Author: tallthinman72

It Fits!

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Jigsaw puzzles. I used to not have time for them, but lately have changed my tune.

True, one could think it a waste of time, a fruitless endeavor that ends with taking the thing apart and putting it back in the box. But I’ve grown to see the process as a series of small victories, and probably good for my brain to boot. It demands patience and one’s full attention. Finding and placing pieces and completing the picture gives me a certain satisfaction, and at times I find myself getting lost in the developing scene.

And it’s always fun to put one together with a friend.

Puzzle making, in order to be enjoyable for me, cannot be a rushed process, even as I admit to being consumed by the task. This isn’t something I tend to by placing a piece every now and then. It’s more like a mission, a task to be completed.

But I’ve got the time, and sometimes it seems an eternity passes before I find the piece I’ve been looking for. Then comes the small victory.

Talking To The Hand

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There must be lots of people who absolutely, positively have to be out and about in the middle of a snowstorm. Why else would there be so many reports of major traffic stoppages and fender benders and people stranded in their vehicles?

Wherever they were headed, it must have been Job 1.

I know all about having to get to work, or wanting to get home. Maybe it’s as straightforward as the sheer number of people who truly need to be somewhere has simply increased. But I’ll wager that at the root of more than a few of the reports of accidents and fatalities and back-ups and being stuck not just on the side of the road but maybe in the middle of it, there are just enough culprits who drive clueless, like it’s summertime, like there’s no need to make adjustments or slow down.

These might be the ones who don’t think the warnings to stay off the roads unless they have a really good reason to be on them actually apply to them.

Unless they live under rocks or only play games and watch Tik-Tok videos on their phones, people should know well in advance that a storm is coming and should plan accordingly. But it’s rarely that logical.

Options

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Daily writing prompt
If you had a freeway billboard, what would it say?
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The very first thing that came to mind was “Wake up and smell the coffee!” Bold, black lettering on a white background, no adornment. For some, it might serve as a reminder to head to the nearest Starbucks or Dunkin’ or some other favorite coffee stop. For others, it might be received as a conversation starter, a prompt all its own. Or maybe derisively sneered at in puzzlement.

If it was mine to use on a regular basis– and it was one of those digital models– I’d have to line up a daily bit of insight. If it was a more traditional board where someone had to climb up and “change the wallpaper,” it might be a weekly offering of some nugget of wisdom, maybe a short joke or something open-ended that would keep folks watching for a follow-up.

If it was mine to use only once, that would demand more thought. A freeway billboard is likely to be seen by thousands of people on a daily basis, if it’s located in the right spot. So, whatever went up would have to be concise, readable without being a distraction, and thought-provoking. Maybe a picture, no words. A picture of a flower growing in the middle of a paved road. I’ve always liked that image, for some reason.

Maybe something like, “If you find something beautiful in someone, tell them.” Or “Opinions don’t define your reality.” Or how about one from Albert Einstein: “Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds.”

The Fleeting Yet Consequential Present

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Daily writing prompt
Do you spend more time thinking about the future or the past? Why?
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Hard to quantify, but maybe it’s still somewhere in the vicinity of 50-50. I spend a fair amount of time fixated on climate ills, the seeming intractability and ineptitude of certain leaders of government, and what this all means for our future.

But I can also pivot and take a trip down memory lane anytime I look at our digital picture frame or talk with my brothers in our weekly Zoom session, and pretty much anytime I decide to listen to music. My preferences are for artists from the late 60s through the mid- to late 70s, though I might have a few favorites from somewhere in the 80s.

It has been something like a switch being flipped since I hit the 70 mark. I’ve been doing more evaluating, more soul searching and assessing. More reminiscing, more coming to terms with the fact that there’s much less of life in front of me than behind, anymore.

Yet somewhere in the midst of all this, I try to navigate the present, which is where I’d prefer to focus my energy, but which isn’t always easy. This is where a certain sense of urgency resides, though– in the here and now.

Attitude Transplant

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Daily writing prompt
What is the greatest gift someone could give you?
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Honestly, a couple of million dollars. That would ease certain burdens and take a few chronic worries off the table.

Taking a step back from that pipedream, I’d have to say the gift of a new mindset. I don’t particularly like the one I currently have, and wish someone could give me a few tools to help me process my cynical and often dour outlook on the state of the world. I don’t compartmentalize very well, can’t understand how people even do that.

So… resilience, creativity, serenity, maybe a more robust sense of humor.

Makes Total Sense

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Trump fanatics are gonna end up getting way more than they bargained for in the Disappointment department, because Trump doesn’t care about any of the stuff his faithful followers have apparently believed he cares about.

He’s unserious, ignorant of history and tradition, doesn’t give a rat’s ass about good faith governance or give and take. He’s only interested in his interests, which include vengeance, power, bragging rights, and an avoidance of consequences.

And the Nobel Peace prize. It seems he really wants that.

Of course he does.

Apples and Oranges

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Good for Nick Sirianni. He’s resting Saquon Barkley instead of playing him on Sunday against the Giants and giving him a chance to break the all-time rushing record.

If Barkley had done it, there would be an asterisk beside it anyway, because he didn’t have the record after the same number of games Eric Dickerson played when he set the mark in 1984. Barkley needed the extra game added to the schedule, so why risk injury for a Maris-type mark?

Recreation

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Daily writing prompt
Do you play in your daily life? What says “playtime” to you?
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Anytime the grandkids are around is playtime. They might all latch on to the same activity, or we can be going in multiple directions.

Other than that, the only thing I can think of is what has become an annual trip to the upper midwest, to spend a week with my brothers golfing and fishing. That’s playtime to me.

Well, that and yardwork, though yardwork may be its own category– not quite play, not quite work.