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...