The Tyee – Ayn Rand's Weird Creed No Longer a Joke

The Tyee – Ayn Rand's Weird Creed No Longer a Joke

Good morning!

Doing what works for you?

Ok, so I have this friend, well kind of a friend, she is out of my past.  That’s what happens when you get separated, sometimes it seems like ½ of your friends just drift off, off into a weird place, an awkward place. It’s the kind of place that when you bump into them, at the grocery store or out at the movies, you are not quite comfortable enough to have a real, relaxed conversation. All that you really have to talk about is attached to your x somehow and when you try to converse the words come out all strained.

One of the marvelous things about social networking is that you can stay in touch with these drifting friendships and not have to deal with the awkwardness. This is just one of the reasons I believe, in general, that social networking is so popular.  Many of us are always trying to avoid social awkwardness.

Why am I writing about this? I have such a friend that I sent a tweet to yesterday. The tweet contained a link to an article about yoga, you see, this friend of mine is a yoga instructor and I thought she might find the article interesting and inspiring. The article focused primarily on how yoga maybe getting away from it’s roots.

Well, my friend tweeted me back a quote and the quote was this, ‘’do what works for you’’. Now I am going to assume that my friend read the article and was letting me know that she was indifferent to it and that her preference is to not alter her vision of why or how she teaches but instead confirm to me that she has chosen to do what works for her.  This is marvelous and my friends confidence is sometimes far more inspiring than even she knows. I have no issue whatsoever with my friends approach. But the quote did get me thinking. And it motivated me to write this blog.

“Do what works for you’’? This is an interesting philosophy and one that I can wholehearted stand behind, but only with conditions. As long as your intent is true (by the way I am positive my friends is) and you are aware of the concerns of other, by all means, do what works for you.

All of us have experienced others, in our circle, that have taken more than they have shared, they have deceived us, stolen from us, left us damaged, dazed, and confused and 9 times out of 10 I believe that these types are living out this very same philosophy. Doing what works for you and considering yourself is fantastic just as long as you take time to consider your family, your loved ones, your neighbours, your community, and your world. Maybe the quote would work better for me if it read, ‘’ do for others what works for you’’?

Awake enough to see, brave enough to reach, strong enough to hold,

RandyNow

10 Top Photography Composition Rules | Photography Mad

10 Top Photography Composition Rules | Photography Mad

All I can think about!

While most others seem to seek external/material values which, to me, have a tendency to fade away, I choose the eternal values.  I have not given up on the material values but just moved them down the list.  All values are good and very good to me hence I choose to have all values in my life. 

The List:

Liking myself.

Living with positive thinking.

Living with positive acting.

Living with positive speech.

Living with strong physical health.

Living with sound mental health.

Living with happiness.

Living in peace.

Living in unconditional love.

Living in harmony.

Living successfully.

Living in harmonious relationships.

Living with personal power.

Living in material wealth.

So you've woken up, now what?

(by Zen Gardner) 


Many people ask about this or something similar so here’s some thoughts on the subject. I don’t mean to tell anyone what to do, as that’s completely contrary to consciousness and conscious development, but I will share my understandings at this point and my passion for Truth and you can do what you like with it. 

Question: 

“What do you say to people who have woken up but can’t leave the system because of family and friends?” 

This and those like it pose a very broad question since we’re all different and need to be led of our own convictions. However, the answer is fundamentally similar in every case. 

Do what consciousness tells you. 

There’s really no time for fiddling around once you’ve found what you know to be the Truth, which is always something clearly outside the realm of what you’ve been indoctrinated with. It’s always life altering. And if it isn’t, you didn’t hear correctly or it fell on deaf ears. 

I don’t want to be counted amongst the deaf or unresponsive. Do you? 

Especially when you found out that that’s exactly what perpetrates the big lie you found out about–a compliant, non-awake populace.


System Dependence is the Name of the Game 

That’s the trouble with the “system”, it teaches dependency, hierarchy, and rote knowledge, where your choices are carefully narrowed down to “acceptable” alternatives within carefully confined parameters. 

That’s why people feel like fish out of water when they wake up. They never learned how to truly think freely, nor did they have the knowledge tools. Instead, most everything was reversed, scrambled, confused and filed away in seeming useless obscurity. 

