Three years ago my buddy JW got married to his wonderful wife. I saw him the night before for the first time in almost a year. He was the most encouraging person I could have possibly talked to at the time. Even though he was pursuing a responsible career of further education and advanced skilled employment complemented beautifully by intricate "free time" pursuits, he was always reading a lot of spirituality and asking big questions and trying to find the best way to feel balanced and healthy and happy and connected. I'd just come from the craziest most different places in the world, and yet he not only enjoyed reading about it, but he was inspired by it. Especially the one about the "hero journey" in India.
Meanwhile, he had this poster of Angel's Landing on his wall. He and his wife climbed it. It got stuck in my head and later that year I tried to do it on my own, but in the snow, and I turned back when death seemed likely. I tried it again two years later, but barely. There had just been a thunderstorm, and it was muddy and getting dark, and once again I was the last person there. I made it about ten seconds and remembered the last time, and turned back and actually found this different path that was much safer and also much more enjoyable, with a spectacular view. Anyway, no matter what crazy adventures I could brag about on my own, he and his wife did something together that I couldn't do on my own, regardless of conditions. Maybe the fact that he had a wife was why he was doing it in a fashion with a reasonable chance of survival as opposed to the passionate impatient adventurer.
After he told me that story and long before I knew about my own stories that would be related to that photograph on his wall, we played some kind of party word game. JW and I stayed up talking a long time about journeys and figuring out your best life and all of that, and then slept.
The next day all of us from college watched JW get married, or "find his treasure" as he put it. Then we had a great party and danced and drank. There were several co-workers of his from India at our table.
JW is still happily married and enjoys his own home now. I hope I'll get to see it when I visit home next month.
____________________________
Today I finished proofreading a book I wrote live on the web back in March. I'd like to see it as a real book someday. That is a dream of mine: to walk into a book store and see a book I helped become real on the display table with all the great human imagination expressionists who inspired me when I wanted or needed guidance, entertainment, or usually both. But before that journey was to continue, I needed a little time to move forward on other pursuits, live more life and get some distance for reflection. Now that I don't live by the highway in the same room where I wrote it, I was able to read it in a new light, and it seems alright. I'll probably wait to see some people I know before I go further down that road.
More importantly, now that that has been seen to, I can throw all of my creative energies into the next project, which I become more and more enthusiastic about as I get to know many new people in this new house and neighborhood where I live. The past few nights I've found myself in long deep conversations with many new people with exciting experiences, backgrounds, information and wisdom to spread. Some of them have been through pain and challenges I cannot imagine, but seem very positive and connected. All of this is making my imagination start to rev its engines uncontrollably. I've been outlining and re-reading drafts for a while, but now I feel I'm finally ready to tell the stories I want to tell in the way I want to tell them so they will have the greatest possible effect on spreading beautiful experiences.
______________________________________
Besides that, the teaching journey that began in Japan two years ago continues in San Francisco. It's funny to think that my profession of informing humans about communicating with their world began with instructing and playing with little Japanese kids. Sometimes we'd all be enthusiastic, sometimes I'd have to protect my genitals from their fists, and sometimes they ask you a question and all you can say is, "Because I said so."
Now I'm teaching humans who were once kids and may or may not have ever tried to punch someone in the genitals. I haven't asked. But we learn English and learn about life and sometimes play party word games and sometimes go places, and the faces change on certain days. Students continue to move up or move home, but one of them is returning from the advanced class. I'm also getting a lot of new students, and sometimes the old ones stop by to see their old classmates and report that they have a lot more work in the next class. One of them said I look exhausted. I guess I do have a longer commute. I feel much better now that I've finished proofreading that book. It was really weighing on me.
Speaking of which, at this point in my career of spreading knowledge, wisdom and imagination through language, I've moved up from teaching humans about the letter "A" and on to discussing science fact and fiction in the context of "real and unreal conditionals". Instead of "Jack and the Beanstalk" we learn about whether or not time travel could really happen, and then watch a show about it. Either way, it's magic beans every day.
