memento mori... remember that you are human...

Someone once asked me if I knew what this life was. I could not answer them, then. I doubt I can answer them, still. But they said quite simply, that it is everything that happens in between, while we await moments that never come...
I did not understand what they meant at the time. But perhaps with everything that has since happened - in between the moments I never realised I was waiting for :) - I have come somewhat closer to the truth – at least in my own mind...

We are all still growing, all still changing, and our own definition and understanding of the theory of what this life is, continues to be shaped and moulded by the practical reality of the life we may or may not be living. An experiment in progress. Whether it being spent in nostalgia, trying to recapture things that never were, or in search of truths we might never reach.

Whatever the case may be, I have come to realise that it does not do to dwell on what "is not" and things that might have been - to spend our moments lamenting on where we are not is futile. Rather, we must revel in the wonder of what "is" and what could be - making the most of wherever we are right now. After all, adventures can be found over every horizon – if we simply leave ourselves open to the possibilities... You never know when you are making a memory.
As I sit here now, on the deck of this vast ship taking me on the long journey "home"; I feel myself sway lightly to-and-fro, at the seeming whim of the unfathomable ocean surrounding me. As the waves lap endlessly against our bow, and eddies form in the wake of our passage, I watch the sun sink slowly over the horizon.

I realise how small I am in the grand scheme of things, and how little regard the world places on my presence – or lack thereof. We are each the centres of our own worlds, yet without us, the oceans would still ebb and flow, the sun would not cease to rise and set, and the earth would continue to turn. In the end, all I can do is the best I can with what I have - to make the most of the life that I can live, the sights I see, the smells I smell, the sounds I hear, the words I say, the feelings I feel, (the songs I sing,) and the breath I breathe. For I may not pass this way again, but even if I do not, I already have. So whatever happens tomorrow, ensure you've had today...

One day when you look back on all that was: The places you've been, the friends you've met, the stories you've shared - and wonder if any of it really happened at all... Don't worry. It did :)

this life reminds me of a story that I once read...

"I pretended to be somebody I wanted to be, and, finally, I became that person. Or he became me." -Cary Grant

What follows is a collection of errant thoughts and borrowed words, that I have collected, here and there, over the course of this year past. Where other writers end, and I begin. I will leave it up to you... So wherever it is you might believe you have ended up. You are not there.
What a long, strange road it has been. Looking back on the year that was, I find myself wondering at the myriad paths that invariably fork and divide as they unfold before us. Leading to roads yet unknown, revealing hitherto plans yet unwritten - even if we do not realise it at the time. But after just over a quarter-of-a-lifetime of walking, I now find myself looking back and see only a single path stretching out behind me; and look ahead and see only darkness... Yet wherever the journey now finds us - whether it be on distant shores, exploring exotic lands, or simply going through the motions of our day-to-day lives - all that I do know, is that we each - every one - follow our own path and make of it what we will. We make choices every day. And these choices change the trajectory of our lives. Nothing dramatic or grand. Just tiny acts, in quiet moments. Like I might decide to take the stairs instead of the elevator. Or strike up a conversation with that person sitting next to me on the train. It is not much, but it is enough to alter the course of my day. And when you add those days up, they have changed the whole of my life... It is the same for you. It is the same for everyone. And while our choices may not seem particularly grand at this moment in time - ordinary or extraordinary, miraculous or mundane - we are simply making the most of what we have. All we can do is keep moving forward and decide our own road. And do not worry over much if you are not entirely certain where you're going. Someone once told me one true thing: that the world is not flat, rather it was made round, so we could not see too far down the road. Life is full of surprises. And all we can hope, is that we each, someday find, that which we are looking for.....

-dear8lue
somewhere in the land of the long white cloud...

p.s. A final recollection before I wake completely.  Perhaps, at the end of the day, all we're searching for in this all too brief existence, is that little bit of permanence. Now this could mean many things to many people. But I have to believe it is more than someone's work or job, for example. What a soul crushing notion! For if that is all we have to look forward to,  then that is truly a discouraging thought... There must be more to life than that. So why not another person instead? The proverbial "one". That elusive other, who does not simply complete, but rather complements our existence...
And then I wake up... I suppose there are worse endings...

-dear8lue
who knows he is like the rain...