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TOURIST FOR THE DAY in PUERTO RICO

Friday, June 26, 2009

We are the Dreamer; The Astronaut Farmer and Awards X's Three

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Have you seen the film, The Astronaut Farmer? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
If you want to tease yourself into dreaming again or get yourself a shot of dream adrenalin, spend some time with this story, which was filmed in New Mexico in 33 days. The Polish brothers, Mark and Michael, team up to co-write the screen play about a man who builds a rocket in his barn and dreams of becoming an astronaut. The brothers direct (Michael is the primary director) the quirky Charles Farmer (Billy Bob Thornton) and the sincere Audrey Farmer (Virginia Madsen). Charlie and Audie's three children are made up of an older sensitive, intelligent and humorous brother, Shepard (Max Thieriot), and two young adorable sisters. The girls, Stanley (Jasper Polish) and Sunshine (Logan Polish), are not actors at all but the children of the film makers, Mark and Michael Polish, and their presence lends a remarkable credibility to the film. One such real moment is when the little girl, Sunshine, brings a donut to her grandfather, Hal (Bruce Dern), who is sleeping in another room. She first yells to his reclining form, "Grandpa here's your donut!" Then she repeats in an emphatic whisper, "Grandpa, here's your donut." When she returns to the kitchen and says, "Grandpa no wake up," her innocent matter of fact authenticity nearly breaks my heart.

[Photo: Neutron Star 2004 NASA ]


There are no stop signs up there. There is no defining space. We've always defined our space. A wall here, a room there, a hallway, a road. We have this way of dividing our space until it equals a direction. We even created a space for the dead. Space is a difficult thing to grasp. (Charles Farmer)



I think we all place boundaries on our dreams. We all have some limit that we consciously or subconsciously place upon ourselves. Sometimes that's okay because the dream faded away but other times the influence of that dead-weight dream is pulling us back. We cannot fully live until it is addressed. Is there some dream that you are holding yourself back from? Can you dust off the dead past and set it into your alive future? Can you give yourself permission to have dream space? I hope so...may you continue to dream, and may those dreams come true.




This may not be a true story but it is indeed true that we need supportive relationships with people who know that our dreams matter.




The Astronaut Farmer teaches us that it's important that dreams are fulfilled.




May we all surround ourselves with supportive people who know that they love our 'dreaming selves'; and, may we love others in a way that fully supports their own dream visions.




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In that spirit of open support I want to acknowledge the people who have given Oasis Writing Link (OWL) blog awards lately, and also pass them on to the dear bloggers mentioned below. (If I missed you, please feel free to accept the award from me.)



Normal is a Cycle on a Washing Machine, Sarah LuLu 's blog out of Australia, gives readers a taste of real life including the wash, spin, and dry cycle. Her experience as a foster parent supervisor, mother and seeker encourages her readers to reach out and share their own life struggles and celebrations. I am honored that she thought of me for the Love My Friends award:


The Love My Friends award is bestowed onto blogs that are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers.

*Deliver this award to eight bloggers who must choose eight more and include this cleverly-written text into the body of their award.*

Here are 8 + 2 to make a nice even 10!

Love My Friends Award is passed on to:
Carol @ The Writers Porch
Catherine@ A Thousand Clapping Hands
Tessa@ An Aerial Armadillo
Elizabeth@ About New York
Jude@ Cariad in Crete
Fhina@ A Woman of No Importance
Bogey@ A View From the Fairway
TPC@ The Pink Cowboy
Linda@ Psyche Connections
Pat@ Mille Fiori Favoriti
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Woman of No Importance, Fhina, who cleverly writes about music, art, fashion from the UK while interspersing her life realities was kind enough to consider me for the Palabras como rosas award, which is for sharing "words that are like rose pedals" (according to my husband's translation). The open-hearted, intelligent and contemporary, Fhina, writes this about the Palabras Como Rosas Award:

"a lovely golden book with light leaves called Palabras como rosas, which translates into Words Like Roses." She writes that it is "my obligation to give this award to 9 people whose words are truly like the lingering and sweetly scented petals of a perfect rose".
Here are my 9 + 1:

Reya@ The Gold Puppy
Miriam@ Miriam's Art Journal
Amy@ Amy (Uncensored):
Linda@ Vulture Peak Muse
Ms Lucy@ Enchanted by Josephine
Janice@ Drinking the Moon
Mrs. French Fancy@ French Fancy
Lisa L@ A Really Simple Life
Natalie@ Musings from the Deep
R.Ramesh@ Global Madrasi

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View from the Fairway, Bogey, the clever poetic guy "up north" in Canada surprised me with this lovely acknowledgement as he writes:

Uber (synonym to Super) Amazing Blog Award is a blog award given to sites who:
-Inspire you
-Make you smile and laugh, or maybe give amazing information
-A great read
-Has an amazing design
-Any other reasons you can think of that make them Uber amazing!


