I know the sun is about to come up, I close my eyes anyway

There's a beautiful moment in Platoon when Taylor wakes up alone in the jungle, disoriented and bloody from an endless night of battle. He looks up and sees a deer not ten feet away from him near the edge of the clearing. A powerful image. To me it conveys the notion that peace isn't necessarily born from conflict, but operates alongside it. The sun is always there, even on cloudy days. I can hear you now, disciples: "Dude, you're so wrong; Stone was showing us how peace is born from violence. Born from, idiot! Geesh - you try to come off so cerebral, but you're just a big dummy and so transparent. Next you'll be pontificating over the significance of a rose petal that appeared in some Ingmar Bergman film. Fuck the deer, fuck Bergman, and fuck you, dickhead! ".

Umm.....that was a bit more harsh than I anticipated. Anyway, you're probably right about Stone's intent, but I saw it a different way because we're dealing with art which not only leaves itself open to interpretation, but encourages it. As for me being a transparent dickhead, you're half right. Half right and a total asshole! If you were here, I'd flay you, I'd horsewhip your ribs, I'd pour vinegar in your eyes, I'd.....

Breathe....

Breathing helps. Clears the mind, keeps you mindful of the present. Ahh..... So, where were we? Oh, the deer. The chief reason I brought it up was because I awoke this morning to a similar vision, only it was Missy's pretty doe-like face gazing upon me and I hadn't just slept off a night of horror in Vietnam. I reached over and stroked her head. She's my girl.

Not long after, around eight thirty, I took Missy outside to the park so she could tend to her morning ablutions. My head was still thick with sleep (I went to bed late) and I wasn't ready for the two Latino women who swarmed us the moment we came out of the lobby. "Oh, Missy, where have you been?", one of them said. "Are you going to let her off the leash? Is Spira having fun in Hawaii? Do you know Missy likes going to that other park by the river? Are you taking care of her this week?

OVERLOAD! OVERLOAD!

I tried to keep up, to be affable, but I'm pretty sure I came off as a quiet grump. I suppose I could have let them know that I'm not always like that, that I wasn't prepared for a barrage of questions and having my private space so suddenly and swiftly infringed upon. Ah, but they were nice women and I really did try to be personable. You do what you can.

In the park, I let Missy off leash. She did her business and then we chased each other around for a bit (actually, it was more her taking off like a bottle rocket and me trying to stay out of her way). Then she came over to me and I hugged her. The two women from earlier came around the corner. I thought I might have scored some points by A) having Missy off-leash, which I think was important to them and B) hugging her affectionately, which illustrated how sweet and pure I am. We went over to them and this time I was more alert and engaging. I even smiled.  We had a pleasant conversation and I felt better about this interaction. A second chance. Life is full of 'em.

Spent a chunk of last night working on music; today, I'll continue. Some time after midnight I started watching Dracula, but Bela Lugosi  couldn't hypnotize me with those powerful eyes into watching the whole thing. I got bored and finished reading Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism. Then I read some Thich Nhat Hanh, started falling asleep, and then revived myself by watching clips of alleged Sasquatch on YouTube.  With all of that, you'd think my dreams would have been messed up, but they weren't. If I did dream, I have no recollection. I did, however, wake up periodically throughout the night with tender thoughts about someone I love and hold dear.

I might go back to bed for a bit and then practice yoga upon waking. We'll see. I may try to meditate instead of napping. Have a splendid day, readers. And remember to focus on what you want and not get stirred up in what you don't. Oh, and eat your vegetables and stay in school.