Last July 3rd...

I was just thinking about how amazing my life has been, up to this point. The good stuff notwithstanding, I have had the actual experiences that other people try to capture in their fiction. My recovery, my time in jail, and my experiences traveling give me an edge in some ways over most folks. Nothing better than the real thing, IMHO.

Last July I was in jail. As the time in jail went it was OK, because I was counting days at that point in my stay. I had 60 left to go and had no idea what lay in store for me once I was released. I had a great deal of fear about the future, and my place in it. Where would I be a year from now, I mused...What are my immediate goals. I had set down 3 at that point:

1. To see Christo's 'The Gates' in Central Park, in February, 2005
2. To travel to Croatia and beyond for a month in the spring of 2005.
3. To apply and be accepted to Empire State College.

My paper for ESC is almost finished, just some tweaking left and it will be done, and almost two Weeks early. I've sent a first draft to my friend Paul, who is a writer, just for a second set of eyes. His wife Nan is a writer as well, so maybe she'll check it out as well. I am pretty lucky to be able to do this. These two are of a pretty high caliber, so to have them check out my writing is quite an honor.
Not much else to blather about today. I'm just grateful to be here, now, and be able to appreciate all the gifts that I've been given. Remember, a gift isn't a gift until it's been accepted by the other person. That is the other half of the contract.

So, I think on 'Haiku Tuesday' I'll post some pictures of 'The Gates' to go along with the jailhouse haiku...Maybe I'll take Aravis' lead and manipulate them with some Photoshop toys. :-)


Johnnyboy