thoughts & things

Attended Josh and Bri's wedding on Friday. It was gorgeous and so much fun. They were a darling couple and are so in love it's infectious. I sat there, watching them laugh, cry, and promise their lives to each other -- and I was taken back to five years ago when Kelly and I were doing the same thing. It absolutely astonishes me that I've been married five years (well, on December 18th I will be). It's such a grand thing. I wouldn't be half the man or half the artist that I am if it wasn't for her. I have so much farther to go, but I wouldn't be even a fraction of what I am if it wasn't for her. I know that. I only hope I'm giving back to her an equal share.

There is no easy transition to the next paragraph so I'll just shout ALBUQUERQUE and move on.

When I'm not reflecting on the marvelousness of love (oh, that's the transition I was looking for. Dang. If only I could find a way to edit out that last sentence -- and this one), I've recently found myself contemplating human nature.

We are so toxic. I don't even think we can help it. We spew our thoughts and beliefs on people and then quickly add, "in my humble opinion" and think that gives us some kind of free pass. We really don't take into consideration other people's feelings, we just want to make sure everyone knows how we feel. We think things like, "if I just mind my own business and people mind theirs, then we'll all get along fine." But that's not the earth we live on.

Was it John Donne or Jon Bon Jovi who said "no man is an island?"* We cannot live in a bubble. Even hermits effect the world they live in. There is no life free of consequence. In fact, the world reacts to everything you say and do. People remember the things you said, the look on your face, or how you reacted to situations. They'll treat you differently because of those things. And those same things challenge people even on a microscopic level to reexamine their life and their beliefs -- sometimes it reinforces what they believe and sometimes it challenges it.

And it's from these thoughts that The Ruffians will be born. It'll be dark. It'll be funny. It'll be something completely different than anything I've ever done before. But it'll clearly be me.

*It was Jon Bon Jovi in the opening lyrics to his song "Sante Fe" on the Young Guns II soundtrack.