Virus and Thinking

Hi, folks. I spent most of this week in bed with a fever and an incessant cough. A week like this can be discouraging. It's a setback. All the goals have to be pushed back at least a week. In a normal week, there is hardly ever any time to get anything done, and I spent most of this week, huddling under the covers and struggling to be patient for my body to heal.

The good news is that I've had time to think. And thinking has led me to consider what I am trying to say. What I love about novels is when they reveal something about the human condition that I was either unaware of, or I was aware but never had the right words to express my feelings about. A good novel brings me to understanding -- what it means to be human, what it means to be me. It is some deep alchemy that wrests this from my heart and soul.

So, in a way, writers are modern day alchemists. We stir together the elements of life, in hopes that we will find the gold of meaning. We mix together circumstances and personality in search of the elixir of longevity -- perhaps our words will cure some of disease of heart and soul, or, at least, alleviate it with our words. In the end, we spin out the wisdom of the ages, the ancient paths, so true and noble. Great story telling is grand adventure, it's self discovery, it's excitement, but it's ancient, a cord that ropes together the generations.

Let's dig deep and shake the foundations, folks. Will we find the foundations solid? Will we find stuff built on sand? Whatever, let's find out. Good luck.

Today's doodle is "Tree".



This week's quote:

The Road goes ever on and on down from the door where it began. Now far ahead the Road has gone, and I must follow, if I can, pursuing it with eager feet, until it joins some larger way where many paths and errands meet. And whither then? I cannot say. J.R.R. Tolkien