What follows, here in this post, is The Best Thing I’ve Ever written. If I make an untimely departure from this earth– this will be my lasting legacy to this planet. I used to write stuff like this more frequently; sometimes for other people to read, sometimes just for me. But again, this is my best one ever. And it’s called: The Problem With Comfort.
The background to what prompted it: I have an amazing friend named Melissa. One of a small handful of Most Amazing People I’ve Ever Met: incredibly artistic; genius intelligence; insight into the world and human nature beyond most anybody I’ve ever met. Her brain operates at light-speed. She’s really, truly, incredible– the cream of the crop, humanitywise. And she’s not just the only one: her whole family is like that. She has 6 or 7 brothers and sisters; all of them are incredibly gifted geniuses, but a bit wacky. They’re kind of like the Royal Tenenbaums, or also kind of like the Glass family (if you’ve read “Franny and Zooey” by J.D. Salinger). Anyway, put her and me together in a conversation, and interesting things result.
So this little essay– the best one I think I’ve ever written– was something I wrote to her a few years ago. She was on the verge of a major life change. She was in a situation where she was feeling comfortable for the first time in her life… but had an earth-shattering opportunity that ignited her every sense, but was unproven, risky and (everybody else thought) completely crazy. So at the time I wrote this, she was completely torn up about whether to go ahead with it, or not. We explored it very thoroughly in phone conversations; after one such conversation, I was inspired and wrote this to her in one shot. But it was stuff that had been bouncing around in my head for years. I just needed something to catalyze it, and make me collect it in one place, and write it down. And that is what follows after the jump.
I’ve saved this and, over the years, sent it to friends when I thought they could use it. I’ve never previously published it publicly because I’ve always thought it is “special” and I didn’t want it to get endlessly forwarded around the internet. (I had a vision of my grandmother sending it back to me.) But I’ve decided to publish it now, and I hope that whoever finds this will get something out of it.
Enough of my explaining. Enjoy.
