There must have been a wave of reflectiveness passing through the blogosphere yesterday. Thanks for the link, and the links to the others' posts. I want to say "they were good reads" but maybe "bittersweet" would be the better word.

And you wrote: when a day like this one comes about, where memories hurt and changes unsettle and prospects worry and mistakes catalyze....

Tell me, was that simply a concise summary of the themes found by following the links, or was that a reflection of Eric's day? As you yourself wrote in comments over at Julie's place, "What's really going on here...?"

'Cause you're right, I've found that friends, even virtual ones, matter.

(BTW, following the link to Life Being Beautiful took me to a page that 'doesn't exist'.)

There must have been a wave of reflectiveness passing through the blogosphere yesterday.

It was a strange confluence of powerful and revealing posts. Any one of them, by itself, was noteworthy...but taken together -- which is pretty much the way I came upon them -- they are almost staggering.

"What's really going on here...?"

Actually, in this case, I'm just a tour guide (if you'll forgive the flippancy), although perhaps more empathetic than usual. None of those things that were written about are immediately relevant to my life, but they all resonate and bring back memories of similar things, and the result is strong.

[I've fixed the link to Rachel's post. She was having blog software problems last night.]

'Sall good. Hope you don't think I was being nosy, just... neighborly.

That's the way I took it...and I do appreciate the inquiry!

Thanks for the link, Eric. Compared to the other posts, my circumstances and emotional churnings are minor. But I was needing a little encouragement today - it is hard to say goodbye, even when the goodbye is a good one. And seeing that you read my post and got enough out of it to link it was the encouragement I needed. Thanks man.

Once of the reasons I like visiting other people's blogs is that you really get different perspectives. I like visiting some of the blogs of the Jewish peope I have bookmarked--some of them, particularly the ones that live In Israel, have deliciously different perspectives. People who are honest about their feelings can help others who are going through the same thing. In that way, we're all edifying each other!

Bill, it's kind of humbling to think that a simple link can be an encouragement, but I'm happy I was "moved" to do it. Blessings on your new "chapter"!

Stephen, I guess we all have the capability to both build up and tear down, and we make a choice as to which we'll do. The blogosphere is simply a micro-mirror of humankind at-large, with plenty of people doing each. Like you, I prefer those who do the former.

It's an interesting tour, Eric!

But after seeing the sights, buying keychains at the gift shops, I'm still drawn to the practical (though enhanced by the Spiritual) level-headedness of the Fireant Gazette.

Maybe the degree a person can empathize with a blogger depends on how regularly they read the posts and on how closely the reader shares the blogger's general outlook.

For example, I don't understand people who romanticize the pointless, self-destructive behavior of a modern-day hippie. Like his 60's predecessors, McCandless was a spoiled, narcissistic kid who had the whole world handed to him on a plate. It's very easy to "throw it all away" when Daddy is the one who busted his chops earning it.

A kid who spent the whole summer pushing shopping carriages or picking weeds out of the curb as a landscaper understands very well what $160 cash is. It's a week's worth of sweat and hard work. He's not likely to take a match to it in some pointless gesture.

Anyway, maybe I've just gotten too comfortable with the "content-free" posts around here. ;-)

Mr. Freen, Julie's post caught my attention for the very reason you state: it's somewhat out of character for her to want to emulate someone like McCandless. As I commented on that post (and as she alluded), something's going on in her life that's a little unsettling to me...not that we're intimate friends but I have gotten to know her pretty well (I think) having read her for a couple of years.

I don't mean to be presumptive, but I suspect my reaction was similar to the way you might react if I was to post something dark and depressing and hint that perhaps life is not really worth living, after all.

Hmmm... Good point, Eric. (another reason I turn to the Gazette first)

I'd probably have an easier time understanding another person having a moment of doubt and gloom (since I have them entirely too often, myself). Those are experiences common to everyone though from what I've seen, your faith gets you through them.

Some guy just throwing it all away to become a vagrant... Heck, I just don't understand that. You've read Julie Neidlinger's blog regularly so you have a better understanding on why idealizing McCandless is apparently out of character for her.

Lemme know if you're planning on growing a fluffy Tolstoy beard and taking off across the country, eh? I'll be Dennis Hopper to your Peter Fonda. ;-)

Lemme know if you're planning on growing a fluffy Tolstoy beard and taking off across the country, eh? I'll be Dennis Hopper to your Peter Fonda. ;-)

You provide the choppers and I'm in, man!

Well, on second thought, I'd prefer a different ending to the trip...