What Is

You just can­not beat what is. Real­ity is just there. It is right in front of us — within us — always has and always will be. The basics to real­ity are clear: you were born; you will die. Pretty sim­ple. Humanity’s efforts to defy those facts range from tragic to hilar­i­ous. Those that work the hard­est deny­ing their mor­tal­ity are the most tragic fig­ures in his­tory. The pre­tenders are next in line. The saints and heroes are the ones that embrace life at its raw edges and affirm the “I Am” of life.

Here we are. We are nowhere else. What men­tal games do you play to avoid the sim­ple truths of being? Which is your drug of choice — denial or escape? Both are tem­po­rary. I sug­gest a “face-on” approach. It works bet­ter. Accept the basic facts of life then get cre­ative — not as an escape but as an expres­sion of life as art.

Me? I use humor. Call the real­i­ties of life grim if you so choose — and in a way they are — but leave room for the laugh­ter that takes you above the “facts” of life and death. Do not wait for things to be okay. Just smile where you are and cel­e­brate the mys­tery of life itself. Life is full of con­tra­dic­tions and var­i­ous seem­ing insan­i­ties. Just go with it. There is no need to pre­tend that it is some­thing else.

Feel­ing a lit­tle crazy? Just look at what is. That may not be pleas­ant at first, but real­ity ther­apy is the way to go. Accept where you are in life. Do not com­pare your­self to oth­ers. You are where you are. YOU are what is!