The music starts with Dan Fogelberg singing Longer and for a moment I think about giving you a Johnny and June story because there is something to it that ties into the bigger picture but I decide to go a different direction.
Not that I can’t change my mind again and go back or maybe just throw the words upon a different page.
Throw on some AC/DC and think about a different story still moving along that AC/DC trail messages for those who can follow and a few for those who haven’t a fucking clue but claim to.
Focused upon current situation and circumstances with an emphasis upon who do you notice and who do you forget meaning the following.
We’re in the middle of a crisis and I am very aware of who I make a point to speak with/connect to and who I don’t notice.
Cuz when people tell me they are becoming a hermit I smile cuz I know that life, having lived it more than once and kind of now.
Always comes back to who I know I can be stranded on an island or locked in a house with and who I would rather not be.
Look Again
One of the beauties of quarantine life is the way the days blur together which is why I am not sure whether I fixed the garbage disposal three weeks ago or three years.
What I know is the sink backed up and there are some peculiarities tied into this kitchen that have taken some time to figure out.
When the sink didn’t drain I had some concerns about whether it was something I could fix on my own because I wasn’t sure if I had the right tools.
It was particularly troublesome because I didn’t want to have invite a plumber in unless absolutely necessary and didn’t want to spend money on a tool or two that I am sure lie in the tool chests I haven’t yet moved from Los Angeles to Texas.
So when I first started messing around with it and couldn’t get things to work I had to take an extra deep breath because I inherited my father’s obsessiveness nature for fixing some things.
Had it been something I viewed as well beyond my skill set I would have shrugged my shoulders and been ok but this wasn’t that.
Pulled my head out from under the sink, stood up and remembered the old man telling me to look again from a different angle.
That was all it took, because it tripped the mousetrap in my head and I remembered another way to take things apart, find/clear the clog and put it back together again.
Certainly wasn’t a complicated repair and undoubtedly easy for many, but it took a moment. More because I was irked about other things and my head wasn’t clear.
I felt more of the weight of the crisis than I do now, not because things are necessarily easier but because I am used to the temperature of the water.
Or if you want a different example it reminds me a bit of every fist fight I have ever been in. Initially I have always been concerned with what it is going to feel like to get hit, how much will it hurt.
But once I feel that first strike I am always good because I know exactly what that sting feels like and instinct takes over.
****
The video above ties into it all for me because I know the music well. I own every song they play and it requires no effort to hear the original artist play it inside my head.
This setting is different and so I find myself smiling because I still recognize what I am hearing but it is set differently.
There is merit in taking a different approach to the challenges we face. It is not just a good way to engage in problem solving but an exercise that keeps our minds sharp.
I went after a few conspiracy theorists on Facebook today because they were pushing stupidity that could have a deleterious effect upon people and no one else said anything.
It was the second or third time I have gone after one in particular. He responded as usual with insults and assured me he was going to turn off notifications and wouldn’t respond.
That is ok with me, I don’t need to convince every idiot out there to believe as I do.
My purpose was to try and influence the original poster to remember that conspiracy theory dressed in ‘academic sounding’ terms is still nonsense and to try to make others recognize the same.
So I don’t care if the one guy agrees with me but when I told him I would gladly drag him I meant it. I will happily point out telling me I am an angry lib who can’t get over election isn’t substantive.
Fool hasn’t realized I am focused upon the present and the coming election.
I might not be able to prevent Crooked Donnie from getting re-elected by influencing people to vote against him, but then again I might.
And I am even more focused on stomping out the nonsense about Covid19 being a hoax or over reaction.
I don’t need to get everyone to agree, just a few and I’ll be happy because those few might very well convince others.
The net impact of my changing one or two minds could be profound.
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A couple of those who engaged with me suggested that since we are only at 30k deaths the toll is going to be far lower than some have projected.
I asked them what it would have been had we not engaged in social distancing and to think about the time frame in which this took place.
It is beyond shameful to me we have people who can be so cavalier about tens of thousands dying in weeks when we could have reduced that number significantly.
But what really chafes my hide is the idea that we are going to open things up in some places without having engaged in proper testing and precautions.
Why have we have done all that we have done so far to give away progress and throw away our chance to save more lives.
When you come this far you might as well go the distance.
I notice many things, even if I don’t always share them. It is impossible for me not to recognize who I look for and who I forget about.
