I Survived The Rapture & All I Got Was a T-Shirt

Saturday night is here and I can’t stop thinking about two poems that I once shared with someone The Passionate Shepherd to His Love by Christopher Marlowe and Ozymandias by Percy Bysshe Shelley.  Headphones adorn my head and leave me alone in the island that I have created while Springsteen sings about The Long Walk Home. It is a mysterious and magical mix of hope, love and loss that keep me company.

The clickety clack of the keyboard intermixed with the rhythmic taps of my fingers and the sounds of the dog snoring make for quite the stew of sight and sound. My heart and head continue to battle each other for control and so I sit here sharing the silly and the sublime with you.

The cranky curmudgeon that occupies this body is playing around with thoughts and ideas for posts celebrating the coming blogiversary. Seven years of labor have gone into this blog. Seven years of tumult and turmoil mixed in with a boatload of nonsense. I “celebrate” my blogiversary each year and this year is no different. And like every other year I have been mulling over what blogging has taught me and how to best give back thanks and gratitude for the gifts it has given.

All around me I see posts from new bloggers talking about what it takes to be successful. Rank amateurs and rookies expound upon their much vaunted success and share their hard earned secrets with all who visit. I am sort of snotty and obnoxious towards some of these rookies. Why? Because I am curious to see how many of the big shots manage to last for any length of time. This is a marathon and not a sprint. Those who last are usually those who love what they are doing. I often find those who last to be more interesting. Maybe it is because they don’t strike me as being as wrapped up in some of the superficial things that come with this gig.

Bruce is still singing and I am wondering what it is like to be able to write and sing the way that he does. Wondering what it is like to have the sort of charisma that can set a stadium on fire. It is not something that is solely left to Bruce. Many artists can and have done it. I have been to more than a few shows where the audience has gotten lost in the experience. I love that and I think that it is one of the things that I hope to achieve with my writing. I want the readers to get lost. I want them to see what I see and to wander amongst the words lost in the world that we create.

Notice that I say ‘we.’ That is intentional because what happens here is a partnership. I draw a world and throw in splashes of color but you fill in the gaps and pieces that need help. You help to determine whether the rough edges remain unpolished or whether they receive a touch up.

It is Saturday night and I wander over to check on my children. I slip into their rooms and walk silently to their beds to see that all is well. Sometimes I stop and stare at them and marvel at the little bodies and faces I see. They sleep so very deeply- brows unfurrowed and arms askew. There is such beauty there.

And so I find myself bending over to kiss them goodnight one more time and then I slip back into the darkness and wander off to work on the things that keep me from sleeping with the same reckless abandonment as they do.

Saturday night is almost over and it is clear to me that the world isn’t going to end today, tomorrow or the day after. Ok, I could be wrong but for something like this I am perfectly happy to accept the scientific explanation for the promises that were made and left unfulfilled today. Now it is time for me to return to focusing on the things that pay the bills so I bid you all adieu.

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32 Comments

  1. Joyce May 23, 2011 at 2:54 pm

    I feel sorry for those people who were gullible enough to believe the Rapture predictions and do something damaging as a result.

    Joyce

  2. Joyce Lansky May 23, 2011 at 10:54 pm

    I feel sorry for those people who were gullible enough to believe the Rapture predictions and do something damaging as a result.

    Joyce

  3. Kristen @ Motherese May 23, 2011 at 6:53 am

    Seven years is quite a feat.  (I’ve only been here for a year and a half and have already “needed” to take two lengthy breaks so your longevity really impresses me.)  Congratulations to you for your dedication and persistence.  And thank you for your sense of humor and your generosity of spirit that keep so many of us coming back.

    I love Bruce Springsteen, by the way.  One of the highlights of my concert-going life was watching him on his Seeger Sessions tour at an outdoor arena outside of Boston.  Man, that must have been five years ago already…

     

    • The JackB May 23, 2011 at 10:29 pm

      @Motherese_Kristen:disqus You have been dedicated in your way. I never had to give birth. Although it is worth noting that my youngest was born shortly after I started blogging.

      This is just something that fills a piece of me so how can I not do it.

      That Springsteen concert sounds like it was pretty good.

  4. Kristen May 23, 2011 at 2:53 pm

    Seven years is quite a feat.  (I’ve only been here for a year and a half and have already “needed” to take two lengthy breaks so your longevity really impresses me.)  Congratulations to you for your dedication and persistence.  And thank you for your sense of humor and your generosity of spirit that keep so many of us coming back.

