52 Years, 344 Days
Monday, June 1, 2009

My birthday's coming up. On June 21st, I'll be 53.

This seems ridiculous to me, in some ways -- but only when I hold up whatever enculturated idea I have about what it means to be "53" against my internal and external experience.

I'm doing some stuff to mark the next 21 days for myself -- making some changes in my work and play that have been nagging at me for some time. I don't have a clear answer to the question -- "Why now?" -- I only know that now seems to be the time.

I've really struggled with blogging over the past couple of months (or more) -- I either seem to have too much to say, or too little. I've tried a number of strategies to get myself kick-started back into more frequent blogging, but obviously, they haven't worked.

I think that I've fallen into that dreadful pit of self-editing, and that some of the things that have been in the forefront of my consciousness have just seemed so intensely personal that I've hesitated to put them out into the blogosphere.

I'm going to use the excuse of just three more weeks left before my birthday to get the fuck over that.

So, my pledge to myself is to blog at least once a day between now and June 21st -- the first day of Summer -- the longest day of the year -- my natal anniversary.

I'm writing this down here, not because it is earth-shattering news, but just so I will do it -- funny how putting the words to paper can motivate me, and how powerfully that "outside witness" (you, the reader) can affect me.

In the past few months, I've been experiencing a personal transformation which has challenged every facility of language that I possess. There is no way that I can call it subtle -- my internal experience is of a gigantic, tectonic motion -- and although it does seem to connect to some of my external experiences, these seem mere metaphors of what is happening within me.

So, I'm going to summon my guts and glory and attempt to write honestly about my internal reality.

It isn't simple. It isn't always comfortable -- but I think that I haven't been blogging because I haven't been willing to share the complexity of that internal process -- and if I'm not willing to share that, why blog at all?

Strap yourselves in. You're going to get (at least) 21 days of "What's Going On Inside Portly Dyke's Head".

Posted byPortlyDyke at 11:59 PM  

4 comments:

the blogger formerly known as yinyang said... June 2, 2009 at 1:24 AM  

I hear you about that self-editing thing. And, I'm always up for knowing more about people. So, color me very interested and excited for the next 21 days.

Anonymous said... June 2, 2009 at 2:46 AM  

I'm strapped in! with joyful anticipation 'cause I just looove your writing.
ZuVu

Jamie Bougher said... June 2, 2009 at 8:13 AM  

You're going to get (at least) 21 days of "What's Going On Inside Portly Dyke's Head".This can only be awesome. :)

Steve said... June 2, 2009 at 6:27 PM  

self editing seems to be my middle name most of the time!
but i promise to raise a cheap beer a day in your honor!
thanks for everything. it means a lot

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