I wake violently from a dream.  In this dream, I had decided to go back to West Point.  I walk the hollow grounds of the Academy watching the new cadets pinging around the parade field.  I instinctually know that I have to get myself into better shape if I want to have any chance of keeping up with these young cadets.  I run and I swim.  But soon realize that my 40 year old body lacks the resilience it once had, so I abandon the idea.

I walk from the Academy gates with my head hung low.  I fumble with my gear as I walk down the street.  I pass by a young Jesus looking guy on the sidewalk.  He has a young man and a young woman with him.  As I pass, the bearded guy beckons for me to come toward him.  I reach for him, but he slaps my hands away and says, “Not so fast.”  He sits down against the wall of the building we are standing in front of.  I take his rejection to mean go away.  As I turn to leave the young man and young woman get to either  side of me and push me to the ground.  I try to fight off the guy first.  But while I am fighting him, the woman goes for my wallet.  I turn to fight her off.  Then the young man is back at me.  And the see-saw effect begins.  I fight one off and then the other.  Back and forth.  The situation seems hopeless.  In desperation, I force myself to wake up, so that I don’t see the outcome that I don’t want.

It is 5.30 am on a Saturday.  I count it as a lie-in to sleep until 5.30 am.  I get up, ready to begin the day in full.

I came across this interest blog post about the Penis Festival in Japan:

http://denniscooper-theweaklings.blogspot.com/2009/06/george-box-presents-honen-matsuri.html

And Mark Vernon had this quote from Steve Jobs on his blog.  I like this quote because it fits exactly my current mood:

‘Remembering I’ll be dead soon is the most important tool I’ve ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.’

peace out.