TheBanyanTree: Tree, Spoon, Campfire

[Cecil]

At 10:50 AM -0800 2/17/04, Terri wrote:
>And we are still here.

Terri? Didn't know you by that name. I have often thought of you and 
wondered why we don't hear from you anymore. I always enjoyed 
everything you wrote to Spoon.

>(Snip)
>
>I started a novel, realized the writing wasn't honest, which is 
>usually my forte, so put it away till I am not so intimidated by the 
>genre.

I, too, have been working on a novel. It is completed except for 
checking for errors and maybe a little tweaking here and there. Does 
a novel have to be honest? Shux, I thought all fiction was a lie. 
What kind of a novel were you writing? Mine is a romance.
>
>I stopped writing for Hollywood -- I have to trust and respect the 
>people I work with.  Hollywood made me VERY unhappy.  We don't mix 
>well.

Funny, I always thought you were right at home in Hollywood. Well, I 
do remember that you were at odds with some of the people you were 
dealing with.
>
>And I turned to stage  plays again -- which is where I started. 
>They are so easy for me to write.  And I'm so much better at it now.

Do they provide a good living for you? You say you need a job. BTW, 
one of my grandson-in-laws is a drama teacher. He always has a stage 
play in the works. I don't know where he gets them, but if you like, 
I can put you in touch with him. Let me know.
>
>Well, this has all been about ME, hasn't it?  I am always just so 
>amazed when people mention time passing.  In my 30's, I was part of 
>the 4% of the population who believed time passed far too slowly. 
>Of course, I also suffered from clinical depression -- that can make 
>life a real bummer.
>
>I still have my dips -- I had one the past two weeks, when it all 
>came back to me, the hopelessness, the powerlessness, the midnight 
>abyss of life with the endless loop of despair and sorrow playing in 
>my mind.  I am now able to look at thge terrible feelings and know 
>"This is just chemicals.  Feelings are not facts.  This will pass. 
>If it doesn't, I'll go to the doctor."

Another surprise. I always pictured you as very self assured, never 
down or doubting yourself. I used to wallow in depression and the 
feeling of hopelessness and despair. That was in my younger days. 
Thankfully, I got over it.

>
>That's a major accomplishment.  And, hey, I do feel better today.
>
>And we are still here.
>
>xox
>Sidda

Good. There is help. And there is hope. Please let me know how things 
are going with  you.

Kind regards,

Cecil