Category: Lunar Letter (English)

Our days and nights tend to be in great part very predictable. Daily we take almost the same steps and do similar tasks. Nevertheless, in the midst of our precious routines, one of the most common complaints we hear is:

“I don’t have time for anything!”

Curious is that time remains the same. It never changes. Each day has the same seconds, minutes, and hours.

Can they possibly change from one day to the next?

We could say the problem likely lies in our failure to “take” time to enjoy the time we have as we would like, instead of running around doing “urgent” things that seem to be never ending, and seldom create pleasure.

Then we get to the end of the day, and we ask:

Where did the time go?

What do you do with yours?

As a suggestion, begin to closely examine each of your activities. Awaken your conscious to your senses. Pay close attention to your ability to use each. Touch the surface of an interesting rock, smell the aroma of a flower, look at the majesty of the heavens, hear the song of a bird, enjoy the sweet taste of a mango.

Like everyone, I have my own routines. One of my favorites is my “Daily Deed” which includes reciting aloud 31 Seeds of Success, while I drink my coffee in the morning and watch the sunrise. During this time, a few days ago, on a day like any other, it became a day which I will mark in history:

As I walked outside, nice and early, just before dawn, I saw how one of my favorite stars, Sirius, twinkled to greet me on the eastern horizon. I raised my gaze and saw Orion’s Belt, right where it’s supposed to be, pointing the way to Sirius. After some stretching and “Sun Saluting,” I prepared a nice hot cup of aromatic coffee which impregnated the air, with the promise of its wonderful flavor.

At exactly 6:00 am, as I began to recite my daily seeds, with my cup of coffee in hand, and watched in wonder as the night gave way to the day. The clouds, before almost imperceptible, became visible against the blue sky. Then, suddenly and without warning, there was an explosion of color in the sky. It began at the edges of the clouds and soon invaded the heavens above. During the next several minutes, I experienced a spectacle in different tones: white, black, red, purple, pink, and blue, completely covering the sky.

At that precise moment, I imagined it impossible for anyone else in the world, alive or dead, who could have enjoyed a sunrise, more than I enjoyed the one before me. Shortly, and to my pleasant surprise, as an added bonus, my macaws paid a visit to eat homegrown sunflower seeds, and then later our garden gave us a spectacular zucchini.

You might say:

“That’s nice, Rob, but what does this have to do with my life? Do you want me to get up in the morning and watch the sunrise every day, feed macaws, and take care of a garden?”

Though it’s probably not a bad idea, this is not my intention. Instead, don’t do what I do, or what anyone else does. Think daily about what you do and how you do it. Consider how you can awaken your consciousness to things in your ambiance. Determine where your time goes and how much of it you invest in each activity.

In the end, most important aren’t the steps we take, rather how we enjoy them.

Where you can you take an instant to look at a beautiful flower?

Who can you plan your day to see every sunset?

What will motivate you to see each sunrise?

Minutes are the words which form the sentences, paragraphs, and chapters in your book of life.  As such, awaken your senses to each step of the way, making yours a story worth remembering.

∞ Rob McBride ∞
LL IV 13

Walking are your footsteps
the road, and nothing else;
Walking, there is no road,
we make our road as we go.
As we go, we make our road,
and as we look back
see the road over which
we will never again go.
Walking, there is no road
only the wake as we go.

~ Antonio Machado (trad. by me)

Since the first time I heard the song Cantares, by Joan Manuel Serrat, which includes this wonderful poem, I have been in love with the image the poet paints with his words.

“Walking there is no road, we make our road as we go.”

Do you doubt for a minute the road you have traveled is a result of steps you have taken?

While we can’t decide where we begin life, we can determine where we end up; though obviously not exactly how. Though this for some reason seems to come as a surprise to many, we are the direct result of all we have done; and too, of what we have not.

It’s easy to criticize and see how things should be. Difficult is taking the steps necessary to get to where we want to go.

The place where you end up in life, doesn’t depend on your parents, the school you went to, your race, color, or even where you were born. There are people all over the world who have attained fabulous success without the presence of their parents, having gone to a good school, being of a particular race, color, or having been born in privileged place. Like the Phoenix, they have risen from the ashes to achieve much with little.

I’ll repeat:

You don’t decide where you are born, but you do determine where you end up.

The road traveled yesterday and the steps you took, brought you to where you are today. In this very same way, the steps you take today will take you to where you will ow.  Instead of blaming your circumstances for your lot in life, instead, determine the steps which need to be taken today to pave the way to where you want to be. Take care with the steps you take today, because they determine your destiny tomorrow.

∞ Rob McBride ∞
LL IV 12

For quite some time now, I have had a love affair with Natural Law, which I see as nothing more than the natural order established by the universe and nature. Nevertheless, I am coming to believe the Law of Man, can also gives us tremendous benefits, as it gives order to a world which often seems to have no order.

