1) I think the garden is faring far better this year. I know the Southwest is hurting, but the Midwest
has been enjoying enough rain to really support the crops. Last year’s drought made our garden an anemic
exercise in futility, whereas this season we’ve been dragging zucchini the size
of your head out of this bad boy.
It’s kind of awesome to dice up Squashzilla, throw it in the
grill basket with some Roasted Peach Whiskey Sauce and some onion, and enjoy
the fruits…well, the veggies of our labor.
2) I think it’s a good day.
For many reasons do I think this, not least of which is that today,
Little Danger turns 3. It’s amazing to
think that 3 years have gone by so quickly, and that we will now have known him
for longer than we looked for him.
It was a long road, but it was more than worth it. I do not get tired of people telling me I
have a cool kid. I do not get tired of
his ability to charm, to make friends, to share, and to care. I hope he doesn’t, either.
3) I think one of my favorite things to watch Little Danger
do is dance. He abandons all pretense at
civilization, and jumps, runs, wiggles, and even rolls around on the ground in
his appreciation of both music and attention.
We went to a local club to watch a friend throw down some
good oldies tunes with his band, and Little Danger ate it up. He owned the dance floor like a lobbyist owns
a Senator.
At one point, he just lay down and logrolled across the
floor, and repeated the action when the onlookers giggled. His wild gyrations inspired the sound guy to
come join him, both of them logrolling in a toddler-inspired joie de vivre that
left a wide smile on my face for the night.
4) I think I’m tired of working too hard for my fun. I’ve been running a project for almost 10
years now that is like a second full time job at times. Whereas it’s been fun and rewarding, I’m
ready to pass the torch to someone who has the fire to keep it going. I have a new career to focus on, licensures
to gain, and a book of business to build, and this requires a tighter beam of
attention than I’ve had for quite some time.
As an example, I opened my email to more than a dozen
requests that add up to an aggregate 6 or so hours of work, all preparing for a
weekend long event. Sadly, the simple
math is that those who need the most are getting the least, as I triage the
hours of effort into more important endeavours.
I’m letting people down, but in the thing that only pays me in fun. It’s a strange dichotomy of “right choice”
versus “feels like failure” that never sits right with me.
I’m really not sure how this one gets fixed, and it’s giving
me some stress. But on the bright side,
it’s totally a fucking first world problem.
5) I think it’s
getting close to the time when public opinion crosses the tipping point on
government overreach. The liberties we’re
losing are looking more and more like the days of McCarthy, a time when people
went through the Red Scare and tiptoed everywhere in fear of the fucking
commies.
Now our boogeyman is the terrorist, and to this boogeyman we
have sacrificed a great many things.
From the recent FISA court issues, to the NSA metadata overreach, to my
favorite jackbooted thugs the TSA, we keep giving and giving more liberty for
an illusion of safety. When, I wonder,
do we finally look up and say “Enough?”
Soon, I hope.
Given that we have just celebrated Independence Day, a day that saw us throwing off the chains of unreasonable searches and overreaching government, this has been on my mind of late.
So, gang...what do YOU think today?
I'm thinking happy birthday to Little Danger and lunch next week. :D
ReplyDeleteNumber four resonates with me.
ReplyDeleteWhen I put aside The Troupe, it felt very weird. It had been a labor of love for more than 10 years, and "paid me in fun" as you say. It did not pay the bills, and it was eating more of my energy than it was replenishing.
And then The Troubles began and I had an excuse to drop it altogether. We went out with a bang; our final show was Much Ado About Nothing as part of the Shakespeare Festival. We performed it during a severe thunderstorm-turned-tornado-no-really.
I still get people freaking out on me when I tell them I don't do that anymore.
I still have things associated with that project that I'm still releasing, dismantling, and deciding about. We used to do the local Pagan Picnic every year, and this year was the first in a long time that I not only didn't have a booth or do any rituals/performances, but I didn't even attend.
A close friend pointed out that I should only be doing stuff like that when I am moved to do so. She's right.
If you walk away from your project, it is not failure. How could something that amazing be a failure? It's just that sometimes we have to put away our projects.
You and I are alike in that we both get bewildered by endings. I quoted Peter Beagle all those years ago at you and we both live our lives according to "There are no happy endings, because nothing ever ends."
Except that some things do end, and the endings can be good, and right, and healthy.