Hi bpcyclist. I'm sorry I didn't get your joke. My thinking is not so clear today. Thinking issues/disorders are not that uncommon for me, in my bipolar disorder, nor is hypomanic/manic irritability. Or, maybe I wouldn't have gotten the joke in the best of times. Brain and cultural differences abound. I'm sure many here would find some central NJ humor a bit odd/off/offensive, on occasion. Even within my sphere, jokes aren't always apparent or interpreted as funny. I very much appreciate you, too, as you have clearly noticed. Trying to joke through forum exchanges is far more difficult than joking face-to-face. Even then, there are still misinterpretations. However, I love jokes and humor, in general. Frankly, I have tried to be funny here, many times, without desired reaction. No fault of others, just the barrier of the web. The barrier between brain and brain, sometimes clouded even more by mental chaos and pain.

My husband and I will get up extra early tomorrow morning to go to the beach. It will be our first time at the shore this year. Last year we went only once. They are only allowing 60% usual capacity, which is good. Did you ever visit Island Beach State Park when you were in my general neck of the woods? It's a lovely place. There is one road that goes down its length. On one side is a long beautiful beach on the Atlantic Ocean. The other side is the Barnegat Bay. Lots of wonderful native wildlife and plant life As you drive down the road, there is a sign that reads "Feeding Fox Forbidden". If you even dare, you are charged a fine. When I was a very little girl, we would sail in the bay to the edge of that park. There it was a bit shallow and a great place to go clamming, though I wasn't tall enough to clam back then. I floated on the top, in my life preserver, hoping the blue claw crabs stayed away. One time, we decided to swim to the shore and walk down one of the designated paths to cross to the ocean side. It was a lovely memory! I love to be on a sailboat. The sailboat was my paternal grandfather's dream, He named it "The Fantasy". He was a most wonderful man! He's the one whose guitar I now own.

I remember once you asked in the Question thread if anyone has ever sailed a boat. Well, definitely not fully myself, but I do have one photo, no more than 4 years old, where I was alone at the helm, with the wind blowing past my smiling face. and still in possession of the idealism of youth. All those experiences stuck with me. I remember that even my favorite song, put out just a few years later, was "Sailing" by Christopher Cross, which goes as follows:

Well, it's not far down to paradise, at least it's not for me
And if the wind is right you can sail away and find tranquility
Oh, the canvas can do miracles, just you wait and see.
Believe me.

It's not far to never-never land, no reason to pretend
And if the wind is right you can find the joy of innocence again
Oh, the canvas can do miracles, just you wait and see.
Believe me.

Sailing takes me away to where I've always heard it could be
Just a dream and the wind to carry me
And soon I will be free

Fantasy, it gets the best of me
When I'm sailing
All caught up in the reverie, every word is a symphony
Won't you believe me?

Sailing takes me away to where I've always heard it could be
Just a dream and the wind to carry me
And soon I will be free

Well it's not far back to sanity, at least it's not for me
And if the wind is right you can sail away and find serenity
Oh, the canvas can do miracles, just you wait and see.
Believe me.

Sailing takes me away to where I've always heard it could be
Just a dream and the wind to carry me
And soon I will be free


You know, I used to feel like riding a bike was similar to sailing. Gliding on a surface with the wind blowing past my hair. Heading to some destination that was occasionally known (usually a candy shop or playground), and other times a mystery. I used to daydream a lot while I rode. I lived in a beautiful and peaceful place in my head during those rides. Unlike kids today, I rode all around the town by myself, as young as 7 years old. I wasn't afraid of anything. The world wasn't scary. I felt truly free. Music played. Sometimes I'd swerve my bike as if in a type of dance. I could even do wheelies! I could ride with no hands on the handle bars, sometimes waving them up into the air like a conductor, or extending my dance, or even reaching towards heaven.