AUTHENTICITY

A series of essays.....

 CACTUS GROWING IN THE 'OLD CITY' OF
EYGALIERES, PROVENCE, FRANCE

.....as seen through my eyes!




 Nature is the purest form of God's gift of 'authenticity' that we will, as intelligent human beings, be able to site as a perfect example of what the future holds in store for us. Let's not screw it up!   JEH

By: Jacqueline E. Hughes

Authenticity is the quality of being trustworthy and genuine and something each one of us should strive for every day of our lives. Some of us do. Many of us make an honest attempt at it. And, only a few of us accomplish this goal that is, of course, provided we care about doing so in the first place. It may require some hard work and effort on our part. Our desire to be unburdened by daily conflict and the disagreement over fundamental issues often supersedes the basic qualities of honesty, clarity, and trustworthiness.

VIEW FROM THE ANCIENT HILLTOP
CITY OF EYGALIERES, FRANCE

Relationships suffer greatly when we fail to incorporate personal authenticity into the equation and treat a friend, lover, parent, child, or spouse as if their life is less important than our own. By not being honest and forthright with them about everything we experience and believe in serves to negate our own importance and relinquishes any reliability we may have hoped to create and achieve within the relationship. 

THE PICTURESQUE
ALPILLES HILLS OF FRANCE

It is not unreasonable to set-up personal boundaries in order to temporarily cope with basic negativity, pain, bullying, marital infidelity, or the physical loss of someone we hold so dear to our hearts. In fact, it is only natural that the mind, our search engine for the body and soul, is prepared to report reliable information to us so that our human psyche is less likely to break down completely or implode. 

OLIVE GROVE
GORDES, FRANCE

Stepping back from behind these boundaries, eventually, is mandatory if we are to become the authentic human being we hope to be. With so much noise and indeterminate amounts of facts and non-truths assaulting our personal space every day, stepping back from behind our comfort zone can be a difficult task. We can set our own pace, however, we must not lose sight of how important it is to succeed if we intend to pursue all of the joy that life has to offer. Fear paralyzes our genuine thoughts and places hopes and dreams in jeopardy. Clinging to the imaginary walls we choose to hide behind weakens our ability to showcase the unique purpose of our life that generously flows within all of us. Fear can slowly corrupt the individual power we are born with that strengthens and supports our success in life.

PATH OVERLOOKING A
BULLFIGHTING ARENA NEAR
FOOTHILLS OF THE ALPILLES HILLS
 

Learning to be honest with ourselves is the first step in becoming whole; being truthful is a major priority in being able to handle all that life has to throw at us along this amazing, crazy journey. We must learn to break away from the heavy drama we've placed ourselves in and come to terms with what is important to us: We need to be willing to hear what we too often don't want to hear. We must be prepared to be able to say what we need to say. Most importantly, we must be willing to just let go.....if need be. 

THE LUBERON RANGE
SOUTH OF GORDES, FRANCE

In an age of ingenuous governing, false hopes and promises, and, dare I say it, fake news thrown at us left and right, the unhealthy lack of a positive role model and absolute truth compounds our daily problems and experiences. Making the decisive choice to care about ourselves and others is strictly up to us. We can't always impede the progress of 'crazy' but we can, definitely, sort it out within our own mind, make mature decisions, and inform others about the importance of being true to yourself.

A FRIEND IN THE LUBERON

Possessing the ability to be able to forgive others whom you may believe harmed or upset you is another quality or condition of being authentic and true to yourself. Forgiveness of others with the attempt at understanding that not everyone follows your own personal codes of what is believed to be right and wrong, will help complete us as human beings in so many intricate and beautiful ways. After all, we share the space created for us here on Earth with so many others that it would be virtually impossible to believe we are not different, to a certain degree, from one another. 

