That Point

"I once wrote in a poem about reaching the point in life when I would have the courage to admit my life. There were some rough spots, as you probably sensed reading the memoir, especially in my early married years, when I simply had no idea what I was doing or how to support myself. During that most difficult period of 10 years, our house payment was $99 a month, but quite often that was hard to muster."
- Jim Harrison, poet and fiction writer

The memoir that Harrison refers to is titled Off To One Side, as in "not a man of the center" (see last post). I respect Harrison's body of work. I also like the fact that he started out to be a Baptist minister. I kid you not.

I love what he says about reaching that point in life where you have the courage to admit your life. Not the life you wished you'd had or someone else's life, but your own. And that's what I was trying to get at in my last post. I'm trying to find the courage to admit my life. And I appreciate others who are trying to do the same thing. We're not working on our best life now, but our only life now. And there is a world of difference between the two. Just compare some pictures of Jim Harrison and Joel Osteen. You can google those names and pull up some images. I'm not talking about comparing their messages or religion or anything like that; just look at them. One is blind in one eye, gap-toothed and usually outside surrounded by dogs. The other has coiffed hair and wonderful teeth and is usually on a stage somewhere. Oh, John, you're just jealous of Osteen's wealth. Harrison is every bit as wealthy as Osteen. It's Harrison's life that draws me; his "courage to admit."

There were and are "some rough spots." There were and are years "when I simply had no idea what I was doing or how to support myself." There were and are "difficult periods" when it is "hard to muster." And it takes courage to admit that. But I'm reaching that point in life.