Living A Slow Death

If you are a queen of Shmatas and capable of hearing the bells you might know I almost sent you a link to the piece on pet taxidermists because I thought it was pretty damn good.

Don’t know that it is my best work, but something about it rang true for me and the internal metronome didn’t encounter any interruptions or hiccups so that made me happy..

The nameless and faceless they we refer to as a collective consciousness say it is the little things that make us happy and I can attest to that.

Whenever I finish a piece knowing the rhyme and rhythm followed my flow I smile. It doesn’t mean that others found it to be deserving of praise but that is ok, good writing is often nothing more than personal taste.

Speaking of such things I looked at the giant bags under my eyes and shook my head. Call it vanity, but I don’t like the look.

If the docs do diagnose me as having sleep apnea I hope those circles disappear and replaced by a more rested man

No promises on whether that makes me a kinder and gentler fellow, I like being grumpy.

Living A Slow Death

One of the boys asked me if I have continued to endear myself to neighbors who believe the xenophobic babbling of the grifter in the White House.

I told them some of them believe whatever he says and do a a fine job of parroting his points as does the junior senator who is smart enough to know better than be another lapdog for the liar in the oval.

“A while back I implemented the ‘ask me three times’ rule. Though I have no concern about sharing my opinion I see no reason to randomly engage with people who are likely to have opinions that are diametrically opposed to mine.”

“What is the three times rule?”

“If I don’t know you particularly well I try to avoid those conversations that lead to hard feelings, especially as my face will likely make it clear whether I think you are a fool to believe in certain things/people. So I generally tell people I prefer not to discuss certain things.

Sometimes people push for answers, so if you ask three times I will gladly tell you why I think your support of the grifter and his ideas make you foolish, ignorant and or willfully blind.

And like all people I reserve the right to adjust the rules and or make my own ridiculous and illogical statements from time to time.”

Should you ever engage with me in one of these conversations there is a damn good chance I’ll ask you to address the six questions in the picture above.

I try to hold myself to the same standard not because I fear being a hypocrite but because I believe a better educated society is kinder, more compassionate and more likely to create an environment in which more people are likely to thrive.

****

Some friends and I have spent a chunk of time debating how divided the country really is or isn’t with our opinions highly influenced by our experiences on Twitter and Facebook.

I told one of the guys it feels like we are living a slow death here and how very much I hope our impressions are wrong.

That is because all of us agreed it feels like there is a giant divide and significant mistrust. It is disheartening and disturbing but I am not convinced if I can trust such a feeling.

Some of you might find that to be funny because you have heard me say I know things and it might seem like a contradiction.

It’s not in my head.

If I say I know things it is because I have a gut feeling driving a high level of certainty but this is different because it is involves a sample set that is exponentially larger.

So I hedge and hesitate because I want more data to make a decision with.

What Is A Credible Threat?

My baby isn’t really a baby anymore and is generally tolerant of my sometimes referring to her that way.

As a freshman in high school she has long since mastered the art of rolling her eyes at me and or using all the skills teens possess to let me know I sometimes make her angry/crazy/happy.

Lest you think I left out embarrassing I assure you I have not and hear about it often enough it deserves its own line.

At 11:06 PM I received an email from the principal to make sure I am aware the school is aware of social media posts regarding a potential threat against the school.

The note offered assurances the school is taking precautions and that the local police department is aware.

I appreciate the note but I would be lying if I said it doesn’t make my spider sense tingle a little bit.

Why?

If we base our level of concern on statistics there is little reason to be concerned and chances are that nothing will happen.

But the parents at Parkman and Columbine didn’t wake up worried about their kids not coming home so I find myself using those instances and others as samples of how sometimes things happen.

That irks me for a host of reasons not the least of which is I am the father who stresses the importance of staying calm and making smart/rational decisions.

Fact is I am writing about it because I am reminding myself of the importance of staying calm even if and when there may be a reason not to be.

I don’t have any specific information about what sort of threat this and even if I did I am not sure it would be enough for me to determine if it is a credible threat.

So unless I hear from the school in the morning I will send my girl and expect it to be a normal day.

But let me be clear, I am not ever going to be pacified with the idea that thoughts and prayers are an effective way to manage some of the challenges we face, especially our children.

Remember those six questions I referred to, they apply here and they have never been properly answered with “thoughts and prayers.”

Maybe this kind of crap is the reason for the dark circles under my eyes.