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  • Jason Stadtlander

Fire and Ice – The Value of a Touch
Fire and Ice – The Value of a Touch 150 150 Jason Stadtlander

Emotions are like seeds and you can choose to feed them or to kill them.

All my life I’ve been a very emotional person. My emotions are a driving force that help to provide a voice in my writing.

In the past decade I have run into more circumstances than I expected, that put me in such an extremely emotionally stressful situations, that at times it had been absolutely unbearable. The past five years have proven to be some of the most difficult years I’ve ever experienced. During these turbulent times, I’ve chosen to be numb and bury my emotions.

However, emotions being what they are, cannot remain buried forever. They must reach, and grow to the surface eventually… Otherwise they can rot away at the very core of who and what we are.

They sometimes rise to the surface with the ferocity of liquid fire, boiling over and sometimes exploding on anyone within reach. Other times they crack off of the human soul like ice, causing a person to burst out crying when they least expect it and for no apparent reason at all. Or perhaps laugh at something that completely lacks humor.

What happens when the tides are too strong to be moved and diverted? Is there a limit to what we as humans can handle emotionally? I think that it’s only through our ability to express (artistically) and connect with one another that can allow us to hold back the tidal waves that bite at the seawall of our soul.

Even our artistic and creative expression can be disturbing, disjointed and empty. In these most dire of times, what can we do to ensure that we don’t fall into the abyss of cascading downward thought?

Touch of a friendI believe there is only one real answer, and sadly one that not everyone finds, is love. It doesn’t have to be romantic love, it can be love from a friend, an acquaintance, or simply a touch from another person that cares. I remember as a child, my grandparents, teachers and friends… They always had no problem touching a shoulder, giving a hug or providing comfort when it was needed.

What has happened to our society that it is so wrong to be touched? We seem to have a hard time as a society finding a comfortable balance between ‘comfort’ and ‘discomfort’. Is it wrong for a person that you don’t know very well to put a hand on your shoulder or on your hand?

  • Jason Stadtlander

Mortality, Family and Reality – The need to say “I love you”
Mortality, Family and Reality – The need to say “I love you” 150 150 Jason Stadtlander

The last ten days have been some of the hardest in my life. I don’t often share my personal life with the public and prefer to keep it at a distance. However, when all is said and done, what is the point of not talking about my thoughts, other than the fact that no one will hear?

Less than a week ago, I could have lost someone who means the world to me. A person that has been a critical part of my life since the day I was born. This person, who I will not mention at the moment… I have spoken with nearly every day for the last ten years, despite the fact we are nearly 1000 miles from each other.

[fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”][box style=”quote”]”The best thing about the future is that it comes one day at a time.”
~ Abraham Lincoln[/box]

One day… Everyday, to make a choice. A choice to talk to those we love, those that mean the most to us, those that if they were gone tomorrow, we just might have a few things we still want to tell them.

Tell the ones you love how you feel every dayI know that if I lost this person, that I will have known they loved me and that they know I loved them. Are there others that don’t fit statement in my life? Absolutely. Can you say the same? What would happen if you lost your spouse, partner, best friend, brother, sister, mother, father, grandparent or child? Can you say that you have let them know how you feel or told them everything you’d want them to know?

Our life is so incredibly short and can end with a whimper or a bang, but either way you never know when it’s your time. Not really anyway. So I am asking you… Please take the time to talk to those that matter most in your life. Take a few minutes everyday to tell them how much they mean to you. Because as morbid as it sounds, everyday is one less day you’ll have to tell them, and you never know if today is that last day. We all need to learn to appreciate this moment, right now, this day that you are still able to reach-out and tell them “I love you”.[/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]

  • Jason Stadtlander

Cities: The Beautiful and The Ugly
Cities: The Beautiful and The Ugly 150 150 Jason Stadtlander

Being from the country and having lived in Columbus, Ohio, not one of the most beautiful cities in the world – especially in the 80’s, I always have had a dismal look on city life. However, having lived in Boston now for about fifteen years, I must admit, the city does have its beauty that others might not see.

Nature

The heartbeat of Boston

The city is a world completely created by man, nature pokes its head out here and there but overall, it’s a living breathing beast all it’s own. It has its own heartbeat that beats quite fast during the day and although it slows down at night, it doesn’t really stop like a small town does.

It’s not unusual to be in Boston (or any major city) and see pigeons, hawks and owls. The occasional bat is frequently seen as well as squirrels and raccoons. Nature is a funny thing, no matter how populace a place becomes, there are always signs of nature around.

Culture

Walking through the city early in the morning, there is a peace as the sunlight slowly filters through the buildings on the concrete and brick landscape. On rainy days you can sit by the window and watch as people walk by with their umbrellas and the  puddles fill up, creating streams along the pavement, gutters and sidewalks. Green grass takes on a brilliance that is seldom seen.

Boston draped in snow

In the winter as the snow falls, it brings a silence down upon the city like a blanket. Instead of echoing sirens, it is much easier to hear the birds, people talking and the wind blowing. Also, there is a strange beauty to it. Don’t get me wrong, I will always love the country more than the city – I have a strange fear of being around large masses of people, I’ve never liked it (demo-phobic?).

However the city definitely has its own beauty as well. There is also something innately solid to the society of a city. You do not just have a small group of people with a small group of talents. There are tremendous amounts of greatly talented people; from the musicians in the subways to the doctors in the hospital to the actors in the theater district. It is a true honor and privilege to see the culture of a city like Boston.

History

Beacon HillNothing is more fascinating to me than history, where we have come from, what existed long before I was around. Boston is steeped in a great history dating all the way back before Europeans came to the area. Walking through the brownstones on Beacon Hill you can really feel the history as everything has been so well preserved, gas lamps along the walkways and cobblestone streets. It is all part of the city’s memory and it’s a wonderful thing to explore.

 

The Night

Boston at nightNight life has a whole new meaning when it comes to the city. I went to the Museum of Science not long ago with my children and we stuck around all day until they closed at 5:00 pm. Well, in December, that basically means night has fallen of course, so we went up to the top floor of the parking garage – where incidentally; they have an observatory where you can see the stars, and we stood looking at the city. From our vantage point we could see trolleys going by on the elevated Green Line near the Museum, Bunker Hill bridge lit up and all of the buildings, it was a beautiful sight. We stood there for a long time, just enjoying the scene.

I think all in all, living in the city has helped me to appreciate the beauty despite the lack of greenery. Don’t get me wrong, there are still the ugly things, poverty, crime and in the dead of summer, sometimes the stench, but overall there is a life in the city that few country people might understand.

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