Just a little more than usual
Hazarding a guess, I’d say a fireman or police officer. The astronomer and meteorologist phase came later. In truth, I don’t think I ever really knew, with any level of resolve, what I wanted to be.
Music, love, grace, quantum mechanics, string theory, any language other than the one they’ve been immersed in. That list is long.
In a macro sense, maybe it’s the lack of understanding of how interconnected everything is, how magnificent this planet is, and, at the same time, how impersonal and disinterested it is. The natural forces at work in the world have no regard for us and our needs and wants and lack of attention and care and understanding. We as human beings are always trying to figure things out, trying to make it through the day, trying to domesticate and tailor our surroundings, ignoring the warning signs, or just taking things for granted, while the earth and the forces and systems at work simply… are.
Perhaps most damning of all is, through ignorance or self-serving motivations, the willingness of enough of us to carry on as if our sheer numbers and what we’ve loosed in the way of imbalance and despoiling are having no effect on the planetary systems that keep us alive.
We certainly have filled the earth and seemingly subdued it. But we really haven’t subdued anything. Maybe what many still don’t understand is that we’re paving the way for our own demise. The earth isn’t too big to fail us, and it might be wounded. But it’s resilient enough to still be here, to still be turning long after we’ve sealed our own fate, and this in no small part because we chose not to understand.
I retired from full-time clergy duties in the Fall of 2021, but by then technology had long found its way into the life of the congregations I served– from basic word processing for bulletins and newsletters, to improved processing and copying capabilities, to microphones and various audio-visual tools, like projectors and drop-down screens, sound systems and televisions, to mass communication tools like email and Zoom and call lists.
Zoom was the tool of choice and necessity during Covid, and a pre-recorded service uploaded to YouTube became a regular feature during those days. Nowadays, more congregations can broadcast their services live, since the cost of equipment to do so, along with the means to upload, is within reach of more than just the larger worshiping communities.
And there’s the utility of digital cameras and smartphones.
Not very often, but that’s mostly because I don’t have nor have ever had many goals. I’m more tempted to say “no” to things that interfere with certain routines. In a macro sense, I’ve been more a creature of habit than a goal-oriented person. I’ve learned to respond in certain situations rather than always trying to steer the ship.
In short, I’m not a good person to talk to about goal setting, guess I haven’t looked at life that way– much to certain peoples’ disappointment and frustration.
I play the piano by ear– I hear tunes and chords in my head and can sometimes work them out on the keyboard. But I’d much rather have the ability to sight read music. I can make sense of the right hand, but the left hand takes me a while to decipher. And note value and time signature still mystify me.
I know it’s always been a matter of practice, but I’ve never taken the time nor made the effort. Guess there’s no time like the present.
Sunny and mild, just a touch of breeze. The kind of day we get every now and then in the Spring, when temps in the mid-60s feel comfortable, and when the sun isn’t directly overhead doing its midsummer best to torch everything.
Sometimes, I like a rainy day, too. For some reason, it feels cozy, and it takes the guesswork out of having to plan some activity or project outdoors.
OK, last one. I like a good thunderstorm– minus the damaging wind and hail. It’s a sensory experience, kind of awesome.
My high school Spanish teacher, Mr. McGregor. He was funny, intense (he was also the football coach), he took his job seriously yet also had a sense of humor. He made it very clear that he cared about the subject matter, and us. He spent a year in Guadalajara, Mexico, immersed in the culture and language. He wanted us to learn and would walk out of the room to cool down when it seemed clear we hadn’t done our homework.
He drove an MG Midget. I never had another teacher who came close to his passion for his work.
Looking back, it was an interesting dynamic: he was demanding, but no one seemed to mind. I wouldn’t be surprised to learn that he burned out and left the profession prematurely.
It’s a bit of a quandary. On the one hand, find ways to be more useful, purposeful. On the other, really make every day an open book with blank pages, totally open for whatever I feel like doing or not doing.
On the purposeful end, write with insight and passion, find new recipes to actually try, get into a stretching routine, expand my workouts at the Y, practice piano regularly, create a reading list, a household fix-it list, get going on the workbench I want to build, organize old pictures and slides, find an activity or activities that both of us enjoy, get out with my camera and walk around taking pictures, either service my bicycle and use it, or try to sell it, start learning about the stock market and dabble in some investing, find a part-time job that I’d actually be willing to commit to– as disappointing as that would be to have to contemplate. I still really like being retired.
As sad as it may sound, somedays I’m perfectly fine with wandering aimlessly. I’m still taking notes, though. Maybe I should gear up for the coming days– it’s looking like we’re all gonna be called upon.
I have no desire to put a tattoo anywhere on my body.
Hesitant.
Close second: cautious.
3 Cents' 