VIEW OF MONT VENTOUX FROM
THE NEARBY TOWN OF BEDOIN

When someone apologizes to you for an action that is perceived by you to be hurtful....you must know that they have opened-up their heart and soul to you in a most private and profound manner. They have authenticated their actions through humbleness and truth and become vulnerable souls subject to your response and subsequent actions. Even though you may feel strong and powerful while holding the emotions of others in your hand like the open book they've become, the misuse of this power will only serve to create stronger barriers of discontent and mistrust between you. You must ask yourself if losing the bond of understanding between the two of you is something you can afford to live with the rest of your life!

SAINTES-MARIES-DE-LA-MER
IN THE HEART OF THE CAMARGUE

In the words of Brené Brown, author of 'Daring Greatly,' "Authenticity is the daily practice of letting go of who we think we're supposed to be and embracing who we are." We must remember that we were born to be honest and real....not perfect. Learning to live with this thought in mind as a personal caveat, may we be authentic enough to be able to acknowledge this in others, as well.

ROLLING VINEYARD LOCATED
BETWEEN CARCASSONNE AND
PIEUSSE, FRANCE

FRUIT OF THE VINE

Copyright © 2017 by Jacqueline E. Hughes

All rights reserved

All Photos Copyright © by Jacqueline E. Hughes

All rights reserved

THE INTERESTING THINGS WE DO THAT MAKE US WHO WE ARE

A series of essays.....

Idiosyncrasy From A Writer's Perspective

.....as seen through my eyes!


By: Jacqueline E. Hughes


Let's be totally honest here and admit to just how annoying we can sometimes be to others who often must cope with the idiosyncrasies that help develop the individual beings that we are.

If I'd asked for a show of hands in response to my honesty and placed myself in a large room, let's say filled with one hundred people.....I would have both of my arms raised and all ten fingers proudly pointing towards the acoustic ceiling! I've never been very good at math and percentages so, I really don't know why I filled the room with all these people.  But, my point is, some of my habits do occasionally annoy others. And, I know I do not stand alone here so, as you continue reading this, please feel free to acknowledge some of your own.




Jack LaLanne
Picture Courtesy: teamlalanne.org

I'm not entirely sure but, I think it all began when I was around three or four years old and a playmate told me that if I were to step on any crack on the sidewalk, I would actually contribute to breaking my dear Mother's back.....somehow. At this age, logic, reason and sound judgment, tends to fly right out of the window. Maybe this cryptic message was initiated by the likes of Jack LaLanne, a popular American fitness guru, in order to promote excessive movement or exercise in the very young! His teaching was considered ahead of the times when his television show first ran back in 1953. While my Mother was striking her best 'Glamour Stretcher' pose and perspiring in our living room in front of a grey-n-black, jumpsuited image of Jack on the small screen, I was out doing the 'bunny hop' along our front sidewalk with panic and fear tucked away in my heart.

Picture Courtesy: teamlalanne.org



Movie Night

Not every irritating regimen we concoct for ourselves is based in superstition. Dan and I have been doing this one for years now, ever since we began dating. No, not going where you think it is...... We happen to remain in the theater after a movie in order to look at every last credit that scrolls down on the Big Screen!! Yep! That would be us standing by our seats all alone in the eerie darkness as the house lights slowly come back on and the theater staff is seen scraping Jujubes off the natty, red cloth seats and sweeping up tons of spilled popcorn. Their rubber-soled sneakers become suctioned to the concrete floor by the sugary residue of every variety of soda pop known to mankind. Years ago, they used to wait to 'do their thing' until the credits were over. Today we must stand, eventually showered in bright lights, squinting at the fading screen in order to acknowledge all of the people responsible for the production of the film; this is our personal homage to so much talent and hard work behind the scenes.

"Rites of Passage"
Picture Courtesy: www.mlive.com

Do any of you recall walking in the halls before classes began in high school? What exactly were we thinking with this one? We were either showing off our new outfits and hair styles, majorly flirting with a particular someone every ten-minute round trip or, attempting to control a massive amount of teenage hormones (this would revert back to the flirting) and excess energy before having to sit for one-hour increments all day long in class. I don't believe we were necessarily irritating to the teachers....many of them did stand in their doorways just moving their heads from side-to-side and smiling. Most of us chalked-up their body language to wishing they were young and free again and never gave a second thought to just how absurd we all must have looked. To this day I wonder how many other schools held this ritualistic practice each morning. Maybe they still do for all I know. Anyway, for now, let's chalk it up to the 'rites of passage.'

