Sometimes you have to live the
wrong life. You can soar among the stars that spangle the
firmament all you want, breathe the electric ether next to cascading
waterfalls, or rapture in the trellised shadows of green lanes at dusk,
but if you try to share that, you are subject to the gravity of another
human being. Their limitations are yours. The drag is
inconsequential if you are lucky enough to find your soulmate – two
people expanding into each other. More often it is bittersweet,
frustrating and disappointing.
Many of the e-mails I get are from people who feel trapped in this way. They have made a link that negates their will and stunts their choices, but for one reason or another they feel they cannot escape. Some are suffering real pain; some are just numb. Their lives are shrink-wrapped. Like the classic song, they want to know, "Is that all there is?" My answer is always the same. Maybe you really can't change the fundamental disconnect between the outward appearances of your life and your inner truths, but where you live the lie and where you live the truth remains your choice. A sanctuary for the latter is yours to design. And the possibilities for survival workarounds are ingenious and endless. The alternative is to reach that inevitable point of regret when courage comes too late and say, "Oops! Did I forget to live?" If you can't live the right life for you, the advantage of living the wrong life is that there are so many to choose from. Read "dry sarcasm" into the word "wrong," of course. There is nothing more wrong than sitting out your one-and-only life, and nothing more right than being who you truly are.
And I understand the bewildering pain of unending hurts. I didn't write the rules or set the standards for my links either, but I keep faith where I don't need to keep faith, and it rewards me by preserving my romantic ideals and intensifying my potential. I am as free as I choose to be, and the magic of summer seems to emphasize that. Impossible to describe the atmospheres, the communications, the laughs, the joy, the beauty or the insights I visit daily/nightly. Sheer physicality is my Olympics. And playing T sax has been over the top in so many ways. Sirius radio’s music by the decade is my pulse, and the adventures and discoveries seem ever easier to come by.
And then there is the writing. Too much to recount here, but I will sum up the fact that low cost e-book editions of four of my novels have skyrocketed across many lists and sales sites, including lists at Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble where DUST OF EDEN reached #2. Many of you have asked whether e-books can be read on iPads, iPhones, tablets and computers, etc., and the answer is yes to all. Book download sites will have free apps for reading if you don't already have one automatically on your device. Here is my website with all of the links for the new e-books and a superb new audio book, including free samples: http://www.thomassullivanauthor.com/
E-books now outsell print for total revenues, and thanks to author Carole Lanham’s astute question in my June column, I'm addressing the impact on me in this month's StorytellersUnplugged column (KILLING DOUBTING THOMAS): http://storytellersunplugged.com/thomassullivan/2012/08/15/thomas-sullivan-killing-doubting-thomas/
Norby Nation, my adoptive family, continues to add joy to my summer. I love the photo below of Emma & Julia (aka The Minnesota Twins) rollerblading and reaching out to touch like God and Adam on the Sistine Chapel ceiling. The kayaking shots are with a trail friend (Mickey) who is the most committed dog rescue person I’ve ever known. This month’s Blast-from-the-Past photo from my water polo days was re-posted by someone on FB after the Olympics started. Hey, how come they didn’t have that cool blue light for the 5-meter line when I played? (Actually they didn’t have a 5-meter line – it was 4!). The other photos include sunsets on Rice Lake, a waterfall near my house, and a favorite shot near Eastman Center where I spent some incredibly magical afternoons with white chocolate and soul-soaring/heart-healing moments…
The best move I ever made was to Maple Grove, Minnesota. Without that I would never have rediscovered the America of my youth, or fully accessed a synergy with nature, or been adopted by a perfect family, or known that a soulmate was possible for someone like me, or built an itinerary of daily inspirations, or learned how to make true love permanent in absentia. I am blessed beyond belief, and the only way I can show my gratitude is to not waste whatever I am.
May you find soul-sustaining sanctuaries this summer, and moments of truth to live with your heart wide open.
