The Mystical and the Real...
and where they meet.
“May the coming year be filled with Magic & Dreams & good Madness. I hope you READ SOME FINE BOOKS & KISS someone who thinks you’re WONDERFUL, and don’t forget to MAKE SOME ART (write or draw or build or sing or LIVE AS ONLY YOU CAN) & somewhere in the next year, I hope you SURPRISE YOURSELF.'“
Isn’t that a great thought? I’ve never read any of Neil Gaiman’s books but I occasionally see quotes by him that resonate, including this one. This makes me a little curious to read him but I have so many books in my TBR pile and I’m generally not a fan of fantasy or magical realism which is what I understand is his genre. I tried watching the American Gods series but didn’t make it past the second episode. (Was it a good representation of the book?)
I was looking through some old journals the other day and this quote was the first entry in my 2015 journal. I always start a new journal year with a quote and usually an intention word. That sounds so new-agey, doesn’t it? Well, it’s just become a habit and I like it so there’s that.
Looking through the journal brought back memories I haven’t thought about in a long time and reminded me of events I’d forgotten. I have a terrible memory, always have, so I’m glad I’ve written some things down over the years.
In a May 31 entry I wrote about the sudden death of our dog, Peggy Sue, on that day. Then, on June 22 I had a very realistic dream where my 10 year-long dead poodle, Izzy, visited me. The day before, on June 21, my neighbor had shot over the fence and killed our cat who rarely ever left our back yard. It was that night that Izzy came to me.
This has been on my mind since I read those entries. In October that year, I was reading Patti Smith’s book M Train. I wrote about her thoughts on connections - about seeing connections between events in our lives, even small insignificant ones. Signs and portents can be wonderful or sorrowful and are often mentioned in southern storytelling. I think of Izzy’s visit, of the strong connection we had when she was living. Whether or not the dream was physically real doesn’t matter. It was spiritually real. I’m not trying to get all woo-woo about it, only that I don’t see any harm in accepting psychic gifts when they’re given or, as Patti says, noticing the connections. I’m generally a pragmatic person and that includes knowing that our universe is unknowable and our brains are incapable of pure and complete understanding. I don’t know what happens when we die but I do know there are many possibilities and I will not believe nothingness is one.
Well, this post just veered off into unexpected waters! I sat down to write a sort of end of year wrap up but, honestly, I’m not in the mood to make more lists for you to read. (But read this one by Barlow Adams! Best list ever!) I do want to thank the litmag editors that published me this year and nominated me for stuff. They know who they are. I might write a post next week sharing my 2023 top favorites in books, TV, movies, newsletters, and anything else related to pop culture that comes to mind. Until then, enjoy the waning days of 2023 and let’s all hope for a better 2024.
NG recommend: The Ocean at the End of the Lane (2013) 178 pages (The dreams of those with love who have passed IMHO are visits, and typically comforting ones).