So much...March

Already the 4th of March, which means it's already the 3rd month of this, the year of our Lord 2026...

I may have learned most of what I needed to know in kindergarten, but no one prepared me for midlife. I never expected the burning demand on all sectors of my life to be turned up to such an intensity. I close my eyes and can catch glimpses of parallel universes flitting by, their courses set in motion by a million different daily decisions. At the end of the day, my gratitude is firm in the most important reality; that where I am right now is where I am supposed to be.

Those other RyanDavids? They don't experience the joy I receive when I get to take a late-night run to Walmart with my teenage daughter as she desperately searches for a new squishy toy, or the simple pleasure I receive when my pup seats herself next to my thigh and takes a deep breath of relaxation. No one else gets to have their cup filled by a blue-eyed wife whose tenderness exists in the in-between spaces. And as long as I have Gracie Abrams, David Gray, Sting, Taylor Swift, Colin Hay, et al., all others will stir their jealousy with a oar, not a spoon.

I keep meaning to post this picture I took a few weeks ago at my niece's house in Gold Canyon. She lives in one of the quietest neighborhoods - actually...scratch that thought. The fact that I live 100 yards from the railroad tracks gives me zero authority to judge the peacableness and quietude of any location. Suffice it to say, it's far outside the city limits. Which also gave me the most remarkable view of the night sky:

I tried my best to hold my iPhone steady for the full 10 seconds it took to capture the light. Aaaaand there may have been some significant post-processing and editing that brought out a few more details. But still! What I saw with my naked eye is there in the shot. I miss the stars. I pine for the quiet.

Right now, I am writing these posts and sending them straight into the ether. I derive a modicum of motivation by guarding close the thought that someday soon, I will be launching this site and these may be read. For now, it's enough to just keep etching my thoughts on the surface of this lake, however ephemeral it feels.