It took me many years to realize this — and I’m sure many of my readers know this by now — but I’m an optimist.
During our recent recession, I kept telling everybody that everything that goes down will eventually go up again. Life is like a roller coaster; it has its ups and downs and that extends to almost everything — relationships, businesses, even governments are on a pendulum, from left to right, constantly throughout history. Which brings me of course to this point.
The last couple of years have been full of incredibly high points for me in every way, shape and form — socially, economically and politically — and this has been one of the happiest times I can recall. In fact, last week we topped it all off with something I thought would never happen in my lifetime: I got to marry the guy of my dreams, Jason Villemez, and since that day I felt like the happiest man in the entire world — something I wish for each and every one of you.
And in the previous weeks, PGN continued its record as the most award-winning LGBT publication in America, and it also won one of the most prestigious journalistic prizes in the nation, along with Wall Street Journal, Boston Globe and the Washington Post. So I really should have actually no complaints. I really should be looking for that one episode that I know will happen, so I can get myself up, dust myself off and get my way up again; at least that’s the way my theory goes.
And another thing you know if you read this column is that I’ll try almost any adventure — which includes being a trapeze artist to getting into the middle of a boxing ring or even doing some scuba diving with sharks. My life course has been similar to the motto in the book/movie “Auntie Mame,” which is: “Life is a banquet and most poor suckers are starving to death.” So here it goes … While on a business trip, I decided to try something I’ve never done before: rent a motor scooter and take a little drive. Well, something told me that might’ve been a mistake.
The simple fact is I got into an accident and broke my arm, so I’m in a sling and a cast for the next few weeks. And you know what? It really isn’t that bad. I could’ve done a lot worse, and I’m looking forward to ways of making this work while this cast is on. There is no alternative, and at times the challenge could be fun or a brain tease. Poor Jason has to help me a little more, so we get closer and closer and closer. And that’s what I call the silver lining.