Blessings

Well, the next morning I appologized to the owner. She didn't know what I was talking about. I have seen this before; selective memory, and it always kinda astounds me. I mean, we were both there, but we remember totally different things.

We kicked butt at the restuarant this weekend. Came close to exceding the dinner sales with our breakfast and lunch sales. Remember, my average check is probably about $25. At dinner, an average check is $50-100. For breakfast and lunch sales to beat dinner says either breakfast and lunch are great, dinner is horrible, or a little of both.

Things are still really messed up, but they are getting better. I am still hoping for a buy-out, but in the mean time I am making progress with the way things are.

Things here are different. I have good friends, my work sucks, but I enjoy the challenge. Buckaroo Bonzai said "no matter where you go, there you are", but what he didn't say is that different places reflect you differently. Some say that others are mirrors; that people resopond to what you present. But they are carnival mirrors, because how someone responds to you is distorted by their own essence. Really, that makes life beautiful; understanding yourself and others by how you reflect each other. I can think of my life as a sort of big collage of interactions.

I have lived in several different places. In the Keys, New York, and Miami Beach, I have felt most at home. People in these places are more crazy, and therefore more accepting of variance. In Indiana, Pennsylvania, and Georgia, people seem to value conformity and are mistrustful of people who behave differently. In those places, I feel like an outsider, here, I feel normal. So even though I am the same person no matter where I go, in some places I am loved more. And that makes all the difference.

In AA they talk about geographic therapy. Alcoholics, and anyone who is a bit off, really, will move around a lot. If you go to Indiana and Miami Beach, and you have the same problems, probably god is trying to teach you something.

I think god is trying to teach me something now. I feel distracted while I write. I met a guy here at the hostel when I was staying here. We connected over coffee and cigarettes early in the morning. I could tell he had stuff going on, and I sure did too. He is a photographer, and I've continued to run in to him. A couple days ago he gave me his card, and I checked out his website. Turns out his 19 year old son killed himself just four months before we met. His website is awesome, www.ipanemic.com. , I am still exploring it. There is a benefit walk for a suicide prevention group in October, and he is a team captain. I signed up. Never done that before, but I set a fundraising goal of $500. I would really like to double that, so expect to hear about this again when I learn a little more. In the meantime, check out his website. I hope it comes across as a link. His name is Scott, and I believe in him. It never fails that when I feel like my problems are overwhelming, I meet someone who has it worse.

Not that I feel overwhelmed, quite the opposite. I wake up every morning and thank god for blessing me.