Literary Works by ILIA

I hear a thousand and one singers
raising their voices as one, out my window
Chiming in to sing a song of joy
raising the volume as loud as it could go.

The music is so sweet
one cannot help but listen
with pure delight
to the newest rendition.

Once the song is done
a discussion starts with just a few
of the main singers asking
how about something new?

A fresh song is started
one that is equally angelic
alighting such joy in your heart
that time stops with nary a tic.

And, once your breath has been taken away
by the beautiful singers just outside
silence takes over, soon to be followed
with a voice that begins again to turn the tide.

ILIA
© Copyright 2009

Handmade happiness is something that stirs the heart, creates big smiles and brings joy.  It’s something that you cannot buy and its attained only by giving.

It’s called handmade happiness because it comes in the form of a hug, a handshake and even as a gesture – both literally and figuratively.

It’s a compliment well deserved, a smile that is contagious, a pat on the shoulder or an A+ on an exam.  These actions qualify as handmade happiness.

Creators of handmade happiness are family, friends, co-workers and strangers – it can even be your pet that runs to greet  you when you come home, a bird that sings just for you, a hummingbird that gets very close or a butterfly that gives you a kiss on the lips.

Handmade happiness can be a fellow driver stopping to let you out on a busy street, a person holding the door open for you or even saying to another “have a great day.”

Handmade happiness can be found in the wonders of life such as the very first brand new leaves unfurling in the springtime, a seedling popping up through the ground and in the fragrance of fresh blooms.

Handmade happiness can never be captured or canned, it won’t be found in stores and it cannot be held in your hands but it can be inspired by another, it can be passed along and it can brighten your day.

Even the memory of handmade happiness can make one happy once again.

ILIA
© Copyright 2009

Above is a view of a city.

You can see the buildings clustered together and in the background are mountains.

Looking closer you can see the haze. It’s the same haze that covers any city anywhere in the world.

The pollution can simply be handled.

Just imagine if you will that every single roof in the photo above has a
garden on it.  Little flower pots, pots of herbs and bigger pots of trees. Green on every single
rooftop.

Imagine the cityscape above with greenery.  Each rooftop with pretty blossoms and a tree or two.  The city landscape not only looks totally different with a forest on the top cleaning the air but also provides shade and protection from storms.

Imagine that the air is so clean that details of the mountains in the background can be easily seen.

Imagine that every city in the world planted gardens and trees on the rooftops and the air
is sweet and clean.  While imagining, eliminate any impossibilities, just dream a little dream with me…

YOU can do something about it.

* Arbor Day Foundation will send you 10 free trees when you get a membership.

* There is also the United Nations Environment Program BillionTrees 2008 where you can pledge a tree.

* Do you have a neighbor that grows beautiful plants or flowers?  Ask for seeds and clippings to start your own.

Ideas
Several ideas have crossed my mind regarding what a person, family, group, or community
could do to go ‘green’.  Some of the ideas may not have the
inventions yet to accomplish the task but are included anyways because
it may inspire the inventor that happens along to visit my site.

Ideas:

* Find out what you can recycle in your city or town, get a community project to set up collection areas with collection bins.

* Change over to a water saving toilet or a no water toilet.  The toilets do exist, do a search on google for ‘water saving toilet’ and ‘no water toilet’.

* Use solar collecting windows.  The window can collect the energy during the sunlight
periods of the day and provide light at night.

* Use solar collecting lamp posts for personal property plus cities can change the street
lights to be solar powered.  Imagine every city in the world lighting up the night with solar powered street lights?!

* Use solar shades and solar curtains.  Solar curtains and shades can not only protect
the house or apartment from sunshine at hot times of the day but also can collect the sunshine to light up the space.  Perfect for apartments, homes and businesses.

* Rooftop systems to collect water for city dwellers.  Water collected can be stored
and re-directed to water the rooftop gardens.

* Figuring out how to wash dishes, clothes and shower with a waterless system.

* Driving cars that add oxygen to the atmosphere.

* Alternative methods to cool living spaces, business spaces and vehicles.   Breeze ways
used to be used effectively for centuries prior to air conditioning. Additions of breeze ways can be added to the present buildings. During hot months, the breeze ways can be opened and during
colder weather the assembly can be closed to form a barrier between the outside cold and the inside building - insulation.  This can be furthered worked out to be stone or brick with a garden on the ground floor.  Solar powered ceiling fans can be installed at the top to circulate the air.  See the designs that I created for this idea.

