Here I am

And so here I am. On a Monday  night soon to be a Tuesday morning. There's something therapeutic about letting go of a dozen balloons. No less because the feeling dwindles. I'll get to that in a minute. So apparently my blog is a thing now that comes up in conversation, who knew? Personally I'm kind of surprised that it's gotten to the point where people are talking about it, privately and publicly mind you. I can't say I'm honoured because I'm not writing solely for you guys to talk about it. I can't say I'm dissatisfied because I write so that I can write some more later on. But I am satisfied, not completely of course but satisfied. Not sure how long this intro is because I'm writing on my phone. Then again writer's craft has taught me to lose sight of word count on many an occasion.

I'm glad that in grade 7 I was taught to scratch out and move on. Whenever I'm writing an exam or test or any assignment in class I sometimes get weird looks from people when I scratch out. Like I said before, there's something therapeutic about letting go of a dozen balloons. Just as there is when you scratch out those meaningless words. Or when you take off those headphones, stop in your tracks and let the essence of the city capture you. Shuffle those few steps back and dare to double take at the red robin nesting high above the corner store sign. Notice how avidly it scours for more twigs nearby to complete its makeshift nest. Smile at the toddler staring blankly as you pass. Stop in awe of the feats of human strength as you notice the local construction site. Men in neon vests stained with oil communing at the blueprints with all their Camel cigarettes. Ain't that the life? Disconnecting yourself is a world in its own, if you let it be. I'm not saying we should ditch the comforts of Netflix and Starbucks for a couple leaves and a hole in the ground. But there is a world AROUND us after all, in fact a bigger one than the one in your hand or in front of your face or even in your pocket right now.

I think that's it for tonight, sleep is getting the best of me and this is a fight worth losing. I'll post my unedited Graffiti articles here once I write them, soon.

Cheers, MarkL