It takes the experience of loss to understand the value of gain.

It takes the pain of grief to value the existence of joy.

It takes the power of understanding to being wise.

It takes the drowning in lust to survive in love.

It takes the fast flow of resources to contain your existence.

It takes overcoming your weakness to gain strength.

It takes the pall of boredom to appreciate labor.

It takes a silent moment with yourself to gain self confidence.

It takes a failure to better strategize.

It takes a deception to sharpen your perception.

It takes an enemy to build better friendships.

It takes lies to affirm the policy of honesty.

It takes power-cuts to appreciate candle-lit moments.

It takes me a while to ponder through all of this; but it takes nothing to be yourself…. warts, pimples, callouses and all.

Waking up, and a little later than usual, I might add; my mind was clear, focused, and I realized that I forgot to turn the page of the calendar to begin a new month. As I reached for that thumb tack to turn back the old month, the head of the tack glazed my finger ever so slightly. It made me aware of the fact that October was behind me, and now there was November to begin.

As I looked back, I thought about what I could say about October (other than Halloween) that had made some remarkable difference to me. So much happens to each and every one of us, day after day, improving the quality of our lives, or giving us a window for gratitude.

For me, October was a time when I was able to make amends to someone for my own poor behavior. It had taken many years for this opportunity to be presented to me, but once it was there, it was as if something magical had taken hold of my being, swirling around through my inner soul, and allowing a peaceful place to be created in my heart.

Apologizing to others is no easy task. It requires honesty and willingness to say we are wrong, and that we have acted poorly, without expectation of anything in return. (i.e. the other person saying I know, I accept what you did and I forgive you or understand). In my case, the apology was met with silence, but the peace and serenity that I found from my own act was worth more than any words that could be given to me in exchange.

Our greatest gifts, are a quite mind and peaceful heart.

Late last night, after that last trick-or-treater finally left my doorstep, some insomnia, and deep thought, I began to think about the blogging community and what it means to me. In more ways than not, it has been an arena where my life has become enriched, and even sometimes embarrassed. But where else could I have learned so much about the many complexities and threads that make us uniquely who we are.

I have also learned about the computer as a workable and valuable machine; being given lessons in world events, technologies, recovery, and introduced to the world of blogging. Whereas, I have participated in debates with others about everything from sex, religion,  politics, and people. It has been a great and meaningful ride as I have encountered many great people, and then at times others, who have not been so kind or nice.

We all take on many different roles in the blogging world, that of teacher, friend, agent provocateur, therapist, and the list goes on and on.
My eyes have been opened widely to the complex world around me as a result of my blog and my fellow bloggers'.

Most importantly, in addition to interaction, blogging has allowed me to engage in my greatest of all possible loves, writing! Mostly every day I come here and engage in discourse with my most passionate lover, the written word!