for the Journey

my life was forever changed by two little words.

it was years ago, at a Superbowl party of all places.  my parents were holding their famous annual party which featured my mother’s incredible appetizer spread and my father’s brand new surround sound entertainment package.  younger and older generations alike flock to this important gathering every year, and it’s true that my friends are extra nice to me when February rolls around for fear of missing the coveted invitation.

the party was a smashing success yet again.  the game had built to a dramatic finish and Tom Brady had delivered his usual “I am a complete bad-ass” speech to the world.  the food had been demolished, the beer was beginning to run out and the crowd was following suit.  Anthony, an old family friend, had come over to say his goodnights.

when he walked over, i was surrounded by my close friends- with Ken and his expectant wife on one side, William and his fiancee on the other.  Anthony looked to my left at Ken and Curi and said a heartfelt “Congratulations, you two.”  he looked to my right at William and Jenny and said “And congratulations to you as well.”  ever the Leo (what, me? an attention whore?) i said “Hey what about me??”  Anthony looked me up and down, threw his hands in the air and said- “Do something!!“.

very funny.  everyone laughs.

i played my part of comically wounded martyr, as expected.  the crowd laughed it off and dispersed until next year.  but those two words stuck with me after that moment, like a verdict or a mantra: Do something.  i think that’s the most enlightened advice i’ve ever heard.

i realized later that night that i had always watched life play itself out, seeing various events inflicted on me or circumstances thrown at me.  i had always felt that i had something very special to offer the world, but kept waiting for something great to happen to me.  i waited and waited, but that great thing never showed.  while everyone around me participated in life and moved forward, i stood entrenched in my expectant stagnation.  i needed to shake my fear of choosing the wrong path and just start walking.  i needed a call to action.  i needed to do something.

the offerings in this forum are the result of the Journey that i began that night.  they reflect my newfound awareness that refusing to choose a path is a choice in itself, and ultimately the only wrong one i can make.  because of those two words of wisdom, i now travel through life as an active participant- the protaganist of my own unravelling story.  and what a story it has turned out to be!

i hope that you find some inspiration or entertainment in these pages.  i hope that you laugh at my outrageous blunders and sympathize with my daily struggles.  most of all, i hope that some little thing you hear will bring your Journey into a new focus and forever change the way you interact with your world.

“Do something.”  it’s just a little offering of wisdom…

…for the Journey.

-louie-