Joe Langen  

(Allegheny Sunset)

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. I wonder about your wisdom project and why you chose it.
JOE: Good question. I think it sprung from my mother's recent ninetieth birthday. It made me stop to think what's important to me at this point in my life.
CALLIOPE: What did you discover?
JOE: First, I discovered what's not so important. I have been pursuing marketing as a way to make money.
CALLIOPE: Something wrong with that?
JOE: No, but to do justice to the Guerrilla Marketing I have been reading about as a path to making money, I would need to devote the bulk of my time and energy in the pursuit, pushing writing meaningfully to a secondary importance.
CALLIOPE: I see.
JOE: I am starting to see what's important to me. I think more money would be nice but would also distract me from my goal.
CALLIOPE: Which is?
JOE: To help other see the value of the collected wisdom of the ages and live in tune with our earth and its community rather than selfishly grabbing what we can.
CALLIOPE: A tall order.
JOE: I know. It's not one I can do alone. Others have gone before me in the effort, others are active now and I am sure others will follow. But I want to do my part.
CALLIOPE: Sounds like you want to make your contribution to living meaningfully.
JOE: Correct. Now to do it. Talk with you tomorrow.

(Allison and Joey)

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. I've been scratching my head all weekend.
JOE: About what?
CALLIOPE: About the new project you alluded to.
JOE: Oh, yes. It's about wisdom.
CALLIOPE: You mentioned that Saturday. Tell me more.
JOE: I haven't settled on a title yet although that might be better to decide later anyway.
CALLIOPE: And the focus?
JOE: It seems to me that each time of life has a store of wisdom.
CALLIOPE: Do you mean from childhood on through old age?
JOE: Exactly. Although our culture tends to focus on immediate gratification, Each season of life also has its own perspective and contribution to make to better ways to live.
CALLIOPE: I can't argue with that. How do you plan to go about it?
JOE: I have begun searching what has been written so far. Books on the subject don't look overdone.
CALLIOPE: So that's where you are now?
JOE: I am. After my research I will plan my strategy and develop an outline. Talk with you tomorrow.

(Apple Umpkin)

JOE: Good evening Calliope.
CALLIOPE: I had just about given up on you for today.
JOE: We expect rain here for the rest of the week. I made hay while the sun shone.
CALLIOPE: Doing what?
JOE: Visiting the Apple Umpkin Festival in Wyoming.
CALLIOPE: I'm glad you finally got here. You said something about a new project.
JOE: Indeed I did.
CALLIOPE: And?
JOE: I have been trying to find a way to integrate marketing and writing. I think I may have found one.
CALLIOPE: Go on.
JOE: I am exploring the possibility of a series of books on wisdom, building on a theme I have followed for years.
CALLIOPE: So you will not be starting from scratch.
JOE: No. I already know my theme and also have become associated with it through my previous writings.
CALLIOPE: A kind of platform.
JOE: You guessed it. It's still in the infancy stage but I have started doing some research into what has been written in this area and will continue exploring it next week. Talk with you on Monday.

(Letchworth)

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How goes it today?
JOE: Other than a leaky faucet the day's off to a fairly good start.
CALLIOPE: Did you tend to the faucet?
JOE; I got it diagnosed. Next is surgery, but it's in the works.
CALLIOPE: How about literary matters?
JOE: I'm continuing to work through Guerrilla Marketing for Writers.
CALLIOPE: What do you think so far?
JOE: There's enough here to keep me busy for years.
CALLIOPE: But?
JOE: But I don't want to spend years marketing.
CALLIOPE: So?
JOE: My current thought is to make room for marketing efforts in my schedule but not let them take over my life.
CALLIOPE: Sounds sensible. Back to balance.
JOE: Indeed. Now to do it. Talk with you tomorrow.

(W.G. Handyside Gallery)

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Did you sleep in?
JOE: No. I was busy writing and doing my yoga.
CALLIOPE: I see. What news?
JOE: Yesterday my son and I lunched at the Mennonite bulk food store in Warsaw (NY) and stopped by W.G. Handyside Gallery of Fine Arts in Wyoming (also NY) to visit with the owner Diane Burnham.
CALLIOPE: Learn anything interesting?
JOE: We chatted quite a while about running an art store, the state of art and public resp0nse.
CALLIOPE: What did you discover?
JOE: Her opinion was that people are not as interested in owning art in rural areas as they are in big cities.
CALLIOPE: Does that have to do with income?
JOE: It seems to be more a matter of values. Folks here would rather visit art than own it.
CALLIOPE: Does that apply to books too?
JOE: Hard to say. She does carry a few books, mine included, but has not done as well with them as with art, supplies and lessons.
CALLIOPE: Did she have any suggestions regarding writing.
JOE: She thought there was more market around here for audio and video materials than written ones. I had been thinking of exploring putting some of my writing on CD's and DVD's. I'll give this more thought. Talk with you tomorrow.

(Mom's Birthday)

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you coming with the column about your mother?
JOE: It's done and ready to post.
CALLIOPE: No trouble writing it?
JOE: None. I had a good idea what I wanted to write and wrote it.
CALLIOPE: Were you able to incorporate major historical events as you planned?
JOE: Yes. It flowed easily with a little help from Google.
CALLIOPE: The things we take for granted.
JOE: Right. I recall hours of library research to find anything useful when I attended college.
CALLIOPE: Did you get a chance to interview your mother?
JOE: I did.
CALLIOPE: Any surprises?
JOE: Just one. When I asked her if she had any regrets about her life, she thought a bit but couldn't think of any.
CALLIOPE: I wonder how many of us could say that.
JOE: Precious few I would guess. Certainly not me. That's one thing that makes her her. Talk with you tomorrow.