In the case of Venezuela, the country I have called home now for many years, the current situation has made me realize that the law which currently predominates here is Natural Law. The results are not good. The law which up until now has seemed to be so nice and pretty, suddenly doesn’t seem so noble.

To further explain my point, let’s look at some of the differences between Natural Law and Man’s Law:

• Natural Law condemns and executes, without judgment and without mercy
• Man’s Law considers and contemplates, before then passing judgment

• Natural Law can wipe out an entire city in catastrophe, without batting an eye
• Man’s Law looks to protect against this and other types of calamity

• Natural law allows the strongest to take the lion’s share of about anything
• Man’s Law looks to divide everything more or less evenly

Natural Law requires we be always aware of any danger
Man’s Law allows us to live in peace and tranquility

So it’s worth asking ourselves:

By which of these laws would we prefer to live, Natural Law or Man’s Law?

While I realize that Natural Law will eventually takes its course, I am grateful for Man’s Law, which allows us to live in peace and tranquility, in a world ruled by aggressivity and noise.

The river will continue to follow its course, and the world will continue turning. In the meantime, ours is to look for and make sense out of what frequently makes no sense. If you would have asked me yesterday:

“Rob, what path would you prefer, the one following Natural Law, or the one continuing along Man’s Law?

Without hesitation, I would have answered, “Natural Law, of course!”

Now, after analyzing the situation from various points of view, to write this Lunar Letter, I have another perspective, another idea about how to best proceed. Our emotions, as well as our fears and doubts, are often generated by a recurring battle we have inside our mind about what we “should” do, according to what we have been taught and what we “feel” we should do inside our heart.

We should remain aware of the power of Natural Law, and what it can make us do. When we least expect it, Natural Law can take control of our most basic instincts, turning us into no more than simple animals.

My recommendation is quite simple, but far from easy. We can be part of the solution, rather than part of the problem, showing respect both for Natural Law and Man’s Law. In this way, we can begin to live in a society where the peace and tranquility are the order of the day, with harmony reigning between man and nature; instead of so much hate and hostility we so commonly experience from day to day.

∞ Rob McBride ∞
LL IV 11

We all have a defined amount of time here on Earth, as we know it, and the time we live depends on many different factors. Some of us live until we are quite old, others fold much sooner. What is for sure, is if you are reading this message right now, you are still alive, and that means what is yet to come is just now starting.

So far, from where have you come and to where have your footsteps led?

Have you enjoyed your journey, or would you prefer set it aside and begin another?

Regardless of your answer, beginning right now, you have the power to direct footsteps taking you to a better tomorrow. Many times we stay stuck longing for what once was and worrying about what tomorrow might be, forgetting what is most important; there is no other option than living at any other time than right now in this moment.

Have you thought in the footsteps you leave daily?

When people see you, do they smile cordially or do they run and hide?

We tend to complicate life and the truth is it doesn’t have to be so difficult.

You may ask me, “How’s that?”

It’s really quite simple, but not always easy:

• Be careful of where you step, for there you will leave footprints
• Do your best to leave footprints enhancing where you are
• Be careful whom you step on along the way
• Decide where you want to go every day
• Go with good company

Leave footsteps in your path worthy of being followed, studied, and remembered. May the expression of those who follow them be one of happiness and may this bring a big smile to their faces, and above, may their expressions be charged with love in their souls for all who have experienced the wonderful effect of your footsteps.

∞ Rob McBride ∞
LL IV 10

Among the most basic of our necessities are: a roof over our head, food for our bellies, and procreation to assure our species in the future. If this was all we needed, many of us would be ready to rock, but not necessarily rockin’.

Think for a moment about your own situation. If you have a roof over your head to keep protected from the elements, food to eat, and sex to entertain you, what else could you possibly need? In order to have these three necessities completely covered, we need financial intelligence for the first two, and emotional intelligence for the last.

In addition to these three basic necessities, what are some of the others we must satisfy?

Clothes to cover us, friends to laugh with, family to make us feel good, and love to sprinkle over everything we do, are also important. In the case of these needs, we also need financial intelligence to manage the first and emotional intelligence to manage the others.

If we think about life, in its most basic sense, what more do we need than a roof, food, sex, clothes, friends, family, and love?

Nevertheless, we have been conditioned to “need” much more, including some of the following:

• A better telephone, even though the one we have still works
• A television with a flat screen measured in feet instead of inches
• A watch which costs the equivalent of small towns in many places
• A tablet with the latest technology, and of course worldwide free wifi
• A red Ferrari that can go 180 mph, though that’s way over the speed limit
• A big house with a huge pool and ten extra rooms for all your family and friends

Just to be clear, I’m not saying these things are undesirable, I ask only this:

What price you are willing to pay for something not 100% necessary?

