By the time you read this I will be the answer to everything

Tomorrow I become the answer to life, the universe, and everything. I've always enjoyed a healthy self regard, mixed with equal parts self-doubt, loathing, love and flagellation, so finally becoming the answer to the ultimate question will likely continue in the same vein.



Which led me to google feeling blood flowing in various parts of my body, which I do. Sometimes like a cellphone vibrating, but apparently common - so I stop reading. My capacity to bad trip on health issues is considerable, yet a series of doctors have sent me packing. Guess what? I'm aging. And the main goal is to avoid negative introspection.

Read a great quote by Neil de Grasse Tyson (thanks Lucinda) who said “there's only two philosophies I live by 1) to learn something new every day 2) to reduce in some way the suffering of others.”

And that's pretty damn good advice. The learning keeps you open and curious and interested, the helping helps you get over yourself. There's something about helping others, actively prioritizing the interests of others, that makes you feel great.

One of those benevolent side effects of enlightened self-interest - how getting our heads out of our asses - stopping feeling sorry for ourselves and wondering why the universe hasn't done more to pleasure us senseless - actually gives us pleasure. It's got a lot to do with detachment - the release from not caring so intensely about ourselves for awhile.

It helps to not be hungover - making my hand puppet a “Please subscribe”
video last night and downing a litre of Bitberger left my head crowding out my proctologist today, but it's better now. Why it will be easy (we’ll see what happens...) to start my 43rd clean and sober.

I'm pleased to have made it this far and look forward to many more - there's a beautiful video of the oldest holocaust survivor answering what keeps her going “I see beauty everywhere” which is pretty much what I aspire to. Given the frequency and intensity of the times I've thought I was dying makes the good times, hell the fair to middling times - twice as sweet.

Thank you all for the time we’ve spent together. I am truly lucky to know so many funny, smart, strange and disturbing yet on average decent people - given “what's out there” (I'm talking about YOU, interweeb) it's not something I take for granted.

Here's to happy times, health, and the wisdom to find beauty in everything. I just won't toast this one with alcohol - well, not yet.