What's in a name?

"Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans." - John Lennon

I never intended to start a blog and never write on it. Sometimes, no matter how sincere the intent, life just gets in the way, and before you know it, it’s been close to a year and the blog still consist of one lonely entry.

And then sometimes, you get laid off and need something to occupy the time between collecting unemployment checks and searching for jobs in a recessed economy. (Okay, maybe that’s just me..)

Needless to say, here I am, again, eight months later with the same intent, to actually write on this blog on a regular basis. With all of the free time I have as of late, it seems silly for me to NOT write here regularly, so I am making the commitment now. I’m putting it out there, so now I have to be held accountable.

So, with that said, let’s get back to the title of this blog…what’s in a name?…specifically, what is the significance of the name of this blog, Insignificant Preambles. The title comes from a line from Dazed and Confused, a film by one of my favorite directors and fellow Texan, Richard Linklater.

“I'd like to quit thinking of the present, like right now, as some minor insignificant preamble to something else.” – Cynthia

Most of us move through each moment of our lives without ever really being present. Life moves past us, moment by moment, as we remain focused on some moment in the future vastly more important than the one we are living in now. The present moment then becomes a mere prelude to what is to come, our destination. Be it money, power, career success, the destination that we are headed becomes out singular line of focus and all else becomes blurred as we race to the finish line.

The unfortunate truth in this way of life is that the destination is never as satisfactory as it is anticipated to be, so once it is reached, it is replaced by another, more distant goal and the cycle repeats itself. There is always some target in sight and the rest of life is aligned with reaching the end. What these people fail to see, is that life is not about getting to some ultimate end. No, life is a journey and must be lived in each moment. Becoming present in the current moment and living within it is what, in the end, leads to contentment.

Soon, one realizes that what they thought were minor insignificant preambles to their life story are, in fact, not minor at all, but profoundly important. It also becomes apparent that these fleeting moments are not mere introductions to our life story; they are the story, the bricks that build who we are.

One of my favorite philosophers of the twentieth century, Alan Watts, illustrates this perfectly in his comparison of life to music…



“No one imagines that a symphony is supposed to improve in quality as it goes along, or that the whole object of playing it is to reach the finale. The point of music is discovered in every moment of playing and listening to it. It is the same, I feel, with the greater part of our lives, and if we are unduly absorbed in improving them we may forget altogether to live them.”

Thus, the birth of this blog…a place for me to post about the random, seemingly unimportant matters of my life that I feel like sharing. Do with it as you will…if you enjoy it, I hope that it brings inspiration and entertainment into your life, if not, move on and find something that you are more passionate about. Remember life is about the journey and not the destination. Life is happening all around you. Take a break from the race to stroll through the forest. Exist in the moment, for this moment is all that exists