Thursday, July 14, 2022

Where Are The Wonkas...?

Kids are magical.

They are all about possibilities and potential.

Adults are different. They are about choices. How you deal with the consequences of your choices dictate your life. You choose to get married. You choose to buy a house. You choose to raise kids. You choose a career. You choose to deal with your closest ones in whatever manner you prefer.

Choices are power.

My son moved away.

Damn. I thought I was good company.

Who am I kidding—I can be a drag, I know that pretty well. After all, I gotta live with myself every day. That kind of stings my ego though, but it is HIS choice. To be honest, it’s a nice arrangement for him and I, as we don’t always see the world the same way. It’s always refreshing to see him every now and then. Hugs and kisses mean more. We choose to love the time together, watching F1 races and swapping artsy anecdotes.

At work, I feel alone. I am now the only one who can do the things I do, and that’s why they keep me around, given the tough times in the marketplace. I feel that time is disappearing, and I know I will have to make a fateful choice.

Cancer spread its shadow over our personal health this year, and we chose to deal with it through surgery, without unnecessary radiation. We will choose down the road, if we need to fight it further.

Incedentally, I have a female dalmatian, Sara, who graces our halls with eccentricity for the past 12-13 years. Our family came across an organization who rescued her: they found her tied up in a bag along with another dog, left for dead in a field in New Mexico. Over the years, her behavior has always been skittish, and full of fitful slumbers. Every time we open a new trash bag with that first whip of puffed air, like the fluffing of a wrinkled towel as it’s pulled from the dryer—Sara always recoils in a bit of fear. She takes very little away from training, but her heart is tender and is always in the right place--especially for food and neck scratches. We all happily chose to bring her into our circle, backyard plants be damned! I always feel a disconsolate ambiguity for animals, especially when I see cooking shows featuring meat and dairy and seafood. They really don’t have a choice, themselves. I’m not a vegan by any means, but I always felt a bit sad for their service, unawares. For my dog Sara, she didn’t choose to get cancer.

We’re given a gift. We are in complete control. We have power, to be sure, but I don’t desire my choices to be informed.

I want my maturity with whimsy.

I have yet to see a happy, talented person on this planet. Like Willy Wonka.

I choose to retain a youthful mind, a playful brain.

I choose not to see this fog of sadness as an ever-growing mist--rather, I choose to see God taking an eraser to the dark parts of this world.