The result is not just a marginalization of empowering Truths into the catch-all dustbins of “conspiracy theory” or wing nut stuff, but worse yet, the system does not cultivate original thought or true personal freedom or responsibility. 

The real Truth is not an option in such a controlled environment. Oh, you get smatterings of truths, but drawing awake and aware conclusions is not an option to humanity’s would be Controllers. 

The Wake Up Starts with a Bang – But You Have to Keep It Going 

When someone awakens to the true nature of the manipulated world we live in, as well as the vast resources at our immediate conscious fingertips, it takes some doing to fully realize what that information means, as well as the vast implications on your personal life. 

It can hit hard and may need some time to be digested. 

How it affects each of us individually is really a question of simply putting what we’ve learned into action and trusting the Universe for the consequences. 

I don’t think there’s time for much else. In fact, there never has been. 

If you know the Truth, what are you waiting for? 

While many are hoping for some kind of soft-pedaling of any kind of action call, it’s not a set formula. You just find out, and you react. And just that takes some doing, breaking off the rust of your True Self to animate and start to call the shots that were previously hindered by life long programming. 

Stages of Development 

For me the full wake up took on many stages of development, but the full blown realization of the vast extent of the manipulated lie and its fleshed out intricacies was a head splitting explosion that blew me past the pull of convention’s gravity so fast I’m still grinning from ear to ear as I zip through the universe..ha! 

The point there being, the wake up takes on many forms and evolves. What gives the wake up traction is commitment, putting feet to your realizations. 

You think TV’s bad? Turn it off. Banks are a rip off? Get out except for perhaps necessary operating funds if need be. Trapped by the ownership of housing, “might needs”, and all kinds of dumb stuff? 

Dump everything you can, if that’s your understanding. Knowing “stuff owns you” is fundamental to consciousness. We all get there, but it depends on our enthusiasm…or “spirit in us”. 

How many respond to just that? 

Do What You Know or Face Confusion 

Until people put into action what they already know, there isn’t gonna be much more to follow for them. Just a lot of flailing about in frustration because we don’t do what we already know we should do and are looking for excuses or compromised solutions to assuage our guilty conscience and hopefully preserve our personal status quo. 

Sad, but true. 

That also includes getting right with people, making relationships honest, and disengaging from situations of compromise. It takes courage. 

Know You Are Nobody–Yet Everybody 

All this is a whole lot easier when you realize you are nobody. There’s nothing to defend. 

Your old senses of self were the very strings the lying matrix played upon. Get conscious and the sirens of the system don’t affect you except peripherally. 

That’s a biggie. 

Conscious awareness is number one realizing and seeing through the higher level of awareness that is detached from this life’s experiences, and thus free to discern and identify without attachment what your life experience is. 

Seeing through those eyes will bring tremendous peace and understanding. 

Get Along But Don’t Compromise 

Don’t fret the next steps. If the universe is so vast and full of infinite possibilities there’s going to be something for everybody. Our job is to find it and when we find it, act on it. No, it’s not the “safe” way, or the “accepted” way. 

At all. We do have to break free. 

In reality the parasitic system has been sucking you dry and lying to you and everyone you love. You now no longer owe it any allegiance and can and should disengage any and every way you can. No guilt trip necessary. You are doing what is right. 

Period. 

And that is not contingent on relationships, financial security, self image concerns, or what have you. 

So get any and all attachments possible out of play. Happily. You are freeing yourself from the spider’s tentacles. 

There’s Real Peace in Commitment. 

When you’ve resolved to go ahead and “make the break” with convention and stand up for what you know is right, it leads to a new lifestyle. How do you think these wonderful websites were formed of like-minded people who found each other and decided to make an impact with videos, interviews, articles, participation in events, etc? 

How were Gandhi, Martin Luther King or other world Truth bearers including the present day alternative luminaries birthed from their previous lives? 

Something gelled, made total sense, resonated, and they just committed. These Truth enthusiasts on the internet also somehow found each other and it clicked. It’s all about responding to the need and call and openly networking…true response-ability. 

The Truth Glasses 

I read this fantastic analogy and it’s never escaped me. 

Finding out the whole truth is like putting on these amazing Truth glasses, much like the movie “They Live”. 

Here’s how they work: 

#1. You gotta want to put them on. 

#2. You can’t force someone else to put them on. 

#3. Once they’re on, you can’t take them off. 

