Revolution and Evolution, Part 2 (The Dean Koontz edition)

May 19, 2010 by Johnny
Filed under: Random crap 

This is the continuation of my post about wanting to get a tattoo because things were changing in my life, yada yada yada, and it resumes here, with this sequel post.

Actually, both that post and this one stand alone as separate posts just fine (and maybe even make more sense that way), but I had intended the post title “Revolution and Evolution” to refer to something I didn’t quite get to in part 1, so I made that one part 1 and then wrote the below as part 2.

Don’t try too hard to understand. It’s a blogger thing.
—-

I’ve realized that the life I want is right around the corner, and it’s incredibly irritating.

For decades I’ve had vague goals with fuzzy reasons behind them, like “I want to be rich” and “I kinda want to do something fun, or whatever,” But things have changed. Thanks in part to what I learned in co-creating Question the Rules, I now know that I’m actually pretty close to a lot of the things I truly want.

For instance: I’ve realized I don’t really want to be “rich” in the usual sense of the word. My current income (which is good but hardly Trumpish) is actually plenty for the life I’d like. And I don’t want to do something fun, because I’m already doing something fun. What I do day-to-day is a riot, and I make my own schedule.

So those “real goals” are much closer than I’d have thought. For the first time ever, I have this really clear picture in my head of where I’d ideally like to be, and that vision is achievable and not far away at all.

You’d think that’d be nice, but most of the time it just pisses me off.

Allow me to explain.

Change is a changing process of changing change

I spent most of part 1 talking about getting ink poked into my skin with needles, but the bigger point was that I feel like I’m undergoing a metamorphosis, kind of like Seth Brundle becoming Brundlefly after his transporter mishap, except with more fevered insect sex and less regurgitation.

And that metamorphosis — while interesting — was totally unexpected.

I’m 34. That’s young in the eyes of the world, but is Methuselah-style on the internet. Short of a mid-life crisis around 2020, I’m not supposed to change much at this age. I’ve got the family, I’ve got the house, I’ve gone through enough jobs to feel like I’ve found the right one. I’m finding that it takes me a little longer to get stronger and that washboard abs are a lot harder to hang on to. I have a moderate-sized TV and am supposed to be working toward a bigger one, and then an even bigger one. I haven’t played golf in forever, but in like 20 years I have to be a lot better when I start my Saturday senior league, so it’s never too soon to start thinking about improving my handicap.

But nonetheless, there’s this Brundlefly evolution going on.

My ethics are changing. My views on family, community, education, and friends are changing. My politics are changing — mainly moving toward the fourth party: apathy.

In some ways I think I’m becoming more open and enlightened. In other ways I’m becoming more trusting, and even naive. And in many other ways I’m becoming far, far more jaded and impatient — and far more likely to say things like, “Hell no, I’m not going to do that. And just what are they going to do about it?” I find myself wanting to opt out of things I’ve always accepted as immutable, and to move off of the grid wherever and whenever I can.

There’s a lot of “emperor’s new clothes” going on here. I look at respected, established institutions today and it suddenly dawns on me that so much of it is smoke and mirrors. Many of the things we take for granted were created by people to whom we’ve afforded some kind of arbitrary status, but who are “just people” in the end, and who — let’s accept the possibility, at least — might have been total idiotic douchebags.

All of this tumult, suddenly and chaotically in my head. Game-changing stuff.

When I say I’m thinking about getting tattoos, I’m not telling you that to act like a badass, or to impress or shock anyone.

I’m just saying that the guy I was two years ago wouldn’t get tattoos, but that the guy I am today probably will.

They’re quite different people, and that’s the point.

Becoming someone who is different, and more, and new is totally acceptable and awesome in my book, and if that change wants to happen, I think you should let it happen. Being schizophrenic is the new black.

There’s just one little annoying problem with it all.

Change is good, but change takes time.

This probably seems like the most obvious thing in the world, and it should have seemed obvious to me but wasn’t until recently.

It’s this: There’s always a lag between envisioning a goal and getting it.

