Tuesday, September 17, 2019
Friday, August 30, 2019
Day
To the casual onlooker, my day is ordinary. I wake up, drive to work, handle my workload, drink coffee and go home. In my head, however, the day is a little different...
The wail of my alarm reaches into the darkness of sleep and tugs at me like a gust of wind, pulling me from my inner Zen. The noise grows louder, dragging me away from a good dream. No. Not a good dream.
An excellent dream.
A goddess was at my side in this dream and I felt the warmth of her presence, grateful for our time away from the world. The alarm echoes with growing intensity and I realize she is fading from view so I try to hold on. Even as I reach out to touch her once more, the alarm pierces the darkness and shards of morning light burn into my eyes. The dream is lost and my hand finds empty blankets at my side.
Cool morning air drives away the warmth and comfort of sleep, prompting my attention to the alarm. I shut it off, unsure if I should blame it for taking away the dream or myself for setting it. I glance at the open window as it grows brighter and know the cool morning breeze will soon become a blast furnace. Every minute will grow hotter, and by noon, the city will roast under the blazing sun. Summer is a harsh time for night owls like myself.
I rise and approach the sink to wash up, staggering as sleep continues to drain away from my body. Washing up in the morning is like a ritual. Turning on the cool water provides a temporary wake-up call to my senses, splashing my nerves awake until my morning cup of java can jolt errant neurons into action even as they fight to hold onto the last remnants of a memorable dream before turning my attention on the day to come. Shaving is done with care until I splash on some after shave. Each splash of blue acid is a reminder of how much I will need to endure before day’s end. I splash on more until the burning subsides and my skin is radiating heat and I am ready.
The ritual done, I leave my one-bedroom apartment in a rush, knowing my departure window to make it on time is closing. I activate my artificial intelligence assistant, who provides an overview of the route and see the window to my on-time arrival is down to five minutes and closing with each passing second. I rush down the stairs with a greater sense of urgency, unwilling to wait for the elevator.
Minutes whiz by and I am out of the garage, down the road and heading towards the traffic light that always gives me grief. I approach it with dread, slowing to a stop as traffic speeds by. I know there will be no helping my quiet plea for expediency but I stare intently, knowing the red light has no intention of giving me a break. Traffic clears and I continue my war of wills against the red mocking eyeball. The empty road feels like a scene from the old west and both hands grip the steering wheel, tightening moment by moment and wishing each grip could provide a pair of six-shooters so I could close the looming red eye at last.
An eternity later, my nerves have fried when the red light flickers out at last. An emerald oracle ignites, granting me a reprieve from agitation and I am given safe passage to embark on the day’s adventure.
A moment later, I push into the fray, racing onto the raging rapids of rolling metal maniacs, twisting and turning on blacktop that will soon grow hot as my engine while I stomp on the accelerator, extending the closing window of time until my navigator reveals arrival time has matched the day’s schedule. I breathe a sigh of relief, grateful for the kind oracle and feel the last of the cool air leading me into my workplace and the beginning of my workday.
I give out a few hasty greetings as I pass bodies and move eagerly towards my work station, aware many of my early-bird fellow employees are heading out for breakfast or coffee. Coffee. The word resonates in my head as if it were a thing of magic and I can already taste that nectar of the gods as it sets my mind on fire and my heart into overdrive. So long as I can ingest that liquid of life, I know I can handle anything.
Yes, the world may crash and burn as the days stretch out into an inferno of triple digits that leaves everyone scrambling for shade before noon but as long as I can enjoy a cup of neuron-activating, heart-pounding java, I will welcome the chaos of the world, taking that first sip of the day with a smile.
Firing up the computer is the day’s second ritual, entering passwords, navigating a cyber-maze filled with access paths, network folders, launching one program after another, and of course, seeing what the calendar looks like for the day.
Soon, I am diving into work, tackling the high priority and simple tasks with ease. Time-consuming appointments are arranged by location, handling the closest first and working my way out of the office building until the last one can be handled before the day is done. I am a specialist in this world of stone and metal, and by day’s end, a pot of coffee has been consumed, many fires have been put out and outside the office window, I see the sun beginning its descent over the horizon, signalling me to call it a day.
Someone compliments my weight as I approach the elevator on the way out and I thank them as the doors close. I look down and remember a year ago being heavier and struggling a bit to get some exercise before adjusting my diet. Who knew making a few eating changes would give you results that others would notice? Ah, well…
I make my way home, seeing the madness of the road get ugly as the heat drives even the prettiest of drivers to insanity. I am less inclined to madness, knowing my day is done and my personal Zen awaits. A few minutes later, I am back home, finding relief as I park and letting go of the fading stresses of work, wondering what lies ahead.
A quiet evening with a book and a little music? Dinner and a movie with a goddess? As I wait for the elevator, a grin crosses my lips. No matter how challenging the day or hot the weather, the world around me may see my life as one of traffic, work and stress.
To me, it remains an adventure.
I see the world as a grand place to live, with something different at every turn and where dreams can be real. I wait for the elevator doors to open and soon I am lifted off the ground, a smile growing on my face.
