Well, I sit corrected. That session (that I was dis'ing so heavily in the previous entry) on Dealing With Change gave me some real cud to chew on. The big concept that I took away from it was, "Do I want this (task, job, day, etc.) to be a good experience, or a bad experience?" We all have the ability to control our perception on the situation. Also, "Only take responsibility for stuff within the realm of your control, or you'll make your self nuts" made a poignant note in my mind. It also helped that there were some fun people in the session. I really need to get out more - espeically with these folks.

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On a totally different note, I came to a blogger realization. As I read other blogs, I confess that I sometimes get experiential envy. I lament that I don't party all night, have multiple relationship problems or even get to clean up cat puke on a regular basis. My life, at times, seemed pretty damn drab. I had the feeling that other people's lives made for much more interesting reading, but then I had a change of thought, akin from downshifting from fourth to second in an old truck. maybe things just look boring to me because I'm here, living this life.

Think of a gorilla living at the zoo. People come from all over to observe this gorilla, living, eating, sleeping, hanging out with all the same old other gorillas and just going about his regular routines. To the gorilla, nothing could be more boring. Why? Because he is in the situation. See the parallel? To everyone else, it looks cool and exciting. A a totally different environment to what they are in - ropes to swing from, caves to hide in, a big medicine ball to throw around, etc., etc.. It's different from what the observers are doing, and people long to have that different perspective - to see through a different set of eyes.

Maybe my life, my epiphanies, my rants are interesting to others because not everybody lives the life that I do. Not everybody raises two girls. Not everybody stays married - the fact that most people in this country are not married proves that I'm in a minority. Nobody has had the experiences, pitfalls, gentle and hard lessons of life that I have had. So maybe it is cool and different to go home to the same house, same family, day after day and see what the other apes have done to the place.

Welcome to my view of the zoo.