Who and what will I be teaching in the future...
if only there were time travel...
What is possible and what is not?
Can a story help us determine that by reflecting on the life we live within?
Yes.
Why?
Because I said so.
Meanwhile, he had this poster of Angel's Landing on his wall. He and his wife climbed it. It got stuck in my head and later that year I tried to do it on my own, but in the snow, and I turned back when death seemed likely. I tried it again two years later, but barely. There had just been a thunderstorm, and it was muddy and getting dark, and once again I was the last person there. I made it about ten seconds and remembered the last time, and turned back and actually found this different path that was much safer and also much more enjoyable, with a spectacular view. Anyway, no matter what crazy adventures I could brag about on my own, he and his wife did something together that I couldn't do on my own, regardless of conditions. Maybe the fact that he had a wife was why he was doing it in a fashion with a reasonable chance of survival as opposed to the passionate impatient adventurer.
After he told me that story and long before I knew about my own stories that would be related to that photograph on his wall, we played some kind of party word game. JW and I stayed up talking a long time about journeys and figuring out your best life and all of that, and then slept.
The next day all of us from college watched JW get married, or "find his treasure" as he put it. Then we had a great party and danced and drank. There were several co-workers of his from India at our table.
JW is still happily married and enjoys his own home now. I hope I'll get to see it when I visit home next month.
____________________________
Today I finished proofreading a book I wrote live on the web back in March. I'd like to see it as a real book someday. That is a dream of mine: to walk into a book store and see a book I helped become real on the display table with all the great human imagination expressionists who inspired me when I wanted or needed guidance, entertainment, or usually both. But before that journey was to continue, I needed a little time to move forward on other pursuits, live more life and get some distance for reflection. Now that I don't live by the highway in the same room where I wrote it, I was able to read it in a new light, and it seems alright. I'll probably wait to see some people I know before I go further down that road.
More importantly, now that that has been seen to, I can throw all of my creative energies into the next project, which I become more and more enthusiastic about as I get to know many new people in this new house and neighborhood where I live. The past few nights I've found myself in long deep conversations with many new people with exciting experiences, backgrounds, information and wisdom to spread. Some of them have been through pain and challenges I cannot imagine, but seem very positive and connected. All of this is making my imagination start to rev its engines uncontrollably. I've been outlining and re-reading drafts for a while, but now I feel I'm finally ready to tell the stories I want to tell in the way I want to tell them so they will have the greatest possible effect on spreading beautiful experiences.
______________________________________
Besides that, the teaching journey that began in Japan two years ago continues in San Francisco. It's funny to think that my profession of informing humans about communicating with their world began with instructing and playing with little Japanese kids. Sometimes we'd all be enthusiastic, sometimes I'd have to protect my genitals from their fists, and sometimes they ask you a question and all you can say is, "Because I said so."
Now I'm teaching humans who were once kids and may or may not have ever tried to punch someone in the genitals. I haven't asked. But we learn English and learn about life and sometimes play party word games and sometimes go places, and the faces change on certain days. Students continue to move up or move home, but one of them is returning from the advanced class. I'm also getting a lot of new students, and sometimes the old ones stop by to see their old classmates and report that they have a lot more work in the next class. One of them said I look exhausted. I guess I do have a longer commute. I feel much better now that I've finished proofreading that book. It was really weighing on me.
Speaking of which, at this point in my career of spreading knowledge, wisdom and imagination through language, I've moved up from teaching humans about the letter "A" and on to discussing science fact and fiction in the context of "real and unreal conditionals". Instead of "Jack and the Beanstalk" we learn about whether or not time travel could really happen, and then watch a show about it. Either way, it's magic beans every day.
Who and what will I be teaching in the future...
if only there were time travel...
What is possible and what is not?
Can a story help us determine that by reflecting on the life we live within?
Yes.
Why?
Because I said so.
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