Thanks, Jack Kerouac.

"Ah, life is a gate, a way, a path to Paradise anyway, why not live
for fun and joy and love or some sort of girl by a fireside, why not
go to your desire and laugh."
(Personal note: girl...or guy!)
"Happiness consists in realizing it is all a great, strange dream."
"Believe in the holy contour of life."
Jack Kerouac
Translation:
Don't take any of this seriously crazy sh*t too seriously. At least in the grand scheme.
Things are all working out for some greater good that we cannot possibly comprehend
from the confines of our generally pea-sized brains...and not-so-expanded consciousness.
Even when everything sounds dire...keep the bigger picture in mind. And remember,
if we're all fearful and depressed and stressed, it just makes things worse. It makes us
more prone to physical illness as well as mental and emotional exhaustion.
Remember...we're here as an expression of the DIVINE...of LIFE itself checking out what
it has created. We're here for a very brief time. And we're here to experience JOY and
LOVE and to absolutely be playful and lighthearted. Life is not supposed to be misery.
We may not have control of others, but we have control of our minds and emotions and
how we view things.
There will always be something. If not a global pandemic, if not crazy political nonsense,
then someone you love more than life itself will die on you. And it will feel no different than
a global pandemic. In fact, it may feel worse than a global pandemic.
It's always f*cking something. Life is always throwing us something.
And you know why? Because life knows we can handle it. And life knows that true
success has nothing to do with money or productivity or awards or degrees. TRUE SUCCESS in life is getting through a bunch of really tough stuff...and maintaining
your capacity for fun and joy and love. It's getting to the other side of tragedy
and challenges and really scary, painful stuff. Without losing your mind. Or your
sense of wonder about life.
THAT is true success.
So stop looking at your bank balance and stop feeling like your worth is tied
to how many bathrooms you have in your 5,000 square foot house. Or how much
you laid out for those new kitchen tiles.
Keep hanging in there and focus on the SIMPLE beauty of life. Pet your cat or your dog
or gaze at a flower...whatever. Simple pleasures are a good thing. We can create change
merely by FEELING simple joy, and radiating that simple joy to others.
I know firsthand how very deeply life can suck sometimes. Like, wanting to climb
in the cockpit of a rocket to Mars kind of sucky. Or giving up entirely kind of sucky.
But it's still worth getting up each day. Because we never know when one of those
fun, joyful, loving moments might occur.
Or when some chick (or hot guy) will want to sit with us next to the fireplace.
And possibly laugh with us until we pee in our pants/panties.
(Or even more optimal...laugh with us, skip the peeing, and just go straight
to hot sex in front of said fireplace. Do you realize how uplifting orgasms are??!!!)
Sweet dreams.
It might not be what we think we need. Or want. Or expect. But it's all ok.
Because...it's life. And you're still here reading this. Which is pretty amazing. :)
Sandi xo