Did you know that clouds can swim? I know this because the sky has fallen into the lake below my window and as I write this I can glance down and see them gliding along the black mirror surface. It is as if the lake has taken a perfect photo of a perfect day to preserve into evening. Maybe I’ll carry the canoe down and enter the magic just when sunset starts pouring rose petals into the mix. Magic is best when you can immerse all your senses and your heart, mind and soul into it. My life has always been like that -- rich with romantic realism. I wish the same for you, and that you know where to find the unlocked gates and secret lanes.
Injuries, surgical repairs and rehab may have slowed me down for a while these past few months, but they never interfered with the magic, and now -- like spring -- I have triumphed, full senses five. I feel terrific. Well…there is a little guilt, because so many people have kindly expressed concern, and I know I’ve deflected that. It’s a guy thing. Heal in a cave. But hey, now that I’ve used up the world’s supply of Ace bandages, I can talk about it. Matter of fact, I did over on StorytellersUnplugged.com, because it was mostly funny, and so I got a column out of it this month http://www.storytellersunplugged.com/thomas-sullivan-alice%e2%80%99s-restaurant-the-bataan-death-march-and-falling-asleep-in-an-mri#respond
Whatever your personal hurts and limitations, you can always find a way to live to the max. That’s because life actually takes place between the ears. Your dreams never rejected you, but you may have rejected your dreams. Surround yourself with the stuff of your fantasies, and you will rise to the level of ideals they represent. They will become real as you become real. If you live appearances, that’s what your ideals will become -- appearances.
This month’s photos below include a couple from when I was being embalmed, and another of three kids (twins Julia & Emma and Peter) from Norby Nation -- the neighborhood family that took a cocker spaniel and me in out of the rain about two years ago. We are biking around Rice Lake in the picture, and their dad, my buddy Bruce, snapped the photo. Also, Doc Foto has struck again -- that’s him as Sancho Panza in the Don Quixote shot (hint: he does not have 4 legs). And I don’t know where he got the nose to slap on me in the other photo, but I’ll take Cyrano de Bergerac – one of my fav lit characters. My illustrious WebMaster, Ed Picard the Surfing Philosopher from sunny Cal, has put some other new photos up on our site: http://www.thomassullivanauthor.com/photos.htm
My very own boy-child, Sean (a.k.a. Shane), e-mailed corrections to last month’s newsletter, informing me that Peter Max was mostly a 60’s icon and that a 10-iron is a pitching wedge. He signed himself, “Keeping you honest and accurate for over three decades, The Boy” Sometimes I think he’s older than me. ... And one of my closest childhood friends -- who goes by the name of Wampus and calls me Treesqueak -- thought I wasn’t responding to e-mails until we realized that her college was filtering them out because its security settings designated my address as a spammer’s every time I sent out a mass mailing such as the newsletter. I am virtually certain that this must be happening in other mail applications or browsers, because I’ve been using the same e-mail address from which I send the newsletter to people all over the globe. So I want to state unequivocally that I answer ALL my mail. If you don’t hear back from something you asked, suspect that something is being blocked. In that case, you can try this e-mail address for me: s105401@earthlink.net . I really hate to leave people twisting in the breeze. ... If you know me from water polo, you will want to check out Chuck Hines newsletter, which is loaded with inspiration and history as well as current updates. Chuck is to water polo what Ed Picard is to swimming for we who were baptized in the same waters. You can write Chuck at waterywhiz@charter.net to get on his email list.
As I write this newsletter, I am about to catch the annual hoot at Bluesfest 5 – 10 smokin’ bands in 10 hours. Nothing like sitting in the spray of a waterfall, eating ribs and Ben & Jerry’s, while soaking up local color and soul. More about Bluesfest, with photos, next month. Meantime, I post updates and comments of 140 characters or less on Twitter every day. You are invited to follow those, if you like. It’s easy and unintrusive. Just click this link http://twitter.com/thomassullivan and you’ll see my Tweets. If you click Join Twitter all you have to do is make up a username and password, and click Follow after my name in order to keep track. It’s anonymous and you don’t have to do anything after that. Nothing will come to you, but you can go to the posts anytime. Sample of my recent Tweets: “Moon drizzling molten silver on the lake, right to the couch from which I’m watching. Better than loose change in the cushions...” and “Do they call it homicide if you pick off a 6 AM water skier with a coffee can lid hurled Frisbee style?”
And if you’d like to get this
newsletter sent directly to you free each month (including photos which aren’t
posted here), email me at mn333mn@earthlink.net
. Wishing you a great month. Live large, live real...
Thomas “Sully” Sullivan
http://www.thomassullivanauthor.com
http://twitter.com/thomassullivan