For one moment, let me play the “Devil’s Advocate” regarding some of our “Basic Needs”.

• When you think about it, a “stupid” phone makes the same call as a “smart” one
• A television from the last century shows the same image, though a bit blurry
• An ordinary watch tells the same time as one much more expensive
• The computer you’ve had forever still connects, though it is slow
• Pubic transportation is available to take us about anywhere
• Having a roof over our head is a wonderful blessing

To make sure I explain myself in my message to you; any objective, material, spiritual, or otherwise CAN be valid. In fact, having in a mansion with a huge pool, a red Ferrari, the latest tablet, an expensive watch, a television covering the wall, and the greatest telephone, must be very nice.  But, once again, I ask:

What is the cost you are willing to pay for all this?

Everything has a cost, though it is not always paid in money. The cost of outstanding success in the business world, has cost more than one his family and his marriage. The cost of trickery and deceit, has cost many others years in jail. The cost of spending all of our time with our family, and not working, could also mean our family does not have enough to eat.

It’s a question of delicate balance we must strike between work and play. Ideally, the best thing we can all do is to make our work our play, and that way, we never have work again. On our own way, the best we can do, day after day, is to value ourselves for WHO we are, rather than WHAT we’ve got, and give it our very best shot.

Rob McBride ∞
LL IV 9

From the moment I first saw you, I was in love with you
From the first wag of your tail, I was crazy for you

In the best of times, and also in the worst
You were there with me, unconditionally

When I sang in joy, you barked with me
When I cried in pain, you laid with me

Wherever I went, so also I found you
If I had two shadows, one would be you

When the time came, you chose your prince
And then low and behold, six “Antichrist” puppies

And so came forth a litter of six, born in six hours
From 6 p.m. to 12 am, on the 26th of month 6, 2006

Like little chunks of coal they came forth from her womb
To our surprise nothing like like her color, or of their father

From among the bunch, we decided to keep your irreverent son
As if to leave a footprint, as evidence of your passing this way

With the passing of time, your leaps were not so very high
And your movements by necessity became more delicate

Despite the shadows, no doubt haunting your last years
Daily you had a tremendous desire to get up and live

Then, when finally words were no longer needed
The sun set softly on the horizon of your years

In the magic of my mind you live
Forever jumping and playing

I will love you forever
My best friend

∞ Rob McBride ∞
LL IV 8

Do you like to sing in the shower?

Do you think you sing well?

For many of us, we appear to be singing pretty good when we are in the shower, until someone hears us from the other side of the door and asks us if there is some kind of problem because of the horrendous sounds emanating from within. Of course, there are some who have a wonderful, well-toned voice, but they are the exception, rather than the rule.
Regardless of what others think, for those of us who sing in the shower, our sounds (shouting) can seem great. We close our eyes and imagine we are on stage in front of a large audience, or perhaps on a program seen world-wide, like the The Voice, where we have the opportunity to showcase our vocal talent.

As a result of my own experience singing in the shower, following are some of my thoughts:

1) Do we really sing better in the shower? Perhaps it’s mere illusion and simply has something to do with the acoustics. Perhaps this is what makes it seem like we are singing like the best. But leaving the acoustics aside in the equation, there seems to be another reason. Since we are we are frequently alone when we are in the shower, and there is no one there to judge, say anything, or express an opinion, maybe this is the true reason This makes me wonder:
If no one judged us in our job, or in life, what would we be capable of achieving?
Would we be more uninhibited and daring, as occurs when we sing in the shower?

2) Exactly what does it mean to do something “right”, whether it be singing, dancing, or any other activity? Doesn’t it have something to do with simply enjoying it? It has always seemed interesting to me that there is a “correct” way to dance Salsa, but when it comes to dancing Rock and Roll, anything goes. In the case of Salsa, maybe it is because people dance for others, who are watching; while for those who dance Rock and Roll, they do it for the simply sensational sensation it provokes, with no other intention.

3) If we want to be a professional singer, and not just sing for pleasure, it is important to find someone who can orient and help us to develop our voice. In pleasure, and in work, we should look for experts and for their advice and direction. Imagine for a moment:
What would your results be if you thought and acted like the best in whatever it is you want to do?
Would you stay stuck where you are right now, or would you go for the gold, reaching for more?

As a final thought, we all have a special gift to do something in life. Most important is not the gift we have been given, rather sharing it with the others so we are actors, rather than a spectators, in the theater of life. Dance as if no one were looking and sing to to feel good, regardless of who is listening, because in the end, it isn’t so important how good we sing or dance, rather that we sing and dance to feel good.

∞ Rob McBride ∞
LL IV 7