Welcome to the Ross and Carla 'Galactic Boot Camp'!
We are starting a new series with easy-to-follow tips to help strengthen you for what is to come.
Today we offer three simple 'topics' for you to reflect upon all day.
The first simply being to enjoy Winter, to enjoy Now. For example, today Anthony and Carla both slept in, for Carla it was an extra three hours and twenty minutes from her usual wake-up time of four twenty a.m. Winter offers us time to be cozy, to enjoy loved ones, and to savor the sanctity of our home. Winter solstice has passed, and summer is making its way with longer days and shorter nights. Be sure to enjoy your home, your family, your solitude, your leisure pursuits, and Ross' favorite--lots of nice warm soup!
Are you ready for the second tip?
People are not what they seem. We wish for you to apply this to those you see around you in the public eye. Always remember there is a 'personality' or 'persona' this person will adopt for their role in which they play. It could be in politics, very high up in business as a leadership position such as an executive, in entertainment or movies or music.
We ask you to contemplate the possibility that at home they are a completely different person. This is okay, no person (besides Ross!) could be one and the same in all situations everywhere they go. For some individuals this difference is a little 'more' and for others it is a little 'less'. Do not let a 'do gooder' who gives charity to those very much in need, in public, make you be convinced that in private they are on their knees praying in their closet and ripping their gowns with sincerity to Creator asking for the world to change.
People with beautiful and handsome faces, just like anyone, are capable of some terrifying things when the camera is not looking.
For the third tip, we invite you to contemplate your media--what you consume on an annual basis. Our recommendation to you to counter this is to make one resolution--to 'unplug' for one hour a day. The reason for this is that most people on the planet are walking around in a fog from one screen to the next, from one binge watch to another, because their favorite shows and entertainment is very soothing and comforting to them. Even the news.
If you have ever watched an actor who is in a role of a poisoner, how do they act to the victim? Are they obvious? No, not at all! They are sly, sneaky, and always reassuring that nothing untoward is taking place to the victim.
Carla is going to bring up two examples. One is Brian S. who watches lots of T.V. and movies, every day, sometimes all day long. Other people do not share his enthusiasm for this consumption, and quietly seek other things which interest them. He cannot comprehend why people do not wish to spend time with the volume all the way up, next to him, consuming what he consumes. And this frustrates him deeply. If this is you in this situation, it is tough to be the loved one of someone like this. Try to find an interest that is on common ground, and one that is outside in Nature and away from the electronic media. The next example is one way...remember it will take repeated attempts and much reinforcement/validation to open up the possibility of entertainment away from the tube.
Anthony's choices with media make Carla sick to her stomach. Literally. His brain is so wired in he processes information faster, so when looking for a movie to watch, he goes through the icon choices so quickly Carla's seasickness kicks in and it's just a blur as he scrolls and clicks away. Anthony is a gamer. He spends time and money online with his friends and with opponents working towards 'goals' Carla doesn't comprehend. He opened a 'pack' of football players the other day, was jumping up and slapping Carla's hand over his good luck, and not thirty seconds later was about to put the player on the auction block. Carla stopped him in his tracks, incredulous at what she saw, and asked, 'why don't you at least take the player for a test drive and see what he can do for your team before you sell him?'
Reluctantly, Anthony saw the wisdom Carla proposed. She said to him, 'don't go just for the high statistics--see what you want your team to do, and to make sure you fill the holes in your team's goals with the right players who will make your team do what you want the way YOU like your team to play.'
He understood. He had been sure that the highest numbers, and the most exclusive players would get him wins, not his skill, not his ability to run his team against an opponent.
Nowhere was this more obvious than his spending his Christmas money before he had even thanked Carla's sisters. In less than five minutes--even though Carla encouraged him to wait one day for the New Year packs and he had watched on his gamer stations that 'this was the one to spend the money on!'--he had opened twenty packs, with only one player in the nineties, and a ticket to upgrade something who is MVP maybe in the Super Bowl. This was one hundred dollars! Carla felt sick to her stomach when she knew how hard her sisters had to work to make that money for Anthony. He didn't 'get it' at all, the sacrifice they made for him. Not in his electronic 'joy'. As soon as he had the packs, he sold all the silver and gold players, then started selling more. Why? Because he wanted Quarterback X and that's what he REALLY wanted for Christmas. He needed the coins to buy him. But when he bought him, he didn't like it. And the market during the holidays was poor, good players were not getting good prices. He put him up on the block for much less, it finally sold, and he got Joe Montana.
What did Carla do both days? Well, the first day, she ordered him to be dressed and ready to exercise when she came back from a quick errand. They played basketball at the park, one on one, not really a match in athletic ability or size, but Carla will do anything to help him train. She helped him practice going to post, defense by driving on him. Anthony isn't aware of his size or strength. Many times Carla almost fell or got hurt. And hurt finally she did, in her right achilles/ankle, and limped in great pain for two days. At the end, after the stretching and exercise, Anthony said, 'it was good and felt good to go out'. Carla is working to replace the reward system in his brain which validates him for playing with actual physical skills and exercise validation. The going is slow and it's not easy for her but she is committed to the health of her son.
Yesterday was even more hilarious for us up here who watch. She got Anthony to help her plant the tulip, hyacinth, narcissus and lily bulbs for Spring. She took them out of the refrigerator. It was hilarious because Anthony, who has the muscles and youth, was passive aggressiveness personified. He kept commenting on how this is 'boring' and 'slow'. Again, these are symptoms of addiction to 'action'--something men on earth are vulnerable to, and apparently both Brian and Anthony have it. These two are nice people, don't get us wrong. They are just a little 'over influenced' by electronic things. It is common for Anthony to be on his phone watching videos and texting while playing. Carla puts her foot down when she catches him--'JUST PICK ONE SCREEN!'--but this is to the extent of media that this child will consume. Again the two worked together, digging the holes, putting a scoop of bulb food at the bottom, two scoops of planter mix, the bulb, and then a mix of the plugs/dirt from the hole and planter mix on top. In both the front and back yards. It is not easy for either one of them to get down to the ground and get up easily. In time this will come with more advanced gardening. But it was a start and I credit Carla to her ability to get Anthony into the sunshine, the fresh air, and to work on something more tangible than a legendary player ranking 98 on his football game.
If you watched Dick Clark's New Year's--it was concerning. The former platforms from alternative media--Netflix, Apple, YouTube--are now all 'one big happy family' with traditional programming platforms.
Be cautious!
The playing field has changed.
Look who's in control. It's not the people any more, not the people who create the material.
Take everything with a grain of salt. And while you are enjoying Winter, do your best to wean yourself and your loved ones from undue influence by inviting them to join you in your daily unplug that hour each day.
Or plants some bulbs together (Ross is totally cracking up, like, rolling on the floor).
He also wants to share that Carla and Anthony watched the Life of Brian by Monty Python together. He says the film gives insights that traditional depiction of those events wouldn't give.
Aloha and Mahalos,
Namaste,
Peace,
Ross and Carla
The Twins who love each other and you very much <3 <3 <3 <3 <3
