About “Things to Realize”

I've been loved and put aside
I've been crushed by the tumbling tide
And my soul has been psychedelicized

Now the time has come
There are things to realize
Time has come today…

- The Chambers Brothers: “Time has Come”

This song entered my life via my good friend and big brother Ken. He was twelve years my senior, and back in the Sixties he was known among his friends as “Captain Trips.” He partook of all the Sixties had to offer and lived to tell the tale. One day the song came on the radio and he chuckled, “Heh! ‘There are things to realize.’ You’d better believe it!” That stuck with me.

Here we are, tripping through life, being “loved, and put aside.” There are things to realize if we are open to them, things that can clarify and help us through. This newsletter is about remarkable things, things that make life better, things that my readers will find interesting, and things we as humans should be aware of. In other words, things to realize.

I started this newsletter in December, 2020. I decided to try Substack because they focus on writing and distribution versus geeking out on tools. WordPress required too much futzing around for my taste; Substack makes it easy.

About me

“The writer must believe that what he is doing is the most important thing in the world. And he must hold to this illusion even when he knows it is not true.”

- John Steinbeck

My name is Mark Patterson and I am a writer.

I am a technology consultant by trade, building, configuring, and advising on business systems for forty years. I wrote my first computer program when I was nine years old… in 1970. I started programming professionally in 1985. I am a technical person.

I was raised in a cult. My mother had a near-death experience in 1962 which changed her life completely. She spoke about this experience to the end of her days, and she very clearly saw herself as a spiritual being independent of her physical form. She found answers and a reason to live and help people in Scientology. I was involved for thirty years, and it contributed to my unique perspective on religion, spirituality, philosophy, and cultism. My spirituality is complicated.

I was married to an amazing woman for thirty years, and was widowed in 2016. I was almost destroyed by grief, and writing about it helped me navigate the devastation of grief. Writing about it helped others as well. Life will hurt you, and eventually it will kill you. But you can’t live without living: along with the grief comes beauty, friends, purpose, and quite shockingly for me last year, a new love of my life. I am blessed beyond belief.

Politically, I am liberal, with a side of libertarianism. I was a Republican until 2016.

I am a photographer. My friends are better than I am, but I tag along and capture a decent photo or two. I love my friends.

I love exploring and photographing the outdoors.

I smoke cigars.

And I write.

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I decided to publish on Substack because I believe it is easier for my readers to access my writing. You will get each piece in your email, the Substack app, and the web when you subscribe.

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Contact

Need help from Mark? Email Mark.Patterson@hey.com