RISE AGAIN. (listening to the kickass depeche mode tribute CD) Appropriate title for Easter weekend. Rising from the dead, rebirth, regeneration, reincarnation... whatever the method, Spring is again before us. One of the reasons I chose Atlanta in 1996/97 as opposed to some other places was the beauty of the city itself. I know of no other large American metro integrated with trees and other vegitation in this fashion. The skeleton trees are now budding small flowers of all colors, a sight to see. Call me a tree-hugger, if you will, but it visually defines the season. What do we hope for ourselves in this new season? Beauty of Possibility? Looking out my "sit-in" window from my kitchen into the blossoming treetop, mentally, I dive into the possibilities of the season. Everything new. Everything a possibility. Sadly, I'm beginning to think this train of thought is a dying art. So many people, including myself at times, lose themselves in levels of self-pity and forget that everyday presents us with opportunity, we just need to WANT to identify it. Conversation to conversation I share, people filled with a deep, longing need for happiness secure it all to a lofty and ornate dream. This dream is an awesome goal, but what are you doing today to inform yourself whether *this* is anything more than a "dream". Building a Bridge to your Dream. The most difficult part of it all -- imagining the bridge between today's reality and our dreams. We all need two tools: enablers and inspiration. Where do we find these tools? As with any other clueless blogger spouting bits of rather empty-ended philosophy, I don't know. That is, I don't know the answer for anyone else than myself. For myself, *this* is the journey... building the bridge. Enjoying this process everyday, and *not* tying my happiness to the dream. The process is the happiness, the goal is a possible bonus. Wise words realized. "I paint because I love the process of painting" --WTF? I designed a web site some years ago for a local fine neo-Fauvist painter, and she wanted this particular quote included in her site. We on the team, chuckled to ourselves... but now, I realize she had a valid point beyond anything I could imagine at the time. Valerie has a grand point... the process of working on a possible goal brings with it, the happiness of productive therapy. Overdue kudos to you, Valerie. Lesson to self... Continue to practice my belief that "getting there" is the goal. I enjoy driving on my vacations in order to experience all the small things that get me there. The goal isn't the mountains or the beach; instead the goal is enjoying the drive, the music from the CD Player, the light coming from the sunroof, the caffeinne-ridden beverages, the people with me, the gas station attendant in the middle of nowhere, and the feeling of accomplishment I feel along the way. peace seanrox