dear friends,
it’s a new month!
and you know what that means (or you’re about to!):
it’s time for me to wish you a happy new month! so, happy new month!
1) THE YEAR IS HALF OVER!
if i have done the math correctly, today is the 183rd day of the year, which means when today ends, the year is half over. and also only half begun!
which means that it’s an amazing balance of young and old, of just started and almost complete, of infinite potential and concrete experience.
you know how a baby has limitless possibility but no actuality yet, so much future and hardly any past in this life? whereas the oldest person has a lifetime of experience, the most they’ve ever had? they’ve seen it all! they’ve lived it all! whereas the baby has lived none of it yet. it’s all potential for a baby. and all actuality for the opposite of a baby.
well, this year right now is at its midpoint, a combo of both of those. half actuality, half potential! half wise guru atop the mountain who knows everything, half baby who has no idea what’s going to happen because it could be anything!
what’s it going to be? well, what is it for YOU? what is it for the people you love and care about? how has it been? has it been great? has it been joyful? have there been moments of joy at least? well then hooray and keep it up! and thanks for helping others up this mountain of life as well!
has it been challenging? i hear you! perhaps this day, this moment could be the turning point, the fulcrum. everything that has happened so far may have been the setup for a beautiful payoff, which in turn will be the setup for the next beautiful payoff! or maybe it’s some combination of challenge and beauty. maybe it’s all a beautiful challenge.
maybe! i mean, what do i know? i’m only in the middle of my life as well. like the year, i’m also half baby, half wise (hopefully!).
2) IT’S SUMMER VACATION!
where i live, it’s summer. and what does summer mean? no school, man! we’re on break! nothing HAS TO happen. whatever you want GETS TO happen. where are YOU going? where are you staying? where ARE you? how are you?
or maybe you are working this summer because you're not a teacher or a student or a farmer who takes off for the summer. or maybe you're working in summer school or summer farm. (i don't know what farmers' schedules are, and i’m not looking it up because it’s SUMMER VACATION!)
regardless, if you’re at a place right now where you can read this (and i think you are), that means you’re on break in some fashion, even if you’re sneaking a look while you’re supposed to be working. good work not working! that’s the summer spirit!
in fact, you don't have to even read this! (did you know?) you could take a break from reading this right now! close your eyes. take a breath. enjoy a break from these words. they’ll be here when you get back.
wherever you are in the world, regardless of what systems operate around you, i hope you take at least a little break, if not a big break (ooh, summer could be your big break!), whether it’s a month away later or one breath with your eyes closed right now or even an infinite stream of back-BREAKing work because that’s what you enjoy most (go for it, i’m not your vacation boss!), i wish you peace and relaxation and love and joy.
3) CUTE ANIMAL VIDEOS ARE THE BEST! YOU DIG?
i recently saw a video online about a stray dog who was digging furiously to the point of injuring himself because a kitten had gotten trapped under some rubble, and eventually humans came and helped the kitten get out and the stray dog was a beautiful hero!
then i saw another video about a kangaroo that had gotten stuck in the ground and the mother kangaroo came to a human's house looking for help, and the human helped dig out the baby kangaroo and then they all became friends forever. more beautiful heroism of helping!
and i saw these videos about animals and digging because my wonderful human girlfriend went digging through the internet. and because other humans were have shared these stories. because there is beauty in the world, even amid the suffering.
there are a lot of things in the world. and of course beauty can be subjective. something you think smells wonderful might not smell great to someone else. something you think smells awful might be a delicious dinner for a goat.
the point is, it's july!
and maybe none of that has to do with july except that i've taken a break from making everything completely connected to my monthly themes. and taking a break IS connected to my summer vacation theme! and there’s that mid-year wisdom combined with mid-year who knows what’s going on (not me that’s for sure, or for unsure).
happy july!
4) HAPPY SUMMER MONTH! BONUS! (I USUALLY ONLY HAVE THREE TOPICS!)
if you read last month’s bonus, this item will look familiar! in the spirit of not doing too much work (happy july!), i am re-sharing what i shared last time because i have an upcoming project that i’m very excited about this summer. if you’ve already learned about it, class dismissed! if you want to learn more, here are a few more paragraphs!
this august 22 i am filming a new standup comedy special in NYC and i’d love for you to be there if you can and want. it's a show that my girlfriend rini and i created together, about our relationship and love AND MORE. if you've ever heard of love, or comedy, or me, or anyone or anything, then this is the show for you. we've been working on it for years and we are super happy with it and proud of it.
normally, i don't use this "happy new month" newsletter to announce my comedy projects, but this one is very special. i haven't filmed a one-hour standup special in over a decade, so this seems like an extra special moment and month and season worthy of celebrating in this way.
so, thank you for receiving this! if you're in NYC next month, i hope you can make it to one of the tapings. if you know folks in NYC, i hope you'll share this information with them and encourage them to attend! if cost is an issue, please feel free to message me because i’d like for anyone who wants to be there to be able to be there!
and if you're anywhere (and i think you are!), i hope you enjoy your summer vacation or summer work or (if it’s winter where you are) winter vacation or winter work and as much of life and love and joy and meaning and everything as possible!
thank you for receiving!
happy to be climbing this mountain of life with y’all!
good climbing to you, and thanks for helping others up along the way as well!
much love to you and yours and all!
happy this now to you!
PS finally, here’s something i saw in july a couple years ago. IT’S A SIGN!
LOVE!