“Whatever is true, honorable, and right. Whatever is pure, lovely and of good repute. If there be anything worthy of praise. Let your mind rest on these things.”
That’s my takeaway from your beautiful essay, Andrew. Thank you got that reminder.
The powerhouse that is your intellect never ceases to astound....gorgeous piece on so many levels...and I didn't realize we have both Atlanta and Seattle in common.
My fantasy--for the longest time--was to live on a houseboat, but living on Bainbridge Island and taking the ferry into Seattle (which I will do tomorrow am) is good enough at this stage of my career.
If you're ever back this way, let me know and I'll buy you a coffee at the Market! (And I'll tell it hello from you tomorrow when I visit.)
Thanks so much for reading and appreciating my post today, Diana. I do love that part of the country and miss it lots sometimes. I'm familiar with beautiful Bainbridge Island, of course. You're very fortunate to live in such a lovely place.
Living on a boat of any kind can be a marvelous experience as long as you have a good heat source to keep the cabin nice and cozy. "Sleepless in Seattle" notwithstanding, life on the sound can be romantic, but it's also chilly and damp.
Thanks for saying high to the Market for me. If I ever crisscross the continent again, I'll take you up on that coffee! Cheers!
BTW--I've been thinking about the "red faced abuser"--and how that is coming out in ourselves these days. I know that it's been a topic before--and you touched on it in this post--but really, how do you keep yourself from falling into despair?
I'd love to see you write about this at some point in the future. You mentioned Coltrane--one of my favorites-- but what role does music play in your "coping" strategies? No need to answer here and now--just to say that I often find comfort in learning how you are dealing with these things.
It’s been a challenge. I had hoped this latest piece might shed light on my strategy. But I will give your question some thought and see if I can pen something more specific. Thanks so much for being interested, Diana.
It did-the multi-pronged approach was very helpful. But I’m still grasping-perhaps because I’m not a woman of “traditional faith”-but I’ve been lighting candles at the local Catholic Church-just in case. And the idea of finding an “exemplary human” to keep in focus-I need to find one of my own
Andrew, I was transported back to that time you "lived on a sailboat and worked part-time at a bank" - today's collection of stories, thoughts, observations is EXACTLY like conversations with you back then, going here/there, deep/light, around and under and over. Thank you! Miss you!
It's wonderful that you noticed that. Because that's EXACTLY what I was going for in this piece. The energy and seeming randomness of conversations with friends. The elliptical loop. The warp and weft of shared interests and tangential ideas, which most nearly reflect what happens during my favorite meet-ups. In this piece, I wanted to sound as much like me as possible without going too far afield. So you've really made my day. As Miles Davis once said: Sometimes it takes a long time to sound like yourself. Miss you too!
Great piece Andrew! These are times when it’s useful to become adept at compartmentalizing so our pain doesn’t spoil our joy. Thanks for helping me smile this morning.
Well put, Patricia. Learning how to compartmentalize. I didn't realize that's what I was getting at. But now that you mention it, that's the ticket. Glad you found a smile in what I wrote today. Thanks for letting me know.
Lots of ground covered in this post. Of greatest value: The power of basic decency. Hoping that it makes a comeback, like Ashe did in many a tennis match.
The comeback is so important, isn't it? Thanks so much for reading and weighing in on the all-important need for basic decency. Much appreciated! Glad you liked the Ali part. I did my best to sound just like him. Now if only I could float like a butterfly and sting like bee!
“Whatever is true, honorable, and right. Whatever is pure, lovely and of good repute. If there be anything worthy of praise. Let your mind rest on these things.”
That’s my takeaway from your beautiful essay, Andrew. Thank you got that reminder.
And thanks to you too for reading. Glad to know that quote resonates with you. I'm trying to keep it in mind too.
The powerhouse that is your intellect never ceases to astound....gorgeous piece on so many levels...and I didn't realize we have both Atlanta and Seattle in common.
My fantasy--for the longest time--was to live on a houseboat, but living on Bainbridge Island and taking the ferry into Seattle (which I will do tomorrow am) is good enough at this stage of my career.
If you're ever back this way, let me know and I'll buy you a coffee at the Market! (And I'll tell it hello from you tomorrow when I visit.)
Thanks so much for reading and appreciating my post today, Diana. I do love that part of the country and miss it lots sometimes. I'm familiar with beautiful Bainbridge Island, of course. You're very fortunate to live in such a lovely place.
Living on a boat of any kind can be a marvelous experience as long as you have a good heat source to keep the cabin nice and cozy. "Sleepless in Seattle" notwithstanding, life on the sound can be romantic, but it's also chilly and damp.
Thanks for saying high to the Market for me. If I ever crisscross the continent again, I'll take you up on that coffee! Cheers!
BTW--I've been thinking about the "red faced abuser"--and how that is coming out in ourselves these days. I know that it's been a topic before--and you touched on it in this post--but really, how do you keep yourself from falling into despair?
I'd love to see you write about this at some point in the future. You mentioned Coltrane--one of my favorites-- but what role does music play in your "coping" strategies? No need to answer here and now--just to say that I often find comfort in learning how you are dealing with these things.
It’s been a challenge. I had hoped this latest piece might shed light on my strategy. But I will give your question some thought and see if I can pen something more specific. Thanks so much for being interested, Diana.
It did-the multi-pronged approach was very helpful. But I’m still grasping-perhaps because I’m not a woman of “traditional faith”-but I’ve been lighting candles at the local Catholic Church-just in case. And the idea of finding an “exemplary human” to keep in focus-I need to find one of my own
Andrew, I was transported back to that time you "lived on a sailboat and worked part-time at a bank" - today's collection of stories, thoughts, observations is EXACTLY like conversations with you back then, going here/there, deep/light, around and under and over. Thank you! Miss you!
It's wonderful that you noticed that. Because that's EXACTLY what I was going for in this piece. The energy and seeming randomness of conversations with friends. The elliptical loop. The warp and weft of shared interests and tangential ideas, which most nearly reflect what happens during my favorite meet-ups. In this piece, I wanted to sound as much like me as possible without going too far afield. So you've really made my day. As Miles Davis once said: Sometimes it takes a long time to sound like yourself. Miss you too!
Wonderful. Just what we needed this morning! Thank you!
And thanks to you too for reading and sharing your response with me! Much appreciated.
A bit of humor and a step back to get a different perspective is a good way to start the day.
Thanks so much for reading and appreciating this little effort to step back and not lose the forest in the trees.
Thanks for reminding us of our Humanity
And thanks to you too! Humanity--where would we be without it?
Great piece Andrew! These are times when it’s useful to become adept at compartmentalizing so our pain doesn’t spoil our joy. Thanks for helping me smile this morning.
Well put, Patricia. Learning how to compartmentalize. I didn't realize that's what I was getting at. But now that you mention it, that's the ticket. Glad you found a smile in what I wrote today. Thanks for letting me know.
Lots of ground covered in this post. Of greatest value: The power of basic decency. Hoping that it makes a comeback, like Ashe did in many a tennis match.
P.S. Great story about Ali !
The comeback is so important, isn't it? Thanks so much for reading and weighing in on the all-important need for basic decency. Much appreciated! Glad you liked the Ali part. I did my best to sound just like him. Now if only I could float like a butterfly and sting like bee!