Uber Amazing Blog Award
The rules of this award are:
Put the logo on your blog or post.
Nominate at least 6 blogs
Let them know that they have received this Uber Amazing award by commenting on their blog.
Share the love and link to this post and to the person you received your award from.

Go visit these amazing blogs!


Becky@ Behind Blue Eyes
Artist@ Artist Unplugged
Fire Byrd@ Fire Byrd
Lake Viewer@ Sixty Five What Now
Sandi@ Holding Patterns
Chrisy@ Sophism Press


There are many bloggers who are wonderful and inspiring but I think that they do not want to participate in the blogger award fun. (I'm sorry if I misunderstood and/or missed you -please accept the award of your choice.) If you want some other blogs to visit, check out my sidebar or the blogs I follow for more exciting blog reading adventure!

Thank you for these awards, blogger friends, and may we all remember to dream...

40 comments:

  1. This movie, just reading about it on your blog, gave me goosebumps. I can't leave the house today as I am on babywatch, but I will see this film and I am sure, walk out into the sunlight feeling amazed.

    Ps: I watched Gran Torino last night, by myself, and found myself smiling more than crying. It, too, was an amazing film. Thanks for guiding me there, without fear.

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  2. Ha, I couldn't wait...ran down to Blockbuster and will watch it tonight!

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  3. Im so glad you like the award you deserve it.

    And I love that movie! Haven't seen it for ages ....thanks for the reminder.

    Sarah Lulu

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  4. Love love love The Astronaut Farmer.

    And congratulations on those well-earned awards!

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  5. Teri,thank you for your kind words and also the comment you placed on the preceding "You are a Wonder" post. I hope you had a cat-tastic time watching the movie. <3

    Sarah, thanks for sharing this award with me and your blog friendship. I hope your move went well and you feel happy and settled in your new place. <3

    Beth, so glad to hear that you enjoyed the movie, too. I read some reviews that said it wasn't possible for one lone person to build a rocket but I think that the movie magic worked. I don't mind little cracks in the "realism" if the story is strong. <3

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  6. It was a warm-hearted movie and you know what, suspending belief is ok, reality is rough enough sometimes. I liked all the characters, the small town cafe, even the FBI guys. Thanks for pointing me in that direction...I always get so overwhelmed in Blockbuster, and know there is lots out there in the "older" movies that I miss.

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  7. Cynthia
    dont have enough words to thank u for the award..very sweet of u...and wish u all the cheers in life..dear friend..

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  8. Hey there - I just read your comment on the writers porch about rescue - GOOD FOR YOU!!!

    Breeding is bad. I am not gonna tell her that - but it is!

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  9. Cynthia, thank you sweetie! you know this is exactly what I need today! Congrats to all the other wonderful blogs too!

    I love that movie also! I shouted when it lifted off!

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  10. Thank you so much! I am truly honored. It'll take me a few days to get this posted on my blog, but thank you!

    I'm putting the film on my netflix list asap!

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  11. Cynthia -
    Thank you my dear friend! You are much more charming than I, but I will accept with pleasure.

    About the posting - Yes, I think maybe once a week for the remainder of the summer.I have so much I need to accomplish before Fall and I need as much quiet time as possible. It's not written in stone, but that is what I think at the moment.

    Thank you again,
    Catherine xx

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  12. Such a beautiful post Cynthia!Itruly love what y ou say and how you say it

    Congratulations on all the totally deserved awards! Thank you for sharing with me! You are and have ben an inspiration to me since I first happened upon our meeting!
    Hugs
    Linda

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  13. Hello, Cynthia. I'm taking a morning look around before it all begins again. I'll check out the Astronaut Farmer. Thank you.

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  14. This film sounds just amazing! I've been needing a dose of dreaming too! I've been in a bit of a slump lately! There's nothing like a great film or book to inspire you and help you reach for the stars:) Big Hugs!

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  15. Cynthia, I've added this film to our list for the DVD booth - I must check out its French title so that I can find it easily. Our dvd booth is automatically dispensed - no human to help you so you need to know French titles of everything unfortunately. It does sound my sort of movie - thanks for the tip.

    Thank you also for the Palabras como rosas award, I'll blog about it very shortly - you are very kind you know

    Julie x

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  16. Dear Cynthia,

    i just wanted to thank you for the post down below, about celebrating life...It's so true, we actually never celebrate it enough, do we?
    I'm so glad all is well with you...
    :-)

    psst...
    about gazpacho recipe...i linked to it on the post. so you have it there.
    try it!

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  17. Thanks a bunch Cythnia.That was thoughtful of you!

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  18. Whoa..... me ...uber blogger, how good is that. Thank you so much.
    I do have to admit I'm useless with awards, I've got them all lined up in the cupboard, where I occasionally polish them ready to give out and then I think of something else to do instead!!!!

    huge hug to say thanks
    xx

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  19. The words you used in a comment on Rosaria's blog ... we all blog into the void ... struck a chord in me.

