Writer's Holiday

At this very moment there is the gentlest of rains falling outside our third story window. A cool breeze flows through our tiny space.  It is refreshing after the week of nineties. I was telling Pop last week that our tiny space feels like a tree house in summer; (I've always wanted to live in a tree house) as I sit here now, it seems I am nestled into the tree outside that has grown taller than our three story building by several feet. I cannot see the street below and the squirrels run along the branches in a way that leaves me envious of their talent.

I've been on vacation. My mind is restful. Because we've both been so busy this year with [our beautiful] life, we decided to ditch our plans for a fly-there-book-here-see-this vacation. Seriously, millions of people consider our little corner of the world the destination of their dreams, so it stands to reason that staying home could be just as rewarding as going somewhere else.

It was a wise decision. We spent time on the beach, (my wife's first time to play in the ocean--she's hooked) we relaxed in Central Park reading under a tree, we lost ourselves at The Met amongst the masterpieces, and even shared a day with the Uncles--an all too rare treat for us.

I've written. I've written a lot. We deemed this our writer's holiday. Writing has possessed me. When I am not writing, I think about writing. I'm struck by two notions. The first, is that of the story. Everyone has a story--a unique journey that has brought them to this exact moment. If we spent less time focusing on our differences, we'd understand that many of our stories, although unique, are actually quite similar in nature. We're all trying to find ourselves and our place in the world. Our journeys are marked by triumphs and mistakes along the way. No matter what color the skin or into what culture we've been born, we need someone to listen to our story.

The second notion builds upon the first. In my writings I've noticed a theme. I look for ways to give readers a glimpse of another's story as a way of lessen the gaps that divide us as humanity. It's cliche, but we all bleed--if we look with understanding eyes, I am convinced that we can see ourselves in the souls of another, be that good or bad at times. I've said it many times before, we are in this thing called life together. That's just the way it is.

I've also seen another theme slightly different than the first but similar. This theme comes in the form of a challenge to do whatever is in your heart to do in this life. Life will always have its challenges, but true contentment lies within the few who grasp happiness and choose to go after what they want in life. As my wife says, find your happiness and peace and then you are more equipped to help others find theirs.

Peace to you in your journey, my friend.

 "Whenever you are about to find fault with someone, ask yourself the following question "What fault of mine most nearly resembles the one I am about to criticize?" Marcus Aurelius - Meditations 

 ***As is my life, this blog is a work in progress; my desire is to facilitate constructive and respectful conversations about life and our collective journey towards peace. This has become an obsession.

 Please add "your two cents worth" below, and feel free to share this blog. The more the merrier! 

Understanding ourselves helps us understand others; therefore bringing us one step closer to attaining peace.***