Your essay on a syllabus for life led my crazy brain to those noisy little critters in the trees who just came out of their 17 year hibernation. Periodical Cicadas are one inch insects who are dormant for almost two decades, then emerge by the millions, sometimes trillions, before leaving their offspring behind for another 17 years. They are known for the loud lyrical buzzing sound males make to attract females during mating season. Their essential life of a few weeks is spent eating, making noise, courting, breeding, laying eggs and then passing away. Kind of like checking in to a lifestyle of endless days and nights at a Holiday Inn. Or something akin to one short but loud frat party followed by an endless sleepover. No cooking, cleaning, partnering ( except for the fun part) , parenting, or putting up with the needs of parents, pets, or pesky teenagers. But with every passion, there are pitiless penalties to pay. (Sorry for being a bit heavy on the “p” alliteration… can be annoying at times). And in the case of the cicadas, their illiterate and unruly lifestyle does lead to an extended detention of sorts in the ground occasionally feeding on roots. So, one could consider the abstract difference between a life filled with mundane obligations and duties to that of the hapless cicadas, trapped in a cycle of parties and sleep. Looks attractive initially, but likely to be even more misdirected and mundane than a life filled with challenges and rewards. The equivalent of living in an 1976 Howard Johnson’s clam plate food orgy ad. Google it!
First of all, never apologize for alliteration, I love it, always. I've long believed in the miracles in the mundane, and I will always believe in them. A simple life lived well is the thing, it's always been the thing.
OH. I am of the age (38 this October 18th; 26ish mins after my cousin-twinsy) where I immediately wanna ask if you're "chilling" while you're at the Holiday Inn.
What a tune.
I dunno. My fave insect is Igor (I think) in Kafka's Metamorphosis. His kin loves him anyway.
Small talk avoidance 401 had me laughing because it is SO REAL! You gotta make sure to do a quick scan of faces whenever entering a new public place. Plus having a photo Rolodex in the brain to quickly flip through for that high school teacher you haven’t seen in 20 years who looks the same just grayer.
As you know, I'm the first born of two youngest. Six of eight. Any time spent with my blood is a gift. Time & energy & effort has always mattered most.
And, over time? Little Miss Tetris learnt to deal. Being a human heartbeat makes for quietly protective nieces & nephews. Cats & dogs & a village who will kick the tyres of anyone in my atmosphere who seems like they could disrupt their Girl (Friday).
You all could grumble, but why?
This is the Gift. The air in your lungs & the right to vote & learn & see & fly.
Love this one. My grandfather had the same mentality. He made me promise to play pomp and circumstance at his funeral because he would be graduating to the next school. Everyone thought it was crazy but we played it on my phone.
I'm stuck in "How to start a new life" 501. It's never ending and all encompassing.
Menopause 602 ... this is a post graduate course and only available to women of a 'certain age'. I passed the course, but not the midterm [that had me on a psych ward with depression caused by the drop in hormones ... think postpartum depression [which is course 601] but worse.].
Then there is a special lecture [pass/fail] Spiritual Awakening, focusing on everything the Sunday church school neglected to teach you about other religions and the different paths one can take to meet peace.
Kundalini Awakening [top down or bottom up] is extra credit but not for the faint of heart.
The universal dream you mention of coming to your class is on point. Mine adds the class which you haven't attended until now, and facing the final exam only to lucidly remind yourself that you did indeed pass and what the heck are you worrying about. Seriously.
Oooh, and I could add Perimenopause too, for those in their 40s! Dealing with that on our end here right now. I LOVE the Pass/Fail of Spiritual Awakening!
I want to compile all these into a book. Hmmmmm that might be a good idea!
Tyler, you are so funny. A truth-sayer, but a funny one.
I gave up waiting for my instruction manual on life, parenting, adulting, and generally getting by some time ago now (definitely lost in the mail).
I’ve been enrolled in a very long course called How to Love Yourself Despite All the Trauma for some time now. Every time I think I’m coming to the end of the syllabus, I discover new chapters.
Can’t seem to get off the waiting list for What It All Means. A popular class, that one. I’m sure my time will come.
Oooh, I love the course you are enrolled in, and I hope you absolutely ace it. I can't see you doing anything but. I too have been on the wait-list for that course for so long. Don't know I will ever get in.
🤣🤣🤣🤣 I love this post so much. As a fellow adult with no understanding of how I got here, I, too, have been in all of these classes for decades. Small talk avoidance is probably my favorite 🤣🤣🤣🤣
Your essay on a syllabus for life led my crazy brain to those noisy little critters in the trees who just came out of their 17 year hibernation. Periodical Cicadas are one inch insects who are dormant for almost two decades, then emerge by the millions, sometimes trillions, before leaving their offspring behind for another 17 years. They are known for the loud lyrical buzzing sound males make to attract females during mating season. Their essential life of a few weeks is spent eating, making noise, courting, breeding, laying eggs and then passing away. Kind of like checking in to a lifestyle of endless days and nights at a Holiday Inn. Or something akin to one short but loud frat party followed by an endless sleepover. No cooking, cleaning, partnering ( except for the fun part) , parenting, or putting up with the needs of parents, pets, or pesky teenagers. But with every passion, there are pitiless penalties to pay. (Sorry for being a bit heavy on the “p” alliteration… can be annoying at times). And in the case of the cicadas, their illiterate and unruly lifestyle does lead to an extended detention of sorts in the ground occasionally feeding on roots. So, one could consider the abstract difference between a life filled with mundane obligations and duties to that of the hapless cicadas, trapped in a cycle of parties and sleep. Looks attractive initially, but likely to be even more misdirected and mundane than a life filled with challenges and rewards. The equivalent of living in an 1976 Howard Johnson’s clam plate food orgy ad. Google it!
