Whence this name, "Arlon"?

It is not unusual for some names to have "alternate cultural renderings" or different spellings of the "same" name.  For example "Shawn" can be described as an alternate cultural rendering of "Sean."  Lately "Antwon" has emerged as an alternate cultural rendering of "Antoine."  Some are perhaps less exact, for example "Deborah" and "Debra."  The reasons for the variations can be as numerous as the variations themselves.

A common name in American western movies and televison, if not the reality, was "Harlan."

Perhaps the most famous, and perhaps the most accomplished, real person with the name was Harlan Fiske Stone, who lived in more settled times.  He was the 12th Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States.

Another person of accomplishments is Harlan Ellison.  He won numerous awards for writing science fiction and wrote episodes of "The Outer Limits" and "Star Trek."  He was popular with the high school crowd where I attended, some of them anyway.  Did your high school have any "popular" writers of any kind?  Of course Michael Crighton was popular too.

And there is "Arlo" Guthrie, famous singer-songwriter and son of Woodie Guthrie, also famous singer-songwriter.  "Arlo" can be described as yet another cultural rendering of "Harlan."  Although that spelling does seem to suit the Guthries quite well, seeing their history, it is not as well suited to my particularities. 

And so, "Arlon" is and ever will be my name, whatever the Harlans and the Arlos and the Arlens might add or subtract to the cultural renderings mix.
 

My school never held reincarnation very high.  So few people even claim to remember anything from a previous lifetime anywhere you look, even India.

Then too there was that "Nature versus Nurture" argument.  There were in my early days various studies to measure how much knowledge and behavior is "innnate."  Obviously there is some, but how much?  Lately they avoid the topic.  It seems to get in the way of telling the public school children they can know as much as anyone if they just work at it enough.  No one wants to scare them into thinking it might take more than one lifetime.  So we say that for example cats "learn" to catch food by playing even if it might seem they already know how and are just predisposed to try it before it's obviously food.

That however brings the question whether homosexuals are "born" that way.  I suppose a person can be "born" with various "tendencies," but you can't excuse murder just because some people have more "tendencies" toward killing.  There might be tendencies but they might need to be overcome and in one lifetime.

No, I don't really "believe" in reincarnation, but I do believe something survives the death of the body.  Its exact composition, how much memory it might carry, what sort and all that are mostly as much a mystery to me as to you.  And even with all the time I spend wondering what Christians mean by "born again" I have no certainty what they mean.

I enjoy sipping tea.  I appear really old sitting in my rocker (or tilt and twist office chair) sipping tea at times.  But I was like that before.  You might know other people who were "born old" or just always acted more like an older person.  I would rock and sip tea when I was four years old.  Mother would say, "Son, it's a beautiful sunny day, you can go play outside."  And I would say, "I'm fine over here if that's okay with you."  I also made my own breakfast at an early age.
 
Experiences that leave lifetime marks

Here is a story that left a lifetime mark on at least one person in it, probably more.  It might mark your life also just by the story without actually living it.  It can be an important lesson in the value of money.

This person was on vacation with his family, his siblings and parents.  They were on a very long road trip.  They stopped at the farmhouse of other members of their family.  The people who owned the farmhouse also owned the only "general store" for miles.  Each of the children on the road trip was given a dime for a candy bar from the general store for after their dinner with the people in the farmhouse.  (In those long ago days candy bars cost a dime in most stores.  But don't get distracted with inflation, that's another important lesson entirely.)  Because they were family they each received after dinner a candy bar and the dime back.

Now one of the children, a very young one, asked if they could have another candy bar for the dime now held.  The offer was declined and a silence, very embarrassing silence, marking for life silence, even in those few seconds.