This ad is gorgeous, isn't it? There is a beautiful dog who has been designated by one lovely and innocent child, as her protector and friend. If this Bloodhound, this being, chose to defile its own personality, ego, self, what would become of this child?

If this dog was anything other than what it is, we would be looking at a completely different ad, and that's why You matter.

You do know that, don't you? Your mama told you that and you believed it and you believed it because it is true and you knew that about yourself.

Then you went to school.

In school you mattered only as far as you could fit into a group, get along with your teacher, play nice with others. How horrifying. How sad that you spend the most formative years of your life learning, reciting, and regurgitating memes that pushed you into a place in a group, but now you are a grown up, and it's time for you to know, for real this time, that You matter.

The person you are, that unique extraordinary person the makes you- all those memes in your head- those matter to the world. And they matter to the world so much that if you continue to force them to disappear, they will be missed. Your memes, the unique way you put information together, the ideas that you carry with you everywhere you go cannot be replicated and they matter to us as a species, and they matter to us as individuals, because here's what happens when they disappear- the individual disappears and you become a shadow of yourself.

We are meme machines. We have the unique ability among all species to process complex ideas and share information and I believe that if you willfully, purposefully choose to ignore the information you are able to share, you are diminishing your self. Forget what you were taught about playing nice with others, you matter and you are to be celebrated.

Greg Swann, on the BloodhoundBlog:

A Bloodhound’s virtues are genetic accidents, but that doesn’t make them less than perfectly admirable, whether evidenced in the dog or anthropomorphized and expressed in thoroughly conscious human behavior. Brought up right, a Bloodhound is a natural alpha, regal and indomitable. The dog will move with a lanky, un-self-conscious arrogance that is simply heart-breakingly beautiful to look upon: This what a thriving organism looks like.

I am steadfastly, philosophically opposed to the idea of humility. I think it is one of many evil ideas foisted off on us by malefactors who love us best at our absolute worst. To say to me, “You’re arrogant,” or, “you have a big ego,” is no reproach. On the one hand, it is a statement of obvious fact. But on the other, it puts me on my guard against you. A healthy, normal human being moves and acts and thinks and speaks with the lanky arrogance of a healthy, normal Bloodhound. When people don’t behave that way, I want to know why. When they affect to preach against healthy, normal human behavior, I go on defense — and not by half-measures.

Let's look again at this extraordinary ad: We would never want this Bloodhound to be anything other than what it is right at this moment- how could we? Its own self is so crucial to the world, that a young girl is depending on this same self.

Here's the thing: I want this for you as well. I want you to be so much your own self, that you would never ever consider losing that self, dissipating that self. I am empathetic, that's part of who I am and it makes me ache for you and it's painful for me to see you when you are less than whole, but, I cannot become less of me, for you. I will not lose myself because you refuse to be yourself.

We are at our best when we are fully freely functioning who we are, and when you see that and believe it, and begin to live your life knowing that you matter, at that moment, we are us, you are you, and that, in and of itself, is the most pure and beautiful thing the world has ever known.

I love music. I love to dance. I'm a huge fan of musicals and as I recently told someone, whatever is happening outwardly, in my life there is often background music running through my head. Sometimes it's apropos to the moment, but often it's simply random bits of gorgeous music that never fail to make me very happy when I hear them.

I adore this song- the melody, the sentiment, it is just perfect and one of the more frequent tunes that accompanies me throughout life. This is Placido Domingo who adds his incomparable passion to a lov-er-ly tune from My Fair Lady.

What a year you've had- it couldn't have been easy. The strength you've displayed throughout is nothing short of inspiring.

We saw Wicked last night at the Schuster, how could I not think of you and everything you've done and accomplished in your short life? You are on the very brink of a new life, and I couldn't be more proud and excited for you, but I also couldn't be more honored to have walked along side you, to have watched you become a woman of strength and beauty leaves me humbled to be your mother.

Wherever your life takes you, dear Rian, always, always remember who you are. Continue to defy gravity.

Because now they see sin in everything and feel compelled to drag the rest of us through their own version of hell on earth.
It poisons them to life in a way that sinners don't suffer, and saints are immune.

"you can go through hell and come out pure
if you just don't let the devil take your mind."

I'm so fortunate that my parents are living. What an added blessing that Jamie's parents are living. They are all independent, mentally strong, active. How lucky for our kids to have four living healthy grandparents who actually get along and like each others company. When we are all together, we are surrounded by a cocoon of love. It's sublime bliss.

Jamie and I visited his parents yesterday. Norm was diagnosed with lung cancer last fall. He's doing well, considering. We talked about treatments and hospital stays and doctors and how difficult it can be to communicate with medical staff. We talked about selling their home and moving to a condo. We talked about end of life issues like power of attorney, living wills, and hospice.

We talked about the Winter Olympics, and their grandkids, and their friends and siblings.

We enjoyed the company of people I most love in all the world.

If you can't look around your life and see the love, go make a new life. Start with yourself, and make a new life.

For Norm, for you, for the world... A little Tommy Dorsey on a Monday morning.