Epiphany

Haven't had one of these in awhile, so I thought it worth mentioning ...
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I just had a short story fall into my head.

I've been a working writer for the past 30-odd years; primarily in television, at first, now mostly books and film. Since I tend ofttimes to focus on the more ... unpleasant ... vicissitudes of my life (we all do; it's a human thing), it's good to be reminded that the word "vicissitude" can connote something positive as well as negative. The word itself is neutral.

It's true that one of the biggest curses of my life has been being inflicted with Parkinson's Disease. It has devastated me, both mentally and physically. And it will ultimately destroy me.

So it's good to remember that I've also been fortunate, enough to do what I love most to do for pretty much my entire adult life. In that respect, I've been incredibly lucky. (And I'm not saying some kind of karmic balance is being addressed here; one in no way evens out the other. Obviously, the best life would have been the life of a writer sans PD. I'm just saying that it's good that I had the courage to go for it. Otherwise, I might've been just some guy who worked at some anonymous job all his life and wound up with a chronic degenerative disease. That would have been truly awful.)

As for the short story idea, I've poked at it, driven it around town a little, and it seems pretty solid. So, as soon as I get a chance, I'll write it. It won't be right away, though -- I've got two books under contract that need to be finished first.

It's good to keep a sense of perspective about life ...