I was taking my dog Abby for a walk along our road that follows the river. It was foggy but the sun eventually prevailed. What a strange sight and sensation walking through fog when the sunlight is piercing through. I could see the small particles of mist in the air, dancing before the oncoming warmth. And this against spiderwebs sprayed across the trees. It was gorgeous.

Guys a few houses down from me are doing their roof. I felt a great sense of accomplishment having done mine in two days… Tuesday and Wednesday… and I still feel the echoes of pain in my body. I almost wanted to shout out, “Did mine in 2 days!” But I resisted.

I posted this on Facebook last night, so you might’ve already seen it. It was very late. Lisa was at work and my boys were out. I was alone. I was drinking Sam Adams Boston Lager. I felt like a smoke so I grabbed a small cigar and went out on my back deck. The sky was clear and the stars were shining. All was quiet. But in the distance, wafting through the air, was the faint sound of a woman singing, like a lullaby, and it was oh so lovely. It was so moving, so beautiful, so mystical. In a subtle way I felt at one with all things, and I swam in a kind of serenity. It changed my mood, opened my heart and mind, and I felt at peace.

Our secret Facebook page was alive last night (please ask for an invite if you’re not on there yet!). Jason, who is now our official post-master since whenever he posts something he gets an insane amounts of comments, suggested we all get together.  One day!

But this got me thinking about the quality of our relationships in TLS. One of the most powerful values TLS delivers is that people realize that if we’re okay, then they’re okay. That is, many people who have taken the incredible risk of being spiritually independent can feel very weird, strange, different, and even crazy. Then they meet up with the likes of us and they realize that they’re okay. They are perfectly fine. They are not alone. They are not stupid. They are totally alright. They learn to become self-validating.

Here’s the thing though: if we were all crazy, like, cultish or unintelligent or blind, then this couldn’t happen. If you’re afraid of being crazy and you meet up with a bunch of other crazies you’re going to worry. But if you’re afraid of being crazy and you meet up with people who are on the same page as you but are endeavoring to be bravely intelligent and brutally honest then you will feel that, instead of getting worse, you’re actually getting better. You’re progressing. You’re maturing!

That’s why I so appreciate the rigorous thought and honesty that is happening on TLS. It keeps us real with ourselves and with our relationships with one another.

So, I want to thank you. You guys are amazing.

All my love,

David