Bravo

All may not live to reach the Tower, but I believe that those who do reach it will stand and be true.

Stephen King
Wizard and Glass - Afterword
1996

Here's to:

• Finishing Wizard and Glass, The Dark Tower IV!


• Starting Wolves of the Calla, The Dark Tower V!


• And Stephen King for gifting us with one 'ell of a good story!

Holding My Tongue

I’ve been watching this little drama unfold and from day one I’ve wanted to shout, “Run! Get away as fast as you can! This guy is bad news. Sweet as can be, but not intimate relationship material. Boyfriend’s got issues… wait capitalize that… BOYFRIEND’S GOT ISSUES!!!!!!!!!!!! Save yourself, darlin’. You are so obviously a good woman. Sensitive. Funny. Loyal. Smart. Honey, you're just the type he’s attracted to. But sweetie, attracted or not he ain’t gonna be able to handle you. Listen to me, you're gonna get your heart stepped on. Take it from me, sistah girl – it’ll come to no good because drawin' you in, lovin' you up, and then runnin' scared is his MO.”

Yup, heaven knows I’ve wanted to intervene, I really have. But, following the sound advice of friends, I’ve stayed out of it. Truly, tempting as it was, minding my own business was the right thing to do. Besides, I’m not a shyt starter and starting shyt was all stepping in would have done. Sometimes ya gotta hold your tongue and let folks see for themselves.

Man, are there a lot of emotionally confused people in the world!!!!!! That’s all I’m gonna say! Well, maybe that’s not all I’ll say. I’ll add this:

Here's to AVOIDING THEM!

I’m In Awe

I'm In Awe Of My Jedi!!!

I’m telling you sometimes I forget just who I’m dealing with. As I’ve gotten to know this man, I’ve moved beyond the WOW stage and begun to accept him as a friend. In the process, I’ve forgotten certain things. I’ve forgotten the things that made me ask, “Who are you?” As my questions were answered, one by one, I started to see a whole person and not just this wise voice coming at me over the Internet. This is a good thing - a balanced way to look at a person. However, every once in awhile he writes something, or says something that reminds me that I’m not dealing with the ordinary. At those times… I feel awe and… and an incredible sense of gratitude.

For the first time in my life, I have someone who challenges me without making me feel less than. For the first time in my life, I have someone who I feel I can turn to to gain perspective… a real person and not some theory. You know, I’ve always turned to books to help me understand the world. To give me advice. To entertain me. To befriend me. To comfort me. It is nice to be able to go to a real life person for the things I once could only seem to find in some brilliant someone’s writing.

There is an expression I’ve picked up from Wizard and Glass… "well met".

We are well met, Jedi!

What a gift!

Here's to a Padawan saying Thank-You!

A Modern Crystal Ball

Book IV of the Dark Tower series features a despicable witch, Rhea, who’s got a crystal ball secreted away. Rhea becomes enthralled with the glass orb. She spends her days spying on the people she detests, plotting against her enemies, and gloating over her ability to watch the world at its worst as she discovers everyone’s nasty little secrets.

Okay, don’t take this the wrong way, but as I read the description of Witch Rhea’s obsessive relationship with her crystal ball, I couldn’t help but think about my own little window into other people’s lives – my laptop. There’s no magic here… it’s all science… zeros and ones, but it in many ways allows me an inroad into the private world of others.

Of course, the information I can get at on the web - blogs, forum posts, that kind of thing - are out there to be read. It’s not like I’m spying; yet the principle is the same. I can watch people secretly. Fortunately, I’m not interested in studying people I detest; I’m not looking for the seedy side of the human condition; naw, I’m just happy to get to know the wonderful people I meet online…

Here’s to my modern day crystal ball!

Rhea The Vampire Witch

Illustration by Dave McKean

Let's Talk About Stress

I’ve got a wall built around my stress. Not a wall exactly… it is more like a curtain… a shower curtain. Yes, that’s it. The barrier that separates me from my stress is like an opaque plastic liner that keeps the spray of water from escaping the confines of the shower. It is a thin obstruction that protects the floor, but does nothing to stop the flow of water, does nothing to disguise the fact that a soggy mess is waiting on the other side.

Today, scalding drops of my stress are pelting away at that simple little protective liner I’ve installed in my mind. Pelting away. I can’t feel the hot droplets slashing at my skin, but I know that if the liner gives, if it shifts, if it pulls away even a tiny bit, I’m going to get burned. Bad.

At this point, the thing that interests me is not the stress. No, the stress I think I understand. The stress is something that we all just have to live with. The thing that interests me is the barrier… the liner… the protective mechanism that I’ve devised. That’s what I’m wondering about.

See, I’m asking myself… What have you used to build this wall? What is it made of? Courage or Cowardice? Love or Hate? Life or Death? Light or Shadow?

Here's to holding steady!

Seeing The Way Out

Sometimes it is easier to see someone else’s way out of Plato’s Cave than it is to find our own escape route. We build obstacles to block the exit without even realizing that we’re doing it. We run around in circles hoping to avoid the hard stuff, hoping to keep ourselves off pain’s path, but it is often the painful road that leads to the truth’s door.

That’s why we need each other! We need other people to act as compass… not to rule over us, but to help us set our course, and more importantly, we need friends willing to walk the painful path with us.

I’m going to write more… later.

Hold tight!

*Hours Pass*

I'm back!

I just got my “Church” on! I think of Sunday as the last day of the week. I know that it is supposed to be the first; heck, all you have to do is look at a calendar to know that, but for me it has always been the finale. It’s always been an opportunity to review my week, remember to be thankful, see where I’ve made mistakes, seek forgiveness for my transgressions, offer forgiveness to those who have offended me, and refuel so that I can move on.

Now, where was I...

Goodness... will I ever finish this thought... gotta go!

*Many more hours later*

Nope, guess this will be tomorrow's little project!