The timing of your question amuses me because just an hour ago my mom was telling me that I reminded her of the Greek philosopher Thales who was so mesmerized by the heavens and deep in contemplation about them that he fell down into a well. This afternoon I was so enthralled with thoughts of the song I was composing in my mind that I rode my bike nearly two miles beyond the turn off for my house. In my defense, the bike path was on the beach and so the unchanging terrain made it easier to not realize where I should have exited, but whatever.

We each live in our own realities that are formed by our ever-changing perceptions, so I don't think it's a case of perception vs. reality. Every moment we view life through our own unique prism that is perpetually being adjusted by our circumstances, mood, past experiences and knowledge, and base our actions on what we see, therefore creating our reality from the perceptions.

In response to your responses:

Oh I think your brother would change his mind about flip flops if he lived near a beach and knew the sunny glory of being able to slip your shoes off and run your toes through the sand on a whim. But I understand where he is coming from because I went through a flip flop phobia after my foot was trampled on in the Tube, and actually bought a pair of steel-toed Doc Martin boots. I then became anti-steel-toed shoes after they set off the metal detector outside of a synagogue in Budapest and I had to spend five minutes in the freezing cold rain unlacing the knee-high boots. As soon as I got home I switched back to sandals and flip flops. They aren't evil. Jesus and Gandhi revolutionized the world in sandals. Just wear hiking boots or tennis shoes the next time you set off an outdoor adventure.

Oh, your lover's theory is sweet. Totally random tangent: I love the word lover; it purrs off your tongue and sounds so much lovelier than boyfriend or partner.

I agree with Helen Keller that "life is a daring adventure or nothing," and that to rule your life based on the fear of getting hurt would deprive you of the fun and joy of being alive. Your nephew sounds like he'd be cool. In the past two months life has heaped abuse upon my right arm, and I don't regret most of the injuries because they happened while I was in the pursuit of happiness. I irritated an old tennis injury when I fell on my right shoulder surfing one morning, and hurt it again the freaking next day in diving. I hurt my elbow just one week later when a jackass swerved into the bike lane where I was skateboarding and I had to crash land on to the sidewalk. Oh but it didn't end there. The last injury was when I took my dog for a hike, and on a steep trail he went ballistic and started chasing a coyote in the distance. I was pulling at the leash so hard it broke, and I sustained nerve injuries from my shoulder all the way down to my 4th and 5th fingers. Damn. That was a brutal month! I still surf, dive and skateboard because the hundred and one other times I've done it I never got hurt, and I love it, so why stop? But I no longer take my dog on that hiking trail. Lesson painfully learned. So my obnoxiously long-winded point is that you should keep on walking in the desert and admiring the moon. Just wear better shoes and look down every few steps to make sure you don't walk into a well next time.

I'm sorry about your foot, and that this answer is painfully, preposterously long. I totally agree with the recommendation above for arnica. Just have your lover buy you some adorable, uber-comfy socks to keep the injury out of sight.

~ Pax / Peace : )

Edit
Oh!!! If one of your stops along your honeymoon road trip route includes LA please do yourselves a favor and spend some time at the Getty Center. There is a painting there by James Ensor titled "Christ's Entrance into Brussels in 1889" that I thought of when I read your question. I've literally logged in hours sitting in front of that painting over the course of years, and yet the way I view it and the emotions it stirs in me changes every time I see it. It's like a
kaleidoscope on a canvas.

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