________  ________  ________   
   2024-04-07                                   /        \/        \/    /   \  
                                               /       __/         /_       _/ 
   christyotwisty  asks for  suggestions for  /        _/         /         / 
things to  love in life[1]  so here's a few.  \_______/_\___/____/\___/____/_
month and a  bit so it'll be a good exercise    /        \/        \/    /   \
for me as well as helping a dear friend.       /        _/         /_       _/
                                              /-        /        _/         /
   first is the company I keep.               \________/\________/\___/____/

   my friends list is small. I'll always try to be friendly  and welcoming but
I'm also  really guarded,  I'll never solicit  help when I need it,  I'll just
muddle through  as best I can and right  now I  desperately  need people in my
life. the people around me in real life are not my friends, or my family,  and
here I'm  mostly alone dealing with a double-whammy of grief and isolation.  a
few people in my  online  space have stepped up to bat,  spending time with me
online when I need it and being patient with me when I'm being needy.  dokuja,
bstuf, brendo, epoch, tomasino from the computer world, molex from my art life
and my oldest friends shrike and oatse have all made time to just idle with me
on calls and blather on about whatever we're hype or mad about and it's really
been helpful beyond  measure and I'm thankful  in ways I don't even have words
to describe.

   second is the enthusiasm of my peers.

   I recently lost  someone that will leave a big hole in my life,  I'll write
about  them  in a  separate  post,  someone  who's  knowledge  and passion and
enthusiasm for  art was  infectious  and  intoxicating  and  energizing.  I'll
treasure  that always and every ounce of drive they gave me to be curious  and
creative I'll pay forward to the people in my life.

   lastly, and  less abstract, is music.  this almost seems like a  no-brainer
for christina because  I know she loves music  and  draws  from a deep well of
likes and loves but music is so powerful as to practically be magic. music can
save you from a fall, or, when impact is unavoidable it can ease your blow. it
can derail  the blackest mood and most violent spiral,  it can draw poison out
of your psyche and free you from it and it can crystalize a thought or feeling
into a lifetime memory.

   listen to more music. listen to music you love, listen to music you used to
love but haven't thought about, listen to new music friends recommend,  when a
song catches your attention  deep dive into the artist  and  the album and the
genre.  branch out,  try anything,  don't  be afraid to shelve music you don't
like anymore or indulge music you think is embarrassing or silly.

be well.


[1] gopher://sdf.org/0/users/christyotwisty/phlog/2024-04-03.txt



EOF