If you’ve found and put on the glasses, that will make total sense. If you haven’t, keep searching. 

Let your heart lead you. 

In the words of Lao Tsu: 

At the center of your being you have the answer; you know who you are and you know what you want. – Lao Tsu 

Love Zen 

Friday's random thought ~

Anyone who buries his or her truth hates to be called out. It means that they are somehow transparent.  People hate to be caught naked.  They see it as an intrusion into their privacy.

We all need to feel safe.  It is natural to bury what is fragile so it doesn't become broken or used as a tool against us.  That is why our most fragile organs, like the heart, and the lungs, are buried behind bone, to protect them because they are vulnerable.  We do that with our feelings, with our words and actions saying one thing but then doing something else and even with our thoughts.

Find your passion!

I’m going to let you in on one of the secrets to my life. Something I have noticed in the years most recent. It’s so simple you may be surprised?

Surround yourself with passionate people, passionate about life.  Passionate about the things they do, the people they love. When you talk with people who are passionate about what they’re doing, passionate about life and the people they love, it is transformative. I am talking about the excited, fired-up, feeling-strongly-about, thinking-about-it-all-the-time, can’t-wait-to-do-it-when-you-wake-up passion. When you talk with people who are like this, you can’t help but get fired up yourself. It’s the kind of energy that feeds itself. It makes you want to go out and do something exciting. 

The more you surround yourself with these types of individuals the more you will become one of these individuals. Cool Eh! Passionate people not only inspire you, they give you ideas.  Ideas that will come out in the way you live your life and this in turn will draw more passionate people to you. You can probably already identify with people that are in your circle that have this effect on you. Well I can guarantee you that you most likely have the same effect on them, nurture this, allow yourself to be inspired by other people who are passionate and full of ideas, encourage them to share those positive, inspirational ideas with you. The people in your life should act as fuel for a very intense fire. It’s incredible to talk with people like this, and to spend time with them, and you can’t walk away from them without getting a bit revved up.

While I am working on leading a life of a minimalism, I’ve learned that minimalism can be done anywhere you go and it doesn’t require that you move to a farm or give up your contact with people. Just the opposite: minimalism is not about giving up things  as much as it is about giving up consumption in favor of doing things you’re passionate about and having real relationships with a few people you really value. I’d much rather have a conversation with someone doing something amazing than go shopping. I rarely shop and I thank the universe, daily, that I have found someone who shares this passion. Grow into someone who is about creating and not so much about consuming. 

I have also found that you don’t have to live in a big city like Toronto or Vancouver to surround yourself with passionate people. They’re in small towns too, it might take a bit of searching to find them but don’t stop looking. We are everywhere. My sister who lives in the smallish town of White Rock BC is the perfect example of this.

Find small businesses that are doing amazing things, and talk with the people there. Look for startups, for artists and writers, for people who are obsessed with doing something really well. My daughter with her artwork and my son with his music inspire the passion in me, everyday.

I believe that this is one of the reasons that social networking is in such demand and a flourishing part of our lives nowadays. Because if we can’t find passionate souls where we live we sure can find them online. They’re everywhere if you look. Read books, watch films by people full of powerful ideas who are doing innovative things. Go to local art galleries, check out local music venues, visit the library, support local farmers, go to poetry readings, and check out neighbourhood independent restaurants. Read blogs, talk via email, follow on Twitter, and comment on their wall posts. Start collaborating with people that share your passion.

Be one of them, and not only get inspired but do your best to inspire others. 

Growing From Pain

What matters is the value we've created in our lives, the people we've made happy and how much we've grown as people. ~ Daisaku Ikeda

I am constantly evolving. I am shaped, the most, by the tragedy in every moment and in every decision that I make. And in that process I’ve learned that it’s okay to be shaped by pain, but it’s not okay to be defined by it. Actually it's better than okay, it's intrinsic to our having a ''happy'' life. 

I have also learned that we all, at times, feel alone and when we are feeling alone it is vital to ask for help. That is why we are surrounded by loved ones. Remember, the amount of joy that you experience when helping others is exactly the amount of joy that others receive when helping you.

