8/08/2025.

TGIF- made it through another week. We hit our first 100+ degree day here.

Wow, I could really make answering this prompt way more complicated than it needs to be. Hyperbole vs Clarity.

Short answer ^because of this, no.

Long answer - yes, it's possible to trace consequences.

Isn't it weird that clarity is the long answer? I realized that one day. I spent years of my life as a fiction writer, prior lived grief trauma pouring in - mixing with the daily product. I noticed things. Where did this come from? >one question among many others that I could not leave unresolved as I edited the works and things stood out. I was curious, why my mind chose certain paths for the characters. A series of choices based on their internal honesty system. And that fluctuated based on their own personal learning curve and needs at that time as even an honest man could be tempted into becoming a liar and vice versa. It intrigued me. Floating between reality and delusion.

I loved writing fictional characters. It took me far too long to realize the connections. Personality, behavior, choices. Once I did, it was like unlocking an enormous template. I also realized that template wasn't honesty driven, it was fear driven. So you can't really use that template accurately if you're afraid at that time. And that probably sounds ridiculous but keep in mind that I was a fiction writer and living inside my own head. Very curious and actively engaged in watching how my mind worked. So in my world, there is a template/portal. Where I go to write. My imagination is compartmentalized. I would not be able to access preferred writing zones/flow if I was fearful. Through this process, I was able to begin to identify when I was triggered by trauma. Was it a character, was it me? That kind of thing.

Yeah, non-writers this is probably out there and does not make sense but as a writer, I developed all kinds of tricks and techniques to do my craft. I thoroughly loved writing, it's my favorite escape. I had plenty of time to write too. My kids and caregiving requirements, well it was very easy for me to pop in/out of writing throughout the day. I had a quiet life. I miss those days sometimes. But I do not miss the unhappiness.

And that's the hardest part of that process - seeing the happiness, a place you have to reach. Can't take it for granted. It floats, disappears, becomes a wall - many things really. Because of this? 'Everything happens for a reason', is very hollow in that context. It's very possible to make changes and not become a product of circumstance. Honestly though, that process is emotional moderation. Crawling through an obstacle course. But someone has to be willing to jump in and take control/ownership of that process.

I've crawled through that obstacle course enough to understand consequences exist. So does exhaustion. Things just don't magically happen without a chain reaction/root cause. So in that context 'everything happens for a reason' is very heavy and burdensome but yet true.