What Today Brings
“Follow your bliss.” Joseph Campbell
I followed my bliss last night and now I have a headache. Emily Wilhoit is a disc jockey at Lexington’s WRFL station and has invited me to join her show, Trivial Thursday’s Thanksgiving edition. Last year at this time she had me on to talk about my just released book, June Bug Versus Hurricane, this year we will be chatting about growing up in the 80’s and 90’s, Generation X, they call it. We will also be singing a few songs from the era with her husband, my life-long friend, Versailles own, Patrick Wilhoit.
Last night they came over to rehearse and I awoke reminded of what my friend and I use to say in LA after a particularly rowdy evening, “I had so much fun last night, I’m sorry.” Something about listening to “Quiche Lorraine” by the B52’s and working to perfect our own version of REM’s “Don’t Fall on Me,” and other favorites from our college days, made me jump up and dance, grab the guitar and bellow out a few tunes that had nothing to do with the task at hand.
It seems wrong that following my bliss, at the moment, in the moment should make me question if it might have been better to sit more quietly, possibly sing my part a little softer. I let myself go… it appears to be a specialty of mine. Why not? I read a quote recently by whom I don’t remember about not breaking life up into days but breaking days up into lives. What a beautiful concept, to view each day as a lifetime in itself. That day when everything went wrong from the moment you opened your eyes to the moment you gave up and closed them again, begging for relief by way of sleep, was just one of a thousand lives. The same can be said for that day in an unfamiliar town or foreign country when you felt awe for a world containing endless wonders, endless possibilities, eternal sunshine.
More often than not, the bliss of the day is some sort of food, a great steak and mashed potatoes at Napa Prime, an enchilada, chili rellenos, rice and beans at Mi Pueblito’s or the thin crust vegetarian pizza from Papa John’s which deliciously capped off last evening. Other days, joy is found through a writing workshop, feeling inspired and full of ideas. Every so often, I will stare at my animals with a love so deep for their sweet faces and little bodies peaceful in slumber that my heart bursts. If I can train my mind to see that moment as a lifetime gifted to me, then maybe the moments that are not beautiful, but dark and dangerous, can be chalked up to a lifetime I thankfully made it through.
The road just rolls out behind us, forming what we call our lives. It would be good to remember that as long as we are on this side of the veil, there are adventures to be had, discoveries to be made, movies to see and books to read. Did I have a little too much fun last night banging on the guitar for the first time in too long? Maybe. I’m not sure who sits on that bench but I don’t want to be the judge. Each day will take on a life of its own and each one of us has the opportunity to offer ourselves up to whatever that may be. I have found no better way.