37 Comments
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Joshua Nearly's avatar

Tommy, once again, you leave me speechless. It’s October, chronologically, and in the span of my life. Why do I need my life? Can we be wise enough to know the lesson of our life while still living our life, can we be aware in time for the experience and the lesson to be simultaneously present in the moment? I don’t know… but once again, you’re sharpened my ability to see, and if I’m lucky, to understand. Thank you.

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Tommy Swerdlow's avatar

Hey man, appreciate. Just trying to take what happened and see if wring some more juice out of it. But I'm glad you enjoyed drinking it JN

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Joshua Nearly's avatar

Some pieces are lemonade… this was dark roast. Still good.

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Eric Trules's avatar

After that, how can there be a Lesson #2?

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Andrea C. Neil's avatar

Thanks for the insightful post. Was thinking similar thoughts, last night lying sleepless in a foreign country… do we need to drop ourselves into a different story to see our own more clearly?

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Tommy Swerdlow's avatar

For some reason what you wrote made me think of the Bob Dylan line "when you're lost in the rain in Juarez and it's Easter time too". Maybe we do Andrea. Glad you found you're way to the post.

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Carlo Navato's avatar

Tommy this is beautiful and wise and so welcome. Thank you for pouring yourself onto the page. May Michael and your brother both rest in peace

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Tommy Swerdlow's avatar

Thank you Carlo. And I love the image of pouring yourself on the page. That's the job desription.

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Patris's avatar

Speechless.

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Tommy Swerdlow's avatar

We're in it together sister

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Geraldine A. V. Hughes's avatar

Oh my, Sir Tommy

Whoosh

Maximum impact, dear one!

It would crush the big screen. . . ?!

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Tommy Swerdlow's avatar

You make me smile GAVH

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Robert mangiardi's avatar

Great Tommy

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Tommy Swerdlow's avatar

Thank brother

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Chen Rafaeli's avatar

...thank you

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Tommy Swerdlow's avatar

Thank you Chen

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BarkingTreesBite's avatar

"There's no such thing as death, life is only a dream and we are an imagination of ourselves." Bill Hicks

Movie/dream we need love in it, most of all. I didn't know that when I knew everything. Luckily I forgot that I knew everything somewhere a long the line. Bil Hicks helped.

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Tommy Swerdlow's avatar

I'm with you, and wandering through it next to you.

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Framing-the-Story w/AK's avatar

Beautiful! We are all the protagonists in our own movie. We might have the desire for the beginning, but most of us won’t understand the need until the end, alas.

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Tommy Swerdlow's avatar

Yes, we are. The protagonist and if we are lucky, the director as well.

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Renee Missel's avatar

That's it!!! Your brother did get there...the there we want to inhabit and live from. Thank you.

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Tommy Swerdlow's avatar

I love that comment. He did and I'm glad your tuned into it. There's a lot in there, but that resonates with me the most. Not what I wrote, but what he said.

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Josie Rashmi Smith's avatar

I loved reading this, Tommy, your honesty and truth shines brightly in every word. It is one of the gifts of life that with each hill we climb our perspective on the path we’ve travelled changes, and we see the hidden blessings in the worst of times, and the lessons in the best of times. Happy travelling!

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Tommy Swerdlow's avatar

Thank you Josie. Glad you felt it and me and yourself. Happy traveling to you as well.

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Pattie Lee Pierce's avatar

What a perfectly articulated piece. I had recently come to the same conclusion as you state so eloquently: “I would say the reason we all need the movie is to learn how to give and receive love, and it is how successful we are at doing that, that makes it a comedy or a tragedy (though it’s always a mix of both).”

I always look forward to reading your pieces. They make me feel & think a lot...and that’s GOOD!

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Tommy Swerdlow's avatar

And good can be good, real good. I even occasionally find thinking and feeling bearable. I'm with you Pattie Lee.

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Holly Starley's avatar

Tommy, I’ve thought about this question for the last few days. Why do I need my current movie? I’m going to let myself off the hook and say that’s an answer better come to in hindsight.

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Tommy Swerdlow's avatar

You got time as you roll. That's nice.

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𝐃𝐮𝐕𝐀𝐘 𝐊𝐍𝐎𝐗's avatar

I like Michael. Its always hard to lose a GOOD One that fills multiple roles in Your life.

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Tommy Swerdlow's avatar

Yeah, I was strung out the whole time we were rolling and when I got clean, he was no longer the same... And still it was a beautiful fruitful thing...Life is a motherfucker, to the good and the bad.

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Shaista Ali's avatar

“How to give and receive love.” The story of our lives. Insightful, beautiful.

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Tommy Swerdlow's avatar

Thanks Shaista. You always get right to the guts of the matter. The dance team of love and hope or the pain of their absence.

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