The Answer Is, Yes, I Should Be

Should I be worried that my son has been giving me a 48 hour countdown to April Fools’ Day?

I’m Not Kidding

I don’t mind the “social distancing,” per se.  What I mind is how much this feels like my normal routine during pollen season.

Step Five (And Six)

Now, to the best of your ability, go do the right thing.  Yes, people will argue with you endlessly about what exactly “the right thing” is, and that’s okay, but when it’s time for you to act, you’re going to have to be the one to do it, and you’re the one that’s going to have to live with what you do.  Remember that, and do your best to be your best.

(And my son asked me to add that it’s okay to hope, just don’t let hope become a form of denial.  He’s right too.  It’s not only okay to hope, it’s good to hope!  A ten percent chance of success, even a one percent chance, is still better than no chance at all, and if that’s your best option, better that you take it than just give up.  Just take those chances with your eyes open and as much as possible, a serene heart.  Remember, the Valkyrie don’t just pick from the winning side.)

Step Four

You pilot always into an unknown future; facts are your single clue. Get the facts!

– Robert A. Heinlein

(But remember they are clues!  Like I referenced yesterday, it was a fact no big animals lived in the area; that fact alone didn’t necessarily preclude the possibility of something big being in the area.  New facts come in all the time.  Use them!)

Step Three

Don’t go into denial.  Time wasted on Can’ts, Musts, and Buts is time better spent on the actual situation.  Put another way, stopping to explain to the tiger that it can’t possibly be in your backyard isn’t the best use of your time.

(Take it from someone who as a kid ran inside after a stray firework startled something that sounded big that was hiding in the underbrush, and I was promptly assured that no big animals lived anywhere near there.  While this was true as far as it goes, the next day I heard about a train load of circus animals that had escaped following a nearby crash, so . . . you know, I still feel pretty good about going inside.)

Step Two

When in doubt, see Step One, because as Adam Savage has rightly said, “Calm people live, tense people die.“

Step One

Don’t Panic

– The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy

And Even As A Kid Who Had A Fear Of Snakes Back Then, I Realized That The Snake Wasn’t The Real Problem

When I was a kid I heard a joke about someone who was terrified at even the idea of coming across a snake in the wild.  When they were assured that all the snakes in the area were nonpoisonous and thus not dangerous, this person vehemently retorted, “They don’t have to be poisonous to terrify me into running off a cliff!”.

I’m Kidding, But I DID Amuse Myself For A Bit By Asking Where That Voice Was Coming From When She Tried Talking To Me Right After That

“Just handle the situation the way you would as if I weren’t around at all,” L’s mother told me the other day.

So I ignored it.

So I’m Getting Some Business Cards Printed Up

So yesterday somebody posted one of those “Find Your Offensive St. Patrick’s Day Name” name generators on my social media feed, and I had a few moments, so I checked and saw that my generated name was beyond anything I was prepared for even knowing the name was supposed to be “offensive.”

I mean, this was a name that could only appeal to a drunk and hor. . . monal teenager who was at the stage of intoxication that everything is funny (especially the stuff that isn’t) and the delusion has set in that whatever they say will come across as witty and charming, and there is simply no way I am going to ever post or even say that name in public!