/blog

I couldn't sleep so got up early: reading, emails, general catch up. I'll probably finish the muse-letter soon so it's ready to go later today.

I had one of those moments when you think you've got stuff worked out but, as you go through it, are struck by an extra layer of nuance – almost a eureka moment. It reminds me that there are always new depths to everything, new viewpoints to explore and appreciate; nothing is as simple as it seems.

I'm not an especially early riser but earlier than the rest of the house so, irrespective of what shift I'm on for work, I get this time at the start of the day, time I cherish, time where I can do whatever I want but feel I often waste. Though I'm not so sure. There are things I could be doing but, equally, not doing them is a reward of its own making – just being not doing.

Listening, watching, thinking, sometimes that's enough.

The joy of reading is that, ultimately, you ascribe your own meanings to what you consume. The author gives you a nudge in the right direction then you take what you're given and go from there. You're not in their head, you don't know what they were thinking so have to extrapolate from what's on the page. You can try to enter their mindset, try to extract every iota of original meaning but that's exhausting and spoils the fun.

Equally, the author cannot get too attached to meaning or too upset if that finely crafted piece doesn't resonate how they hoped. Everyone is different, everyone will interpret things in their own way. Perhaps it should be seen as flattering that something they have written has allowed these disparate readers to come to their own conclusions, that their creation has sparked so many somethings.

Liked: Non-Contact...

"Perhaps it was some sort of strange precognitive cultural memory of the future, but the cliches, it turned out, were all true. Well, almost all true. The aliens did come in large flying saucers that could hover silently and move silently at physics-defying speeds."