On Being Eclectic

My father died when he was 47 (I was 11), his father when he was 43. One of his sisters said each of the brothers (it was a large family) heaved a sigh of relief when he hit 50.

I was never morbid, walking around terrified that my life would be short or afraid to do things thinking they were dangerous or might somehow shorten my life. However, when I hit 50 and felt quite burned out, I realized I had packed an awful lot into my years. Many people don't fit in that much in 80 years, some never, so no wonder I felt mentally exhausted.

The lesson I had learned, largely an unconscious one, was not to wait to do things. I suppose it helped form that philosophy that the motto of my high school was Carpe Diem (make the most of the day). While our homeroom teacher who explained what that meant to us had a slightly different orientation - his take was about working hard on school work every day - it furthered that underlying value I had unconsciously developed, that it was important to pack as much as possible into every day because you didn't know how many you would have. (I hope that doesn't make me sound manic - there was never a frantic aspect to my behaviour. I sat still frequently -usually with something to read in my hands - but my head never stopped. My wife once commented that my brain never turned off and my reaction was a very surprised one - Why would anyone want that to happen? -meditating is not an attractive concept to me, though maybe I don't really understand what it means.)

The result is I have a very wide range of interests and knowledge. I'm not an expert in anything, but can carry on a discussion on just about anything, as long as it is a focussed discussion. (I am terrible at small talk.)

All of which brings me around to this blog. I originally started it because one of my interests is writing fiction (I have published three novels, several short stories, and am now working on a play and another novel.) However, the blog is not simply about writing, though some entries are. Rather, there are a wide variety of topics, reflecting the wide range of my interests.

Is anyone interested in my ramblings? -I have no idea, but articulating issues which are triggered by something that happens during the day is an interesting process.