by the polar order

You know, I really don't want this to be a once-a-week kind of blog; it just so happens that I've been preoccupied lately.  That means you're going to have to deal with a lot of unrelated nonsense coming together now, for which I apologize deeply.

Now, the things that have been preoccupying me:  writing!  Germany!!

I started editing my book, and so far I've gotten through about 10% of my first go-through, which is aimed mostly at fixing basic spelling and grammar errors, improving readability of some sections, and noting which parts need a rewrite or to have something added to them.  It's tremendously fun, not at all the busywork I had imagined; still, it's also really stressful to be confronted with all the mistakes I made in the writing process.  Granted, I was writing under serious pressure, but I have to maintain certain standards of self-disparagement, or I'll never learn.

And, every now and again, I come across a passage that I really like, and I feel great about myself!  I just wish I could remember the secret blend of diet, sleep, and daily rituals that put me in the mode of writing beautifully on some days, and awfully on others.

Ok, so what else is cooking?  Just that my wife and I are going to Germany!  We booked our tickets, and we'll be shipping out for the second half of July.  I've got a lot to prepare.  I have to figure out if my phone will be usable with a SIM card in Europe.  I have to brush up on my German.  And I have to decide whether seeing the resting place of Charlemagne is worth the several-hour train ride...

But oh man, to see the place where Europe's greatest king was crowned Holy Roman Emperor!  I mean, the Holy Roman Empire wasn't formed yet, it was a purely ceremonial title, but still...that is some rock-solid history.  And history is a large part of what I am about.

I've been thinking about history a lot lately, and especially the idea of history repeating itself.  The concept that events can happen in a similar configuration over and over, with only the actors and their circumstances changing, is really appealing to me, even if it's a little absurd.  But what interests me even more is how this might tie into individual lives -- if we don't change, are we doomed to repeat the same kinds of interactions over and over again?  Are there cycles of action-reaction that we are locked into by our personalities?  Will the circle be unbroken?

Personal growth, I know, is hugely important if you want to engage with the world in a positive way.  And I deeply, deeply want that!  It's easy, when you aren't happy, to see the world as a mucky, unkind place, more prone to granting the wishes of the undeserving than we unfortunates.  That's why I cherish every little reminder that the world is a wonderful place, full of humor and joy.  For example:

If a penguin can become a knight, surely the world has room for any of us to achieve our dreams.  It's just a matter of being brave enough to waddle up to them.