The Meaning of Life (Draft 3)

to me The Meaning of Life is not
a single thing
to me, so far, it is a List
of Things That Seem Important:

-Self-Discovery / Acceptance
-Charity
-Awareness of Mortality
-Perception vs. Reality
-Karma / Connectedness 
-Fluidity / Change
-Environment / Earth / Universe
-Family
-The Creator / Why Are We Here ?
-Thumbs
-What Happens When We Die ?

28 Laps

I hope I've learned during these twenty eight laps around the Sun.

It started with my parents and still does.  I've never doubted their Love for a single second of my Life, and I realize this is an important facet of my existence.

My brother has challenged me constantly.  I'm lucky for that.

I never thought my old lady existed:  a kindred spirit to co-pilot the ethos.  A feeling so wonderful that I occasionally question if I deserve it.

I don't deserve any of this.  I've had twenty eight years free from any legitimate suffering.  I understand it's not sustainable and I try to use this temporary peace to prepare myself to travel the rest of the journey with dignity and patience.

I hope that God reads this post and she smiles and offers me another twenty eight laps.

things I think I know about Love

The opposite of Love is not Hate it is Apathy

Love should hire a lawyer
and sue Hollywood for defamation of character
Love is less powerful than Time but not by much
Love is puke and shit and bloody pieces of gauze
Love does not consider well laid plans
Love may not recognize you back someday
John Lennon said
Love is all you need
but he doesn't know me
sometimes I think I need more
but I do not
Jerry Seinfeld said
"You don't do what's right
You do what makes the other person feel good...
and the first step to that is lying"
Love is a web of lies
Love yourself first

Love tries to stay awake until you get home
You create your own definition of Love
which is nice until you realize so does everyone else
Unconditional Love is beautiful when you witness it happening
Love is for Everyone
Love is fleeting and cheers
to everyone lucky enough to enjoy some time with it
Love is not nearly as fun in hindsight
I hate to admit that chocolate and flowers are both quite lovely
and midwinter seems as nice a time as any to love Love
commerce be damned
this morning it seemed important to document 

things I think I know about Love

Classic Rock Radio Programming

On a long drive home after a raucous gig
I called The NightRocker to make a request
The man on the other end seemed genuinely disappointed
which helped, a little
"Aw man, we don't have any Big Star in the library"
I should have said something snarky, like
"You should check it out, I'll mail you some"
instead I froze and stammered out a request for Toys In the Attic
------
my go to station has recently changed their playist by adding
Soundgarden 101, Basic Pearl Jam, and Too Much Guns & Roses
this time My Michelle, the laziest of their originals
better than their lazy covers
if only an iPod were in the budget
if only my CD player weren't broken
during the self-loathing the harmonies of Sweet Emotion had begun
and I got even more frustrated
had I not requested the specific song, not the hit from that album?
-------
my Dad had taught me to play Name That Tune on this station
naming the band got you bonus points, the album even more so
-------
Back in the Saddle.
by the time Dude Looks Like A Lady comes on
I leave it on, as penance for even trying
-------
if I drive in silence I hear phantom pains from my car
and freak out!
--------
I believe in a kamikaze spin around the radio dial
there have times that aural gold has been struck in this fashion
I will spare you the deepest thoughts that followed
about planets and molecules
and fast forward to when Toys In The Attic came on
when everything clicked and buzzed in tandem
and the music drove me home