I am going home.
Going upwards.
Life is good.
The wail of my alarm reaches into the darkness of sleep and tugs at me like a gust of wind, pulling me from my inner Zen. The noise grows louder, dragging me away from a good dream. No. Not a good dream.
An excellent dream.
A goddess was at my side in this dream and I felt the warmth of her presence, grateful for our time away from the world. The alarm echoes with growing intensity and I realize she is fading from view so I try to hold on. Even as I reach out to touch her once more, the alarm pierces the darkness and shards of morning light burn into my eyes. The dream is lost and my hand finds empty blankets at my side.
Cool morning air drives away the warmth and comfort of sleep, prompting my attention to the alarm. I shut it off, unsure if I should blame it for taking away the dream or myself for setting it. I glance at the open window as it grows brighter and know the cool morning breeze will soon become a blast furnace. Every minute will grow hotter, and by noon, the city will roast under the blazing sun. Summer is a harsh time for night owls like myself.
I rise and approach the sink to wash up, staggering as sleep continues to drain away from my body. Washing up in the morning is like a ritual. Turning on the cool water provides a temporary wake-up call to my senses, splashing my nerves awake until my morning cup of java can jolt errant neurons into action even as they fight to hold onto the last remnants of a memorable dream before turning my attention on the day to come. Shaving is done with care until I splash on some after shave. Each splash of blue acid is a reminder of how much I will need to endure before day’s end. I splash on more until the burning subsides and my skin is radiating heat and I am ready.
The ritual done, I leave my one-bedroom apartment in a rush, knowing my departure window to make it on time is closing. I activate my artificial intelligence assistant, who provides an overview of the route and see the window to my on-time arrival is down to five minutes and closing with each passing second. I rush down the stairs with a greater sense of urgency, unwilling to wait for the elevator.
Minutes whiz by and I am out of the garage, down the road and heading towards the traffic light that always gives me grief. I approach it with dread, slowing to a stop as traffic speeds by. I know there will be no helping my quiet plea for expediency but I stare intently, knowing the red light has no intention of giving me a break. Traffic clears and I continue my war of wills against the red mocking eyeball. The empty road feels like a scene from the old west and both hands grip the steering wheel, tightening moment by moment and wishing each grip could provide a pair of six-shooters so I could close the looming red eye at last.
An eternity later, my nerves have fried when the red light flickers out at last. An emerald oracle ignites, granting me a reprieve from agitation and I am given safe passage to embark on the day’s adventure.
A moment later, I push into the fray, racing onto the raging rapids of rolling metal maniacs, twisting and turning on blacktop that will soon grow hot as my engine while I stomp on the accelerator, extending the closing window of time until my navigator reveals arrival time has matched the day’s schedule. I breathe a sigh of relief, grateful for the kind oracle and feel the last of the cool air leading me into my workplace and the beginning of my workday.
I give out a few hasty greetings as I pass bodies and move eagerly towards my work station, aware many of my early-bird fellow employees are heading out for breakfast or coffee. Coffee. The word resonates in my head as if it were a thing of magic and I can already taste that nectar of the gods as it sets my mind on fire and my heart into overdrive. So long as I can ingest that liquid of life, I know I can handle anything.
Yes, the world may crash and burn as the days stretch out into an inferno of triple digits that leaves everyone scrambling for shade before noon but as long as I can enjoy a cup of neuron-activating, heart-pounding java, I will welcome the chaos of the world, taking that first sip of the day with a smile.
Firing up the computer is the day’s second ritual, entering passwords, navigating a cyber-maze filled with access paths, network folders, launching one program after another, and of course, seeing what the calendar looks like for the day.
Soon, I am diving into work, tackling the high priority and simple tasks with ease. Time-consuming appointments are arranged by location, handling the closest first and working my way out of the office building until the last one can be handled before the day is done. I am a specialist in this world of stone and metal, and by day’s end, a pot of coffee has been consumed, many fires have been put out and outside the office window, I see the sun beginning its descent over the horizon, signalling me to call it a day.
Someone compliments my weight as I approach the elevator on the way out and I thank them as the doors close. I look down and remember a year ago being heavier and struggling a bit to get some exercise before adjusting my diet. Who knew making a few eating changes would give you results that others would notice? Ah, well…
I make my way home, seeing the madness of the road get ugly as the heat drives even the prettiest of drivers to insanity. I am less inclined to madness, knowing my day is done and my personal Zen awaits. A few minutes later, I am back home, finding relief as I park and letting go of the fading stresses of work, wondering what lies ahead.
A quiet evening with a book and a little music? Dinner and a movie with a goddess? As I wait for the elevator, a grin crosses my lips. No matter how challenging the day or hot the weather, the world around me may see my life as one of traffic, work and stress.
To me, it remains an adventure.
I see the world as a grand place to live, with something different at every turn and where dreams can be real. I wait for the elevator doors to open and soon I am lifted off the ground, a smile growing on my face.
I am going home.
Going upwards.
Life is good.
Thursday, August 8, 2019
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