The Bumper-sticker Foundation

I've just weathered a small, slightly destructive storm. No one was killed, but I sustained a mild injury and all the structures in my life were swept clean away. I'm mostly healed up now, and ready to re-build. I know the first thing I need to do is put down a foundation. Since I want to build something sustainable, I'm determined to use local resources that are easily renewed.

The one thing I seem to have plenty of, no matter how much I use each day, is words. Words in my head, words in my mouth, words on the page, words on this blog...they're everywhere! And, while I may not call myself a christian, I can't deny the influence of the Judeo-Christian culture I've lived in almost all my life. Maybe that's why I feel compelled to start this way. Isn't there a passage somewhere that says, "In the beginning, there was the Word?"

It must have taken a real miracle of efficiency to pack all the necessary meaning into just one word. I can hardly come up with a good haiku, so I'm going to give myself a little more leeway. I think I'll build my life around twenty-seven. Here they are.

"How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives."

"True freedom is never needing to lie."

"Everyone does better when everyone does better."


These are my three favorite quotes. The first one is from an Annie Dillard book I read over a decade ago. The other two are bumper stickers I saw at some point in the last 35 years.

So, right now, I'm going to start living a life that I love every day, not just on the weekends. I'm going to make choices that allow me to be completely in my integrity. And, I'm either going to contribute to a better world for everyone, or at the very least not make it worse for anybody.

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