The Invisible Parade

For approximately ten years I announced the Strawberry Festival in Garden Grove. Many groups were entertaining especially The Compton Sounders, a synchronized drum group, but no parade was as memorable as the invisible parade. No parade goes just as planned. Someone or some creature gets sick. A local politician is required to remain in an extended political session or a vehicle breaks down. Whatever the reason, there ends up being a variety of breaks throughout the parade. One year instead of continually announcing the events being held throughout the day and trying to find other topics to discuss; I instead created the invisible parade. The invisible parade had monkeys riding on the backs of elephants. The creature did flips and landed into a perfect handstand. There was a 300 piece band playing in unison and criss-crossing as they marched. Cheerleaders were leaping into pyramids and staying in form as they marched through the parade. What is my point? My point is that my best experience came from my head. This creation didn't cost anything, involve any clean up, or preparation. I have taken this philosophy into my life with my daughter. She and I make plans, but if they change or are cancelled we know we can always use our imagination. We know we won't be let down if we make up special days in our head because if we are bored we can just change the mental picture. The fun is always available to us thanks to the invisible parade!

Watch out blog world!

Last year I wrote one blog post and this year this will be my first. This does not make me a prolific blogger. I found that having your blog called Erratic Thoughts leads to a very unfocused blog and blog experience. This is why I changed my blog title to Modern Philosophy in a Virtual World. I have twelve followers; eleven if you recognize the fact that Paul Swendson is not two people. It would be nice if one of my blog readers could describe my blog in a sentence or two so others could have their interests piqued and become regular readers. What is most important is that I write about topics that pique my interest so that whether I gain readership or not; it is an enjoyable and informative experience for me. Here's to the future. Thoughts on the politics of education, fatherhood, sports, and how they all relate to the human experience are on the horizon. Look out virtual world, here I come!