MISSING—SERIOUSLY:
benchmark—”a point of reference from which measurements may be made” (Merriam-Webster Dictionary)

For a time, I have felt that I am living in a world where it is hard to find “a benchmark,” to see a standard held up as a way to measure myself and others, to find any consistency to indicate adherence to any standard . . .
I feel insecure
with no guidelines applied to every scene.

When I look at the world around me, I seem to see only “exceptions” and “rationalizations” for people and behavior that would have been loudly condemned in years past . . .
I feel very concerned
with a standard that obviously changes to fit an individual’s agenda.

I have lived more than seven decades and, therefore, have seen many transitions in all areas of life—some I would call progress, but other trends I would call questionable in the terms of human development . . .
I feel confused,
like a kite in an ever-changing wind.

That is what has brought me to this place—a feeling of distress on the verge of hopelessness at times, a journey from knowing everything and being firmly convinced of my positions to the unrecognizable here and now . . . a place where I intend to pull from the experiences of myself and others to see if I can discover, or re-discover, a BENCHMARK, a point of reference from which measurements may be made—a foundation to lend stability to a heart tossed to and fro.

Are there concepts I can set up as guides to the path I walk that will allow me, no, compel me to accept or reject behaviors or philosophies?
Can I go forward without putting on “concrete boots” and always allow review with as little bias as possible while staying true to the spirit of my BENCHMARK?

It’s time to explore new territory or rather to look at territory with new eyes . . .
• to review where I have been,
• to assess the “potholes” in the path without judgement,
• to breathe in the adjustments of the journey, and
• to allow All to infuse and to excite each moment as Life reveals itself to me, through me, and in me—the joys, the sorrows, the smiles, the tears, the depths and the shallows.
May the eyes and ears of my heart be open . . .

“In the divine Scriptures, there are shallows and there are deeps; shallows where the lamb may wade, and deeps where the elephant may swim.”
― John Owen