Diamond

Huggybear's Stories

August 9-15 Edition

June 30, 2014

Monday

Everybody has their own rituals. I'm in bed trying to get some shut-eye for my work tonight. Before I go to sleep, I need a period of mental tranquility. Writing is my way of getting rid of stress. I would just type on my phone whatever comes to mind, just like this vignette, a slice in the pie of my life. Oftentimes, I would need to listen to music as food for my soul. I always put on headphones. I appreciate the sound better. I don't see any point in sharing it with my neighbors, and I most certainly don't want to hear their racket. We're different folks and so we stroke to each his own. I like it that way. It's so refreshing to let the outside world stay out.

July 5, 2014

Saturday

When the winds of outrageous fortunes blows, and when the applause has died down and the crowds have all been gone, I turn to within. When all is said and done, I still have myself. I still have me. I'm writing this, writhing from emotional agony and existential angst. I don't understand how something so beautiful can bring so much pain. Jack Weil comes to mind. A lesson from one of my favorite film characters is helping me get through this.

Havana

Jack, played by Robert Redford in Havana, is a gambler, unafraid to take chances. But after a lifetime of solitary perfection, he is taking the unfathomable risk of falling in love.  Now he's letting his guard down, laying aside his shield of invulnerability. On his arm, sewed inside his sinews, is a diamond. "Whatever happens," he says as he reveals his deepest secret, "whatever they do to me, I still have that chance. I still have that diamond."

See My Favorite Robert Redford Movie