Version 2.0

Getting the gears oiled again, returning to the fray, throwing the cap back into the ring, flipping the bird to indecision and malaise; call it what you will – I prefer to think of it as a rebirth, and boy is it nice to revisit what I have previously called my “hopefully fertile little web plot of ideas.” As I sift through my postings, a glance here and a glance there, I am reminded of two things: (1) with the passage of time my work almost doesn’t seem like my own and (2) a couple years of cube life and television is the swiftest way to drive all creativity deep into the recesses of the mind (I think it’s currently hiding next to my raison d’etre, but most likely it’s having tea with my insecurity talking about my days when tubby and awkward were charitable phrases). As with any balanced perspective, my wonder comes from the realization of both how far I have come and the places of myself I simply refuse to leave. I have no doubt dear reader that both arenas will be thoroughly touched upon, but will mostly have to wait until another day

When I first started sending thoughts to the e-page, I was terrified of what people might think. Not that much has changed, although I realize now that the opinions of others is less important then the catharsis and imperative of being true to and doing what we love. It is these drives and loves that must be treated as though they are the only real things in this world, for they are the component pieces of our dreams, and it is these dreams that allow us to remember that the world is so much more than the sum of its physical parts.

But what is my overarching dream? To be simple (stay tuned, its expansion will hopefully show in every word over the coming ever) my dream is release. With each passing moment I accumulate new experiences, think new thoughts, feel new feelings, all of which constantly meld, separate and recombine to form an irrepressible urge for outburst. Not tantrum, but outburst – half joyous yelp and half earnest plea to anyone that might be near enough to pay attention – adding my own swath of color to our paint by number reality. But from where does this come? I have never felt compelled to draw or sculpt, although they are both wonderful distractions. While I enjoy helping others, volunteering never brought me true joy. Neither has cleaning, woodworking, gossiping or Sudoku. So what does? What brings that release, what is it that helps the bottled up facets of the soul spill out, what provides that channel for all the anxieties and worries that society tells me I should have? How might I flip the switch, to become a conduit for the transmission of the beautiful yet complex world that I see rather than a receiving antenna for what we are told daily from media, friends and family?

I’ll spare you the conclusion, not only because you will hopefully watch the answer unfold with each word and phrase as this little train again gathers steam but also because I believe that we need not be spoon-fed every punchline, that a little thought and imagination might be just what the doctor ordered. Well, that and hopefully it’s obvious, but I digress…

Thank you to all those who have read and appreciated this one sided conversation in the past – I hope that it lives up to the standard you were once accustomed. Thanks to those who visit for the first time – may you find it an escape from the expected and the mundane. To everyone and everything else – thank you for providing the structure and color to a world of endless possibility and interest, without you there would be no good topics to treat. I hope for and encourage feedback and discussion so that I can do my part to prove the old adage: “Simple minds talk about people, and average minds talk about events. It is the great minds that talk about ideas.” Here’s to it friends, it’s good to be back. Cheers!