People will lie so atrociously and so obviosly to get reservations at Sqwires. A woman called this morning to see if we take reservations. The answer is, of course, yes. The caller pauses and I say "for which night?" Inevitably, it's tonight. This Saturday night at 7:30, or, if they're a little more sophisticated, 8:00pm. Inevitably, the answer is we have openings after 10 or 10:30. They could wait or call a couple weeks in advance. She said the party might be two or four or six and it's her anniversary and Sqwires is her favorite restaurant. I felt like asking her how long she'd known it was her anniversary. She wanted to speak to the owner or a manager. I said that Bethany wasn't in, but I'd check to see if Rick was. Kandi took the call and the woman lied and said she was a friend of Bethany's, a name she knew from her conversation with me. The woman talked Kandi into calling Bethany at Max's baseball game. Bethany, of course, had no idea who she was. Unbelievable. But believably so.
The wedding was beautiful and fun and I'm hoping I can talk Tim into leaving the photo booth up in my apartment. I really need to write down the new testament according to Ben. People who ask, or implicitly want to know if I know Jesus, need to know that I have personally received messages of such profound truth from on high that their entire concept of religion and Christianity would be challenged. People don't want to hear that. They want to hear how Jesus walks with me and talks with me and abides with me like my favorite stuffed animal. Not that the collective conciousness, inexplicable positive life force, what people call God, revealed unto me baccaleaurate night of my high school years, during a lightning storm, during a meditative run, my road to Damascus, that number one, Jesus calling people his brothers and sisters is pretty literal, that we are all part of that positive life force, all children of God, and that we all have the same ability to transcend our material selves. Two, that Jesus saying I am the alpha and the omega is also pretty literal, that he, and we, are all eternal, all part of the beginning and the end. And that we again have the ability to transcend our material selves through recognition of that, expressed through agape, unconditional love. That three, we would eventually, be it tens of thousands of years from now or hundreds, reach the apex of human evolution, physically, mentally, materially, societally, and that at that point, humans would look back at the teachings of Christ and the Buddha and other avatars of the present, past and future, preaching that same transendence through recognition of our infinite and eternal link to one another the universe the same entity, expressed through agape, and realize that that is the true goal, the true manifestation of our potential. And that four, we have the potential to achieve that today, and transform the way humanity plays out on our planet and in the universe today.
I imagine a better world just based on the Hippocratic oath - do no harm. People don't have to be Gandhi - just don't do mean stuff on purpose. Akin to trash in our community. It's not about taking the extra effort to pick up that candy wrapper or beer can in the park - it's about not dropping litter in the first place.
My dad talks about how transformative it would be if all of the baptized Christians, even just Episcopalians, took seriously their baptismal vows, reconfirmed at confirmation - strive for justice and peace among all people, recognize the diginity of every human being. Paraphrased, I think. But pointed.
I have a hard time understanding why I can keep going on (mostly) four hours of sleep a night and an afternoon nap. Maybe this is the way my body is meant to function. I don't feel tired. I feel energized, mentally. Tired, feetly.
11:38:08 PM 
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