Tuesday, July 21, 2015

The Point So Far

Tomorrow I turn 35. Ya I know it’s no big deal, people have turned 35, and many other ages thereafter, with no difficulty or fanfare, and probably no whining or waxing philosophical.
             
As I sit here there, wondering what exactly is going to spill out on the page I just know that I hope whatever I write doesn’t turn into that kind of bellyaching, preachy, new age it’s-all-about-me horseshit. Even if it is, I say forgive me, but whatever it ends up becoming will be truth as I see it.
                
I am not a guru, a sage, and I’m far from being a genius, but I have learned a few things in my three and a half decades on this earth. I say this not to be boastful, and certainly not to brag. Because I’m a slow learner, and how I got this knowledge was quite plainly through fucking up. A lot.
                

People always ask “What is the meaning of life?”- and by “ask” I mean they don’t ask me, they ask people that display a proven track record of having their shit together. (Thought I was pretty clear with that “fucking up” line earlier.)
                
You know the people I mean. The ones that seem to have nothing but bright days, that approach every problem as a challenge, have never met a stranger and generally smile so much it makes the rest of us cringe. And I know what you are thinking; how the hell do they do it? How do they have it all figured out?
                
Well I don’t know. My first inclination (WARNING: I’m a cynical bastard) is to assume they are faking it. I can’t prove that of course, and that likely stems from my jealousy on just how well they seem to have it together.
                
But getting back to what I do know…the rest of us need not worry about the “meaning of life”. I think the reason for that is simple; some of us aren’t ready for the big picture. The meaning of life is too daunting, to perilous, too complicated. We can’t see the forest for the trees.
                
The cynics, the dreamers, dare I say the fatalists and those of us that may still be gathering our proverbial shit, and trying to find a piece of luggage big enough, and leak resistant enough to accommodate it all need to start small.
                
While it may have taken 35 years I have come through those 35 years with this little nugget:

Surround yourself with people that see the good in you- even, and especially, if you struggle to see it in yourself.


No regrets, and happy birthday to me,
DDS
7/21/2015