* Imagine a car whose
seats stay cool no matter how hot the inside of the vehicle gets.
That would cut down on air conditioner usage during hot weather.
And, how about the same seats providing heat when its cold.
It could be called ’smart seats’.  The ’smart seats’ can be made to be installed in any type of vehicles - old or new.

* The same ’smart seats’ technology can be created to be used in the home on couches and
chairs.  Perhaps the technology can be expanded to include the flooring or rug.  The ’smart seats’ could also be customized as the ’smart mattress’.

.-.-.-.

ILIA

Copyright 2008.  All Rights Reserved.

What is the art of mindful living?  It is being aware of what your actions will cause and by knowing, making more survival decisions.

The art of mindful living requires a person to think in consequences.  As an example: what does occur when a vehicle expels exhaust?  Does it dissipate?  Or does it just seem so?  The truth is that it appears to dissipate however, it stays in the air, cuts down on the amount of oxygen and adds to the haze that hovers over every city in the world.

If one turns the card to look at how to apply the art of mindful living, one can see solutions.

The obvious scenario to the problem above is to fix the vehicle or stop driving it altogether.   In today’s day and age, with the cost of living sky-rocketing, the solution to fix or trade in the offending vehicle may not be an option.  It may take getting very inventive and resourceful to apply the idea of the art of mindful living to life.  Research the internet to find solutions, there’s a wonderful grass roots movement with articles, blogs and web sites offering options and solutions.  Search Google for “green solutions,” “emission reduction solutions” and similar search terms.  Another idea is to visit your local auto parts store and speak to the sales clerks - you will find out lots of useful information.

The attitude of not being able to do anything about it is not an option once one commits to living a mindful life as it is an art in itself.  It’s the positive attitude one assumes that something can be done about it that will win the day.

When applying the art of mindful living to life, realizing that what one does may have far reaching effects, far enough to create harm half a world away.  Take pause to think about better solutions is the way to win through.  This does not mean that one shold live life filled with worry attempting not to disturb the elements in order to apply the art of mindful living.  That would be rediculous.  That would be like trying not to step on ants while standing on the top of a huge fire ant mound.

To apply the art of mindful living to your life, start with doing one thing that contributes to life, livingness, mankind or the world we share.

A good start would be to nuture trees from seed as the trees clean the air and add oxygen.  It’s easy to find seeds whether you live in a city or country area - trees produce seeds that you can pick up off the ground.  YOu can also place an ad online at craigslist.org to request seeds or do a Google search to locate “free tree” and “free tree seeds”.  YOu can start trees in pots, which makes it easy for even an apartment dweller to grow trees to help the environment.  Once you have trees growing, you can keep some and give some away to family, friends, neighbors and co-workers.  Not only will you be applying the art of mindful living, you will get lots of smiles from those that you share a baby tree with.

When applying the art of mindful living, consider the bags that you use.  Grocery and department stores give you a choice of paper or plastic bags to carry your purchases home in.  What consequences are there when using either?  Trees are cut down for the paper bags, a very long list of problems are caused when trees are felled including less trees/less oxygen.  The plastic bags take 500 years to decompose, while decomposing give off toxic fumes.  Get your own canvas tote bags and refuse to use either item.  It is the consumer that can change the world.

Imagine if every consumer got into the practice of carrying totes made of cotton, canvas or woven materials.  Imagine every single vehicle contributing to the atmoshpere instead of harming it.

As a consumer you have power and you can apply the art of mindful living to your daily life and activities.  You can refuse to eat genetically altered food.  You can refuse to purchase produce that has been chemically fertilized.  You do not have to purchase foods whose packaging contains poisonous chemicals.  YOu can just purchase locally grown food, organic produce and safely packaged foods.  As a consumer, you have the power to not only help yourself and your local farmers but also to change the world for the better.

When applying the art of mindful living, speaking up is a good thing to do, too.  Sometimes a clerk in a store does not realize that there is something not okay with a product or packaging and sincerely believes that there is nothing wrong with selling it.

If the label of a hand lotion named as its ingredients gasoline and antifreeze, would you buy it?  If you favorite snack had dynomite as an ingredient, wouldn’t you search out a different snack?

Applying the art of mindful living also means knowing the definitions of ingredients.

Most lotions found in a regular grocery store contain mineral oil and petroleum.  Both substances are derived from the oil that is pumped up from the ground - the same oil used to make gasoline.

