Hour and A Half Adventure

Never judge a book by its movie. ~J.W. Eagan

The screen flickers on.

A hero.
A quest.
Loyal friends.
The wide expanse of landscape opens before them.
A dream unrealized.
Possibilities unsure.
They start on their journey, travel miles unseen.
Danger awaits. Lurks. They battle.
Injured, they win but at a cost. Worth the cost? The question echoes.
Limping, they continue. Hope still burning.
On and on. Some are lost. Others are found.
Meeting. Leaving. Growing.
A new man is born.
They reach their goal.
A final challenge. A final test.
Forces of good and evil fight to triumph. Who will win the day?
Evil seems stronger. Will they? Will they?
All seems without hope. The hero is almost gone.
The hero searches inside. Finds more. More than himself.
He rises. Drives back the evil. Banishes it from existence.
It has gone. It is over.
Good has triumphed.
Celebration. Wonder. Joy.
The return home. Heroes changed.
Life with new meaning.
A tender kiss.
Hearts swell.

The credits role.
Music plays.
The screen fades.
Fickers off...

Flight 1367

The air up there in the clouds is very pure and fine, bracing and delicious. And why shouldn't it be? - it is the same the angels breathe. ~Mark Twain, "Roughing It"

In a world above worlds, the clouds roll by me. Full. Whispy. Towering in strange shapes that fascinate the imagination. Where are they? The landscape is bizarre and unusual, just as the inhabitants must be. A peculiar people living in their airy existence. What might they be? A skyscraper towers up in front of me, sure to contain jobs. Possibly families. But I can’t see. They laugh at my frustration. They taunt me. They are there.

The sun flashes across my line of vision, causing me to look away. The moment passes and I look back. Nothing but blue and white fills my sight now. The wide expanse of the sky arrests my gaze, challenging me to come and conquer. It seems endless. The clouds invite me down, the people beckon to me. It seems attainable. I fall, cool air flowing over my body. I feel I am caught gently on the cushions of whiteness. I sigh in content.

It turns cold. My eyes snap open as their illusion gives way and I fall through very real water vapor. Plummeting toward the hard earth below. They laugh again at my naiveté. Who doesn’t know what clouds contain? What a dreamer this boy. My fall arrests. They put me back in my metal bird.

“Ladies and gentleman, the captain has turned on the fasten seat belt sign in preparation for our arrival. Please bring your seats and your trays into the upright and locked position—“

You say good-bye, and I say hello

Photo:Pintrest

How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard.
~Carol Sobieski and Thomas Meehan, Annie

Goodbyes—

Short or long

Tearful or dry

Poignant or humorous

Wistful or resolute

Why do we hate good-bye so much?

Anybody?

All are simply doorways to "hello"s, "good to see ya"s, and "how've you been"s.

They solidify places in your heart for people you will miss. Maybe I’m missing something—

Change. Ahhhh—that’s why good-byes seem to haunt nightmares. Change is the double-edged sword. Growth and suffering. Part of a packaged deal. No matter how insignificant a good-bye is, change happens. It becomes.

So could we never say good-bye? Would hello still be the same?

I submit it cannot. Opposition is a beautiful thing. A necessary thing.

So say some good-byes. I did today. Not for a long time but a good-bye nonetheless. I didn't like it. It’s healthy. It's necessary. Then you know that some hellos are coming your way.

Evening

"Every evening I turn my worries over to God. He's going to be up all night anyway."
-Mary C. Crowley

They sit on the couch. Darkness is falling outside. The pattering of keyboards fills the air for a short minute. Two pairs of eyes stare at computer screens. Absorbing. A set of hands bustle around the kitchen. The first strains of music start. Envelop them. A mouth opens, following the flowing lyrics. They sing to their hearts content. Darkness continues to fall. One wonders. Ponders. Hopes. Maybe...