-
Let Reality Be Beautiful
Things are good. Almost too good. So good, in fact, that sometimes I panic. That annoying little voice in my head whispers, “This is too good to be true. It can’t be real. You’re overlooking something. Or all the great people around you will finally see you for the inherently flawed individual that you are…
-
Dream Crushing
I used to know someone who seemed to delight in crushing others’ dreams. When I was young, she approached my mother, all concerned, because I talked about wanting to be a teacher, when the week before I wanted to be something else. My mother responded, “She’s a kid. She’s supposed to try different ideas on…
-
Alternate Realities
Five years ago, I remember being in a room with two good men. One was Chuck, the love of my life. The other was Glenn, who was a dear friend. I remember talking, smiling, laughing with them both. It was a good day. I wonder what I would have thought or said or done had…
-
Faith Ain’t Reality
I admire people who have faith. Religious faith in particular is a quality that seems to have eluded me most of my life. I would truly love to be able to let go and let God, as the saying goes. It has to be comforting to think that there’s a higher power who has ultimate…
-
Whistler
During my most recent trip to Canada, I had the opportunity to visit Whistler, which is the ski resort mecca of British Columbia. That was a surreal experience. Everything was clean and well-manicured. Even the concrete looked somehow artificial. It was like being in Disney World without the rides. That is, if everyone who visited…
-
On Leading Horses to Water
I have this unique gift. I know what’s best for everybody except, perhaps, myself. At least, that’s the reality I choose to live in much of the time. It’s really easy to look at people’s lives from the outside and come up with quick and easy solutions for them, isn’t it? The real challenge is…
-
Are We the Stories We Tell Ourselves?
It’s always rather disconcerting when someone else has a different version of a memory that I’ve been invested in my whole life long. Which version is correct? And if my version is wrong, how did it change over time? This is particularly unsettling when I’ve told a story time and time again to explain why…
-
Plan “Be”
I can’t remember where I read about this concept, but it appeals to me greatly. Just be. Live in the now. Don’t dwell on the past or worry about the future. Pure bliss. It’s not as easy as it looks, though. For example, I’m in the midst of planning my vacations for the year. Obviously,…
-
And Then Something Else Happened
It’s very easy to feel put upon when your best-laid plans go astray, but why bother? Stuff happens. And not just to you. Every one of us gets blindsided every once in a while. If you think about it, concluding that things are going “wrong” is really the height of arrogance. Things might not be…
-
Everything’s an Observation
I was looking at my blog categories, and I just realized that I categorize every blog entry, over 1300 now, as an observation. That makes me wonder if I should do away with that category entirely. When you get down to it, everything in the world is an observation, isn’t it? To form an opinion…