Perseverance of the Butterfly

I can't stop thinking about Jean-Dominique Bauby, the author and subject of the movie "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly." He was editor-in-chief of Elle magazine in Paris when he had a massive stroke and went into a coma. When he regained consciousness he couldn't speak, and could only move his left eyelid. The movie is about him writing his book by blinking his left eye to communicate the letters. It's an incredible story.

I wonder how much we'd say if we had to communicate like that. How short would our sentences be? What would go unsaid? It's hard enough to have feelings and thoughts and not be able to verbalize them with all the words available.

I was amazed at how much description he put in his sentences; the feelings that he described and the analogies used. Of course, he was a writer to begin with, being editor of Elle. When he died 10 days after the book was published, it seemed that writing the book had been his reason for living.

Don't we all wonder, just a little, not wanting to tempt the fates, but still we wonder, how we would persevere in such a situation. Stories like this and having friends with cancer make me embarrassed for not making the most of every single day.

Bad Haircuts & Life

A bad haircut can sure screw up your karma. I hate that it's so, but it's true. And right now, I'm blaming myself. I did not even try to explain what I wanted -- I thought based on what I had, she would know. Her vision and my vision ne'er did meet. And what flashed through my mind at this very minute was the symbolism of how that relates to other aspects of life. If what we want goes unstated, we're at the mercy of whoever is willing to speak up, whoever is willing to act.

I tend to let life come rather than make it happen. It's worked for me, but every now and then I want more say-so. A good resolve for 2008 perhaps. Make it happen. Visualize the result I'm wanting. First I have to know what I want.