Look, Right Over There. It's Christmas!

Yes, I see it now! I can almost touch it... Christmas is all but here! This is a good thing. Why do I so say? Because I'm Christian? Sure, okay, that's part of it. Because I'm a family man? Okay, that too, sort of. Because I'm trapped by the vortex of commercialism and consumption? Yes, alas, there is that too.
But the reason I point to the arrival of Christmas (note, not Xmas) jumping up and down is because of the promise and the potential of Christmas. I want to give Christmas a big-old hug because it challenges us all to be a better and a loving person. Not everyone is equal to that challenge. Some have no interest in that call-to-arms. But is is there, a gravitational force drawing us to acknowledge if not to try to be happy and better. And that, my friend, is a good thing. Bill Murray, at the end of Scrooged has a speech along those lines, and it gets me - right here - each time I hear it. Check it out yourself, with Kleenex, of course.
So here comes Christmas. You - yes Y-O-U - try to be happier, better, and more loving, at least for the next two days. Come-on, you know you want to - you know you can! Okay, at least you will try!!! My work here is done..... Merry Christmas, for what it really means, to you, good soul.

So Here I SIt

So here I sit with a stupid smile on my face. Why? Well, life is good. Since it is, stupidly I smile. I wish the same for you - really I do. Mind you, I did not say life was perfect or easy or orgasmic or anything along those lines. No, we all know there are bedeviling twists and vexing turns, and unrequested side-trips to Poopooville - you know. But I am really - call me old - coming to see that life is good. I do think it can be good, if that's what we choose. Why would some bozzo choose to make life not-good? Well, not for a good reason, but I do see it all the time.
I have a set of patients and 'friends' who unrelentingly, exclusively, and doggedly choose the path-more-miserable. Guess what they receive? Yeah, a lousy ride on the train of life. Why would they, why do they, you ask, aghast? Maybe self-fulfilling-easy-to-achieve failure, maybe they feel they deserve it, or (my vote) they can control the world unfortunate enough to surround them. Who among you would not help a soul suffering egregiously? Yup, that's what they count-on.
These misery-aficionados easily get what they desire. It is, in the end, pretty easy to fail. My point is that my life is good, because I choose to have it be so. And you know what? For the most part it is. In counter-distinction to my ill-choosing brethren, my choice is not automatically successful. But you know what? I like my choice - it makes me smile... stupidly I will grant you, but I smile nonetheless.
My advise to you? Choose to have a pretty good life, realize it ain't perfect. You will not be good-looking, rich, famous, smart, sexy, alluring all rolled-into one - so make that your goal. Smile about what you get and roll your shoulder at what you did not receive. No, in fact, stick your tongue-out at that which you fancy you need and did not acquire. Yeah, give it a big-old raspberry! Why not - life is, after all, good. Let me know if I can help.......

I'm Getting There!

Slowly but surely (and you may call me Surely if you like) I am polishing-up Time Diving. There was a transition where the character was changing in a fundamental way which was rough. I went over it and now I am happy with it. Transitions are funny like that. 98% of the book can write itself, but the suspension-of-disbelief sections and the transitions can be tricky. It's like if I was re-writing Hamlet. I could bring the language up to date, make it edgier, and have Hamlet burst into the throne room with an assault rifle blazing. Where did the fair prince get said rifle to make the scene jazzier? He dug them up from under the castle where future alien had transported them back in time to serve as a warning to generations yet to come...
Yeah, kind of detracts from an otherwise cool story. So it is, those two elements are tricky. But, I'm getting there. I'll keep you posted......