Last night I had an epiphany: I am a bad Mormon.

The funny thing about this realization is that it doesn't upset me.  In fact, I am quite proud of it.  This doesn't mean that I do not care about my religion or appreciate the sacred, but it does mean that I am not going to fit into any standard mold that Mormonism has to offer.

I:
have long hair.
like tattoos.
watch R rated movies.
occasionally drink caffeine.
use profanities.
yell at people.
tell dirty jokes.
like gossip.
overeat.
laugh at inappropriate times.
challenge authority.
question the authority of those in authority.
forget to pray sometimes.
strongly believe in equal rights.
don't think humility is the same thing as self-abasement.
don't believe in Hell.
believe there is a fine line between spirituality and schizophrenia 
hate wearing white shirts.
buy food on Sunday.

You won't see me on a billboard, holding a hawk in a commercial, or anywhere inside of a church magazine.   But you will find me helping a friend move furniture, giving money to the homeless without any dramatic refusal of how "I give to my church," working with the youth Sunday School class as they each travel on their own spiritual paths, teaching my son respect for the Earth and all her inhabitants, smiling at a stranger, standing up for the underdog, and listening to anyone who just wants to be heard.

I may be a bad Mormon, but I am an awesome human, and that is all that matters to me!

Free Book!

Now the book vendor is giving my kid free stuff. Little Man chose Bert and Erie; that's what I would have picked too.

Breakfast!

I didn't feel like cooking this morning, so we decided to try a new diner near the bagel shop. We will come back to this place!

A Few Thoughts About Utah

The Boy and I have been home for a few days now, and I have had plenty of time to rest from our most awesome vacation in Utah.  Our days and nights were full of visiting friends and family, eating, playing, driving, going to the zoo, swimming, napping, Wii-ing, and making new friends.  The two weeks we were there wasn't enough to see everyone and do everything, but we still had a great time.

While it is nice to be home in NYC, there are many things that I will miss in Salt Lake.  I loved watching my son become friends with his cousins.  Everyday he would beg for us to return to my sister's house, so he could run outside with her kids.  He quickly learned how cool it is to have a giant yard to play in and friends to share it with.  He also made friends with the children of my friends.  I just sat back and watch them interact, amazed that the bonds of friendship have encompassed the next generation, and I envisioned the many camping trips and vacations spent together in the future when these same children will be the ones causing the trouble and I would have to be the adult.

Del Taco.  Certainly New York is known for its restaurants, but I am not a fan of paying large sums of money for a meal.  A late night run for some nachos and tacos for under ten dollars makes for a very happy Archie.  Another thing that made me very happy was the complete lack of humidity.  The Summer sun in Utah is relentless, but the lack of humidity keeps everyone dry and smelling nice.  Don't forget about the Summer nights when the sun disappears and the cool breezes provide the perfect environment for evening conversations about life, love, and nachos.

However, there were some experiences in Utah I would prefer to forget.  Why is everyone in such a hurry on the freeway?  The roads are huge, and the lanes are wide, but most drivers still felt it was important to swerve in and out of traffic while speeding to get to their destination.  I know that a number of years ago I was one of those drivers, but now I pause and wonder what I was thinking.  What was so important that I was willing to risk the safety of everyone around me, so that I would not be late?  I can't remember, but I do know that after a couple of years enduring New York traffic, I am happy traveling at any speed over 30 mph.

Downtown Salt Lake is ugly.  I know that many were concerned about revenue and property values around the decaying malls, but knocking down the familiar to build the homogeneous was a very bad idea.  It is kind of ironic in a way that the citizens (read LDS Church) in favor of the changes forgot the concept of people returning to the familiar.  The malls might have been old and losing stores, but at least people knew the terrain, the fountains, and even the food court.  Eventually the shoppers would have returned, but now it feels like walking down the Vegas strip with new buildings that lack any sense of personality.

Another ironic twist to my visit occurred when I saw a number of billboards advertising "food storage" sales.  One of the principles behind provident living is for people to manage themselves, not to pay anther company to manage things for them.  Paying a company thousands of dollars to stock your basement with six months of food rations and water is like paying an actor to go to church for you--pointless.  There may be food on your shelf, and there may be a seat in the pew, but both actions miss the mark.

I got tired of driving, and one must drive a lot to get around town.  I have grown accustomed to the subways and buses of New York.  Public transit is awesome, but I don't think it will be catching on anytime soon in Utah where urban sprawl is rampant.  I may live in a pigeon coop here in the city, but I am pretty confident that I am living a "greener" lifestyle here in this metropolis than most people in Salt Lake.

All in all, I am a little jealous of my family and friends in Utah.  They have beautiful scenery, great weather, cheap food, and little traffic.  I know that I will be back for many visits and many Summer nights, and there may come a day where I will call Utah home.  For now, I am happy to be back in my city where I am blessed to have a job, attend an amazing school, parent a precocious child, and build a very bright future--a very bright future indeed.  Of course that is another blog post for another day.

My Crazy Family

We like to strut our stuff!

The Weary Traveler

The boy has had a wild vacation and is in need of a lot of rest.

Remember this thing?

What would Hogle Zoo be without the lion water fountain?

New Friends

There is something great about seeing the boy bond with his new "brothers."  I suppose friendships can carry on to the next generation.