Listen to Jim’s podcast:
on youtube: https://youtu.be/xgUR53jtaxc
or
http://redclaydiary.com/
Or read his story below:
Life, actually…
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THE MAN WHO LIVED HAPPILY NEVER AFTER
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I am inhaling the early-morning sunlit air of the city. All around me, objects of every size and mass reflect the early-morning sunlight back at the sky, back at me. There is glorious light everywhere, and I am the center of the glorious light.
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SWAT!
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Suddenly, the swat team of the negative brain arises to bring me up short and assure me that not all is beautiful sunlight and glorious reflection. The internal swat team swats at my sunny thoughts and reminds me that all that light brings sunburns and blisters and drought and thirst.
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SWAT!
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I shake my head and watch the graceful people of the sidewalk trot their aerobics, walk their pets, whisper into their phones, strut their stuff, show off their running shoes. They are lovely and mysterious, these graceful people of the sidewalk. I smile.
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SWAT!
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The swat team of the negative brain smirks and reminds me that some of these passersby could be looking for recreational pharmaceutical contacts on the street, might be silent victims of abuse, could be thieves seeking their next victims.
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SWAT!
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I brush away the swatty thoughts and prepare breakfast, enjoying the sensual pleasure of buttering toast, folding eggs and tomatoes and onions into a steamy, tasty amalgamation of nostalgic fragrance. The morning paper awaits my perusal.
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SWAT!
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Again, the warnings arise. Is all that butter going to kill me? Is leaded ink from the paper seeping into my fingers? Is the gas bill from cooking all these breakfasts going to be insurmountable at end of month? Will I remember that millions of people elsewhere are not able to afford breakfast?
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SWAT!
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To win this morning’s battle against the swat team, I begin a regimen of distraction and inspiration. To chase away the creepy negatives that abound, I begin my day, setting out to find books and treasures for the shop, sharing stories and harmless lies with other storytellers and liars, exulting in the sheer forward energy it takes to submerge myself into the joyful activities of writing my stories, selling the books, finding unfindable books for people, jotting down notes for future books and stories and speeches. The swat team disappears into the mind’s dark corner to sulk.
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SWAT!
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The swat team says, “Let me tell you what a rotten person you…” but I swat the team down, laugh in its presence, ignore and suppress it.
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SWAT!
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This beautiful day has finally revealed itself unashamedly, and, finally, I, the man who often lives happily never after, get to savor the day, savor the life I lead, cherish the people I love.
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But I always keep my swatter handy, just in case
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© Jim Reed 2022 A.D.
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http://www.jimreedbooks.com/podcast