Some, most, of my greatest self discoveries came from those times that I would sometimes prefer to forget. That unknown, frightening path that pushes me outside the feel safe and familiar zone is the place where I discover the most about myself, this is where I learn. That is also where I have the most opportunity to be the most me. An added bonus is that it is on that path that the light and dark sit in a circle of balance and where I am at peace.

totally FREE

I read this on a wall somewhere and found it so insightful in the moment that I took the time to copy it down.  ~ 

We are all walking around with these glossy eyes. ''I'm just tired' we say. But you know what? It's BS. Yes, we are tired, but it's not all from lack of sleep. We are tired of waking up to nothing to look forward to, tired of going to bed exhausted from doing a million things we find no enjoyment in doing. We are tired of the void, the emptiness that looms over us even though our days are packed full. We are tired of the loneliness that presses down on us even though we are surrounded by dozens of people. So why can't we just say it? Humans are so afraid to look into each other's eyes and say ''I am unhappy, I am broken, I am hopeless and fallible.'' We've been conditioned to associate pain with weakness, sadness with coldness, loneliness with unworthiness, difference with disease, as if these feelings are contagious, as if ambivalence is something not to be felt but to be feared. Well, screw that. Screw forced smiles and polite handshakes and ''I'm fine'' and ''thank you''. Screw the fear of crying in a public place, screw the fake chipper voice, screw the lies we spit out to cover up our problems. We are HUMANS. We are meant to feel. To feel everything and to feel it al openly. We are not metal - we are flesh and bone. Our boiling blood courses through our cold, clammy hands. We are intricate and beautiful and we should never hide in our human parts, because if we do, then what's left to show?    Anonymous 

~ What do you think?

Brokenness

We see and live in a world that the less sensitive, amongst us, cannot enter.  


They think we are crazy.  


We see the brokenness of the world. It is not seen by all. 


We are aware.


This is my curse. This is my greatness.

Retail is Detail And Apple Is Paying Attention.

The Genius Bar is home to Apple’s resident Geniuses. Trained at Apple headquarters, they have extensive knowledge of Apple products and can answer all of your technical questions. In fact, Geniuses can take care of everything from troubleshooting problems to actual repairs.

Do the geniuses at Apple's Genius Bar receive any bereavement counselor training? I'll tell you why I ask. My daughter, Molly, who was having problems with her MacBook, decided to take a trip into her friendly neighbourhood Apple Store and I was lucky enough be visiting her that day so I was asked to come along, how exciting? If you have never been in one of these stores I can tell you that they are a carefully designed piece of architecture. With simple lines, pristine environment, symmetrical dimensions, and gregarious, clean-cut, staff they really are a marvel in marketing. An extension of the products sold within.

We were directed to the back of the store, to the Genius Bar, and asked to take a seat on a high, wooden stool where we were to wait for our ''genius'' to assist us with our problem. I have to tell you I was so very impressed, talk about the WOW! Factor.

As I sat and waited I couldn’t help but notice how many blue-shirted, staff members were out, wondering the selling floor. I swear it had to be a 1 employee to 1 client ratio. Ever employee had the ability to approach the ‘‘client’’ with the grace of a word class ballerina and immediately engage them in delightful conversation. It was magical. I would like to note at this time that my daughter, a 20 year old university student, did not seemed to hold what was happening around us in the same regard. Was this something that she had come to expect in the new world of retailing? If so, I have got to believe that Apple is responsible for raising the bar.

Within minutes our genius approached and he was everything and that. He was polite, intelligent, witty, and with charm. He went straight to work and began his search for the cause to Molly’s frustration. While we were sitting there we were drawn to the events taking place with the woman seated next to us. The genius that was assisting her approached with a distinguishable calmness. He slid her noticeably ‘’older’’ laptop across the counter with the words ‘’I’m sorry but there is nothing I can do.’’ The customer in disbelief replied ‘’are you sure?’’ to which the genius said ‘’Nope, she was just too old, you were lucky to have had her for as long as you did.’’ Were they talking about the laptop? The woman carefully picked up her laptop and slid it into it’s coffin ... er I mean carrying case; zipped it up and stood there for a few minutes while her eyes slowly filled with tears. The genius reached out and touched the woman on the shoulder and expressed his sympathies and then suggested that the woman take a few minutes before maybe looking around the store for a replacement computer.