First of all, never apologize for alliteration, I love it, always. I've long believed in the miracles in the mundane, and I will always believe in them. A simple life lived well is the thing, it's always been the thing.
OH. I am of the age (38 this October 18th; 26ish mins after my cousin-twinsy) where I immediately wanna ask if you're "chilling" while you're at the Holiday Inn.
What a tune.
I dunno. My fave insect is Igor (I think) in Kafka's Metamorphosis. His kin loves him anyway.
Small talk avoidance 401 had me laughing because it is SO REAL! You gotta make sure to do a quick scan of faces whenever entering a new public place. Plus having a photo Rolodex in the brain to quickly flip through for that high school teacher you haven’t seen in 20 years who looks the same just grayer.
SO TRUE. Seriously, if I turn these into a book, I'm going to use all of these suggestions hahaha.
I love this so much, and kind of want to make this a topic for a back to school activity somehow for my freshmen. Ask them to think of classes, etc.
That could be so rad! I want to make a bigger book out of this. I think it'd be hilarious.
I’m seriously gonna do it somehow. I’ll report back what they come up with.
Love this one ❤️
I love YOU dude.
Ah, TKG.
The way you & Lady G show up & love one another?
Extraordinary.
As you know, I'm the first born of two youngest. Six of eight. Any time spent with my blood is a gift. Time & energy & effort has always mattered most.
And, over time? Little Miss Tetris learnt to deal. Being a human heartbeat makes for quietly protective nieces & nephews. Cats & dogs & a village who will kick the tyres of anyone in my atmosphere who seems like they could disrupt their Girl (Friday).
You all could grumble, but why?
This is the Gift. The air in your lungs & the right to vote & learn & see & fly.
Choose wisely.
Thank you so much for this. Means the world that you see it, that you appreciate it. Truly.
Hilarious! I so enjoyed this on my Monday morning drive! I love your perspective!
Ahhh, I'm so glad you did! I never know if it's worth it to still be doing the podcast version too, if anyone actually listens!
Love this one. My grandfather had the same mentality. He made me promise to play pomp and circumstance at his funeral because he would be graduating to the next school. Everyone thought it was crazy but we played it on my phone.
I'm stuck in "How to start a new life" 501. It's never ending and all encompassing.
Ahhh, the 501 course you're in, I feel like I start taking, then fail out of, then start again, every few months. I'll see you there!
Menopause 602 ... this is a post graduate course and only available to women of a 'certain age'. I passed the course, but not the midterm [that had me on a psych ward with depression caused by the drop in hormones ... think postpartum depression [which is course 601] but worse.].
Then there is a special lecture [pass/fail] Spiritual Awakening, focusing on everything the Sunday church school neglected to teach you about other religions and the different paths one can take to meet peace.
Kundalini Awakening [top down or bottom up] is extra credit but not for the faint of heart.
The universal dream you mention of coming to your class is on point. Mine adds the class which you haven't attended until now, and facing the final exam only to lucidly remind yourself that you did indeed pass and what the heck are you worrying about. Seriously.
Oooh, and I could add Perimenopause too, for those in their 40s! Dealing with that on our end here right now. I LOVE the Pass/Fail of Spiritual Awakening!
I want to compile all these into a book. Hmmmmm that might be a good idea!
a book ... that would be fun.
Tyler, you are so funny. A truth-sayer, but a funny one.
I gave up waiting for my instruction manual on life, parenting, adulting, and generally getting by some time ago now (definitely lost in the mail).
I’ve been enrolled in a very long course called How to Love Yourself Despite All the Trauma for some time now. Every time I think I’m coming to the end of the syllabus, I discover new chapters.
Can’t seem to get off the waiting list for What It All Means. A popular class, that one. I’m sure my time will come.
Oooh, I love the course you are enrolled in, and I hope you absolutely ace it. I can't see you doing anything but. I too have been on the wait-list for that course for so long. Don't know I will ever get in.
This is lovely. I don't often find you writing to this length and I now want to print it for everyone that comes after me.
Ahhh feel free. I really, really want to grow this place, and I'm failing to figure out the best way to do so. Any ideas would be welcome!
🤣🤣🤣🤣 I love this post so much. As a fellow adult with no understanding of how I got here, I, too, have been in all of these classes for decades. Small talk avoidance is probably my favorite 🤣🤣🤣🤣
I'm rapidly becoming an expert in small talk avoidance. RAPIDLY :)