The Michael Project #1
Quotes, Bio, Program, & Photos of Us
As I wade through decades’ worth of creative work, quotes, documents, images, collaborations, and other fruits of Michael’s and my life together, it is clear this content merits its own series, which, for lack of a better term, I’ve titled The Michael Project.
I originally proposed that title during a conversation with Michael on May 14, 2009, aimed at recording some of his memories. Below is a snippet of our dialogue (note that Michael is “Owl,” and I am “Fox,” our totem animals, which Michael always jokingly-not-jokingly told me I shouldn’t tell people):
Owl: What is this called? Call it Fecking Michael.
Fox: I am not going to call this Fecking Michael.
Owl: Okay, then what are we going to call it?
Fox: The Michael Project.
Michael is a one-off.
A contrarian.
A loner.
A bricoleur.
A drummer.
A modeler.
An artist.
A composer.
A film editor.
A storyteller.
A coder.
The next day, May 15, 2009, marks the spontaneous beginning of our diablog, which we documented and published as our conversations unfolded over the coming months, but that’s a sharing for another time.
Because this content falls under the category of personal writing and deviates from my standard topics, I will be offering it to paid subscribers, although I will make pieces with broader appeal available to the public like I did with these two:
Below are quotes by Michael for all of my readers to enjoy. Some may sound familiar as I included them in I’ve Lost Half of Me, but these are the ones I selected for the program. Following that section are his bio, the program for the service, and two photos of us, one taken by my mom shortly after we got married and the other from a hike three years ago.
Again, I thank all of you who have lifted me up during this pitch-dark journey through grief. You are the light gleaming through the cracks.
Warmest gratitude to each one of you sacred beings,
Margaret Anna
Quotes by Michael
“People are countdown timers. Don’t forget that.”
“I don’t have any faith in the world. It kills those who would save it and follows those who lead it to its own destruction.”
“A liar can make you believe whatever they want you to believe. A storyteller can make you believe whatever you want to believe.”
“The only revolution that needs to take place is within. Whatever change takes place within will be projected without. That’s just the way it is.”
“We live in a world where too many people say, ‘Here, let me help myself to that,’ instead of ‘Here, let me help you with that.’”
“If you spend time contemplating the animals, you’ll wonder why you ever felt above them.”
“You can miss your entire life by just simply not being there.”
“I hate wasting time. I can’t waste any time. Try going to the bank and withdrawing time.”
“Tomorrow isn’t there.”
“Life is what you’re doing when you’re not afraid.”
“People run around in circles. I prefer to stand still.”
“Life isn’t something to chew up and spit out. Life is something to flow through you.”
“I live in the world of ‘maybe,’ which makes everything possible and nothing to be believed.”
“People don’t talk a lot in heaven. That’s why it’s heaven.”
“Days are counted. One day is one of our last.”
“In heaven, everyone knows their deathday. No one remembers their birthday. And everyone says it proudly.”
Michael’s prayers: “‘Thank you.’ ‘Whatever you want.’ Then leave it alone.”
“The world doesn’t exist. Only the individuals who populate the planet do.… The thing that is between them isn’t a physical thing. The thing that everyone has is Tao.… It’s all the one animating force of nature. The thing that’s animating them is the same thing in everyone. It’s not a separate self. It’s the one Self. But it’s not the kumbaya, we’re all space dust, hippy crap. It’s a physical reality. Because the truth of the matter is that even though it’s mysterious to us what animates life, it’s still physical. It’s still a physical thing. Because nothing exists in reality that isn’t physical. Electrons are physical. It’s all physical. But it is mysterious. And you can never understand it. No one will ever understand it.… If any explanation isn’t a contradiction, it probably isn’t true because life itself is a contradiction. The Tao is certainly a contradiction. But it’s both things at once at the same time.”*
*This is a longer version of the quote in the program since I had to truncate it due to space. The ellipses do not indicate elided content but words I failed to capture because Michael was speaking faster than I could type, which was often the case despite my being able to type probably at least 120 wpm.
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