Obvious, right? Nobody except for Superman and Shaft decides that he wants something and then immediately gets it. And we all understand that principle when we don’t have something and then work and work (through that lag time) until eventually we get it.

But that lag time concept is easy to forget when we don’t have something but then work and work… and reach what seems like an end point where we get a lesser version of it, or we get part of it.

You have a goal. You work and work and work.

But instead of getting VHS, you get Betamax. Instead of Blu-Ray, you get plain old DVD. You want Stephen King, but when the dust settles, you discover to your horror that you actually ended up with Dean Koontz.

It’s like, you did a lot of work, and getting Dean Koontz is quite an accomplishment — I mean, he’s sold a lot of books, and the Hideaway soundtrack has KMFDM on it, and there’s this guy in The Bad Place who was afraid to touch his own wang in the shower — but at the end of the day, it’s still fucking Dean Koontz.

But I’m realizing that getting Dean Koontz is okay even if you want Stephen King, because it’s all part of the process. It’s part of that lag between having a desire and getting the end goal.

You may end up with Betamax and think you failed because you ended up with second-rate results. But you didn’t fail; you got part of the way there. Now, you get to keep working until you eventually get to your A-level results.

What’s important is not to get your goals. What’s important is to always be moving toward your goals.

Let’s take my own shortfalls as examples.

In this super-clear picture I now have of my ideal life, I know I want to live outside of Charlotte, North Carolina. I currently live near Cleveland, Ohio. I hate Cleveland, so that’s a serious bummer.

I want to unschool my kids. Yet my son is registered for kindergarten in the fall, and my wife made the mistake of saying the word “unschooling” to her mother instead of “homeschooling,” which is a far more palatable code word to be used around anyone who might be nervous about relatively undirected education.

I want to travel the world with my family, but my daughter is too young for either of us to want to go boarding transatlantic flights with her.

I’d kind of like to be one of those old guys who sometimes drums in a punk band, but I’ve yet to try out my serious Rock Band skills on real drums, even though people say it totally translates.

Oh, and I’ve also wanted to play classical piano for years. I don’t know that I’ve ever played so much as Chopsticks, though.

I could look at all of those things and say, “I did well. I’ve got a nice house and a great family. I work for myself and business is booming. My son’s math and reading skills seem to be at grade level 1 or 2 thanks to our casual ‘unschooled’ interactions, and our schedules are our own.”

A lot of the time, I do think like that. But sometimes instead I think, “Betamax.” Sometimes I think, “Dean Koontz.”

I’m not in Charlotte. It doesn’t look like we’ll be unschooling this year. I don’t see travel or drumming or piano in my immediate future.

But it’s cool. It’s cool because I’m getting closer, and because Rome wasn’t built in a day. It’s cool because if I’m patient, I’m on the road toward what I want, and now I just get to have some faith that I’ll get there if I keep moving and growing.

It’s finally sinking in that life is always, always, always a process.

If you’re feeling frustrated, just take a close look at where you came from and where you are, and see if it makes sense to give yourself some credit.

If you want out of your job but are still there, have you made progress on creating a side business that you’ll grow into later?

If you’ve started your own venture and are failing, did you at least make the leap, and (financial issues aside), are you freer or happier today than you used to be… and do you have the stones to keep fighting until something does work?

If you want the ideal relationship or marriage but are still single, are you dating, or have you found some mediocre relationships?

If you want to create the next Thesis but ended up with a non-selling clone, are you tweaking it, reinventing it, and revamping your marketing approach? Did you learn something this time that will help you in the next iteration?

They say that when life gives you lemons, you should make lemonade. That’s a pretty awesome and positive way to look at things, and one that’s served me well.

I’d just add that it’s okay to make shitty unsweetened lemon juice and then diluted lemonish water while you’re trying to turn those lemons into lemonade, as long as you keep moving forward.

 

 

 

 

Comments

39 Comments on Revolution and Evolution, Part 2 (The Dean Koontz edition)

  1. Mars Dorian on Wed, 19th May 2010 9:08 am

    2. Hey Johnny, nice ongoing series

    it’s part of human nature to always achieve one’s goals the fastest way possible – patience is word that’s on the verge of extinction.

