the pilot episode

With it being the first day of the year, I'm doing something new. This will be the closest thing you will see me do that is even remotely similar to a New Years Resolution. I've never set New Years Resolutions, and being at the age I am now, I don't see that changing. The term about old dogs and new tricks come to mind. Bow-wow.

On January 1, I really don't need to establish specific areas and goals in which I can see me fall short during the upcoming months. I let myself down consistently enough during the year on my own.

But, being that today, New Year's Day, is full of well wishes and positive thoughts of the upcoming year, I figured I might as well do something that resembles self-improvement, so I'm starting a site just devoted to my thoughts... I by no means am foolish enough to think that this is a belated Christmas gift to the world or something. I don't expect thank you notes from the leaders of every nation by St. Patrick's Day or anything.

Still, I had a blog on myspace that a few folks liked, and being now that I have become a facebook fanatic, I'm afraid I've abandoned my writings when I left myspace behind. The thought with this site is that by giving my writing a stage, I'll show up to perform more often... granted, the only person that may ever read this could be a whithered old woman in Yugoslavia who has three hairs on her chin and stood in line all day just to get her bread and vodka which she eats every night when she reads my writings... But, if I bring a smile to just one face, then I've done my job. I mean, I would prefer the smile I bring to be on the face of Neil Patrick Harris, but I guess the poor lady in Yugoslavia is good too.

Does Yugoslavia even exist anymore? I sort of lost track with everything over there the wall came down in Berlin. To me, that was such a great, dramatic moment that I just signed everything off as "they lived happily ever after" and stopped following most of foreign politics. This basically means I have an eighth grade education of foreign politics which is frozen in 1988. This also means that when Anderson Cooper and I go out on our first date, we'll have to be creative about our conversation topics, but I'm still pretty confident that we'll have a good time.

Where was I? Oh, yes-- the new blog. So, here it is. I can't guarantee that they'll all be winners. This one certainly isn't. I'll probably start off by reposting some of my myspace blogs, just to get the ball rolling. Still, the idea is for me to write more... not because I think the public demands it but because this is one of the best ways for me to process life. And, the older I get, the more there is to process. Some will be funny. Some will be sad. Some will be both. Some may share too much. So, if you read them, get ready... for honesty, for rawness, and more than likely, for too much information. With jazz playing and a glass of wine by my side (as there is now), there's no telling what I'll say.

Before I close, let me explain the name of the blog-- The Meeting Field. A few years ago, Kathy, my best friend and the person who loves me so much that she helps me love myself, gave me a necklace that is probably my most prized possession. On the chain is just a simple box and on that box is an inscription that reads, "Out beyond the ideas of right doing and wrong doing, there is a field. I will meet you there." This quote from Rumi sums up true love so eloquently, so vividly and so powerfully that I choke up almost every time I say it.

In my mind, I imagine this gorgeous field, a vibrant green of waving, tall grass with a deep, warm blue sky covering it. Sprinkled among the grass are gatherings of people, hugging, talking, laughing... some couples, some families, some friends. There are words of encouragement and love. There's not judgement. Differences don't matter. The peace that is found in the field is also found in the hearts that are there. In a sense, it's heaven.

As I share my thoughts in this blog, I imagine them to be the words that I would share to my friends, family and loved ones in this field. In the gorgeous, peaceful and safe Meeting Field...