We had a little shindig this past Sunday. Had some people over. It was mostly for the kids. We rented a big inflatable waterslide that costs an arm and a leg and we invited some neighbors, some of Arle’s family, some parents/ some youth. Some people came and other people did not. A few said they were coming but never showed up. There’s likely a variety of reason for this, many stemming from mental health issues, especially anxiety. I get that. Others, I think, are beholden to strange forces that may or may not be directly (or indirectly) linked to mental health stuff. In the end, I looked out over the yard and smiled.
Reading your work gives me comfort in the workings of my own brain, and the comfort to write the things my heart needs to get out to the world. I’ll never be able to thank you enough for that. Peace.
Any kind of positive influence or inspiration that a writer can have on another writer is the highest form connection, I figure. So that means a lot to hear/read you say that. Thanks very much.
Random things? More, please. And I really felt Arle’s frustration. All we all want is to be heard, wether it’s words on a screen or spoken out loud. You always capture your own feelings so well in your essays, and this time you captured hers in that one small scene. Hopefully, she thinks so, too.
You’re a great writer and a good dude Serge. “How are there no cul-de-sac graduation party Walt Whitmans??!!” There are, Bro - and you are among them.
I hope the written self-debasement is leavened by knowledge of your essential goodness. + When I read your writing lately I hear echoes of Mike Viola’s “King Kong Hand” - and Marah of course.
Eric/ thank you for taking the time to chime in here. And for the supportive words. They really matter to me. I haven't read that Mike Viola 'King King Hand' before, but I'm thinking maybe I will. So thanks for the head's up too.
Mike is a superb songwriter and musician and that’s one of his songs. He sang “that thing you do” - has made and produced many great records - and roughly is to MA as Marah is to PA. Trust me bro: I’m from Jersey :)
FYI, the proper way to shotgun a soda is to poke a hole in the bottom, block the hole with your tongue, pop open the top, remove tongue. That's how the liquid shotguns into your gullet. I'm not saying I practiced on soda as a kid so I could be fully prepared to shotgun a fantastically crappy can of beer later. Or maybe I am.
Haha. Yeah I am pretty sure that my kids have YouTube as a guide for all things these days. The shotgunning sodas came out of nowhere, but it took over and left cans all around the yard! Hahaha. The Sugar High Gang.
Life is life is life. Day in, day out. Even the “fun” things can be burdensome at times. Relationships. Interactions. Listen. Be a good listener. Bite your tongue. Hold back. But you have an idea, a thought, triggered by what someone else has just said, that you *need* to share RIGHT NOW. So important that conversational civilities must be bypassed. Or you’ll lose that thought. That idea. What was I about to say? I can’t remember. Shit. It’s right on the tip on my brain. Fuckit. Whatever. Be present. That’s the trick. And we have to relearn it daily. Minute by minute. I know I do. I’ve started to get good at holding my tongue. Letting others finish. The moment passed for my observation/anecdote/joke? That’s ok. There’ll always be another moment. Besides, who really cares, besides me? Oh well.
And those Random Things are very cool. Keep ‘em coming!
Perfectly captured image of the fleeting thought/ interruption notion, dude! I love it. But I need to kick the habit at least most of the time. Ha. It runs in my family, I guess. It's annoying even to me. Thanks for the comment, my friend. Means a lot.
Ha. Thanks, Jake. I'm happy to see a few names commenting today that I don't see so often. That does a lot for my drive/spirit. So I hope you know that I'm truly grateful. And if/when these kids turn to beers: I'm probably a dead man.
Reading your work gives me comfort in the workings of my own brain, and the comfort to write the things my heart needs to get out to the world. I’ll never be able to thank you enough for that. Peace.
Any kind of positive influence or inspiration that a writer can have on another writer is the highest form connection, I figure. So that means a lot to hear/read you say that. Thanks very much.
Random things? More, please. And I really felt Arle’s frustration. All we all want is to be heard, wether it’s words on a screen or spoken out loud. You always capture your own feelings so well in your essays, and this time you captured hers in that one small scene. Hopefully, she thinks so, too.
Thanks so much for the kind words, Taryn. And I'm glad you like the Random Things stuff. I will keep it around, I think.
Enjoyed the BBQ. Felt like my wife and I were there. Keep up the great work 👍
Hey Mike, thank you so much for leaving a comment. I'm really happy you felt that way reading this one. Made me smile.
You’re a great writer and a good dude Serge. “How are there no cul-de-sac graduation party Walt Whitmans??!!” There are, Bro - and you are among them.
I hope the written self-debasement is leavened by knowledge of your essential goodness. + When I read your writing lately I hear echoes of Mike Viola’s “King Kong Hand” - and Marah of course.
Eric/ thank you for taking the time to chime in here. And for the supportive words. They really matter to me. I haven't read that Mike Viola 'King King Hand' before, but I'm thinking maybe I will. So thanks for the head's up too.
Mike is a superb songwriter and musician and that’s one of his songs. He sang “that thing you do” - has made and produced many great records - and roughly is to MA as Marah is to PA. Trust me bro: I’m from Jersey :)
FYI, the proper way to shotgun a soda is to poke a hole in the bottom, block the hole with your tongue, pop open the top, remove tongue. That's how the liquid shotguns into your gullet. I'm not saying I practiced on soda as a kid so I could be fully prepared to shotgun a fantastically crappy can of beer later. Or maybe I am.
Haha. Yeah I am pretty sure that my kids have YouTube as a guide for all things these days. The shotgunning sodas came out of nowhere, but it took over and left cans all around the yard! Hahaha. The Sugar High Gang.
This is one of your best. I find myself saying that a lot. Thanks for everything.
That really means so much coming from you, man. I truly appreciate you saying that.
Life is life is life. Day in, day out. Even the “fun” things can be burdensome at times. Relationships. Interactions. Listen. Be a good listener. Bite your tongue. Hold back. But you have an idea, a thought, triggered by what someone else has just said, that you *need* to share RIGHT NOW. So important that conversational civilities must be bypassed. Or you’ll lose that thought. That idea. What was I about to say? I can’t remember. Shit. It’s right on the tip on my brain. Fuckit. Whatever. Be present. That’s the trick. And we have to relearn it daily. Minute by minute. I know I do. I’ve started to get good at holding my tongue. Letting others finish. The moment passed for my observation/anecdote/joke? That’s ok. There’ll always be another moment. Besides, who really cares, besides me? Oh well.
And those Random Things are very cool. Keep ‘em coming!
Perfectly captured image of the fleeting thought/ interruption notion, dude! I love it. But I need to kick the habit at least most of the time. Ha. It runs in my family, I guess. It's annoying even to me. Thanks for the comment, my friend. Means a lot.
Enjoyed the time and place of this one. Always enjoy the writing. Just wait until those sodas are beers.
Ha. Thanks, Jake. I'm happy to see a few names commenting today that I don't see so often. That does a lot for my drive/spirit. So I hope you know that I'm truly grateful. And if/when these kids turn to beers: I'm probably a dead man.
Thanks man! What a great snapshot of summer finally arriving! This Canada smoke ain't no joke. Stay safe, be well, and have a great summer pal!
Thank you, Jay! Always good to hear from you, my man. You have a great summer as well!