    I love Bruce Springsteen, by the way.  One of the highlights of my concert-going life was watching him on his Seeger Sessions tour at an outdoor arena outside of Boston.  Man, that must have been five years ago already…

     

    • The JackB May 24, 2011 at 6:29 am

      @Motherese_Kristen:disqus You have been dedicated in your way. I never had to give birth. Although it is worth noting that my youngest was born shortly after I started blogging.

      This is just something that fills a piece of me so how can I not do it.

      That Springsteen concert sounds like it was pretty good.

  5. Columbiarose May 22, 2011 at 12:10 pm

    “Why, man, he doth bestride the narrow world
    Like a Colossus, and we petty men
    Walk under his huge legs and peep about
    To find ourselves dishonourable graves.
    Men at some time are masters of their fates:
    The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars,
    But in ourselves, that we are underlings.”

    No one is ever king of the kingdom he covets.

  6. Columbiarose May 22, 2011 at 8:10 pm

    “Why, man, he doth bestride the narrow world
    Like a Colossus, and we petty men
    Walk under his huge legs and peep about
    To find ourselves dishonourable graves.
    Men at some time are masters of their fates:
    The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars,
    But in ourselves, that we are underlings.”

    No one is ever king of the kingdom he covets.

  7. Kris May 22, 2011 at 10:49 am

    This is lovely, Jack.

    Seven years is a long time . . . Congratulations!

    I have been at this for a bit under 18 months, and I get annoyed at the people who shout from the rooftops about how to achieve success.

    My success (or failure) is mine.  My terms.  My rules.

    My goals.

    They need to shut up.

    Ahem.

    Favorite phrase of this post?

     . . . the promises that were made and left unfulfilled today.

    Yeah.

     

  8. Kris May 22, 2011 at 6:49 pm

    This is lovely, Jack.

    Seven years is a long time . . . Congratulations!

    I have been at this for a bit under 18 months, and I get annoyed at the people who shout from the rooftops about how to achieve success.

    My success (or failure) is mine.  My terms.  My rules.

    My goals.

    They need to shut up.

    Ahem.

    Favorite phrase of this post?

     . . . the promises that were made and left unfulfilled today.

    Yeah.

     

  9. Leon Noone May 22, 2011 at 10:05 am

     G’Day Jack,
    Now really! You’re much too young to be a curmudgeon. And anyway, it’s my word.

    Talking of words, can we now expect a late flowering of Gerard Manley Hopkins on your blog? That would surely give you real cred among the lovers of language among your literate readers.

    By the way, were you really a curmudgeon, you’d remember the Frank Sinatra hit from the 40s. “Saturday Night Is THe Lonellest Night Of The Year.”

    Y’know, children don’t realize how much they’re loved until they have children of their own.

    And as for the wheel reinventors that populate the blogosphere, remember what Mark Twain said, “It aint what you don’t know that gets you into trouble. It’s what you know for sure that just aint so.”

    Just some random thoughts to start the week from The Curmudgeon from Down Under.

    Make sure you have fun

    Regards

    Leon

    • The JackB May 22, 2011 at 10:13 am

      @3884c43f625610ab1bb99b677867ea2a:disqus  Leon it is always a pleasure to see you here. I have spent 42 years working on technique and form so that I can become the world’s greatest curmudgeon because practice makes perfect.
      I am not as familiar with Hopkins so I’ll have to look him up. That is one of the things I love about the net. 

      No disagreement about children. A decade ago when I first started the parenting journey I apologized and thanked my parents all because my eyes had begun to be opened.

      As for Twain, well he is a personal favorite of mine.

      P.S. I have a ton of Sinatra loaded on my iTunes but none on Vinyl.

  10. Leon Noone May 22, 2011 at 6:05 pm

     G’Day Jack,
    Now really! You’re much too young to be a curmudgeon. And anyway, it’s my word.

    Talking of words, can we now expect a late flowering of Gerard Manley Hopkins on your blog? That would surely give you real cred among the lovers of language among your literate readers.

    By the way, were you really a curmudgeon, you’d remember the Frank Sinatra hit from the 40s. “Saturday Night Is THe Lonellest Night Of The Year.”

    Y’know, children don’t realize how much they’re loved until they have children of their own.

    And as for the wheel reinventors that populate the blogosphere, remember what Mark Twain said, “It aint what you don’t know that gets you into trouble. It’s what you know for sure that just aint so.”