    I know what I want – and I want it the hell now – but the universe doesn’t play this game, you have to adjust.

    Remember this line: Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you’ll land among the stars. CHEESY as heck, I know – but it’s true:

    As long as you keep moving forward, you should enjoy the results along the way. there are only so many ways you can screw up ;)

  2. Simon Bunker on Wed, 19th May 2010 9:16 am

    3. Really interesting post Johnny. I am currently in the reverse of your situation, I have the tattoos and now I don’t want them any more!! It’s amazing how we change over time.
    Really enjoyed reading this and your other posts
    Thanks
    Simon

  3. Megan Matthieson on Wed, 19th May 2010 9:41 am

    4. Is the path going in the right direction? You’re gold!

  4. Charon on Wed, 19th May 2010 10:33 am

    5. I’ve been putting off a blog post on my own site for a bit because I’ve been going through some similar stuff, waiting to see where it will all settle out.

    I’m coming to the realization that it will never “settle out” and that my ducks will never be in a row.

    I’m actually more than okay with that. :) I come back to your QTR advice on process rather than product being the important component. It’s a wonderfully comforting truth that tends to get overlooked in our culture in favor of the collection of things to provide comfort and joy.

    And my older cat’s name is Brundlefly. Thought you’d like to know.

    Cheers!

  5. Matt at How To Get A Grip on Wed, 19th May 2010 11:22 am

    6. Q. How do you eat an elephant?
    A. One bite at a time.

    Spot on – baby steps.

    Speaking of which – book your flights already! So, you’re going to have a pretty uncomfortable 12-15 hours, but then it will be over. Bang. Done.

    (I had the same problem – I have a five-month old. As it happened he slept almost without a break, but that was sheer luck!)

  6. Adam on Wed, 19th May 2010 11:23 am

    7. Johnny….Dude! This shit is good!

    It’s a great lesson for life, this story you tell here.

    I don’t think that it is really all that unusual the changes you are going through now but I think they are new in our age group. In fact I think with the world the way it is now and the interaction now possible because of technology we can experience and learn a lot more than people did in the past, which I believe has the ability to change and wizen a person much quicker than was possible in the not so distant past.

    However I think it takes a certain type of person to be open, receptive and to tune out all the noise and see life for how it really is… a path of on going change created by the choices we make along the way.
    Your goals are closer to you because they are more in tune with you and not based on what you think you should want or what you think others think or tell you, you should want. “Just sayin”

    Your enlightenment comes from the connection you feel to the outside world, because of the help and encouragement you give to others.
    As far as inner change is concerned, there is nothing you can do about it. You cannot change yourself, and you certainly cannot change your partner or anybody else. All you can do is create a space for change to happen, for grace and love to enter.

    As you know I wanted to mark a similar change on my skin so I could show the world (express it as it were)but later realised that it was for my eyes more than the eyes of others…and I was just trying to make physical what was going on inside…and still is
    I also realised that these changes, although they feel invisible are actually seen very clearly by many people and comes out in the choices and things you do.

    It seems to me that you have turned onto the path you’re meant to be on like a car coming off of a dirt back road on to a nice new highway…

    Here’s a little quote I heard once I think you might like…

    “Life is now. There was never a time when your life was not now, nor will there ever be”

    Again thanks for letting me share…and I apologise for the super long reply.

    Adam

  7. Johnny on Wed, 19th May 2010 11:45 am

    8. I imagine my nature has something to do with this. The nice way to say it is that I’m dedicated and focused, but the flip side is that you could say I’m ridiculously stubborn once I get something into my head. It’s served me well in some cases (the cases where my intuition is right, and I listen to it), but has screwed me in others (the cases where something gets in the way of intuition and I follow it anyway… *ahem* real estate greed *ahem*). I’ll bulldoze ahead and if I DON’T get the lag time to process it all, then I either realize goals quickly or am totally fucked with expediency.

