I am NOT repeating myself; I'm chanting.

I'm not sure if it's possible to engage in any creative pursuit - be it writing, music, art, dance, cooking, gardening, or architecture - without unwittingly (or wittingly) covering some of the same ground from time to time.

I think that as long as you keep the similar creations reasonably far enough apart in time, you're OK. And of course, if anyone calls you on it, you can say it was intentional; that these are your themes.

Yeah, that's the ticket...themes....

In that case, one of my themes is our struggle to hold on to our real values, the ones that we hold closest in our hearts, even in the face of counter-winds that blow relentlessly in our face till we feel like our sails could be ripped clear away and our ship thrown against the cliffs.

Best example: feeling ashamed when you have no wealth or property. Mind you, there's nothing wrong with wanting or having wealth, especially if you don't don't take it too seriously; but to feel like a failure, like a loser, because you've gotten your ass kicked sideways in the financial realm, well, that's wrong, wrong, wrong. I knew it was wrong when I was fourteen, for chrissake.

So why does it still keep me up at night?