    Just some random thoughts to start the week from The Curmudgeon from Down Under.

    Make sure you have fun

    Regards

    Leon

    • The JackB May 22, 2011 at 6:13 pm

      @3884c43f625610ab1bb99b677867ea2a:disqus  Leon it is always a pleasure to see you here. I have spent 42 years working on technique and form so that I can become the world’s greatest curmudgeon because practice makes perfect.
      I am not as familiar with Hopkins so I’ll have to look him up. That is one of the things I love about the net. 

      No disagreement about children. A decade ago when I first started the parenting journey I apologized and thanked my parents all because my eyes had begun to be opened.

      As for Twain, well he is a personal favorite of mine.

      P.S. I have a ton of Sinatra loaded on my iTunes but none on Vinyl.

  11. Janet Callaway May 22, 2011 at 9:45 am

    Jack, aloha.  Happy 7 year Blogiversary–a milestone not too many can celebrate or ever will.

    Jack, your posts do pull forth emotions as do Bruce’s songs, however, your watching stage has not yet expanded to the size of his 
    One of the reasons I believe Bruce endures is because “we” are a part of his evolution, his growth and his experimentation.

    The world has not ended, we are still here.  So for now, my friend, I will say aloha and go out to enjoy a walk in this glorious weather.  Janet

    • The JackB May 22, 2011 at 10:15 am

      @twitter-45938040:disqus  Good morning Janet.One of the things that I love about Bruce is his passion and love for what he does. I think that is contagious.
      Enjoy your walk- that sounds like a fine idea and something that I’ll probably do as well.

  12. Janet Callaway May 22, 2011 at 5:45 pm

    Jack, aloha.  Happy 7 year Blogiversary–a milestone not too many can celebrate or ever will.

    Jack, your posts do pull forth emotions as do Bruce’s songs, however, your watching stage has not yet expanded to the size of his 
    One of the reasons I believe Bruce endures is because “we” are a part of his evolution, his growth and his experimentation.

    The world has not ended, we are still here.  So for now, my friend, I will say aloha and go out to enjoy a walk in this glorious weather.  Janet

    • The JackB May 22, 2011 at 6:15 pm

      @twitter-45938040:disqus  Good morning Janet.One of the things that I love about Bruce is his passion and love for what he does. I think that is contagious.
      Enjoy your walk- that sounds like a fine idea and something that I’ll probably do as well.

  13. Bill Dorman May 22, 2011 at 4:12 am

     This is a marathon and not a sprint; well said and sometimes hard to focus on because everything moves and changes so quickly in here.

    I do love to write, hope it has some sustainability and finds an audience who enjoys it. I’ve had a little spike of notoriety recently and some people have asked “what’s your secret”? I don’t have one, I was just being myself. I would never profess to be an expert with anything in this arena.

    In my mind’s eye I would love to have the ability to move an audience like a Springsteen; but I also think it wouldn’t change me and would always be humble and gracious for any success I might achieve.

    Good morning; I haven’t seen anything on the news about your neck of the woods, but I woke up this morning and unless I ended up in a parallel universe I think I’m still good to go.

    I’ll see you around this week, hope you have good one.

    • The JackB May 22, 2011 at 10:20 am

      @a76049f6a32a1e633a732b81bafb98c9:disqus  Sometimes I see this as being similar to playing quarterback. When you move from college to the pros it takes time to learn how to read the defense and remember what plays to run.
      I don’t know Springsteen personally but part of what attracts me is that he appears to be humble and comfortable with who he is. You come across as being very real and comfortable. That attracts people.

      As for my neck of the woods as best I can tell we haven’t been swallowed by the sea so I am going to work on finishing a few projects. That damn rapture could have saved me some time..rats.

  14. Bill Dorman May 22, 2011 at 12:12 pm

     This is a marathon and not a sprint; well said and sometimes hard to focus on because everything moves and changes so quickly in here.

    I do love to write, hope it has some sustainability and finds an audience who enjoys it. I’ve had a little spike of notoriety recently and some people have asked “what’s your secret”? I don’t have one, I was just being myself. I would never profess to be an expert with anything in this arena.

    In my mind’s eye I would love to have the ability to move an audience like a Springsteen; but I also think it wouldn’t change me and would always be humble and gracious for any success I might achieve.

    Good morning; I haven’t seen anything on the news about your neck of the woods, but I woke up this morning and unless I ended up in a parallel universe I think I’m still good to go.