    It boggles my mind to hope that hundreds and hundreds of years from now generations of my family will get a tiny glimpse into that void and know what life was like for me.

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  20. Cynthia! Thank you for this post. It is true we divide space in smaller units. We do the same with time. Somehow space and time are connected. Thank you for the video too.

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  21. First of all Cynthia, congratulations on your lovely awards. Your blog is so deserving...I'm so glad that we found each other! Thanks for bestowing Holding Patterns (and thus me) this great award...I'll pass it on and follow the rules...
    Sandi

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  22. What a terrific post!! Congrats on your awards@ YOu touch the lives of so many people in so many splendid ways. Thanks:)
    And Thanks for the Award!!

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  23. Thank you for the recommendation for The Astronaut Farmer and for your exceptional writing.

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  24. Oh darling what a lovely post...so full of optimism...hope...love for others...and appreciation for the dreams of others...thank you!
    ps soooo hoping that that movie hits the shores over this way soon!

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  25. Smooch!Hug! and Squeeeeezes to you, Cynthia.
    I must be really in tune with you lately. Once again, I have been thinking heavily about pursuing some dreams of mine, and 'POOF!' here you are again! Great post, and thank You for the lovely award.xx♥

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  26. Thank you, Cynthia, for the lovely award. It is much appreciated and treasured.

    I love your ideas about dreams. I think you're right that we tend to put boundaries in place. It's difficult to dream larger than we think we can be. But, that's the trick, isn't it?! To dream beyond what we percieve as our limitations.

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  27. my dear cynthia, thank you deeply for such a lovely award...it touched me that you felt this way and I appreciate your sharing it with me....congratulations on all these lovely awards for you~you deserve every single one!
    X

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  28. You are so very kind Cynthia.
    I'm so grateful.
    Please excuse me not writing more by my daughter arrived from England at !am and I'm exhausted.

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  29. haven't seen the movie, no, but where would we be, the world be, if it weren't for dreamers...

    congratulations on these lovely awards!

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  30. Cynthia, I am truly honoured. Thank you so very much for such a special accolade. I will put the award up on my blog and wear it with great pride and joy. I'm so thrilled to have found your blog and to be able to get to know you. What treasures I find my bloggy friends to be - these world-wide connections mean so much to me, living as I do...a comparative outsider in a foreign land.

    The Astronaut Farmer sounds fascinating – I shall put it straight onto my must-see list.

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  31. Dear Cynthia,

    Oh congratulations to all the wonderful awards, lovely to see you receive these and so fun to watch you pass them out. I recognize many of my dear friends among the awardees and I'm looking forward to meeting new friends as well! I haven't heard of this movie, but i am going right now to see if Netflix offers it, thanks for the tip.

    I'm so glad I've been able to get back in to the OWL ☺

    love,
    lori

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  32. Hi Cynthia,
    I love your new picture above and the remake of the mast-head. You have quite a community here, thanks to your talented way of including and getting everyone talking.

    Thanks for the award.

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  33. ...just hopping by again to let you know that there's a giveaway for a couple of my anatomical plates that you, or somebody you know, might like...head over to http://aussie-handmade-giveaway.com

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  34. This is the first I’ve heard of this film. It sounds interesting. I like how you pull out the important lessons. I hope that dreams matter. I’m dreaming that my novel S.A.D. will be published some day. It’s under consideration at several publishing houses – thanks for asking. Congratulations on your awards!

    Sorry to hear about your mammogram scare below. I’m relieved by your news. False positives are very common. I love the photo of your daughter – what a pretty girl.

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  35. Thank you, considerate Cynthia, for such an awesome award. I am very flattered! I always appreciate your comments left on my site! I have seen Astronaut Farmer and it's a good movie, talking about dedication to your dream...hmmm, I don't think that my spouse would be quite as supportive if my dream were as involved as his! I have some goals, not quite to the 'dream' status that I would like to achieve with my art....time will tell! Thanks again!

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  36. You all left such beautiful and supportive comments. I want to collectively thank you now; I have read them all with great and appreciative interest! I'm out and about lately and am borrowing a friend's computer (while I'm on the run) just to leave a heartfelt thank you. Love to you all <3

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  37. thanks a tonne C,, u r such a sweet friend..am blessed...keep up your cheers...best wishes :)

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  38. Hi friends, I have just realized that I was logged in on my friend, Mark's computer. The comment above is from me-Cynthia- and not from Mark who is too erudite to indulge in sweetie-talk- and is to you all. <3

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  39. That sounds like an interesting film Cynthia and I'm surprised that I haven't seen it yet. Will have to correct that oversight! Thank you for the Friends Award. It is nice to be part of such an auspicious group.

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  40. i will get my sister to rent it...she has one of those online thingies....doesn't it have billy bob thornton in it? I have a HUGE crush on him.....HUGE...LOL

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