A Few Feelings for a Fall Friday Afternoon

Way back in the spring – and it seems like years ago to me right now – I established this current iteration of my online journal. The plan was to write and publish exactly 217 words every day. The goal was simple: to see if I could come up with something interesting on a daily basis. There was a deeper purpose involved though. The first anniversary of my mom’s passing was approaching and, while I knew I needed to face that date (April 16), I also needed an effective distraction to keep me from dwelling too much during the lead-up to that day. Faithfully keeping this journal every day did the trick.

After April 16th passed, my journal posts dropped off, gradually becoming non-existent. This week though, I found myself in an odd realm, a liminal state of mind in which I was shuttling between “Phillies Fever,” the ebullient 45-rpm single recorded by five members of the 1976 Philadelphia Phillies; and Time Out of Mind, the murky, mysterious, moody 1997 album by Bob Dylan.

It’s a weird place to be, but it’s an accurate representation of where my head is at these days. It’s also a potentially creative place to be, which has got me thinking of reviving these 217-word entries just to see where they’ll lead. Stay tuned.

~217~