Another common ingredient in lotions and in food is glycerin.  Per the Encarta Dictionary glycerin is a thick, sweet, odorless, colorless or pale yellow liquid obtained from fats and oils as a byproduct of soap manufacture.  Used as a solvent, antifreeze, plasticizer, drug medium, and sweetener, and in the manufacture of soaps, cosmetics, inks, lubricants and dynamite.

It is not logical or wise to use gasoline, dynomite, antifreeze or ink on your skin.  In the days of Cleopatra, the cosmetics, hair and skin care items were made from the natural minerals supplied by mother earth herself.  Seems that in our modern day and age, we shouldn’t be playing with explosives in order to groom ourselves.

The best thing to do is read the ingredients on the label of the products that you purchase - the more real ingredients and the less chemicals - preferably no chemicals is the best item to get.

When applying the art of mindful living, selecting the products from companies that use real products is the better survival decision - not only for yourself and your family, but also for that company and its employees and their families.

Speaking up is a very efficient way to create change.  Tell the clerk, tell the other shoppers in the aisle, tell the manager and tell every single person standing in line waiting to check out.  Strike up conversations and give your voice a little amplification so that other folks can overhear.

Mention the fact that you were pleased to find a product from a company that didn’t include gasoline, explosives and weird chemicals.  Mention how many products that you had to search through in order to find it.

When you get home, write to the company - tell the company service department that you were pleased to find the product and speak about how many items you had to sort through that containted poisons to find that one very high quality item. Write to your representative, local mayor and whoever.  YOu can even write to the corporate office of the food chain.

Research, learning definitions of ingredients, thinking in consequences and planning can help one create a life style that includes the art of mindful living which in turn helps others - one in which all thrive.

.-.-.

ILIA

Copyright 2008.  All Rights Reserved.

Imagine there’s no gas emissions
it isn’t hard to do

Imagine there’s lots of traffic
but the skies are blue

Imagine each vehicle contributing
to make the air true

Imagine every person knowing
just what to do

Imagine an entire planet
not polluted with fuel

It isn’t hard to do…

ILIA

Copyright © 2008. All Rights Reserved.

I’m as free as a bird
I’m as light as a feather
There’s a spring in my step
And a song in my heart
My days are filled with laughter
And joy twinkles in my eyes
I think of you Shielynn
And my heart goes pitter pat.

With all my love,
Max

ILIA
Copyright © 2008. All Rights Reserved.

December 20th, 2007

Once upon a time in a land far, far away in a region where dreams come true and possibilities were endless, there was a bare and bleak community in which the people had thought that miracles truly never existed.

The community sat in eternal twilight at the very bottom of the world frozen solid in ice because of the freezing temperature. There were only a few months of the year that the citizens saw sunlight and even then, it was only for a few hours a day.

Life was difficult to say the least. The people were caught up in survival. Each day was a new battle to be fought foraging for food, to live yet another day. Childhood didn’t last long because it took every single person to ensure survival for the group. Toil and drudgery, hardships and unhappiness.

It was on an eternal twilight night near the end of the year that a slender fairy dressed in the most marvelous flimsy outfit made of ribbons, lace and jewels had gotten caught in a howling winter wind and had to land on the frozen tundra. Shivering in the cold with a slightly bent wing, she saw the lights of the village and rapidly made her way to find shelter.

She was just as surprised as the people that lived there when finally meeting each other face to face. The fairy was slight and dainty and scantily dressed, the citizens were heavy set and bundled so much that only their eyes showed. Of course, the fairy was brought inside immediately. The ladies oohhh’d and ahhhh’d over her gorgeous clothes and figure while sitting her in front of the fireplace, rubbing salve on her wing, wrapping her snugly in blankets and giving her a hot tea to drive away the chill.

The fairy told the village folks stories of the world that they lived on speaking about miracles and dreams coming true and where the possibilities were endless. The ladies were doubtful, the men openly mocked such tales and the children listened with awe.

In the morning – and how the villagers knew it was morning, one can not say because it was just as dark as night – the fairy felt much better. When she stood and fluttered her wings, all was fine.
She told the folks that were present to gather round because she had a present for the village because of the help that was unselfishly given. So, the group went outside and watched the fairy.

The fairy spoke about the joy of life beginning as if it were a seed and with one elegant gesture she opened her hand to show a huge glowing seed in her palm. There was one “ooooh” that was spoken in unison, as if a single note of a song.

The fairy stooped down while speaking about how love nurtures life, kissed the seed and planted it the snow. The crowd bent forward to stare at the glowing spot in the snow but backed up rapidly as a fir tree began to grow. Again a wondrous “ooooh” was spoken in unison.

