Life Cycles

This is not a Queen song....

Hey there, agents of change,

I think there’s no missing the relationship between this camera and WALL-E. But this is one of those relatives you can’t invite to Thanksgiving. (Photo by Parker Coffman on Unsplash)

It came to my attention in a comment one of you delicious readers made last week, that we humans have an innate need for consistency. To center ourselves (or regain a center when we are really feeling lost), we tend to seek out new routines. We go along in these routines, struggling to force ourselves through difficult days, and then ultimately, we feel better. The routine becomes natural, easy. We don’t have to think anymore. We can dance our way between the coffee maker and unloading the dishwasher and we can have a conversation while getting ourselves to the bank. We are on autopilot.

But what happens next?

We get bored and we want to do anything BUT our routine. We are “in a rut.” We want to break free. (That’s an ear worm for another day) We need and crave change!

What’s up with that, you prophets of cyclical change? Are we all just butterflies at heart?

And how is it, I ask you, that we have such a low tolerance of boredom, and yet can watch a million sunsets and each one is spectacular?

WRITING NEWS:

I’ve got readings coming up! I have a new poem in The Raven Anthology And I get to read from it at Edgar Allan Poe’s Cottage in NYC on Sept 28!

I will also be reading from the Anthology in Baltimore at Protean Records & Books on Sept 29th! Teleportation is in my future - come find me in one of these two cities!

Such a busy busy week! Mostly Pen Parentis stuff - the Literary Salon on Siblings and Rivalry is live - got a free hour? Enjoy my crazed interviewing techniques on this one-hour extravaganza of writers who also have kids discussing cool curated themes. Christina Chiu and I do these every month on the second Tuesday. They’re free and you can interact with me and the guests with the chat if you RSVP early (there’s a suggested donation of $10 or you can subscribe on YouTube to get the playback.)

But of course that is not all I did (welcome new subscribers - this is where everyone cracks up laughing. I am notorious for doing way way way too much in a week) - This week I also attended a three day Convening of executive directors funded by New York State (high point was the data analysis breakout session—not even joking), and Wednesday I orchestrated a huge cocktail party to celebrate the establishment of the Author Ambassador Fund, and the next night went to see Our Town on Broadway (with Jim Parsons - it was such a great, simple show, focused entirely on the script—highly recommend it if you love good theater). So - busy busy week.

Random Final Thought

I really love the half-streets in Manhattan. That is all. Just a little moment of pleasure.