Song: Life in Dreams

Song: Mouth is Lonely

The Story of My Life

I am in love with life, and am entranced by the narrative of my story. I Hope at the end of my story it turns out I was a good guy. I hope I get a clean, happy ending! I hope the same for several other characters in my story. I adore so many of them! May I remember to feel ecstasy over the beauty and joy I swim in every day until the very last sentence has been written.

My Advice To You

I am 42 years old. Based upon all of my experiences and learnings so far, this is the best advice I can give: Fall in Love and protect it. Protect that love. You have found a fire that looks like God to you: Catch on fire and stay lit. Spread your fire. Spread your love. There are all kinds of winds and waters that seek to put your love out. Grow the flame so it evaporates the water. Use the wind to spread the gospel of your love. Fall in love. Be on fire. Spread the fire. Stay lit. That is my advice.

Wheels

I appreciate the symmetry of teaching your kid to ride a bike not too long after welcoming them into the world and teaching them how to drive a car not too long before they go out to explore the world on their own. It is poetic.

Rescued

At a certain point it seems like people who rescue a dog should stop referring to them as ‘my rescue dog’. Like, at a certain point shouldn’t it just be ’my dog’? If it’s been ‘my rescue dog’ for several years, it either seems like you’re still milking your good act for some kind of clout, or you’re low key threatening your dog not to get out of line: ‘I rescued you, bitch! Don’t forget it!’

BEWARE

My neighbor has a sign that reads ‘BEWARE OF THE DOG’, but he has two dogs. My question is, which one of these motherfuckers can’t I trust?

To Be A Gentleman.

“A gentleman is someone who can play the accordion, but doesn’t”. - Tom Waits This is the only definition for the designation of gentleman that I accept. Also, I am not a gentleman. I can’t play the accordion, but if I could, I would play it constantly and at every opportunity.

Oranges

No matter how bad or weird a mood I’m in, I’m always grateful when someone peels an Orange in my close vacinity. It smells like a deep and calming breath. It smells like life. It’s like God is giving you CPR.

Song: How Could I Have Known?

Song: The Sermon Under The Mount

A Beautiful Sound

There is a sound during the prayer at mosque of all the people kneeling at the same time that sounds like thunder and rattles the walls. It gives me a chill every time I hear it. It is the most beautiful sound.

Song: It is Pleasant

Song: They Will Scream When They See What We Have Done

Song: Come On Over

Song: Whatisit4?

Happy New Year!

I am standing in a very long line at Meijer checkout. The guy in front of me literally only has 2 bananas and the couple of carts in front of him are loaded up. About 3 minutes ago I could see him assessing the other lanes and realizing his current position is the most optimal. He started to pace a little bit, and then he looked at me and held up the bananas, laughed and said, ’I’m beginning to think the bananas aren’t worth it’. I half smiled and shrugged. As I post this, he is still right in front of me. As we move into this new year, it might be worth considering: Maybe the bananas ARE actually worth it.

Song: This Could Be Any Holiday Song

Moral Heroes!

If only we would look into our own lives with the same level of scrutiny we liberally apply to other people's lives. It's so easy to be critical of foreign bodies. It's much more difficult--though more rewarding--to put our own body to the test. We're all philosopher kings when it comes to other people's business. Where does that philosophy go when we look in the mirror? It is reduced to sterile rationalizations. We're naturally charitable when we face the mirror, but we take out the aggression born of our own well deserved insecurities when we evaluate others. This is why I hate humanity. This is why it was a sin for Eve and Adam to eat fruit from the tree of knowledge. It gave man an insight that he couldn't wield. It gave him the tools of divine intelligence with no idea how to use them.

Song: Don’t Be Trifling