Kill the idea of the lone, suffering artist.

(Natalie Goldberg)

"It's much better to be a tribal writer, writing for all people and reflecting many voices through us, than to be a cloistered being trying to find one peanut of truth in our own individual mind. Become big and write with the whole world in your arms."

(also Natalie Golberg, writer of Writing down the Bones, an amazing book about writing that I recommend to anyone, writer or no. It is a book about how to embrace life and just happens to focus on writing, just as Good to Great is a book about how to embrace excellence and just happens to focus on business.)

I went to Tazza D'oro yesterday because my writing arm hurt and I hadn't eaten breakfast. Terrys One and Two were there, and I chatted with them a bit, telling them both how priveleged I am to be living in Pittsburgh in this exciting time for the church. I got to tell Terry One how cool I thought it was when he had the praise team at Fountain Park Pres. do the Green Day song "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" to set up his last sermon on depression. And I discovered something else. Terry One has read Walking on Water, one of my ultimate favorite books. It is one of the two books given to me by my friend Lorelei's mom. The first one is quoted above, Writing Down the Bones.

Yesterday was one of those days where the sun shone, the air was great and then the skies opened and it hailed. My personal weather was like that too. Blogging is an interesting art form, because sometimes it's like I'm a columnist, writing my little life story, but then you guys comment on it, so I'm your friend. But most of you have never met me and since this is broadcast over the Internet, I have to exercise some discretion. Which sometimes makes for cryptic posts, because I feel like this is me, writing for me, and then oh, you get to read it. Believe me, that can get you (or me) in trouble. I will not elaborate, except to quote one of my favorite philosophers, Cameron Crowe, in the voice of Jerry Maguire:

"It is an up-at-dawn, pride-swallowing siege that I will never fully tell you about."

But I would be remiss if I didn't mention that I went to a going away party at Dave and Busters last night. I saw people I forgot I knew. I met some new folks. I said goodbye to some good friends and got to say, in my best Portugese, Muito Obrigado, which means Thank you very much.

So, since I'm being cryptic this morning, I'll end with a lyric that I first heard my freshman year in college:

Joy and pain, like sunshine and rain...

and let me tell you, it is like finding a needle in the haystack finding the actual artist/album I'm talking about. It could be Maze on the album Inspiration. I could hum it to you...

That is all. Maybe I'll make it on time to Women's Bible Study...