A Wider View ...

As I took a picture of this mirror, it struck me as something 

of a contradiction - that the small convex circle condenses 

the outside world in order to project a wider view of same.

 And there's me, hoping I don't get hit by my proverbial beer truck

as I focus on the mirror.

In recent years, I've watched as a couple dear friends increasingly

cut themselves off from their friends and the women who loved them,

retreating into old fears and prejudices. In face of changes in the/their

worlds they could not accept - everything from the United States'

first black President to the failure of their penises due to years

of bad diets - they saw only threats from terrorists and self-created

gremlins. One returned to his home town, where he had spent years trying 
to escape an abusive home life, while the other became a recluse, 

and both were unmoved by their friends' concerns; 

nothing could budge them from their

self-imposed isolation.

As the years pass, I hope to always take the wider view. 

I want my life to be a series of small adventures every day, new things

to see and do. Even if it's just writing a small book or an 

"alligator slider" on my dinner plate, it means I'm learning new things,

researching a bit of the world I hadn't before experienced.

Oddly enough, both men played a part in helping 

me to acquire that attitude, to accepting it as 

a part of life, of growth. 

I guess that's why I always prefer sunrises - another

day to see how badly I screw up or get it right,

Another day to explore. While I may not exactly push for 

the edge of the envelope, I do extend my boundaries.

Just a little bit. Maybe.