that other song

so a few days ago, i was thinking about my preparations for moving and thought that maybe, as i headed out west, i would stop by the house and pick up a few personal items. this in turn got me thinking about my ex and feelings of loneliness and actually missing him began to creep in. i've stated it before and i'll state it again here. it really hurts when someone you love so much is not right for you and you really know you can't be together.

the next morning i was listening to music as i was getting ready for work and this song came on. it's a song i've heard a couple of times since the break up, and it was a reminder of the fact that i really need to hold on and believe that there is an other side to this experience. i will eventually get there, but it's just going to take awhile.

one other point to think about when you listen to this song. i see it very much as a duet not a solo. this song can apply equally (and with some lyrics more) to michael's perspective on what's happened as to mine. i hope the same resolution for him as well.

over you by daughtry

theme song

i originally had another song planned for this entry related to another topic, but this morning i was thinking about the fact that today i will be sharing with my colleagues  that i will be leaving at the end of september. this thought then got me reflecting on all of the changes that lie ahead and how much there is that i will need to prepare for the transition. thinking about it all can cause one to become somewhat overwhelmed.

for whatever reason, thinking about changes reminded me of the song from which this blog takes its name. at the outset of creating this blog in the midst of another time of transition three years ago, i posted the lyrics of the song but i did not post a link to the actual song. this seemed like an appropriate time to do so. so we'll save that other song for tomorrow, enjoy the sweetness and beauty of this one, and be reminded anew of the truth in this composition that is truly dear to my heart.

enough to be on your way by james taylor

good news

smiling is not something i've been doing very much of late. but today, to be honest, i'm beaming. the kind of smile that doesn't just exist on your face but extends all the way into your heart and warms your soul. now the pragmatist in me says that this feeling won't last and that maybe it's even a little silly to invest time in feeling this way. but when such feelings have been few and far between, my pragmatic side is just going to have to indulge me and allow me at least a few moments to bask in the news.

so soon i will be pulling up stakes and heading west to a new job opportunity and a new season of life. i've gone through several such transitions as i've commented on a few times previously in this blog. this one will certainly have it's challenges. i have no friends or family where i'm moving nor have i ever lived in that portion of the country. the job is large in scope and significant in responsibilities. and yet i am eager to begin and in many ways start anew. time to shake off the cobwebs, take a deep breath and dive in.

but first i need to start closing down shop here, say my goodbyes, prepare for the move and take a bit of a break. with all that is ahead, i'm pretty certain that the next few months should be very interesting. stay tuned.

proving a negative

i found myself in the midst of a debate late last night about the merits of gossip. for those who know me, believe it or not, i was on the con side. i state that to admit that while i have been known to browse through certain tabloid magazines, drop by a certain blog that peddles in celebrity "news" (the nom de plume of the blogger is partially shared with a certain celebutante), and partake in office chit chat, i still maintain that gossip is not an essential part of our daily lives and likely we would all be better off without it. my worthy debate opponent argued that it is an integral part of communication and vital for our day-to-day interactions.

mind you i think that we may have been working from different ideas of what entails "gossip," but i did pull this definition from wikipedia to help frame our discussion because i found it accurately reflected my perspective on gossip:

gossip is idle talk or rumour, especially about the personal or private affairs of others.

i think the reason why  i believe gossip is particularly unnecessary is that it rarely relies on facts but more often than not instead involves rumor, speculation, and innuendo. i had to admit though that having been the recent target of office gossip i might be hypersensitive about the matter and i disclosed this fact at the end of our chat. it seemed that part of my friend's argument was that gossip was not only a way to relay information necessary for a group of people to function but that it is a means for our brains to engage in an active processing of information, without which they would be reduced to if i recall the terminology correctly "gelatinous blobs."

so (as is often the case) we pretty much argued to a standstill. when i work up this morning though i was struck with a thought that i've had before following such discussions about human behavior -- that being that it is nearly impossible to prove a negative. in this case obviously it would be how our lives would be fine, if not better, without gossip. the fact is that even the wikipedia definition goes on to state that gossip is one of the oldest forms of human communication. it is a practice that is at the very foundation of our social structure. therefore, there exist numerous examples of how gossip has a place in our society. at the same time, i would submit, there exist no widely known examples of living a gossip-free existence. therefore, there are no manifest examples of the benefits of not engaging in gossip or, at the very least, that it's absence would not be detrimental to our lives.

it's really a challenge to prove a point when you have the whole of human existence providing evidence against you. somehow, that doesn't manage to prevent me from trying.