Shaken not Stirred

So last week I went to a friends funeral. I’ve known him for over ten years and I didn’t even know he was a Buddhist. When I walked into his service there was about thirty minutes of chanting. My chest was vibrating and I felt the urge to join in and chant right along but I had no clue what they were saying. It was beautiful though. I know my friend Bob would have been proud. Another old friend came with his wife to see our mutual acquaintance off into the beyond. He and I were so close for many years. I hadn’t seen him much for the past year or more. His face had grown a bit older but the man that I thought so highly of for so many years was still in there. An odd feeling of who’s next came over me. Would it be me or one of my Facebook friends. Would it be a family member. It took a couple of days for the numb feelings to subside and for life’s busy bee behavior to kick back in. I am reminded of the fact that life is short and lessons should be learned the first time and not after multiple times, when possible. Things are going really good for me these days except for the fact that as soon as I started getting back into the rat race and smiling again… well…my cat passed away and I stayed up until almost midnight burying him in the back yard. I lowered him down into a pine box that I had made years ago for a Christmas gift. Our cat had died of old age so I wasn’t overly sad at the time, just shaken a bit. As I covered him up I began to miss him and knew that I would only see him in pictures and the stray memory echos that he would leave behind. For the next few days I would almost hear him meow in the wee hours of morning as he always did. When I would get up late into the night to use the bathroom I would still find my feet feeling for him so as not to squish him. I’m better now. This cat of ours was a member of the family and will be missed, but nothing gold can stay and life is serving up something new most everyday.  I think sometime soon I will find a quiet place and come up with my own chant. I will hum and rhyme and vibrate a good rant for kitty, for all those who are struggling today. For the things that God sees when he looks at our vast predicaments, our vicissitude.

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Published by Robert Milstid

Robert Milstid has been creating literary works for many years. His writing first took form as a playwright, authoring two plays, Just a Phase and I Was a Pig for a Day and Nobody Noticed. Both plays were produced and performed in Houston, Texas. Under the direction of the late Bill Morton, a truly inspirational theatrical writer and director, Mr. Milstid became involved in the theatre as an actor as well. He studied at the National Shakespeare Conservatory in New York and was a highly active member of a professional theatre, Main Street in Houston Texas for several years. In 1989 he and his wife moved to Hoboken, New Jersey, just across the Hudson River from Manhattan. His one man show, Diary of a Nonconformist was created, written and rehearsed by Mr. Milstid on the roof of his Hoboken apartment. This performance poetry piece was booked at the now infamous, CBGBs in the East Village. He also went on to perform in several plays while in New York City that included the world premier of Lanny Hill's original play, "Uncle Alton", as well as becoming an active company member of the 13th Street Repertory Theatre. Mr. Milstid began writing an abundant supply of poetry and free verse performance pieces during his time in the city, performing at the Nuyorican's Poetry Café and various other venues. After his son was born in 1991, he and his wife decided to move to Florida. Shortly after moving to Florida, the couple then had a daughter. After several years of performing in Orlando, Mr. Milstid hung up his acting hat for the most part and began applying his creative efforts at Nickelodeon Studios as a scenic carpenter and went on to start his own custom carpentry business. In 2005 his marriage of twenty plus years came to an end and he found himself starting from scratch again as a single man. The lonely nights in his small apartment gave way to a renewed need and love for writing again. Mr. Milstid penned his first novel called, The Consequences of Breathing. During the next few years and was married after meeting an amazing woman whom he wrote about as the character of Pearl in The Consequences of Breathing. After the economy took a nosedive in 2009 Mr. Milstid took a position at a Memory Care Center/Assisted living facility as a maintenance technician. He then went on to write his second book, Transitions, which cameos the lives of those suffering from Alzheimer's disease and the struggles of their families. Writing is a passion for Robert Milstid and with outlines for three new books underway it doesn't appear to be slowing down. His writing is raw, humble, provocative and unpredictable. His genres are purposefully varied so as to offer new approaches in his art. At Fifty-four years old Mr. Milstid still rides his motorcycle as well as his mountain bike and skateboard. He loves time with his four children and his amazing wife. A long life in a short time, this is Robert Milstid.

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