On The Air

(Originally posted 13th April, 2004)

Modern life moves pretty fast. So fast, in fact, that most of us are too busy being caught up in the day-to-day stuff that we forget to slow down and appreciate the things that we have and what’s going on around us.

This journal is my attempt to appreciate some of the little things in life that so often get overlooked or taken for granted. Either that, or just stuff that fascinates me. I’ve found that the times when I’ve spent time every day appreciating such things and giving them some consideration are the times when I am most content in my own life. I like that feeling and it’s one that I’d rather have more often.

Most people who know me, or who at least read my other journal, are aware of the fact I’m a big Northern Exposure fan. My favourite character on the show, without a doubt, was Chris Stevens (who was so brilliantly played by John Corbett). Chris was the DJ in Cicely, and his “Chris in the Morning” show was usually filled with amusing anecdotes and observations on life. Chris’ monologues were sprinkled with philosophy, psychology, poetry and a whole stack of other stuff.

So, as a homage to Chris in the Morning, I’m planning on writing this journal in a similar style. Chris’ monologues sometimes began huge crystallisations of thought for me and got me reading stuff that I’d never even heard of. I’m hoping that perhaps some of the things that I write may do the same for others. But at the same time, I’m not really doing this for other people; I’m doing this for me.

Like the Chris in the Morning show, I’m planning on keeping this relatively light-hearted. This is not to say that it’s going to be silly; on the contrary, that’s the last thing that I want. I’m hoping that at least some of the posts will maybe cause you to pause and think about things for yourself, and maybe you might even learn a thing or two that might come in handy later on. I don’t know. That stuff’s all in the future and we’ll have to just wait and see.

As I said before, I’m doing this mostly for myself. Because of that, I’ve decided to treat it like a radio show and I’ve deliberately turned comments off. Because I’m planning on asking a bunch of questions as a way to start each topic, there’s a good chance that most of these questions will be at least partly rhetorical. I’m not looking for specific answers to them. Sometimes not knowing the answer is better than actually knowing it. In my experience, asking questions about the mystery that is life is often the best way to unlock your own creativity and get some surprising insights into the way that you think. The journey started by asking for questions and then pondering the answers and revelations that come up as a result often brings great joy and relieves the depression and melancholy that so plagues modern life.

So, that’s what this is all about. I’m hoping to get a new entry up every day or two, depending on how busy I am at the time. Hopefully you’ll find something interesting here for you to think about, and I’m hoping that maybe my little ramblings might actually put a smile on your face and brighten up your day a bit.