Why do drivers leave ten car lengths between themselves and the car in front of them as they wait for the light to turn green? Why do families of five or more walk side-by-side at a theme park stretching out like cut-out paper dolls holding hands and taking up vast swaths of real estate while in this strategic dodge-ball formation? Who ever thought that applying make-up to one's face while maneuvering a multi-ton, moving vehicle down the highway was appropriate, necessary or SAFE? Wait a minute.... I get it. These come under the heading of "pet peeves" and will have to wait for another story and another time. Sorry about that.

We are special. We are all unique. Life itself is fantastic at any age and everything we do as loving, living beings does not require a thirty page instruction manual written in multiple languages. Sometimes we just need a little motivation to bring out the best in us. Often it's a simple matter of recharging our batteries for an extra boost of power. Spontaneity is one of my favorite words and a guideline for life and long lasting happiness.  Making plans is emphasized when your certain flight to 'somewhere' leaves on a predetermined schedule. When you arrive at your destination, be spontaneous, uninhibited and open for everything that comes your way. Sadly, spontaneity itself can feel quite strange for many people.

Turboprop Aircraft

Speaking of planes, I do have another superstitiously oriented ritual that I have performed since my very first commercial flight when I was sixteen-years-old. I was on my own and leaving out of the South Bend International Airport in Indiana on a 'tree hopper' business flight to Indianapolis. It was a turboprop plane carrying over twenty passengers and crew, as I recall, and could fly at a lower cruising altitude which lent itself to the short distance we had to travel.

My flight was scheduled to leave at eight o'clock in the morning but it looked dubious because of the thick, low fog cover that blanketed the area. I admit to being surprised and slightly apprehensive when we were told we could now board the plane. I couldn't see my hand in front of me as I walked out onto the tarmac being urged along by the stewardess/flight attendant pointing towards the movable stairs temporarily attached to the side of the aircraft. By the time I made it to the top step, practically feeling my way up as if I were blind, and before entering the doorway, I reached out to touch an outside panel of the plane with my right hand pressed flat, fingers splayed.

By now my hand was cold and wet. I kept it there long enough to say a short prayer to my angels and ask them to guide us to Indianapolis in one piece, much to the dismay of the remaining passengers bottle-necked behind me and clinging to the rickety railing for support in the fog. I was definitely a hindrance to their progress but, by the time I flung myself through the arched doorway and was greeted by another stewardess and one of the pilots, I was feeling much more at peace with my current situation. 



Flight instrumentation is truly a wonderful thing, isn't it? Within moments we lifted off into the thick, gray mist and became airborne! Holding my breath as I clutched the seat cushion beneath me, I realized I was staring through the cockpit of the plane and right out of the windshield into the clouds that enveloped us. Having allowed the cockpit doors to remain open for take-off, I was rewarded with a pilot's panoramic view of this soft, gray world as we slowly climbed higher.


It was mere moments of amazement before the actual miracle took place.....  Suddenly, as though the plane's propellers had teamed-up to push the mist away, our little plane poked its nose right through the cloud cover and Heaven opened-up all around us! The strikingly blue of the morning sky was so intense it was what I now refer to as "hurt my eyes..beautiful."  The rays of the rising sun sent shards of golden light piercing through the rolling white sea that stretched out beneath us and refracted off of the metallic fuselage and wings of our little aircraft. I was not alone. Nothing could be that potent and so beautiful that one could ever feel alone. Whenever asked, "Where did you find your wonderment?" I would have to say, as a young woman, aged sixteen, discovering the Heavens for the very first time.

From that morning on I have honored this maiden voyage of mine into that majestic 'unknown' by touching the plane before every flight I take. And.....I always will!






Blessed Holy Week and Easter Sunday

Copyright © 2015 by Jacqueline E. Hughes
All rights reserved