    I wanted to write this because I see what I want and realize it’s not happening, and then I stop and say, “Wait… the truth is that it’s not happening YET.”

    @Charon – LOL @ your cat being Brundlefly. That’s golden.

  8. Johnny on Wed, 19th May 2010 11:46 am

    9. Oh, and this seems to apply to learning and doing as well. I think I have a lot to do and a lot I want to learn/implement that I haven’t gotten to.

    … yet.

  9. Sean Oliver on Wed, 19th May 2010 12:30 pm

    10. I appreciate this post. I am having a huge struggle dealing with the gap in my mind of where I am currently at vs. the completely achievable awesomeness to-be. Its been said its about the journey but I just feel like i’m stuck in one long “are we there yet?”,”no, not yet.” conversation with my self.

    Great point on refining as you go though.

  10. LaShae on Wed, 19th May 2010 1:41 pm

    11. If you’ve started your own venture and are failing, did you at least make the leap, and (financial issues aside), are you freer or happier today than you used to be… and do you have the stones to keep fighting until something does work?

    Why yes, yes and yes and since life keeps providing me with lemons, I just keep squeezing them between my fingers, to catch the seeds, so I can plant them and grow trees, while still enjoying the lemon juice in my water and on my vegetables. Who needs the freakin’ addition of sugar. Pucker!

  11. Marc on Wed, 19th May 2010 1:43 pm

    12. I’ve got a house just south of Charlotte for you! Cheap! Seriously. I also have a temporary gig (full time job, but bootstrapping various projects with my wife … that didn’t come out right … never mind) at a mortgage company. If you ever get down here … let me know.

  12. DoBatsEatCats on Wed, 19th May 2010 2:12 pm

    13. Johnny, thanks so much for this post. I’ve been very frustrated lately re my Etsy shop’s progress (or lack thereof, to be more precise) and this is exactly what I needed to hear right now.

    I think part of the problem is that I waited to get clear about my goals until my day job situation got to be really miserable so now every fiber of my being is screaming NOW NOW NOW re achieving my goals. It helps to remember that I actually got off my butt and launched my shop, which was HARD and scary, and that I’m working to improve it every day.

    Not to mention that my life is so much richer by the fact that I’m spending my time on something creative that’s important to me, whether or not it fits with my definition of “success” yet.

  13. Bradley on Wed, 19th May 2010 3:09 pm

    14. If you think 34 is internet old, try being 37!

    I struggle with the same things. I have a nice house, car, etc., but it isn’t a big house, a shiny sports car, etc. Like you I used to (and still fucking do! but for different reasons) want to be rich. Now, I want to have enough money to live the lifestyle I like and travel a lot.

    Still working on the goals, and hopefully they are getting closer.

    P.S…. blow off Charlotte… move to Greenville, SC. Not quite as big, but it is closer to the mountains.

  14. Susan on Wed, 19th May 2010 4:28 pm

    15. One of my favorite quotes is “When you’re going through hell, keep going!” (Winston Churchill) Even if you’re not going through hell, keep going. Yes, life is always, always, always a process. Another favorite quote is, “Never, never, never quit.” (Also Churchill.)

    Here’s one from me: “Change is always a good idea – as long as it’s MY idea.” And on the day I realized that was true about myself, it got a lot easier to deal with change that wasn’t my idea.

    Oh, and you think you’re old? Dude! I just launched my blog for my 50th birthday! You’ll live. :)

    Thanks for the ongoing inspiration!

  15. Joshua Black | The Underdog Millionaire on Wed, 19th May 2010 4:36 pm

    16. Johnny,

    This is a great 2nd half to the first post. Don’t give up on your tattoo idea. It will change your life for the better. I’m just a year older than you and I realize that the things I used to want are not really the things I actually want.

    Ya know, like extra time, to be able to relax, perfect health etc. It’s definitely not about having a big bag of money as the endgame. It’s all about having a big bag of money so that you can enjoy the things you really want.

