Happy Thanksgiving Eve!
I’m still recharging the coffee levels. Fifteen hours, four hundred miles, three shows, and one day has me sitting in a daze. But what a day!
I’m grateful to Elon Musk for improving Twitter - but also have fallen into the mistake of thinking that’s the entire world.
Thankfully, the World is quick to point out mistakes. It is such a delightful, sad, painful, fun, colorful, dull, zany place. Yesterday’s “mini tour” was a good reminder.
I did an astronomy talk at the place I used to work at. (The retirement home.)
Some friends were in great form, and we had a lively discussion about the Big Things.
But another was faded further. Two visits ago she was in her chair. One visit ago she was bedridden.
This time, they had added an oxygen machine to give her a boost.
“Does that make it easier?” I put my hand on her shoulder.
“I’m not sure - they don’t take it off. I guess it makes it easier to breathe, but is it even worth it?” she half laughed, an honest question hidden in a practiced gallows humor, a quick, biting New England chuckle.
“It’s worth it” was my gentle reply, as if I was handing her something I knew to be true, but wasn’t mine entirely.
Fortitude and devotion to the Light seems like a ball. It bounces around, it’s easy to drop, and nobody owns it. We all get lost, and need a reminder. Hopefully, someone nearby has picked up the Ball, and can encourage us forward. When we pass that light, it makes it grow a little bit, too, illuminating our own face.
“How’s General Hospital?”
“I can’t get it on the TV.”
I rummaged around. It wasn’t there. Hallmark was.
“You dig these?”
“Never watched an entire one.”
Some archetype of the name of Ashleigh was listening to a mall Santa give his wisdom.
“Oh, you’ll get hooked!”
Four minutes into the visit, and I was two minutes late already for the next load in. I put my hand on her shoulder again.
“Happy Thanksgiving, OK?”
“Happy Thanksgiving.”
Today I walked in the frosty grass, and heard the cows bellowing about something.
I’m thankful for mountains.
I’m thankful for Wawa and Sheetz, eating gas station subs wayside on a chilly night. The road seems to go on forever, and trucks rumble by in the dark, lit by the traffic lights.
I’m thankful for Robert Barnes and Viva Frei for teaching us how to think, encouraging us to carry on and learn and persevere. They’re no sunny day patriots.
I’m thankful for the unseen folks who keep America running. The railroad is gearing up to replace a bunch of crossties on the neighborhood track. I can’t wait to see it. This is how it’s done. Talk about mad skill.
I’m thankful I get to blog and talk and DJ and discuss the big stuff with y’all.
I’m thankful for family.
I’m thankful for friends.
I’m thankful to see the frost breaking the November sun into a thousand sparkles in the grass.
And I’m thankful for Life.
Happy Thanksgiving. I hope it’s a great day for you.
Josh
PS. I’m taking Friday off to go cut a Christmas tree. See ya on Monday!