I forgot my gloves on the way to work this morning. Again. I’ve moved into a new home, new living arrangement, new neighborhood, and all my routines are up-ended, and the unpacking is not yet completed. I feel unsettled, rather a lot, and I forget things on my way to places. It’s a small thing and I know that over time my routine will be rebuilt and my obvious forgetfulness will be a little less obvious, and a little more well-managed. I get frustrated with what seems like a very slow process of adjusting to what is new.
I feel a little directionless today, like existence itself is just a little bit ‘off topic’ at the moment. I’m tired and although I am managing to sleep, I am not getting enough hours. I am eagerly craving a breakthrough in thinking, or meaning beyond the ordinary, some great cosmic level of profundity – the ‘Aha!’ moment. I want an answer!
What I have to share with myself right now are a lot of questions. I have a large assortment – maybe you could use of few of these? I think I have extras…
- Who am I? I mean, seriously, what defines ‘me’?
- What do I actually want out of my life? What do I need to thrive? Where do these two things cause difficulties in achieving either?
- Does new information change the meanings of past events? If it does, for whom does the meaning change?
- How exactly does that ‘happiness’ thing actually work?
- What is most important to me? Will it ‘make me happy’ if I have that, do that, or know that?
- Is there a ‘nice way’ to be angry?
- If all the words I’ve said and written over all the years I’ve been speaking aloud and writing haven’t said what I thought I needed to say, measured entirely by whether I ‘feel heard’, does it mean that I simply lack the ability to feel that sensation? Or that I lack the ability to recognize that I am not being understood?
- Is ‘anything’ actually ‘this complicated’ – or is that an illusion based on subjective lack of skill?
- Aren’t I ‘a little old for this’?
If you find my answer to any of these, please send it on along, I could probably use the help. If you find your answer to any of these, I hope it has enormous value to you!
I did forget my gloves this morning, but I did not lose them, and it’s a good day.


Today IS a good day, and I find your ability to focus on positives admirable.
I believe there is a “nice way” to be angry, and in my mind it rather resembles the delivery of the line, “Okay, um, I’m lost. Uh, I’m angry and I’m armed…” in “War Stories”, an episode of Firefly. My “nice way” involves using explicit adjectives rather than intonation (or slamming things about) to express myself and, if at all possible, anger that avoids putting the other folks in the conversation on the defensive.
I may do my own journaling on most of your questions, but as for happiness — I’m not sure I really have happiness. I have extended periods of contentment with instances of joy or glee, but I’m not sure I’m energetic enough to be what “happy” looks like to me.
(If you haven’t seen Firefly, I heartily recommend it.)
I LOVE Firefly! Omg! I should watch the whole thing again, soon…there are good lessons there. Thank you, Jo.