I know what day today is, and I know what day tomorrow is

A calendar made of wood shows it's July 3rd and sits outside on a gorgeous sunny day in front of a body of water and many green trees.

Published July 3, 2025 

Nineteen years ago today, my mom died. Since 2006, July 3 has been quiet time for me. Today will be no different. Silent reflection will be the order of the day.

Tomorrow? Yeah, let’s talk about that.

I’m going to publish a Fourth of July story that took me more than a year to write. I had high hopes for it, but life beat me up halfway through, so it’s not the gem I hoped it’d be. It was conceived as a fun story, a diversion from the horrors, but even I could not have imagined the depths to which America has sunk so quickly. You do you, of course, but I can’t get a handle on any happy way to be fully present in something we call Independence Day this year.

So I’m going to be spend the day in another time and place, in a sort of nesting doll of time travel. You’ll understand when or if you see the story.

Once I realized the story wouldn’t live up to my expectations for it, I threw the kitchen sink at it. It’s probably going to be information overload for some people, but I’ve recalibrated a lot this year, including my goals. Even my goals for tomorrow’s story. I’d love it if it distracts you from whatever ails you.

All along, I kept telling myself I was working on it to give a few people a fun ride, and maybe that will happen, but I suspect that someday soon I’ll speak a deeper truth about why I was working on it so hard and for so long.

From the "Breaking Bad" series finale, Skyler White looks up at Walter as he says, "I did it for me."

I liked it. I was good at it. And, I was really … I was alive.

At least that’s how it was sometimes when I’d sit down to write. A long time ago. Working on the story for tomorrow was a way for me to get lost in a task and try to recapture some magic from long ago. And, believe it or not, it helped keep me alive. It really did.

Hang in there. Happy 3rd.

Image showing July 3 date by MR.Frost via Shutterstock.

 

♥

Thank you

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2 thoughts on “I know what day today is, and I know what day tomorrow is”

  1. Tanja

    I’ll be hanging in there even if just from sheer spite and not giving the fuckers the satisfaction of NOT.
    Looking forward to the good piece tomorrow!

    Mr. T

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