So as Not to be Dead

Ray Bradbury, in his introduction to, The Illustrated Man (republished in 2001) tells of a night he met a bartender in Paris. The young 23 year old explains to Bradbury that when he gets off work, he dances at the nearby clubs so as not to sleep, so as not to be dead. Bradbury candidly captures the conversation and concludes with this profound statement:

I end as I began with my Parisian waiter friend, Laurent, dancing all night, dancing, dancing.
My tunes and numbers are here. They have filled my years, the years when I refused to die. And in order to do that I wrote, wrote, wrote, at noon or 3:00 A.M.
So as not to be dead.

To read only the above does not do the story justice. Next time you're at the bookstore or library, pick it up and read it. It will take you 10min or less.

Life is filled with these types of really inspiring stories. We hear songs about it, we read books about it, movies, and countless other forms of communication drive home the truth of "carpe diem." I believe that is what we all want in life. To seize the day, to sail against the wind and find that uncharted land of our heart where the stage is set for adventure, perils and joys await upon the sunsets of "what's next." I'm not much of a writer, but this is my little way to guide my sail toward that horizon...so as not to be dead.