    Your blog rules as always,

    Joshua Black
    The Underdog Millionaire

  16. Mike Carlson on Wed, 19th May 2010 6:43 pm

    17. Dude I’m a few years ahead of you, and let me tell you, the change doesn’t stop. Especially the way you see the world. You talked about the “smoke and mirrors” of long established institutions, and wanting to go more incognito, off the grid kind of thing. The more you experience and see, the more you realize how inefficient and how much BS there is, and it’s hard to just deal with it and continue to play the game.
    It also becomes apparent that we really don’t know shit. It was Socrates who first talked about wisdom is knowing you don’t know shit (I think he said it in Greek though).
    The older I get, the more I realize that the dream of stability: the house, the kids, the family, the day to day get up, drink coffee, go to work, come home, watch big screen TV, and so on, is a story. We have (some) of those things sure, but I think the myth is that life will be all warm, comfy, stable and easy at that point. It’s just not so. We’re far too eager for growth, inclined towards change, and maybe a tad too unstable for that story (that they still teach our poor kids) to really work like that.
    Myself, I think that is what makes life fun and worth living!
    Protect the kids and the house, but otherwise ride life like a crazed pony.

  17. Megan (tandem teaching) on Wed, 19th May 2010 7:39 pm

    18. Diluted lemonish water – its much more palatable and refreshing than trying to bite the lemons while keeping a smile on my face. Now where’s the sugar…

  18. Mary E. Ulrich on Wed, 19th May 2010 8:38 pm

    19. Since you are younger than my children, I’m allowed to give advice (right?)
    Remember learning is never in a straight line. It is usually described as a spiral. Sounds like your life experience has spiraled you into a new paradigm and you are seeing new goals with your “new eyes.” As you said, it is all about the journey.

    Regarding traveling with your kids: since your goal is to get out of Cleveland–use this transition time to see everything that is within 500 miles now so you never have to come back (Michigan, Upstate New York… Hocking Hills Ohio has a great train ride–my son still has the conductor’s hat signed by the train engineer, Amish country ….) see the beauty of the country through your kids eyes. Also ask Grandma to watch the kids as you and your wife take a trip or two. I know it is hard to wait, but there really is a season for all things.

    ps. My son has a great house for sale outside Charlotte NC.

  19. Jen on Wed, 19th May 2010 10:21 pm

    20. Thanks for sharing your thoughts. Seriously, good stuff. Two things (that are a bit off topic)…

    1. I held a grudge against Dean Koontz for a year because he did something with a story in the last 20 pages that pissed me off. I felt betrayed, so I swore off his books. Come to think of it, I don’t think I’ve read any of his books in five or six years.

    2. I’ve this whole unwritten post in my head about why I think everyone should think about getting a tattoo. It’s irrelevant if they actually get one. But I have two, and I think getting tattoos teaches you something about thoughtful, long-term decision making.

  20. Annie Stith (@Gr8fulAnnie) on Wed, 19th May 2010 10:27 pm

    21. Ah, all ye younguns with your angst. Try being spoonfed the whole “wifey-saintly mother-never working cuz the kids are too important” paradigm only to find there IS no Mr. Right (he ran off with Ms. Stacked) and there’ll BE no kids, and if I don’t work, I starve. THEN change, at 50, to the whole entrepreneur-as-lifestyle paradigm.

    Johnny, you’re far too young to be so mature, and far too old to not understand life=change or you die.

    Keep punkin and you’ll be fine. It’s all a dream, anyway.

    Annie

  21. Peter Shallard on Thu, 20th May 2010 1:12 am

    22. This is one of the coolest posts that I’ve read in a while.

    Couple of psycho/philosophical points or theories to add to the mix :

    1. You’re changing, but you only think its weird because you had (grew up with? I thought so) a preconceived notion of what life should look like in your thirties – rigidity, fixedness, big tvs and golf included.

    2. Being an entrepreneur has a LOT to do with experiencing much more rapid change and/or “personal growth” (however you want to describe it). Most people who play by their own rules describe the same thing :)

    3. Being online has a lot to do with it too. Shit just moves faster – I’m only just coming to terms with that myself.

    Thanks for putting words around such a remarkable experience, without being fu-fu about it.. do you know how rare that is?

