A Man for All Seasons

Creating something from nothing...

Full disclosure: I am staring at a blank page. It is mocking me. I lost the wrestling match with my thoughts. Now I am paying the bill.

I kept pleading with them all last night. Think of the readers. Crystallize around ONE thing that I can translate into coherency. Please allow me to conduct only a single train of thought.

Not to be. The strands of life amaze me. The most delicate of threads can turn out to be the strongest fiber one can find. The delicacy permits access, and the fiber stiffens against the headwind.

My solicitation of writers to guest post in this space has resulted in an outreach by a couple of writers that need a platform to post their writings. Oddly enough, both have requested anonymity.

I can work with that. These individuals have a certain perspective that many of my readers my not have ever considered. The writers’ lived experiences may be as familiar to you as that of a friend or family member.

Or they may foreign to you, and cause an instant turn-off. That’s ok too. Repulsion has it attractiveness as well. Once that initial impression wears off, what is left?

My hope is that after the revulsion comes compassion and understanding. It is why I write. The mission statement that propels this project forward is

Five elements of life create culture. I tell stories that weave them together to illuminate the forgotten man, the neglected woman, and the overlooked child.

Consider the revulsion you feel multiplied by a million. That is how that object of your revulsion feels. Every time someone just looks at them. No knowledge of the life. Or the value. Just the judgement of the book by the cover.

We don’t do that here. We give room, space and time to explore uncomfortable areas of our lives. Being uncomfortable is valuable today. Because it is a scarcity. A microaggression causes one to be uncomfortable for a moment.

Without those moments, that feeling of being uncomfortable is lost. Without those moments, we lose the opportunity to grow and evolve.

Stay evolved

Ric

---

With that in mind, please welcome my first guest writer in this space. “Jonna” reached out to me some time ago to explore the guest post potential. Jonna has a unique point of view. I hope this causes some uncomfortable moments with a compassion chaser.

This is the first post as Jonna. Now it’s here. And it feels really good. 

Nobody knows who anybody is anymore. Others have known Jonna. Virtual and Reality blend together to offer a place to be safe and anonymous. Anonymity leads to creativity. 

Affinity with silk, lace and satin have created much pleasure. And caused much pain. The line between the two blurs with use. And overuse. And abuse.

How and Why questions fade to oblivion. Here and Now issues take control. The pause associated with your, my, ok, our cognitive dissonance is equaled and leveled by dissociation with normality. 

I can’t stand to be labeled. Nothing fits the body nor the spirit. The placements of society restrict the expressions of individuality, so the calls for help are ignored. 

Even worse, they become misconstrued as verbal attacks. Words are weaponized, and shoot thru the soul like flame thru ice. 

The misgivings of the few are inexplicable, but often the many must account for them. They are not mine, but foisted upon me as the right of passage for us. The Sword of Damocles is a thread away from fatality.

Passage to hell, sure. But that is a stretch too. I know Hell. And this is not that. The travels to hell and heaven are traversed by the same souls. Just in differing phases of the journey. 

And journeys are all we have in the end. Put everything on the table. All the cards are face up. Where do you go from here? 

Everywhere or nowhere. It really is that simple. Go All In. Or go not all in. All Up In It. Or not all up in it. 

It’s easy to decide for oneself. It’s easier to let others decide who you are. 

Jonna