A Life in Three Acts
When asked what advice he had for actors, Denzel Washington pulled out an interesting quote: First part of your life you learn, second part of your life you earn, third part of your life you return. I had considered including this quote in my Enough post because the quote feels good. It rhymes and it follows the Rule of Three. But the more I kept analyzing and over-analyzing the quote, ...
Enough
“What if I actually have already achieved everything I’m going to achieve in my life,” Dan Mall asks. “What does it feel like to live like someone where everything new is a bonus, not a desire and certainly not a need?” At fifty-one, I have most likely passed the mid-point of my life. Given the older generation within my family have passed away in their 80s and 90s, I likely have thre...
June, Baby
I don’t think I expected this month to be as busy as it was. The month was bookended with birthday parties. I did lunch with my high school friends, lunch with my first roommate when I moved out at 18, and then a group birthday party to celebrate my son’s girlfriend’s kids. At the end was my mom’s 80th birthday which had me organizing nearly 50 people to hang out at my uncle’s fa...
The Setting Sun
The sun had just set with its rays getting cut by the hills and creating outlines on clouds. There is a soft layering to the horizon as details appear hazy in its own shadow. The city lights speckle the landscape and the tops of buildings are aglow. It was a magical moment to sit there, stunned by the beauty of it. I’d have taken a picture of it if I had my phone on me. I could’ve gone to ...
Fifty One
The life odometer slowly turned as I awoke to a cherry chip cupcake on my fifty-first birthday. It was a warm, sunny, but smoky day as forest fires from central Canada filled the hazy sky. I joined my handful of high school friends for lunch. I had a burger that was quite delicious and sizeable enough that I couldn’t finish it. The server brought out a dense but disappointing chocolate c...
Average
“The truth is, I’m… I’m not an exceptional person, you know? Nothing interesting really ever happens to me. I’m… I’m massively flawed, and I think I’m quite forgettable, if I’m being 100% honest.” Randy Feltface ends his comedic storytelling in Randy Writes a Novel with this poignant bit at the end of his act. “But must we leave a legacy? Must...
Wake Up
I don’t really identify with music. I mean in the sense that I don’t use music to attach to specific meanings or feelings. Lyrics are like instruments in that I couldn’t tell you what the words are or what they meant any better than I could tell you what the guitar or drums are saying. Everything comes together in rhythm and melody in a way that I enjoy. Every now and then, though, a son...
Check in, check out
I enjoy those who do weekly or monthly life updates. I don’t plan (right now) on doing a similar cadence. Partly because I usually don’t consider my life that exciting—which, honestly, I’m enjoying things being boring right now. Family In my year-end recap, I mentioned my youngest was doing longer stretches splitting his time between homes. Little did I expect that less than two wee...