    I’ll see you around this week, hope you have good one.

    • The JackB May 22, 2011 at 6:20 pm

      @a76049f6a32a1e633a732b81bafb98c9:disqus  Sometimes I see this as being similar to playing quarterback. When you move from college to the pros it takes time to learn how to read the defense and remember what plays to run.
      I don’t know Springsteen personally but part of what attracts me is that he appears to be humble and comfortable with who he is. You come across as being very real and comfortable. That attracts people.

      As for my neck of the woods as best I can tell we haven’t been swallowed by the sea so I am going to work on finishing a few projects. That damn rapture could have saved me some time..rats.

  15. Stan Faryna May 22, 2011 at 1:17 am

    “All around me I see posts from new bloggers talking about what it takes to be successful. Rank amateurs and rookies expound upon their much vaunted success and share their hard earned secrets with all who visit. I am sort of snotty and obnoxious towards some of these rookies.”

    Jack, you’re being too hard on the noobs. I know how you feel. And, sometimes, I just want to make a comment like, STFU! But then, again, humility and kindness restrains my vanity, contempt, and bitterness. [smile]

    The problem for me is not blogging (or how to blog) per se. The issue I take is often about how to do money, business, connection, collaboration, build awesome things together, and live well.

    Humility and Kindness…

    Because I remember that I’m sitting on my empire of dirt. Of hurt. The past is the past and with it all the glory that came and went. The future remains to be seen. It will work out one way or the other.

    Because we (you, me, Wolfe, JM Bell, etc) were young once… enthusiastic, naive, and hopeful once. Actually, I’m  sure that you (just as I do) continue to get those rushes of eagerness from time to time – even if we don’t shout it from the rooftops.

    And I suspect we don’t shout it from the rooftops because we find it harder to laugh at ourselves when demonstrating our foolishness to the world – certainly I have made my share of such demonstrations. And then some.

    Or do you begrudge them their delusions and false consciousness which they pass off as God’s honest truth like poor Harold Camping?

    Like you suggest, get the tee shirt, and have some fun with it – in a loving manner, of course. The snoring dog might be missing a little tug of war now and then. [grin]

    Glad you’re still with us, Jack!

    • The JackB May 22, 2011 at 10:25 am

      @faryna:disqus  Some of the new noobs need to be poked once or twice so that they come back to reality, or at least acknowledge me as Lord Warden of the Western Hemisphere.
      I appreciate their energy and love the passion. I learn things from them as I do from the old dogs too. 

      The best part of blogging is the interaction and engagement with people- bar none.

  16. Stan Faryna May 22, 2011 at 9:17 am

    “All around me I see posts from new bloggers talking about what it takes to be successful. Rank amateurs and rookies expound upon their much vaunted success and share their hard earned secrets with all who visit. I am sort of snotty and obnoxious towards some of these rookies.”

    Jack, you’re being too hard on the noobs. I know how you feel. And, sometimes, I just want to make a comment like, STFU! But then, again, humility and kindness restrains my vanity, contempt, and bitterness. [smile]

    The problem for me is not blogging (or how to blog) per se. The issue I take is often about how to do money, business, connection, collaboration, build awesome things together, and live well.

    Humility and Kindness…

    Because I remember that I’m sitting on my empire of dirt. Of hurt. The past is the past and with it all the glory that came and went. The future remains to be seen. It will work out one way or the other.

    Because we (you, me, Wolfe, JM Bell, etc) were young once… enthusiastic, naive, and hopeful once. Actually, I’m  sure that you (just as I do) continue to get those rushes of eagerness from time to time – even if we don’t shout it from the rooftops.

    And I suspect we don’t shout it from the rooftops because we find it harder to laugh at ourselves when demonstrating our foolishness to the world – certainly I have made my share of such demonstrations. And then some.

    Or do you begrudge them their delusions and false consciousness which they pass off as God’s honest truth like poor Harold Camping?

    Like you suggest, get the tee shirt, and have some fun with it – in a loving manner, of course. The snoring dog might be missing a little tug of war now and then. [grin]

    Glad you’re still with us, Jack!

    • The JackB May 22, 2011 at 6:25 pm

      @faryna:disqus  Some of the new noobs need to be poked once or twice so that they come back to reality, or at least acknowledge me as Lord Warden of the Western Hemisphere.
      I appreciate their energy and love the passion. I learn things from them as I do from the old dogs too. 

      The best part of blogging is the interaction and engagement with people- bar none.

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