Perspective

People who have known me for a while know that I like to play a game called "I win." It's not like the game popularized by the Adam Sandler movie. It usually involves some situation that apparently seems like there's a clear good outcome and a clear bad outcome, like relationship issues. I don't seem to find things like that anymore, because I'm told I've rebuilt my view of the world in such a way that I cannot lose.

The relationship continues? Making out is awesome. The relationship ends? Cool, more time to hang out with friends I've probably been neglecting. Something is going to happen either way, and if there's something positive about either outcome, why should I worry about it?

There are other times when there's nothing that could be done about a situation, either because it is entirely out of our control or it has already past. I move on, and try to work the change into what I'm already doing. Anything would just be a waste of energy, wouldn't it?

Most situations can go down in a lot of different ways. Is it better to control the situation as much as you can, and try to make it fit what works best for you, or to let it happen naturally and modify your plan as needed? Maybe even to just make up the plan as you go along, so there are no real surprises?

I have to go do something else, now, so I will leave you with that thought, friends. No, I'm sorry, I GET to go do something else now, and I will leave you with that thought, friends. Maybe even I'm going to do something else now, and will leave you with that thought, friends. But I suppose those all mean the same thing.

Don't they?

Reboot

It's been a third of a year since I shared my thoughts with all you wonderful folks. That's too long. I was without a good connection to the internet for 75% of that. The remaining quarter of that time was unacceptable, and I intend to make that right.

Recently, I read an article entitled "We Don't Write, we Speak with our Fingers." That caught my attention. I've studied how to speak, not only the physical act of articulation but also of speechcraft. I've studied how to act, how to use my whole body and mind to communicate an idea. I've never really studied how to write. Sure, I've practiced writing, I've written plenty of papers and critiqued hundreds more. But I'd never formally studied writing. I considered that a shortcoming on my part. Then I read that article, and I realized that I've not been doing myself justice. Maybe other people have the same problem.

Most people I know are gifted with the "artist's eye," that way of viewing the world that lets them see more than the rest of the population. Maybe everyone has it, and it just depends on how much they use it, but it's a lot more common than I think most people realize. But it's not just for artists. Painters, sculptors, sketchers all benefit. But so do writers. So do journalists. So do the actors, the public speakers, the scientists! Seeing is only half of communicating, though. There's also the describing. It's not enough to look out the window; you have to be able to tell everyone else what you see.

People write like they speak. Most have more verbal styles than written styles, but words are still words. It's all governed by how many ways we can think, after all. Sure, King and Kennedy were powerful orators, and understood timing. Cummings uses spacing and punctuation to the same effect.

I thought about using this post as a chance to speak with my fingers more beautifully than I have before. I considered the opportunity to prove my point through example, rather than just through idea. I decided against this. I wrote, instead, a simple copy of my thoughts, and chose to give it to you as it now exists. I did this because I wanted to communicate to you only an idea.