The fairy flittered up and plucked the stars from the sky, flittered back to place the stars on the tree. The stars played their own magic and lit the landscape with twinkling light which in turn made the villagers sing a melody of “ooohs” as the light changed in color, sound and motion.

Somehow (I wasn’t paying attention so cannot explain how this happened) in the sky there were several rainbows. The fairy flittered up again, grabbed the red strand of the closest rainbow and tugged on it. Flying back to the now enormous fir tree, the fairy wound the rainbow as a garland round and round the tree. Repeatedly selecting strands of the rainbows in the sky, the fairy continued till the fir was covered in the most remarkable array of garlands that no one had ever seen before. The garlands were, of course, every color of a rainbow and somehow, rainbows may create more colors than at first meet the eye because the tree had garlands of gold and silver and candy cane stripes and red and green and spotted and tangerine and – well you get the idea, colors that one would never even believe that a rainbow consisted of.

Of course, the village was singing a melody of “ooooohs” by now because of the interaction of each new addition. The “ooooh” song of the villagers was accompanied by the created music of the star-lights in motion and the crystal flakes falling from the sky to land with a tinkling sound on the ice that the people called home.

Somehow the people got the idea that anything can be, that magic existed and that dreams do come true. Ideas started popping out of imaginations into reality and the land of ice became a wonderland.

The “ooooohs” became a ditty that day – one which was sung often and brought gaiety to the land forevermore.

May your Holidays be filled with the magic of the season. May Your Dreams Become Reality.
May you have a Happy, Healthy, Prosperous New Year.

ILIA

Copyright © 2007. All Rights Reserved.

A subject line in an email advertisement should make you want to act – preferably by opening the email and looking at the offer. Because of some really goofy subject lines, I just won’t even think of opening the email.

I think the amount of nonsense emails has really gotten out of hand, so I decided to do something about it…

Some Sassy Replies To Email Subject Lines

Subject: Who’s the King?
Reply: Elvis

Subject: The Best Laid Plans of Mice and Crocs
Reply: As Observed by an Alligator

Subject: Mike G is Going to Blow Your Mind
Reply: No Thank you!

Subject: Something BIG just hit…something very BIG!
Reply: …and it splattered all over the sidewalk, YUCK!

Subject: This one thing ______ is ________
Reply: My reply to that is ________!

Subject: Join Now and be put in Rotator
Reply: Ouch! No Thanks!

Subject: Dollarz Blaster – It Works While You Sleep!
Reply: …and have nightmares as your hard earned money is tossed out the window

Subject: Got Ten Bucks?
Reply: Yes…and I’m gonna keep it.

Subject: Systems Work, People Fail
Reply: I don’t agree, so I won’t read your email!

Subject: People Fail – – Systems Work
Reply: Sounds like the other one, Must be a Quirk

Subject: Shhhh! Can You Keep a Secret?
Reply: Nah! I don’t want to.

Subject: Don’t! Mom’s Only!
Reply: My Gosh! I certainly Won’t!

Subject: Why? Advise Please…
Reply: Why what?

Subject: Have You Seen This?
Reply: No

Subject: you are not jumping off the cliff…
Reply: Really, you got that right! I’m sitting at my computer!

Subject: “Stop! You’re Not Qualified to Read This!”
Reply: Fine! I won’t!

Subject: Soon to be Gone Forever
Reply: Oh Well, guess I missed it

Subject: *don’t let this kill your business
Reply: What? An asterisk can kill my business?! Nah!

Subject: it’s jason, one more day…
Reply: jason who?

Subject: Do Not Ignore! Trust Me!!! Man
Reply: I’m a woman!

Subject: Don’t Give Up!
Reply: I wasn’t considering it!

Subject: Help! I Am On Fire!
Reply: Not sure I’ll get there on time – instead of writing an email, try dialing ‘911’

Subject: Here’s How to get 1370 hits Tonight
Reply: No Thanks! I’m not even interested in getting hit once!

Subject: Hi Check This Out before Midnight
Reply: ooop’s! It arrived too late!

Subject: Please Help Me Out Today « DON’T DELETE»
Reply: Okay, I won’t delete today, but tomorrow I will…hope that helps!

Subject: Living Longer and Stronger
Reply: Good on You!

Subject: Congrats for joining…
Reply: but I didn’t!!!

Subject: DOUBLE IT!
Reply: Okay and I raise you one!

Subject: Finily Made Easy
Reply: What’s a Finily?

