Conversations with Calliope

Conversations with Calliope- Dialogue with My Muse

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you today?
JOE: Well, thank you. I spent most of yesterday packing again. It is finally starting to look like I will be out of here eventually.
CALLIOPE: Did you learn anything about yourself while packing?
JOE: Yes, how little I actually need to survive. I once thought I needed to hang on to every book and scrap of paper I had.
CALLIOPE: And now you don't?
JOE: No. Things have changed over the years. Many books are available directly on the Internet. Many others are available through inter-library loan. I don't need everything immediately available as long as I can find it somewhere.
CALLIOPE: What about papers?
JOE: They aren't critical either. Things I wrote in the past are in the past. I am making an effort to live more in the moment. The past can clutter my life.
CALLIOPE: Do you think there might be times when you wish you had kept your past writings?
JOE: It's only happened once so far. I wish I had kept my position papers from my last years in the monastery. They would have been helpful in writing my memoir. But alas I didn't and the memoir turned out okay without them. I had to rely on my memory of those days. The book was probably different than it might have been on that account, but I don't think it suffered significantly.
CALLIOPE: Then maybe you are doing the right thing. What's up for today?
JOE: I have a column to write for Saturday which I think I will write about moving. I plan to at least start it today.
CALLIOPE: Will we talk tomorrow?
JOE: Probably not. I will be working in Leroy and away from the computer and staying in Rochester tomorrow night. I will contact you again on Thursday.