We really do become attached to our computers, laptops, ipods, ipads, don’t we? There is a connection to the electronics of the new age, one that was never felt for radios or TV’s of the past. Maybe it’s because our laptops are filled with our personal thoughts in the form of journals, letters, emails, and blogs. With our favourite songs and movies, with videos of fun times and photographs of cherished memories. They have become more than just electronic devises; they are a part of our lives, of our families.

The respect that Apple gives to these devices and the stores that sell them is maybe more deserving than we realize and recognizing this was maybe the true genius of Mr. Jobs. 

GOP Inspired

This would be all so hilarious if it were not all so sad and if Shakespeare were writing the ending to this Republican process I believe he would have it end with a death and not, yet, another Gingrich marriage.

The character displayed by many world politicians is in a word, tragic. Party, race, creed, colour, or sex does not seem to have any bearing on the ability of a politician to make the wrong choice or to tell us a lie.

When it comes to politicians or the political system, for that matter, the big question we should be asking ourselves is why do we trust so much? Why do we display this trusting bias? I, for one, believe most people are telling me the truth and when people in power tell us something don’t you think that most people believe what they say to be true. When we hear something from a ‘’leader’’, most of us don’t engage, or don’t want to engage in the mental effort to question the assertion. ‘’He is our leader he must know what he is talking about.’’

When it comes to ethics, especially in politics, the end justifies the means. Our leaders can lie about an opponent because if that opponent is elected it will be disastrous for us all and if I lie about myself that’s OK too because it is imperative that I take office because if I don’t, again a disaster. I am sorry, but being ethical should be what is most important. Not just for our political figures but for everyone and the ends rarely, if ever, justify the means.

So what is the answer, whom do we vote for? Good luck with that one. All I would suggest is something I learned from my father and that is to ‘’question authority’’, become informed, get involved, and if you are not willing to run for office and ‘’be the change’’ than you really can’t ‘’bitch’’ too much.

Finding the Missing Peace?

Whenever I am faced with a situation, a decision, a predicament, an issue, a moment, an incident I do my very best and I take a moment and I ask myself one simple question ...
''what would love do?''
The answer usually, and I would like to emphasize usually, guides me in a direction that provides me a certain stability and calmness.

Why We Occupy

You may have heard, in the past 30 years the top 1%’s income has doubled along with the economy itself. Middle class income during that same time has barely increased due to inflation. That increase in income has given the top 1% – 40% of the nations wealth and that has given them a wealth of political power. Power for which they have used to get the amount of taxes that they pay, lowered. Because of this, tax revenues for the federal government is down to less that 15%, the lowest it has been in the last 50 years. These lower tax revenues results in huge government deficits and because of these deficits we have over crowded schools, hospitals, unemployment lines. All of this leads to an increasingly fearful and depleting middle class. People are down right scared. We all feel as we are competing for the very few jobs/$’s. All of this fear leads to unions fighting with the non-union, public employee vs. non-public. We become fearful and close our borders and judge all by difference.
Fewer middle class jobs not only depletes tax revenues further but having few and few jobs also limits the ability for the middle class to borrow. It has been the ability of the middle class to borrow that has always lifted us out of economic crisis. The loss of middle class will essentially rob us all of a healthy and prosperous economy.

Way Too Tight?

I have this really bad habit, I have had it my entire life, well as far back as I can remember, of hanging on too tightly to things in my life, everything, from people, ideas, things, experiences, the works. I am pretty sure I hang on tight because that way things will stay the way I think they should be and by staying the same everything will make me feel the security I require. I even go so far as allowing my grip to fool me into believing that by hanging on I can recreate the past in the future. I have come to realize that my grip is what restricts me from experiencing the “NOW”. What is going on right now requires no grip at all. It’s impossible for things to be as they are if you are too busy squeezing them to the way you think they should be.

Miraculously when you let go and experience the flow of the present moment your life has a way of becoming exactly what you want it to be, that is until you grab on too tightly again. When you remove all expectations all disappointments disappear as well. Go ahead and try it, take of a situation in your life that you are trying to force or completely resistant to.  Just let it be and go with the moment and see what happens. You will immediately feel lighter. Not only will you be pleasantly surprised but you will stop drawing negative energy to yourself and the doors to compassion and acceptance will open.

It's Up To YOU.

Everything is up to us, and sometimes being straddled with that power makes things difficult.

