The Important Thing
“There is more than enough time for everything. The important thing is not to waste it. Camilo Jose Cela, the late Nobel Prize-winning, Spanish novelist.
Certainly, at 78, wasting time is something I try to avoid. I don’t know how much I have left, but I know most of it is behind me.
I appreciate that we are all different. But, I have trouble understanding one friend who hasn’t retired yet for fear of boredom.
Boredom? Curiosity didn’t kill the cat, but boredom might have done it. Thank God I have a lot of curiosity and am rarely bored.
In retirement, I’ve written books I have always wanted to write. We have traveled much of the western U.S. for our first time. Kristine and I have gotten to the wonderful city of Jerusalem, the highlight of my ten years of retirement.
Had I spent these years of retirement without Kristine, much of my time would have been wasted. Our love for God and each other is what makes each day precious.
The Price?
Those Stressful Highways
“Have you ever noticed that anybody driving slower than you is an idiot, and anyone going faster than you is a maniac?” George Carlin, the late, popular American comedian.
Funny remark, but it reflects the stress from the dangers on the American highway. I’ve read of late that after the worst of the pandemic, drivers, particularly the younger ones, who had become less frequent in their driving habits, rapidly increased the American accident rates.
I know as a medical examiner a half century ago, I never got over the abundance of deaths on the American highway. Alcohol was frequently profoundly important in those numbers.
Take care out there it is as dangerous as your anger at close calls suggests.
A Writer’s Duty
That Editing Process
”Learn to love editing, or at least accept it as one of the most important parts of the process.” Jennifer Niven, an American writer.
For whatever reason, I have always enjoyed editing my work. OCD? Perfectionism? The Holy Spirit’s voice heard with more clarity? Hope it’s the latter.
It’s a journey in creativity, in engaging the reader with clarity and, perhaps, poetic prose. It’s a real trip as many of you writers are aware.
No question with books as opposed to blogs, I need a pair of outside eyes. Perhaps I do with these blogs but I think they are short enough to settle for just my own. It does bother me, when I peek in a little later, the basic, grammatical errors I detect. So much for pushing 80.
The Thing Is
Sanity and Sensitivity
Eighty four year old Rosellen Brown who wrote Tender Mercies said “I still write for the same reason I wrote when I was nine years old: to speak more perfectly than I really can, to a listener more perfect than any.
Oh, how difficult it can be to speak clearly, sensitively, and engagingly, often to one’s spouse. With a retired couple, particularly if one or both of their hearing skills have diminished the difficulty compounds.
But, in a relationship with deep and abiding, love sanity and sensitivity seem to ultimately prevail. Thank God.
Kindred Spirits, An Initial Look
Bungee Jumping?
“I crave routine and comfort massively. I’m not an adrenaline junkie at all. I only go and do these things because I have to so that I can write about them.” Jon Ronson, a Welsh author.
Hey, I have OCD. I get it.
I am comforted every morning by Kashi Go, sliced or slivered almonds, blueberries, and nonfat milk with a nonfat coffee latte. Is there anything better?
Essentially, every morning, before breakfast, I do a Wordle, an NYT Spelling Bee, and write a blog. It gets my so-called juices flowing. That’s juices, like adrenaline, slowly and carefully.
I leave the highly charged adrenaline to those who love motorcycles, bungee jumping, and ziplines. I’ll stick with the huge, soft bath towels, ultrawarm bed sheets, and soft flannel shirts.
I don’t sink. I anchor.
Pilgrim on a Long, Long Journey 