who are you? what do you want? why are you here?

There was a bit in eleri 's journal tonight that got me to thinking.

Thought of the night:
Who are you, and why have you come to this place from which no one returns unchanged or unscathed?

I don't know where it comes from, or what eleri is thinking, but it's been resonating in my head. There's something about it that speaks to me. There's a longer post here, but it'll have to wait for when I have time and it's not three in the morning, which probably means that it'll never get written. *sigh*

Anyway, along with the question, a second quiet voice has been mumbling in my head an answer, and that answer is here.

"I have come here because there is something here to learn. No one may return unchanged, but change comes whether I were to seek or not. Change comes no matter where you are, and it is painful. To leave here unchanged and unscathed would be disaster, not pleasure. It means I have failed to learn.

"And since I have come here to learn who I am, you may begin to understand my reasoning."

Maybe I have learned something in ten years.

---

There was one other quick thought that I wanted to share. I spent this afternoon signing my way through 90+ copies of Finis, and thus got to see and hold the book in my hands. It's official. Among the many things I am, published author is now included in the list.

And the book kicks ass. There'll be non-preorder copies going on sale in September, I'm told, so if you failed to get a unique copy signed by me and several other contributors to the project, you can at least still get the book. I'll make a post to let you know when they're going back on sale.