Althouse has an interesting post about embracing the mundane and appreciating the life we have. Apparently, this is a trend with roots in the pandemic that continues to be promoted in TikTok videos and mainstream publications like the NY Times.
‘You have to start romanticizing your life,’ the narration begins. ‘You have to start thinking of yourself as the main character. Because if you don’t, life will continue to pass you by. And all the little things that make it so beautiful will continue to go unnoticed. So take a second, and look around, and realize that it’s a blessing for you to be here right now.’…”
Anyway, I appreciate the sentiment, even if it seems pretty obvious. I mean, I’ve had a starring role here at LTG for going on seventeen years now. Still, sometimes it all seems so pointless, and you have to step back and look hard to realize how much joy can be found in the seeming meaninglessness of daily life. Or so I keep telling myself. At least I’m not alone in those thoughts.
Here’s one way to be the star of your life (it’s funny and short, give it a watch):
Here’s what’s happening here in my world (or should I say the center of my universe?):
After darts, I did the dinner at Sit-n-Bull thing.
After my meal, I stopped by Queen Victoria.
Finished my night at Outback, where I think my friend, the bartender, and I have put aside our differences.
The morning hours featured a nice hike with the Friday walking group. We took a Jeepney ride out to Calapadayan and walked back to Barretto via Naugsol. It looked like this:
What do I have to complain about?
Finished my night at Outback, where I think my friend, the bartender, and I have put aside our differences.
Two people, or three?
1. my friend the bartender
2. me
[or]
1. my friend
2. the bartender
3. me
I recently wrote a comma chapter on appositives that deals with when to use or avoid commas. If the bartender is your friend, and the fact that he’s a bartender is necessary information, then you don’t need the commas:
Finished my night at Outback, where I think my friend the bartender and I have put aside our differences.
If you did indeed mean three people, though, you might consider reversing the order of the list for clarity:
Finished my night at Outback, where I think the bartender, my friend, and I have put aside our differences.
Even the above might produce some ambiguity, though, so perhaps you can solve the problem with the insertion of names.
Finished my night at Outback, where I think the bartender Rico, my friend Sam, and I have put aside our differences.
That ape on the street has impressive biceps.
I’m pretty sure I noted this on my own blog, but I can’t remember whether I left this insight on yours: Ernest Becker, a psychologist, suggests that people commit suicide when they no longer see themselves as the hero of their own personal narratives. It’s important, then, for us to reaffirm the central status we have in the story of our own lives. Not to a pathological extent, of course, but to a healthy extent for sure. A little self-esteem means we’re still alive.
Yeah, that sentence bothered me too. I meant just me and the bartender. We patched up a recent falling out. It seems so clear when you point it out, but at the time I was writing, I wasn’t sure which way to go. I chose wrong this time.
I agree; it’s not something new to star in your own story. A little surprised that it seems to be a big deal now, is all. I don’t recall your Becker post specifically, but I agree with him.