If you’re like me, you find it easy to take the everyday for
granted. One of the reasons I don’t blog about my life, when I’m working at home, is that I’m stumped as to how
to make it interesting. I mean, what am
I supposed to say? Today, I ate such and
such foods, I wrote on my novel or my blog, I went to the gym, I watched TV,
etc? Exciting stuff, right? But it struck me the other day that, in many
ways, my life is pretty amazing. For
example, in the last twenty-four hours, I’ve:
- Helped my dragon-friend prepare for his eventual introduction to the world, while sitting on my front porch and enjoying the day’s warmth after several weeks of unseasonably cool weather.
- Washed several days’ worth of dishes without getting dishpan hands (because I didn't actually have to wash and dry them).
- Watched two detectives, a human named Matt Sikes and a Newcomer named George Francisco, return a kidnapped and brainwashed child to parents who had thought he was dead (in “Alien Nation” a TV show I’ve loved for over twenty years now).
- Drank clean, warm water all day, without having to draw it from a well, or even light a stove.
- Saw some recent travel photos from family and friends who live hundreds or thousands of miles away. One recently returned from a tour of Israel. (Thank you, Facebook!)
- Reconnected with a friend from college, and a young man I’ve
not seen in decades. Of the latter, I
worked with him in a church puppet ministry twenty years ago, when he dreamed of making his
future in the comics industry. Now he
works for Marvel, doing his dream job. (Thanks again,
- Enjoyed today’s painting on Facebook from an artist who accepted a challenge to complete thirty paintings in thirty days. You go, girl!
- Was inspired by how human ingenuity might eventually transform our solar system in Kim Stanley Robinson’s 2312.
- Wrote a blog entry about Hungarian Fairy Tales that may end up being read today, tomorrow, or even a year from now, by people all over the world. Additionally, I wrote this without using a pen or a single piece of paper.
- Traveled to Paris in 1931 with Hugo Cabret, thanks to Brian Selznick.
- Enjoyed the CD “Clockwork Angels” by Rush. While I’ve heard the group's songs on the radio nearly all my life, I never really appreciated their music until author Kevin J. Anderson helped me understand how special they are. (His novel, based on their album, proved equally enjoyable).
- Discovered where a church is that I first visited with LAPD Homicide detectives Rick “Hunter” & Dee Dee McCall last year. It’s called the Wayfarer’s Chapel, an outdoor church designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, and operated by a denomination I’ve never previously heard of, the Swedenborgian Church. Now, to plan a visit there!
- Enjoyed a delightful lunch with my wife at a local restaurant.
- Learned how one of my favorite authors, Steven Brust, is wrestling with the structure of his current novel Hawk, and even offered him a suggestion on what to do with all the scenes he’ll eventually cut. (He replied "Interesting idea, but no." Oh well...)
When I look over the past week, I realize how many more
amazing things I’ve done or experienced, including traveling hundreds of miles in a single day to worship with my mother and share a meal with her, conversing with a man in
England who gave me some welcome insight into author E. F. Benson, and after months of searching, finally finding
the perfect coat to replace one I left behind in England last year because it was
falling apart. From out of the blue, I’ve even been offered a guest
membership to a Science Fiction convention, and invited to speak on some of their
panel discussions. Needless to say, I regard this as an unexpected honor.
Of course, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the most
amazing fact of all, that my wife and I still love each other, after all our
years together. So many couples divorce
after a few years, or suffer through marriages that are much less pleasant and
rich than ours, that it’s easy to take something like that, a strong and
nourishing relationship, for granted. In
today’s world, we live at such a fast pace, and have access to so many
amenities, that it’s easy to take all that we have for granted. It’s only when I sit down, and really think
about my life, that I realize how much I have to be thankful for. I’ll bet if you take a moment to sit down
quietly, and clear your mind of all distractions, that you’ll realize how
amazing your own life is too.
Who knows? You may
discover that your life is even more amazing than mine.
Dragon Dave
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