It started as a small project. My desire was to put together a gift for my son. A sweetly arranged photo album of fond memories of his first 21 years. Of course, I’ve already done his customary baby album, but I stopped at about 7 years old. When would I get the time to actually focus on this project again? Into the basement, I went. I located the bin of arranged photos, separated by age, activity, and school. I slowly unpacked the photos and began the trip down memory lane. Do you know this trip? A photo jogs a memory and then you find yourself in that moment in time.

  Our Saturday night activities have actually fallen into a nice routine.

 

Looking back several weeks I wrote of concert plans.

One of the themes of Thomas Paine’s “Common Sense” is that there needs to be a balance between man’s pursuit of liberty and the government’s responsibility to maintain order for the common good.

Back in the day there was a character (pictured) in the Little Abner comic strip who walked around with a perpetual black cloud hanging over his head. His name was Joe Btfsplk.  In sum, he was bad luck and brought it on to others.   I encountered Joe at a young and impressionable age and have carried his dark image through out my life.  

I’m being inundated with “advice”. It’s coming in all forms: emails, drop downs, alerts...online, on tv and radio, and by word of mouth from a safe distance. I admit. I cannot process all of this advice. I’m even having trouble sorting out what I may want to follow up on at a later time. Smothered by advice in the time of pandemic.

During times of tragedy, war, famine, and pandemic, the definition of assets change overnight. Country club memberships, social status, sports, and fancy heels, sit in the closet. How can they possibly contribute in times such as this? Underneath all of the intellectual attempts to civilize people and produce impressive technological advancements, we are reminded of our human biology.