NEGROS WEEKLY and NEGROS NOW DAILY welcome Charles Ray to its Opinion Section. Ray, a 20-year army veteran who also served 30 years as a diplomat, is a writer of bestselling fiction and non-fiction books. He lives in Maryland, just outside Washington, DC. As a diplomat, Ray was ambassador to Cambodia (2002-2005) and Zimbabwe (2009-2012), and was a deputy assistant secretary of defense from 2006 to 2009.
When my good friend Gigi Estrella, also a friend of this paper, first approached me about writing this column, I hesitated. After all, I thought, what could a geriatric on the far side of the Pacific Ocean have to say that would be of interest to local audiences.
Gigi, as many of you readers probably already know, can be very persuasive, so of course I relented, and here I am, so allow me to introduce myself.
I’m a writer living in a Maryland suburban community just outside the capital, Washington, DC.
I spent 20 years in the U.S. Army, and then worked as a diplomat for 30 years. After retiring from government service in 2012, I returned to my first love, the written word. I write fiction and nonfiction on just about every subject under the sun, thus the title of this column, my ‘ruminations.’
My friend Gigi said she had to run to a dictionary when I first used that word, so the first thing I’ll do is define it, which I think will explain the journey you readers are about to undertake. The dictionary defines rumination as deep thought or mediation. It also defines it as constant chewing, as when a cow chews its cud. That, my friends, is me.
I swing from deep, profound thinking to mindless comedy in a heartbeat because that’s how I see life; a series of serious moments followed by inanity.
I like to laugh and make people laugh, but at times I believe we must all be serious. If that’s not making any sense, that’s life. It sometimes makes absolutely no sense.
Being of an age when the most important thing you have to offer is your wealth of experience, I like to share my snippets of wisdom with others. So, come along with me on a journey that I hope you’ll find pleasant.
I’ll start with one piece of sage advice: don’t take anything, me, the situation, or yourself, too seriously.
Laughter is the best medicine. Don’t lose hope. Remember that if you’ve survived the present moment, you’ve already won half the game, so keep up your spirits for the next half. Don’t lose the ability to love, yourself and others.
Now that I have your attention, I’ll let you go. Listen to some music, hug your children or your significant other. Call your parents and tell them how much you love and appreciate them. And then, kick back and just enjoy life.
