Reason Thus With Life: If I Do Lose Thee, I Do Lose a Thing That None But Fools Would Keep.

Before it is analysed, it is. Before it is labeled and categorised and put into the stream of a story, it is. Before thinking, before feeling, before perception - it is. Undeniably, thoughts weave what is into time, and a story; there is judgment, and the assignment of relative merit: health is more desirable than disease; help is more natural than indifference; and love is the underlying quality of it all - for instance. Yet it is unnecessary to map a course of action. That is done, whether consciously or not. Paradoxically, if the outcome is unimportant, the outcome can often seem to be healthier, more natural, and more loving.

If effort seems urgent, make it. If confusion is the case, be confused. If despair takes hold, or seems to, simply wait - in this endless moment, eternity, what seems to be is in constant flux. If an urge to enquire into who or what is feeling and thinking and perceiving all of this comes up, explore it. If anger causes destruction, know that it could not have unfolded in any other way. What is, is what is; whatever it is, whatever judgment thought puts on it, is unimportant. Peel back every layer; take another, and another step back; question each and every belief, each and every revelation, each and every conclusion; there is no solid truth. There is simply what is. The story that seems to unfold may be anything, absolutely anything at all. Whatever it is that values one outcome or another is an interesting phenomenon - it is not what you are.

This clip is from one of my favourites - Kramer Vs. Kramer. I could wax lyrical about the merits of Meryl Streep, but she knows how good she is and keeps it in perspective. The scene is useful for revealing what we feel when the best possible outcome is achieved; it's no wonder that so many stories are about the pursuit of positive outcomes! The look Joanna gives Ted in the lift after he tells her she looks terrific is an acting masterclass in subtlety: it promises so much, Kramer vs. Kramer II could have been made on the back of it. This is also a shamelessly self-indulgent clip I'm sharing today, on my 46th birthday (or so it seems)...enjoy!