We are faced with thousands of choices every day.  From the smallest of decisions like ‘’will I wear the blue T-shirt or the green turtleneck?'' To some of the biggest decisions…’’where and what and how I work and when and where and who I interact with and what I chose to learn from all of this…?

What would be worse? Believing that you have no choice but to be what, who, and how you are. That would be a serious error.

Making decisions, as difficult as they are, is better than not choosing at all. If you will not choose then someone or something will choose for you and why would you want to give up the power of choice.

So just keep in mind that it’s up to you.

Difficult, yes, but empowering.

Control is a MY Freak

Do you see yourself as a control freak?

I ask this question because, of late, whenever I find myself, without exception, become frustrated with my photography it is because I am a control freak. Whenever I feel the need to hang onto the control within it becomes a damn to my creative juices, causing me great frustration. The control blurs my vision and I wander endlessly freaking out because I can't ''see'' anything.

Whenever I let go and just let it happen, this is when I take my best pictures.

Come to think of it whenever I let go in life I find myself the happiest as well.

Note to self ~ Let go of your control ways and just let it be.

Trust The Change

When we get stuck in a particular situation or having to make a major decision we should go with ‘’what we know?’’

I know that my decisions are never right or wrong and that they can always be corrected. I know that opportunities are put in front of me because I am ready for what they bring to my life. I know that nothing is permanent, except maybe a Sharpie marker, haha, and that my mind can change at any time. I know that all decisions result in change and that change is good. I know that things always work out, regardless of what happens, the universe is funny like that.

So why do we often hesitate when faced with change.

Is it all the ‘’wrong’’ decisions we have made in the past? Or maybe, that some of our decisions have caused us pain, embarrassment, or misfortune? Could it be that we are so afraid of judgment, from self and others? Are we just so afraid of the unknown?

Is it a lack of trust, in ourselves?

Every moment presents a new opportunity and this is a good thing. We have to learn to trust ourselves.

What better time to start, than now? But how do we learn to trust ourselves? The same way you learn to trust anyone in your life, by paying attention to what they say and do and if they are true to their word. Try doing this with yourself. Build the kind of trust in yourself that you would want in a good friend.

Make a decision, stick to it. See what happens. It will become easier as you become more consistent. Trusting ourselves allows for us to ‘’go for it!’’

Trust in our truth and our worth, all in one.

Bob Marley definitely had it right when he sang the words ''don’t worry about a thing, cause everythings gonna be alright.''

50 things learned over 50 years.

1.     There is nothing wrong with being afraid.

2.     Don’t take serious stuff too seriously.

3.     Honesty solves most problems.

4.     Love more.

5.     Don’t allow anyone to take your personal power away, ever.

6.     Encourage kids.

7.     Go for a walk.

8.     Get a dog, they can teach you so much about love.

9.     Listen, when it’s time to listen.

10. Show up – on time.

11. Fight for things that are important to you.

12. Paint a picture.

13. Spend lots of time in the kitchen.

14. Shame, guilt, and jealousy are a waste of time.

15. You can only judge if you are paying for it.

16. Be grateful for what you have.

17. It always works itself out.

18. Listen to your kids.

19. Keep your promises.

20. Have dinner with family and friends often.

21. When you do a favour expect nothing in return.

22. Tattoos are no big deal.

23. Meditate – it takes many forms.

24. Never think you know what others are thinking.

25. When you say sorry, mean it.

26. It’s OK to say ‘’No’’.

27. Be polite.

28. Everyone feels inadequate, it’s not just you.

29. Keep a journal.

30. Music can make a difference.

31. Read ‘’To Kill A Mockingbird’’, ‘’Catcher In the Rye’’, and ‘’Fifth Business’’.

32. Always mean what you say.

33. The truth is so simple.

34. Keep an open mind.

35. There is always another way to look at things, keep an open mind.

36. It’s as important to go in, as it is to go out.

37. Wisdom has nothing to do with age.

38. Change is good.

39. Learn to listen to your gut.

40. Go to the movies.

41. When in doubt ask yourself ‘‘what would LOVE do?’’

42. Do what you want.

43. Crying is just as important as laughing.

44. Being different is ‘’normal’’.

45. New shoes and haircuts just feel good.

46. Be kind.

47. Passion is more important than wealth.

48. When you say ‘Cheers’’ look people in the eye.

49. Don’t be shy, it’s good to put yourself out there.

50. Try as many things as possible, at least once.