First of all, thanks for all the kind words of support for my latest short story, becoming. As someone who’s been on this platform for a very long time, it's an incredible feeling to experience that kind of enthusiasm for my work again.
I wanted to talk a bit about what my motivations and intentions were for writing that particular story. Mainly I wanted people to actually experience, through the story, what it would feel like to be faced with such a massive decision as the main character, Evan, was.
On a deeper level I wanted to explore how the decision to undertake a real risk-laden, adrenaline-fueled quest would affect someone in our modern times. In humanity’s not-so-distant past risks were experienced almost on a daily basis. Our risk tolerance was much higher probably in past centuries because it had to be for us to survive. I’d venture a guess that, even though their lives were shorter and more difficult, the average person five hundred years ago probably felt more fulfilled, satisfied, and alive than many people do today. Survival was their main focus.
The article above is an interesting take on the perils of a wandering mind. There’s been such a meteoric rise in mental illnesses and physical disease of all kinds in the past fifty years. Humanity as a whole, seems to have a sizable void inside them that they try to fill with all sorts of unhealthy things. Many of us lack that one, singular important thing to focus on. I can’t help but wonder how much of these maladies could be made better or even cured by a good old-fashioned challenge—an adventure-filled quest?
I'm a firm believer in the phrase, ambition without action becomes anxiety. Perhaps this is why hard work outs make us feel so incredibly good, puzzles are so satisfying to solve, and traveling to far-off, exotic places make our souls sing. We crave action and new experiences. I suspect most of us walk around with a certain longing inside of us that’s just too blurry around the edges to describe. Well, I imagine this next decade of our existence is going to provide us with a massive amount of these quests. It’s only a matter of time.
In Full Bloom
During our evening stroll through the woods and wetlands behind our house last night I noticed absolutely everything is in bloom. I took this photo with Portrait Mode on my iPhone 15 Pro. I always forget about this camera feature but it’s fun to play around with, having control of which part of the photo is in focus adds a whole new dimension to digital photography.
We're getting a little less sunlight every day now and it's already becoming noticeable. July 4th is the unofficial middle of summer for us in the Upper Midwest. Before we know it the leaves will be showing their colors, the evenings will grow crisp, and pumpkin spice lattes will be popping up at all the local coffee shops. Summer is slipping away before our very eyes and I intend to make the most of what's left.
All for now. Thanks for reading.
