Chapters

November 6, 2023

Chapter 36: When Your Dreams Die

A close friend of mine recently texted me a link to a YouTube video titled “When Your Dreams Die,” which I’d like to share with all of you. In the video, the psychologist proposes that there are two types of grief. We are all familiar with the first form of grief, like when someone close passes, a relationship breaks up, a parent loses a child, etc. However, the 2nd form of grief is known as “ambiguous grief.” In this chapter, I will delve into what that is and how it affects us all.

October 21, 2023

Chapter 35: Is There An Afterlife?

I decided to write about a subject a friend recently presented to me. Well, it was more of a question, actually. We were having lunch, and he asked me, “What do you believe happens in the afterlife, or more precisely, do you believe there is an afterlife?” Quite the existential question!

July 26, 2023

Chapter 34: The Wheel of Life

This chapter is much more about the music than it is about my health challenges, and that's okay. I'm trying not to weigh down all the chapters. So the big question is, which song(s) will I choose to underscore this chapter? You can click to find out.

July 19, 2023

Chapter 33: My Dream Avatar

Have you ever heard about the 5 seconds or so gap between sleeping and waking? It's the only 5 seconds of peace you'll get all day. When your life is one giant disaster, you have absolutely nothing to look forward to, and you'd really rather be dead than alive; those 5 seconds are precious.

June 16, 2023

Chapter 32: One, Two, Three, Lamborghini

I was taken for a ride in a $500,000 Lamborghini. Yes, that's right—a Lamborghini Huracàn STO, to be exact. Words cannot describe the experience. Long story short, this past winter, shortly after my hip surgery, someone I know offered to take me for a ride in it when summer came around. In the blink of an eye, I went from "probably will never happen" to "it's going to happen!"

June 5, 2023

Chapter 31: The Sound of Silence

Music is as much a part of life as language, food, air, water, and love. It's an ingredient that nourishes the soul and enriches lives. It creates environments for peace, celebration, reminiscing, creating, thriving, happiness and sadness, melancholy, joy, excitement, dancing, and singing. All of these experiences matter.

June 2, 2023 • (version française)

Chapter 30: Un

En tant que primates, nous sommes intrinsèquement des créatures sociales qui sont censées créer des liens les uns avec les autres et créer des réseaux de personnes qui nous tiennent à cœur et qui se soucient de nous. Et en tant qu'êtres humains, la plupart d'entre nous comptent sur l'amour des relations personnelles comme une partie importante de la vie. Pensez aux centaines de milliers de chansons d'amour qui ont été écrites sur le fait de perdre, de trouver ou de chérir un partenaire. Certaines de ces chansons sont absolument déchirantes.

June 2, 2023

Chapter 29: One

As primates, we are inherently social creatures meant to bond with others and build networks of people we care about and who care about us. And as humans, most of us rely on loving personal relationships as an essential part of life. Just think about the hundreds of thousands of love songs that have been written about losing, having, or cherishing a partner. Some of those songs are absolutely heart-wrenching.

April 23, 2023

Chapter 28: Free As a Bird in a Cage

I saw something today that really jarred me. After meeting a close friend for lunch, I decided to take a stroll and walk through the local pet shop. I must preface by saying that I condemn the practice of putting animals in cages, especially birds. My apologies in advance to anyone who has a bird in a cage, as I won't be very supportive of this inhumane practice that serves only to make the owner feel some misplaced pride in keeping a creature that is meant to fly in the sky and live in the trees captive in a cage.

April 18, 2023

Chapter 27: Pop Goes My World

As I'm sure you've noticed, like Donkey in Shrek, I wear my heart on my sleeve. The emotional impact a separation can have, especially when feelings turn around, is hard to describe. I have never felt more alone in my life than I do now. I miss my wife and my old life so much.

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