Miriam is right, of course. How it is lived is the best example of faith.

Yet I find myself hungry for story, and hungry to share story. Reading in the David James Duncan book, I come across this:

". . . I'm just a storyteller, not a pundit. I like Bary Lopez's borrowed Inuktitut definition of the story teller as isumataq. The isumataq is 'the person who creates the atmospher in which wisdom reveals itself.' The person who uses words to try to stuff you full of wisdom has confused wisdom with turkey stuffing. Wisdom must reveal itself, because wisdom lives, hidden, within the self, where only the lone reader, lone listener, the self itself, can summon and free it. . . ."

This thought by David James Duncan, borrowed from Barry Lopez, satisfies my most recent wonderings of why I seem so compelled to seek out stories, to listen carefully to story, to see myself as part of story (would it be Story?).

"Wisdom must reveal itself . . ."

I would expand on this and say wisdom cannot be just from inside. It is the dialog that the inside holds with the outside world -- the natural world, our communities, our families and our friends, and the Spirit-That-Moves-Through-All-Things. We become un-sane if we only listen to what is inside.

Back to C.K. Journey

Found myself lapsing, again, into thinking of this journey of weight loss toward fitness was a journey "back." Back into shape, back like I used to be. But it really isn't. Each time in my life has been unique. For example, while I enjoyed the physique I had in my 20s, I would not want to return to the angst and struggle of becoming what my Grandather used to call a mensch -- a real person. I have to remind myself I'm moving forward to something. I'm changing and growing each day into what I want to become. Scary some days. I think because I feel less in control. Yet control is an illusion. Perhaps I should remember I can only hope to influence. Where did that come from? Author, singer, activist, John Trudell.

Okay, even in C.K. musings I'm philosophical. What is it this week? Do the beautiful green west hills of my view from the office encourage this? Or perhaps the frog song at night?

Catch y'all later!