  22. Brian on Thu, 20th May 2010 8:46 am

    23. Thanks Johnny, I needed this. It gets easy to get down on yourself when you all you have is VHS and are looking for DVD (not even Blueray!). I love the analogies.

    This post made me realize just how much I have achieved over the past year or so. Its good to recognize those achievments even though I feel like I have a long way to go. After listening to Goals on QTR, maybe its not as long as I think it is!

    BTW – My wife and I are Suburban Superfreaks in Charlotte, NC. If you have any questions about Charlotte or need a hand, let me know.

    Thanks again!

  23. LMKeys on Thu, 20th May 2010 5:03 pm

    24. Your post is a perfect example of why when we talk about goals we must remember to add in “measure your progress.”

  24. Jessica on Thu, 20th May 2010 5:21 pm

    25. Another great post. I’m having similar struggles. Now that I’m on what I think is a healthier path to spend my time doing things I’m passionate about, I want IT to be here already. I want to BE that person I’m becoming and I get impatient with myself, with the universe, when I realize that I have to wait. These things take time and I need that time to allow my spirit to unfold and get used to all this change. If I could wave a magic wand and suddenly BE a trained massage therapist/aromatherapy expert I wouldn’t be a very good one. Because I need to grow with the learning. And be patient while I’m learning. It’s hard but I think I’m finally beginning to enjoy the process and be happy in the now rather than waiting until something happens before I allow myself to be happy.

    And I’m still getting the tattoo – just have to find the right artist. And someone to hold my hand while I’m there!

  25. Erica on Thu, 20th May 2010 9:11 pm

    26. I’m going through the same metamorphosis stuff (with a lot of help from QTR, by the way). It seems to me that it would be infinitely worse to have nothing to move toward than it is to have a goal just out of reach. We think we want the goal, but isn’t it really the journey we’re after? If having “made it” means stasis, then I don’t think I want it. I don’t think I want the perfect life. Even if I could have it today, I’d probably find something more perfect to want tomorrow. Besides, if I had to hang out with the same self for the next 60 years, I’d be pretty damned bored by the end of it.

  26. Kelly Ross Kerr on Fri, 21st May 2010 10:34 am

    27. “When the student is ready, the teacher will appear.” — Just what I needed to read when I needed to read it. Thank you!

    Excuse me while I find a pillowcase and head for the roof. I have a flight to make.

  27. Jennifer Hooper at Align Self on Fri, 21st May 2010 11:30 am

    28. Johnny,

    Ahhh, the lag between wanting something and getting something is a good thing! Imagine if we had instant manifestation of everything that popped into our heads! The lag gives us leeway to refine and reflect until we are very specific about what we want.

    Btw, I came to your site this morning through CopyBlogger. In reading just a couple of your posts on your site, I am finding myself immediately comfortable; like connecting with an old friend. I unschooled my two daughters for 3.5 years, until I had little choice but to enroll them in school (which is a completely different story), and I cannot wait until I can travel the world with them. It is coming…I am manifesting.

    All the best to you…

  28. Jacqui McGhee on Fri, 21st May 2010 1:27 pm

    29. So, no tattoo yet then? I have a tattoo of a stained glass window that covers pretty much all of my back. I’m not saying that I don’t get some funny looks or comments on it from time to time. In fact, my business advisor would be horrified if he knew I was mentioning it a blog post that references my business. Ink is apparently not a very professional thing.
    The tattoo helps though, with the process of change, it helps me remember where I started while I’m trying to get where I’m going. I’ve had most of my tattoo for nearly 8 years now and in that time I’ve earned my degree, gained my husband, my house, my business, studied in Switzerland and met the most beautiful boy in the world (aka my nephew). Some days I can’t seem to remember any of those things when I feel frustrated about what I don’t have and haven’t done yet. The tattoo definitely helps though.
    I’m off, there’s something about your blogs that makes me comment when I’d normally read and disappear :-)

  29. chicsinger simone on Fri, 21st May 2010 4:51 pm

    30. Here’s yer tatto, if you still want it, courtesy of House of Leaves via Wikipedia:

    At different times, Truant says: “Known Some Call Is Air Am”. Although it appears to be a random string of words, it is actually phonetically similar to “Non sum qualis eram”, Latin for “I am not as I was,” or more aptly said, “I am not what I used to be.”

