LangBabies Per. 5

I have never been called "beautiful," so that word has always held for me a foundation of non-attainability, and therefore, mystery.  What makes something--or someone--full of beauty? The great and powerful Sophia Loren once said, "True beauty is a mirage." True beauty? What  IS  that, anyway?    In your mind, what is "true beauty?" Myself, I am awed by things of beauty, no matter what--or who--they might be (Idris Elba.sunsets...butterflies...puppies...cannolis). This week, I would like you to muse with me about this concept. Over time, across cultures, the mystery of beauty has both vexed and captivated all walks of life. The animal kingdom even has its own notion of what makes them attractive—peacocks fluff their plumage, ducks wiggle their butts, all in the name of beauty.  They do it to attract mates--is that why we do? Do we chase beauty?  Do we worship it?  Are beautiful people treated differently that those considered less so? Me...

Many of you already know the concept of the hero's journey; that is, the idea that all literature--and for that matter, all of life in general --follows that pattern of the journey. There is " the call ," which is, ostensibly, the beginning of the journey--the reason you start in the first place; there is the threshold- -literally, crossing over from the "known" into the "unknown" (literally or figuratively); the " challenges or trials, " a.k.a. life's little problems, big problems, annoyances, tragedies or inconveniences--in literature--dragons to be slain;  " the abyss "--when you think the whole world is against you and nothing will ever be right again. Once you get past all of that you move on to " the transformation ," or in other words, the "What have you learned, Dorothy?" moment--that moment when all of the suffering and the waiting finally give way to acceptance or riches; " the ato...

Whew.  So, it's over.  2018--the year of...well, there are really too many adjectives, verbs and hyperbolic phrases that could be inserted there, so that's where I think we should start. I am a huge fan of moving forward--I don't even like to put my car in reverse if I can help it--true story--but I also recognize the value of taking a backward glance from time to time. I mean, how else can you see: 1) how far you've gone 2) how much you've left to go 3) where the twists, turns and pot holes in the roads were Now, for me, of all of those, #3 means the most.  Like I said, I am a fan of moving forward, but most of the time, the natural enemy to forward thinking or really any kind of positive progression, is repetition.  The repetition of a mistake is the most obvious deterrant to progression because it usually means going backward, but even repeating things that worked out for you can be detrimental to progress because it could mean that you are comfortable an...