Subject: I’m Back From Las Vegas
Reply: hope you had a great trip!

Subject: DON’T YOU DARE MISS OUT ON THIS ONE!!
Reply: What? What? Where did it go???

Subject: DO NOT DELETE! This is what you were looking for!
Reply: Nope. I’m sure it isn’t what I was looking for.

Subject: Make money with your computer
Reply: …by selling it

ILIA

Copyright © 2007. All Rights Reserved.

I wasn’t supposed to reach or discover or find a different way. First of all, I was SUPPOSED to be there in that regular old dingy place that had lots of rooms and lots of people doing as I was doing. I was suppose to wait. So, I was waiting.But, there was some time I was told, so I took a walk. The walk was down a country road with nice scenery, pretty flowers, well-kept houses, in a quiet neighborhood with no people around. The houses were set away from each other as if there were some set rules on boundaries. Yards full of gadgets, stuff and decorations to look at and admire on the way down the country lane.

When I got to the end, there was a bend of the lane that turned into another road that seemingly sprang out of nowhere. The road was fairly long, curvy and way in the distance I could see the most gorgeous rainbow in a golden sky. I knew that was something different! I stood there in awe for how long I do not know. I truly was compelled to take that journey and find the wonders along the way.

However, being the well-brought up individual that listens to and obeys the rules, I realized that I had been some time away from the place I was supposed to be at and the things that I was suppose to do…then looked again at that long road that arrived at the most gorgeous rainbow in the most spectacular sky…

Ah well. I decided that it takes too long, that I’ll be late for doing what I’m supposed to be doing and that I’ll travel on this road later.. It takes too much work to walk that path, so I thought. It’s interesting though, so I’ll be back, I’m sure I will.

So, I skipped my way light-heartedly backwards to where I would do what I was supposed to and wait. I hadn’t realized on my short walk out on that country lane that the road was old and crumbly or that there were huge potholes filled with muddy water or that the houses that I thought were so beautiful with all their doo-dads were really just facades and that behind the screens were rundown broken homes.

Gleefully ignoring the surroundings, still trying to make mock-ups of great things that could be – barely avoiding pothole craters, missing a step now and again, I made it back to the place that I was supposed to wait just in time…

…to wait…

Well, I did what I was suppose to. I went backwards along the track I came on because the other road took too long to travel and here, although I wait for what I do not know, is more familiar than the unknown.

Why was I wearing cob webbed covered clothes with musty odors that were torn in places by thorn bushes and soiled by mud that had splattered over it? I kinda felt like this was not how it should be…But, I was supposed to stay because this was the place to be.

It really was the all important place, wasn’t it? I was supposed to be here after-all. This was where the all important people were also waiting. It was certainly THE place and I was certainly on time and there were so many other all important people with their all important stuff still waiting since I left for that walk. It just had to be right to be here.

Then why did it look so different? And, more importantly, why didn’t I think that it was so dang important anymore?

…WHAT DID I THINK I WAS DOING???!

Up I jumped, I’m not sure if anyone noticed because of being too busy doing “supposed to’s”. It didn’t matter, I left that all important place with the all important people with the all important stuff where I was suppose to be waiting. My departure was at such a fast pace that I probably looked like a blur. I just kept going, didn’t look back, my pace turning into a gallop that soon turned into a charge. I was hoping against hope that I could re-find that road with the rainbow in the spectacular golden sky.

Huffing and puffing I wound my way down the old country lane – that looked even worse than it had just a few minutes ago with the facades melting down to reveal the decay – and I raced to the bend in the road…

IT WAS THERE!!!

ILIA

Copyright © 2007. All Rights Reserved.

The castle in the distance
So majestic and promising
There lies the goal…todays goal
The journeys momentary halt

Sitting atop the hill so high
A fortress made of stone
Hard labor, sweat and loyalty
The royalty

Up the hill…it’s in sight!
Through the tall grass, brambles,
Wildflowers and prairie dog holes
Pleasant effort

Out of the woods in a rush
Cool air, twigs snapping, musty smell
And then…
Warm sunshine
We’ve traveled far.

Bells ringing, collar bouncing
Smiling, happy, giggling
A bounce in his step
The Jester with his merry crew

Chatter, happy voices afloat in the air
Stepping up
Stepping out
A cheerful march

Gay bright costumes glittering
Bringing gifts of cheer, music,
Entertainment!
Awe filled smiles
A party
Making a memorable day

…and then..
…they’ll be..

On their way……

ILIA

Copyright © 2007. All Rights Reserved.