A new year, with more gifts, and promises to keep...

Fortunately the only promises in my life these days are kept by HP and not myself. My attitude and outlook on life has changed and I have ceased struggling against the river. This reminds me of the Taoist tale of the man being swept down the torrent and walking ashore unscathed. His solution was to relax and let the current take him. In doing so the water kept him from bumping into the rocks and so forth. It was only the stiff and unbending branches that were snapped against the unyielding blocks of stone. Yes, I know it's cliche...Go with the flow, man...HA!

I decided to do a little websearching this morning and sought out a past teacher of mine from prep school. The school itself was pretty right-wing and I was certainly out-of-place being a political and cultural lefty in a world of rampant conservatives. As I recall the big heroes of the institution were a couple of lust-for-money Texans who cornered some commodities market way back when. I think they came to bad ends eventually, taxes I think. Anyway...I had this English teacher and hallmaster who was pretty cool, too cool for that place, if you know what I mean. He played guitar (not folk), read cool books, had a seemingly wild past that drew a few of us to him. He was also a genuinely nice guy. He helped me out a lot with my homework and even caught me tripping 2 days before the SATs. I remember his words well--"And remember John, no more psychedelics." That having been my first time around, so-to-speak, I was mortified that anyone knew about my strange experience. Isn't it odd that as teens we thought we were getting away with it all? Hmmm...But as the great philosopher said, "When I was younger, so much younger than today..."

So I looked him up. He is no longer at that school, but rather the Headmaster at a school in a Northern State that seems more balanced, less snooty, and certainly more based in reality than the previous hallowed halls of tradition and mammon. His picture shows him to be a little grayer (as am I), but with the same clarity of eye and easy smile which drew me to him in the first place. I even sent him the address to this blog.

I know the state he lives in pretty well, but not his region specifically. I checked the AA listings and there are plenty of meetings around his neck of the woods so if I end up visiting I can hit a meeting or 2. Strange...

"And now my life has changed in oh so many ways..."

Gotta love philosophy...

Johnnyboy