Well, hi! Welcome to my blog. I feel like I'm just telling myself this, since I'm not really spreading the word about this blog's existence for now. I guess I've started this to give me some impetus to begin a memoir and to start documenting memories, random thoughts on life... You know, blog stuff I guess...I'm also currently going through significant changes in my life, the big one being upcoming fatherhood. My beautiful wife is gonna give birth in December, and maybe some life lessons or words of developmental wisdom can be worked out here and eventually be imparted to my spawn.
The title of the blog, Living Well Is The Best Revenge, was found in a New York apartment complex called the Marmara Apartments in Yorkville. It's a Turkish company, and that's their tag line. It's on everything, their marketing materials, their posters, even their room key cards. I initially thought it had kind of a harsh tone to it, maybe a bit conceited. But the more I thought about it, the more it grew on me as a really great mantra. It was originally coined by a 17th century English clergyman and metaphysical poet, George Herbert. It is indeed the best revenge you can have on any adversarial force, be it a person or a personal demon, etc. It's non-violent and yet it's not inactive. One has to work at living well. And that satisfaction can and should well suffice at getting back at the curve balls life inevitably throws at us sometimes.
In my childhood, especially in the awkward junior high school years, I was not a very popular kid. Well, I was very popular with bullies who liked to pick on smaller smartass kids like me. There were some dark, humiliating days on the playgrounds at that time. But it was only a few years later, in most of my high school days, when things started to turn around in my favor, and I started 'living well'. After that, 'living well' began to sink in as a form of revenge for me. The bullies on the playground of course never knew it, and I never really put the 'revenge' label on it, but at one point I found myself saying, "I've arrived at this great point in my life. I'm happy, I have great friends, I'm doing what I love. And guys like Tony Gugliuzza and Chris Siuta are surely somewhere serving 8-10 years for grand larceny, possession with intent to sell, or assault. Advantage: JimmySlo.
Bumps in the road aside, I can count my blessings, lucky stars, thank god, whatever one does to be grateful for what I have and where I am now. Too often I lose sight of that, and it's something I need to work on. Perhaps this blog will help me with that too. Here's to living well!
Jimmy,
ReplyDeleteSo, so happy to see that you have started a blog. You are by far one of the most original voices I've ever known. I remember a remembrance you wrote of a relative (your uncle, I think?) when he died that moved me to tears. You're a great human being and a great writer. I started my blog for many of the same various reasons as yours (not least the idea of imparting something, or recording something, to/about my son), but also as a way of getting me to write every day. The whole "every day" part is still not sticking, but it has helped me immensely to share my stories on this "stage" and to help others--whether through humor or insight--as much as they help me, through a sense of community. (You should post a link to your youtube stuff on here, it's tah DIE for.) Glad for Facebook and the opportunity it affords to keep in touch with people like you, with whom I've intersected "officially" just once, briefly, in a show years ago, but with whom I can now keep in touch in meaningful ways. I'm so happy that you are Living Well and tha tyou have a child on the way--parenting has been my greatest joy, in a life full of joys. The creative experience of parenting is an amazing journey. Welcome to "the blogosphere!" Love, Laura
You were the funniest guy at St. Daniels - I still remember you for your incredible sense of humor, not any of your (perceived) inadequacies. I, too, survived my own bouts of humiliation at that lovely school. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger. ;)
ReplyDeleteCongrats on your achievements and your new baby.