KJEAN: I loathe Tomorrow Man and can’t remember Yesterday Man. Tomorrow Man wakes up more tired than Today Man. Today Man tries pretty damn hard to do good by Tomorrow Man, but Tomorrow Man always wakes up and has to push the Humanity Truck off his chest.

Tommy: Just starting into Stumbling. Will let you know. So far, it is well written and easy to read.

4 teaspoons olive oil, divided
2 cups eggplant, peeled and chopped
1 cup onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cans tomatoes with green chilies
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons basil, fresh, chopped
18 slices French baguette slices, 1/2″ thick

Heat 2 teaspoons olive oil in a non-stick skillet over medium heat until hot.

Add eggplant; cook 5 minutes, stirring occaisionally.

Transfer eggplant to a bowl.

Add remaining 2 teaspoons olive oil to skillet. Place over medium-high heat until hot.

Add onion and garlic; saute 4 minutes. Be careful not to burn the garlic.

Stir in both cans of tomatoes; bring to boil.

Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes.

Stir in eggplant & vinegar. Bring to boil.

Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes.

Stir in basil.

Serving Ideas: This is a really good on garlic bread, too. You might want to toast any bread you use in the oven first so it’s crispy, not soggy. Also try it with a little parmesan or feta cheese on top and stick them under the broiler for a bit..

Auntie,
Just read a review of “Stumbling” looks like a good read… how is it?

Wow that is powerful. Thank you so, so much for sharing that. To a healthy person, this may seem like a quaint story, maybe even common sense. To someone like me (one who makes messes for Tomorrow Man) this is profound!

You sited the book & the author, so I think it’s okay that you shared it? I’m really glad you did – I will go to bed thinking hard on this.

I hope the Universe/Karma/Fate/God/Whatever does something nice for you.

The Tomorrow Man Theory

Today, right here, you are who you are. Tomorrow, you will be who you will be. Each and every night we lie down to die, and each morning we arise, reborn.

Now, those who are in good spirits, with strong mental health, they look out for their Tomorrow Man. They eat right today, they drink right today, they go to sleep early today — all so that Tomorrow Man, when he awakes in his bed reborn as Today Man, thanks Yesterday Man. He looks on him fondly as a child might a good parent. He knows that someone — himself — was looking out for him. He feels cared for and respected. Loved, in a word. And now he has a legacy to pass on to his subsequent selves.

But those who are in a bad way, with poor mental health, they constantly leave messes for Tomorrow Man to clean up. They eat whatever the hell they want, drink like the night will never end, and then fall asleep to forget. They don’t respect Tomorrow Man because they don’t think through to the fact that Tomorrow Man will be them. So then they wake up, new Today Man, groaning at the disrespect Yesterday Man showed them. Wondering why does that guy — myself — keep punishing me?

But they never learn and instead come to settle for that behavior, eventually learning to ask and expect nothing of themselves. They pass along these same bad habits tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow, and it becomes psychologically genetic, like a curse. They’re trying to constantly fix today what Yesterday Man did to them. They’re always playing catch-up.

The thing is — you can’t fix the mistakes of yesterday. Yesterday Man is dead, he’s gone forever, and blame and atonement aren’t worth a damn. What you can do is help yourself today. Do today, right now, for Tomorrow Man what you wish Yesterday Man had done for you.

from a novel by Chuck Hogan