Sixth Anniversary

Not an exciting title today, but a chronological fact. Six years ago, today I began this blog, View from Here, ‘a personal journal and commentary on today’s issues.’ In that time, I’ve shared a lot of personal tidbits and opinions. Some have been deeply personal; some frivolous; others demonstrated my struggle to understand the world one day at a time. Just like you.

Most of us take life one day at a time. The challenge is real; it is a struggle at times. Like yesterday’s mass shooting in Las Vegas, Nevada. What an awful thing; deranged. A product of freedom on one hand and mental illness on the other, free assembly and celebration of life and music, too. A mosh of things converging spelling antithesis of so many elements. Difficult to make sense of it, but we do in bits and pieces and go on to another day.

Like today. We awake to a fresh day and face articulation of our lives. What matters? What makes sense to us today? What will we do with this day? Will we be intentional in our actions and thinking? Will we have purpose and drive? Or will automatic pilot guide us through well established routines? When will we be real and allow authentic involvement? Or will we hide behind protocol and manners to smooth our journey of the day?

I have a meeting this morning that should prove important to the organization sponsoring it. I need to be present in mind to absorb the import of the session and offer my feedback if is worthy. I had a conference call with a client last evening; that session needs a write up and more thought to produce recommendations for them to follow. Their dynamics are not much different from the synergy and creative needs of the meeting this morning. They are of a piece. So too meetings later this week. Each have purpose and are creative parts of a much larger whole.

Much of life is like that. Connected. Part of the whole. To be joined and functioning as part of that whole, we need to think and articulate what the meaning is and connection as well. It takes thought and concentration.

It takes ‘being in the moment’ and authentically so.

Heavy thought. But this is what life is made of. It is not all fun and games unless you really like this sort of thing. I do. That’s the truth. If that makes me weird or different, well, welcome to my world. This is the sort of thing I do.

When I started writing this blog it was a tool to help me cope with life. At the time I was writing and editing for a local community newspaper, a weekly. It was a heady project and very worthwhile to those of us who produced the newspaper, and hopefully as much appreciated by the community for which and of which it was created. Feedback suggests it was valued. But writing the local in a world of global happenings was not as clear cut as it would seem. My mind conflated some of the issues. Not appropriate. So I wrote in both spheres and kept them separate.

That alone provide opportunity for unique viewpoints. Eventually I wrote about them. Not because I could, but rather because I had to. I had to work it out, explain it, articulate it. It was important I do this. For me. Along the way others read it and witnessed it. Whether it was important to them or not remains to be seen. Reflections on life are good for the soul I think. They are helpful to others to ponder as well. Perhaps that is all this blog is good for. Maybe it is worth more. Who will ever know or say?

We live with mystery – not knowing outcomes or meaning of many things. It is life unfolding. It requires attention and pondering. That needs quiet times and space. Both are luxuries in our time of haste and chaos. So much happening all at once. So much meaning forming simultaneously and independently and yet co-dependently, too. This is how the universe exists in real time. The meaning of it is for us to figure out.

This blog is my effort to do just that. For me. And you as well if it is of interest to you. There are 1847 items published here in six years, now approaching 2 million words. That’s a lot of thoughts shared. Many of them are most likely insignificant. But the weight of the whole still has presence for me. It has been a good ride and one that I wish to continue.

I hope you are willing and interested to continue the journey along with me. We are never truly alone and I need your company to keep me grounded.

Until tomorrow, then!

October 3, 2017