I hadn’t planned to publish a second time today. The regrettably long post dropping at 4am was more than enough, I figured.
And then a few things happened.
I opened my eyes around 6am and sat up. Before dealing with the dogs, even before the first sip of coffee from my Gaston’s stoneware mug, I felt unmistakably alive. A sense of power coursed through me in a way that I haven’t experienced in a very long time.
It was physical, mental, emotional rocket fuel, carrying the promise that whatever I chose to do today — work or play, important or trivial, extraordinary or mundane — would be within my reach and grasp.
Goodness! You hypocrite, come out of that!
Henry David Thoreau, Conscience
Live your life, do your work, then take your hat.
Coffee-in-hand, I reached for my phone to check messages and feeds. I squashed a few bugs lingering in the virtual corners of my world and then, as I always do, I opened the most recent blog post to look for typos and reconsider wording.
(Yeah, I tend to do that after the fact. It’s both a pattern and a weakness of mine.)
I scrolled to the bottom, where WordPress automatically suggests previous Ubi Libertas Blog posts for further reading. Many of you have noticed that and click through to see what I said last week, or last year, or four years ago.
One of the posts suggested today was “You workin’? Or just wishin’?” published almost exactly a year ago. I clicked and read it.
The first thing that struck me was how remarkably consistent it is with what I said earlier today about dreams, drive, and work. It even invokes the same passage from Walden.
I encourage you to read it.
But there was something else, an insight that wouldn’t be apparent unless you’re me. The two posts’ words flowed from the same spring of disappointment in a failure to embrace what’s required to advance from dreaming a dream to living the dream.
It was, essentially, foreshadowing. That I’d be where I am today was inevitable, and I knew it. The signs were there.
Connecting those dots this morning was, if anything, validation. I hope you understand why.
“Trials never end, of course. Unhappiness and misfortune are bound to occur as long as people live, but there is a feeling now, that was not here before, and is not just on the surface of things, but penetrates all the way through: We’ve won it. It’s going to get better now. You can sort of tell these things.”
Robert M. Pirsig, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance
Around midday, I drove into town. My daily USPS “Informed Delivery” e-mail said that there was an Amazon parcel waiting. I had no outstanding orders, so I was intrigued.
For a moment, I considered the possibility that the previous co-boxholder mistakenly used their former address. That would suck.
But no, the package had my name on it. I brought it back to The Mountain before opening it.
It was a special gift from a dear friend who got ‘hold of my mailing address. (I told you I was easy to find.) Inside the bubble envelope, two boxes and four layers of plastic wrap was a replica nautical sundial-compass.
It’s crafted of brass and copper, really quite beautiful, a humble work of essential and functional art. Also included was a cylindrical pressed-leather box for protection and carry.
I messaged my distant friend to thank her for her thoughtfulness, and to ask what prompted her to gift me this wonderful piece. It didn’t shock me when she used the words “True North” in her reply.
Anyone who’s navigated the waters I’m in knows that it’s easy to feel adrift. This sweet gesture from a true friend will serve to remind me that I always have the tools to find my way.
Joy came a-calling on this spring Friday. I couldn’t wait ’til tomorrow to tell you.
Take care of yourselves, Patriots. Stay calm. Stay sharp. Stay free.
#WiseUp #LibertyOrDeath #Ungovernable