Sully
http://www.thomassullivanauthor.com/
http://www.facebook.com/#!/profile.php?id=1219261326
http://twitter.com/thomassullivan
For Kindle and pc users: http://www.amazon.com/Dust-of-Eden-ebook/dp/B008MQW9Z8/ref=cm_cr_pr_pb_I
For Nook and pc users: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/dust-of-eden-thomas-sullivan/1006198562?ean=2940014953320&format=nook-book
Many of the e-mails I get are from people who feel trapped in this way. They have made a link that negates their will and stunts their choices, but for one reason or another they feel they cannot escape. Some are suffering real pain; some are just numb. Their lives are shrink-wrapped. Like the classic song, they want to know, "Is that all there is?" My answer is always the same. Maybe you really can't change the fundamental disconnect between the outward appearances of your life and your inner truths, but where you live the lie and where you live the truth remains your choice. A sanctuary for the latter is yours to design. And the possibilities for survival workarounds are ingenious and endless. The alternative is to reach that inevitable point of regret when courage comes too late and say, "Oops! Did I forget to live?" If you can't live the right life for you, the advantage of living the wrong life is that there are so many to choose from. Read "dry sarcasm" into the word "wrong," of course. There is nothing more wrong than sitting out your one-and-only life, and nothing more right than being who you truly are.
And I understand the bewildering pain of unending hurts. I didn't write the rules or set the standards for my links either, but I keep faith where I don't need to keep faith, and it rewards me by preserving my romantic ideals and intensifying my potential. I am as free as I choose to be, and the magic of summer seems to emphasize that. Impossible to describe the atmospheres, the communications, the laughs, the joy, the beauty or the insights I visit daily/nightly. Sheer physicality is my Olympics. And playing T sax has been over the top in so many ways. Sirius radio’s music by the decade is my pulse, and the adventures and discoveries seem ever easier to come by.
And then there is the writing. Too much to recount here, but I will sum up the fact that low cost e-book editions of four of my novels have skyrocketed across many lists and sales sites, including lists at Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble where DUST OF EDEN reached #2. Many of you have asked whether e-books can be read on iPads, iPhones, tablets and computers, etc., and the answer is yes to all. Book download sites will have free apps for reading if you don't already have one automatically on your device. Here is my website with all of the links for the new e-books and a superb new audio book, including free samples: http://www.thomassullivanauthor.com/
E-books now outsell print for total revenues, and thanks to author Carole Lanham’s astute question in my June column, I'm addressing the impact on me in this month's StorytellersUnplugged column (KILLING DOUBTING THOMAS): http://storytellersunplugged.com/thomassullivan/2012/08/15/thomas-sullivan-killing-doubting-thomas/
Norby Nation, my adoptive family, continues to add joy to my summer. I love the photo below of Emma & Julia (aka The Minnesota Twins) rollerblading and reaching out to touch like God and Adam on the Sistine Chapel ceiling. The kayaking shots are with a trail friend (Mickey) who is the most committed dog rescue person I’ve ever known. This month’s Blast-from-the-Past photo from my water polo days was re-posted by someone on FB after the Olympics started. Hey, how come they didn’t have that cool blue light for the 5-meter line when I played? (Actually they didn’t have a 5-meter line – it was 4!). The other photos include sunsets on Rice Lake, a waterfall near my house, and a favorite shot near Eastman Center where I spent some incredibly magical afternoons with white chocolate and soul-soaring/heart-healing moments…
The best move I ever made was to Maple Grove, Minnesota. Without that I would never have rediscovered the America of my youth, or fully accessed a synergy with nature, or been adopted by a perfect family, or known that a soulmate was possible for someone like me, or built an itinerary of daily inspirations, or learned how to make true love permanent in absentia. I am blessed beyond belief, and the only way I can show my gratitude is to not waste whatever I am.
May you find soul-sustaining sanctuaries this summer, and moments of truth to live with your heart wide open.
Sully
http://www.thomassullivanauthor.com/
http://www.facebook.com/#!/profile.php?id=1219261326
http://twitter.com/thomassullivan
For Kindle and pc users: http://www.amazon.com/Dust-of-Eden-ebook/dp/B008MQW9Z8/ref=cm_cr_pr_pb_I
For Nook and pc users: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/dust-of-eden-thomas-sullivan/1006198562?ean=2940014953320&format=nook-book
