As luck would have it, I met a few friends in there that I had known for some years. Labrys, Tauwillow, Che, Ria, and it brought me back to when I was first starting out, some years ago, in this journey of self-discovery. One of them, Tau, was starting a new webpage and asked if I'd like to contribute something on a weekly basis. I begged off, knowing that I couldn't write like that anymore. The kind of writing I do doesn't come with a deadline, it comes with inspiration from somewhere I'm not sure ofbut it doesn't understand deadlines. It seems most awake when I'm not, usually 3 to 5a.m. when my mind is foggy with sleep, having just awakened. It seems to love to write in a whimsical manner, not having to face up to the daily responsibilities of life and the heartbreaks we all see at times that seem to plant themselves in our way, refusing to budge or be ignored.

Tau accepted my refusal graciously, as always, and ended with the plea to send her anything I wrote in the hope that it could be included. This led me to think, and realize that the world is rift with self made experts these days. Everyone seems to be writing things that seemed right to them and that has worked into their own personal belief system. This is all well and good. I'm not one to say that what works for one must be hidden away; it could very well help others in the sharing of the knowledge. Yet some things seem to be scraped from the outer fringes of Jupiter but who am I to judge, not one so young on the path himself, surely. What the request DID do, is to point out the lack of storytellers in the world. People who can take you by the hand and lead you to another world, one filled with childish delight and wonder in pointing out their own missteps and foibles in their passage through this lifetime. This I can do. I assure you, as I sit on the cusp of a new month in my 50th year, I can recollect numerous missteps that I have made in my journey. I don't feel badly because I have learned from each one. True, many times it can be said that I have 'reinvented the wheel' as you will see, but sooner or later the message was seen, the lesson learned.

Sit back and enjoy. I sincerely hope I can hear some of you giggling at 3am some dark and lonely morning as you share with me my bumbling through life. It wasn't all sunshine and roses, as you will see, but, looking back, I think the good times outweighed the bad.