ONWARD AND UPWARD

I feel fucking fantastic. Things seem to be falling into place for me. I've met someone whom I like, I have more money in my pocket, my job is going well (I got a better shift than I had had), I'm blessed with a great family and a thuper dog and I just feel fucking great. Superlatives lose their meaning when overused, but I just can't seem to stop using them.

I refuse to think or dwell upon the superstition that when things are going well, misfortune is right around the corner and the axiom that pride goeth before a fall. Why do that? Why not just enjoy the ride?

One thing that I have been missing, lately, is my urge to create, my urge to flash the fingers upon the keyboard. I think--and this has been true in the past--that I do better, creatively, when my life isn't going all that well. It seems that if things are shitty, I have more of an urge--more of a compulsion--to write. It makes sense, in a way. You see, when things aren't going well, the simple act of getting things out on paper (or on monitor) clears up some of the fog in the noodle and allows me to jettison some of the grief. When things are good, perhaps maybe I want to, on some subconscious level, keep the Good close to my heart. Who knows. Maybe I'm just overthinking the whole matter. Then again, it is what I do.

Here in Michigan, we recently had a spat of rain and then the temperatures dropped percipitously the next day. I always love it when that happens. Sure, the roads suck ass, but there is a phenomenon that I never tire of seeing: The ice that forms on the skeletal tree branches. It is, simply put, beautiful. It's as if God is showing Himself to us, if we care to stop and take the time to open ourselves to the sight. It is dazzling and it is brilliant; it hurts the eyes, almost, to look at an iced tree on a sunny day. One must not look directly into the Light. One more thing about the ice that forms on the trees: Taking pictures of it doesn't do it justice. (See Exhibit A: the picture at the top of the page.)

Peace.