As is the norm, I spent most of the last week thinking about what I was going to write about this week. The process is usually the same. I look for something that is happening in the world or in my life and try to distill some deep meaning out of the event or, alternatively, I try to pose questions which I leave to the reader to answer. This was one of those weeks where I had a lot of ideas but no clear winners.
Initially, I was planning on asking questions about the state of the union. Would Obama step up and start leading the country? Would he share his vision for where we are going and how are we going to get there? If Obama comes up with a legitimate plan for dealing with unemployment, will the Republicans allow it to pass? Is anyone in the upper level of government going to take any serious steps towards an attempt to deal with the financial woes of the country before next year’s elections?
How could anyone say that over-regulation of the financial markets is the problem with our economy when lack of regulation is what helped us get where we are? Then, I decided that I would prefer to talk about storytelling. I recently began reading a book related to storytelling called “The Writer’s Journey” by Christopher Vogler. I am only halfway through the book, but I can tell you it has changed the way I look at the way good stories are structured and the characters and archetype that are necessary to move a story along and make a point.
Most importantly, the book seems to have some life lessons that can be used by just about everybody. Unfortunately, as I said, I have not finished the book and do not have the understanding that is needed to give the subject the proper treatment at this time.
As the week came to a close, there was the West Memphis Three. What a turn of events. I was called the night before the men were released and was asked what process would be used to release the men if that was what was to happen. I have to admit that I was unable to articulate what I thought was going to happen. I did not see it coming.
Apparently, some great work on the part of local attorneys Patric Benca, Jeff Rosenzweig and Blake Hendrix secured the deal. Lest we forget Judge Laser and Prosecuting Attorney Scott Ellington, who were also instrumental in bringing this very tough case to an end for the State of Arkansas. Ultimately, I have not fully gleaned the meaning of all of this to a point where I feel comfortable really talking about it, so maybe another day. As the week wrapped up, I went golfing. I planned to use the time to relax and decide on a topic for the week.
As I pondered what I should write about, I noticed how green everything had become. It was only two weeks ago that the United States had some of the hottest weather ever recorded. The grass at that time was taking on a look of scorched earth and watering the grass was beginning to feel futile. In just two short weeks, weeks full of rain, the grass and bushes have come back and it is almost as if we are experiencing a second spring. The ponds on the course were all full and the geese seemed happy to take full advantage of their restocked watering holes.
I never did settle on a topic. Sometimes, the week is too big to narrow down to one. Sometimes, the week is too thin to support even a singular topic. Other weeks, nothing jumps out as a clear winner. Some stories are not yet ripe, others are not worth more than a paragraph. It seems that the best thing to do is just look around and enjoy the view. If you are patient the ideas will come. Being patient is what I decided to do this week. Next week I will decide on a topic. Meanwhile, I am going to enjoy the beauty of nature’s mid summer regeneration. I invite you to do the same. After all, the grass is always greener in the CHEAP SEATS!