Much of my free time this week was spent building two new systems- one being a slightly older PC to run Windows XP (for gaming some old favorites) and a file server. Building the XP machine had its frustrating moments, and I had to reinstall the OS at least a few times on two different machines, but in the end, it wasn't all that bad- at least compared to the file server.
I have dedicated hours and hours to building and fine tuning that machine practically all week. With the leftover parts and loose plans I had for it, it's the kind of thing that would normally take days upon days to get to where it is. Lucky for me, I caught a lovely cold this week (it wasn't lovely, it was pretty miserable) and ended up having nothing but time at home to work on it (when I wasn't resting, that is). The frustration and problems that have arisen in building it have been such a source of rage, that I look forward to going back to work and dealing with easier things like fixing laptops and rebuilding networks- yes- those seem to me less frustrating and difficult tasks right now in light of my current frustrations. It's as if everything that could possibly go wrong goes wrong (hence the title this week). But enough about that.
Obviously, I haven't a whole lot to speak of, as I've been sick this week, but I did get the chance to go on a drive through the neighboring valley and see the fall colors. My mind is still trying to grasp the idea that it's not quite summer, still, and I don't know if I'll fully grasp that until I see snow... but anyway, something intriguing occurred to me this past week. Personally speaking I am a big fan of summer- it's probably my favorite season, as it is to a good host of people. But there are those, like my wife, who are much bigger fans of other seasons, and particularly fall. There's a lot of reasons to love autumn, but high on the "favorites list" is likely the beautiful changing colors in the flora- and that's where I suddenly found myself intrigued. Why? Well, if you'll pardon another momentary rant, and a spiritual thought, it's because I saw a parallel to death. Let me preface anything else that follows by first saying, LIVE. You are AWESOME. Really. Yes, you. If you are struggling at all with thoughts of death, read on ONLY with a solid understanding that we have to live on doing the best we can, even if we feel like there's nothing left to give or to be received. Also, and perhaps more importantly, shoot me a message, because I don't care if you are a total stranger- I'll be a friend. Anyways- as a society at large, almost everyone, it seems, looks upon death with a dread and as the greatest evil that can befall a person. That, of course, varies depending on your faith in what follows. Personally, I have a solid belief and reassurance that what follows takes away a lot of the shadowy figure of death. What's left behind to see is that it's just another path that everyone takes, and the followup is unspeakably far more beautiful than can be imagined by current human understanding. In that light, death has its sorrow, as it brings separation, but it is also a blessing. It is just like when I looked at the surrounding trees and shrubs on all the hills around and saw so many beautiful colors- these all had a special life of their own, and were all slowly fading into the oncoming chill of winter. If you are wondering if and how what I said could be even remotely possible, I will refer you to This link.
Anyways, happy autumn, and here are to fun, colorful days ahead!