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IT IS MANNERS TO ISSUE A STATEMENT AS TO WHAT I GOT OUT OF IT ALL
Now that I have your attention, it seems appropriate to inform you as to why I called you here in the first place.
I just realized that I as a writer have this magical ability to look before and after.
Apparently, humans may be the only animals able to do this.
The curse of being human is that I can imagine things that are not, never were and never will be. I can magnify and endlessly repeat in my imagination events that happened or did not happen, to my heart’s content. I can conjure up soothing thoughts to carry myself through harsh times. I can toss and turn and fret over things that have no significance to anyone else.
You and I are the Dreaming Animals. And our species may be alone in this ability to dream up or magnify stuff.
As the Dreaming Animal, what have I learned from life that seems to be true and wise?
1. I am travelling forward through time and cannot go back for even one minute and re-live any of what has passed. As the Dreaming Animal, I can pretend to do this. And that can be fun. And useful.
2. I am hopelessly trapped inside a pink body bag—my skin—and will spend the rest of my time incarcerated therein. As the Dreaming Animal, I can play-like this is not the case.
3. I am not in control of my destiny, whatever that is. DNA will determine my limitations. Environment will take cold and uncalculated action whether I want it to or not.
4. I am the sum total of a thousand gaffs, errors, omissions, and impulsive acts. I cannot make corrections, though here and there, I can take the opportunity to apologize for offences enacted. I have reasons for all my mistakes, but I have no excuses worthy of entertaining.
5. I have ingested countless joys and eureka moments, countless epiphanies and realizations, countless insights and discoveries. I am grateful for these happenings and cherish them mightily.
6. I have learned that, to survive knowledge of the world’s wrongs and horrors and calamities and monstrous injustices, I must do what I can, then distract myself just enough to maintain sanity and purpose. If I do not find some exhilaration each day to control the Negatives, I won’t find the energy to do what good I can do.
That’s about it for now. I’m so happy you responded to my call and gathered to listen.
Maybe you can filch a thought or two for your own purposes. Maybe you can share a thought or two to assist me in my journey.
Let’s be Dreaming Animals together and make the most of what good there is left to do in a crazed but beautiful world
© Jim Reed 2015 A.D.