    I’d go with the Latin.

  30. MikeTek on Sat, 22nd May 2010 10:47 am

    31. I have reason to believe that “Dean Koontz” is actually a warehouse full of monkeys hyped up on crystal meth and chained to typewriters.

    Oh and here’s a quote that fits:

    “Which is more important…to be successful, or to find some meaning in your effort to be successful?” – Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind

  31. Johnny on Sun, 23rd May 2010 11:22 am

    32. Everyone: Thanks for the great comments and support. I think the problem here is our quick-service lifestyle. We want a burger and we want it NOW! We want movies ON DEMAND! Nobody wants to wait for things, so it seems strange to patiently wait for our goals.

    Oh, and for those of you with houses near Charlotte… I need to be outside of the city proper, on a few acres. My wife has horses.

    @Joshua – I absolutely haven’t given up on the tattoo… just trying to decide what exactly I’d like!

    @Peter – Re: your last paragraph, I’m hearing that a lot lately. Must mean I’m onto something.

    @Jacqui – I’m luring out out from being a lurker? See, that’s good stuff.

    @Simone – THAT IS SO FUCKING GEAR. I thought I knew what I was going to have done, but I simply must find a way to incorporate that. Thank you!

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  34. Anh Han on Sun, 30th May 2010 6:53 pm

    35. Great post. We forget that we achieve so much when we are chasing those big goals. Life is a dance!

  35. Anh Han on Sun, 30th May 2010 6:54 pm

    36. ooooppppss! no html in comments my bad!

    Alan Watts meets south park – Music & Life
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ERbvKrH-GC4

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    37. [...] • Revolution and Evolution, Part 2 (The Dean Koontz Edition) [...]

  37. Ian on Wed, 9th Jun 2010 1:11 pm

    38. Love the post Johnny. I’m a few years older than you and feel like I’m just getting into my stride at this life business. So much of what you wrote about questioning things you took for granted rings true for me too. I guess you are talking about living a values based life where each day feels rewarding, as opposed to the goal based life that our greedy western culture encourages us to pursue and that leaves us feeling like losers for most of our exisitence.

  38. Scott P Dailey on Fri, 18th Jun 2010 9:31 am

    39. Johnny this was friggin’ awesome. I learned early and often that there is no shortage of poo-pooers surrounding us and our “lofty” ambitions. And traggically, those arrogant plans we set for ourselves aren’t arrogant at all, but are rather undefinably ours – personal to the last and whose value is never open to debate. So it is always – ALWAYS – a thrill when someone comes along and reminds us all what the X-Wing pilot (and prophet) Gold Five once said, “Stay on target” (props to IMDB).

    Look, I am a wierdo. I know it. When I was a kid and the aunts and uncles would visit, I was the only kid who got the sugarfree hard candy. I get it. I’m odd, a little noisy and think a lot about a lot of stuff others aren’t busy considering. But being odd can be a lonely address and when someone like you comes along and underscores the tenet that there are too many tenets, I just cheer, hoot and scream yay, yay, yay! Thanks for the positive reinforcement. It’s invaluable to those among us who are often misunderstood, but at least as relevant.

  39. Johnny on Fri, 18th Jun 2010 10:20 pm

    40. Thanks Scott… good to know that I’m not the only crazy one out there. By the way, if you like the “weirdo” thing, you should check out a post I wrote for Laura Roeder’s blog called “If People Think You’re Strange, They’re Right.” You’ll love it:

    http://www.lauraroeder.com/2010/04/if-people-think-youre-strange-theyre-right/

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