“The only constant is change”. (Heraclitus)
Change: Unstable, erratic capricious……..(Wikipedia)
Judging from the above quotes, it might seem as if I am heavily invested in spare and loose change. And I am. I like change but I like good change more than bad. But change that is ‘meh’ is not really change. Or is it? And it is about that oxymoron that I am writing. The change that has been coming along so far is NOT good, not bad, mostly ‘meh’ but it is still coming.
Where are we headed?
Societal and global change is clearly still afoot these days and yet it seems like nothing is really moving in any predictable direction – neither good nor bad….but, to be honest, clearly more bad than good lately…. The metaphorical mental image: flooded farmlands, floating debris, bloated cows, muddy waters.
Covid did that. The world was (as usual) evolving higgledy-piggledy and then went into Covid induced shock. Now we are all in half-quarantine waiting on late arrival vaccinations while making no plans whatsoever. Stultifying, coma-inducing, quiet frustration, what-the-hell are words that come to mind.
And that is all being reported somewhat in the news but it is that which is unreported that makes it so confusing. We have the usual upheaval and chaos from the over-sensational media-news, of course, and yet, that all seems even more repetitious, typical, boring and somehow normal all at the same time. But I think there is more. What are they NOT saying?
In other words; my feelings are that we are seeing all there is to see and yet I feel there is more that is ‘in the dark’. That hunch seems kinda contradictory – for me, anyway.
Maybe…could just be…… that our relied-on (hoary, old) institutions are simply under assault and/or are constantly dropping the ball (ergo, we lose faith in the system), the economy is even more mysterious than usual (so our fear levels increase), and then there is the rapidly altering climate and the eroded natural environment which also affects my behavior, feelings, moods and character (an impending sense of doom). Maybe the change I am feeling is more like rust-on-steel….gradual erosion….a slow downhill? I don’t know.
OR, it could JUST be the rather pronounced, personal and noticeable effects of the aging process that is sorta omnipresent to me now. Those personal things ARE changing, too, and yet those things have been slowly happening for some time (the very definition of aging). So, it kinda remains the same.
Put another way: I am currently in a state of flux but without any real major, mile-marker changes happening in my life to warrant that feeling.
I am also saying that I am more-than-used to (and need) a certain amount of real change in my life (it has been a constant roller coaster ride after all) and I know that the world changes even more than I do….but, but, but….there have been no really GOOD big changes for me lately – which is also somewhat good, I guess. It means my status quo is safe. But there have been none that feel rewarding or educational or even intriguing to me, either. No good news makes Dave a dull boy (mangled metaphor courtesy of Sally).
Well, the slow, drip-drip-drip of aging is probably the most obvious and yet the most common and predictable form of change in my life right now. And aging is intriguing…I have to admit that! Fun? Not so much.
And we are obviously having fewer adventures because of the Covid-quo-ness, too. I think that is a large part of it. No adventure. No new encounters. No travel. All that leaves a big hole…..
Sal and I have been the very epitome of living some kind of regular status quo this past year due to Covid and the aforementioned aging process (and my increasing loathing of air travel). For us, that is odd, to say the least. Being normal just isn’t normal for us. We just do not get out very much anymore. We stay at home now. And, in the winter when it is cold and wet outside, we even stay in Canada and more and more inside the house on computers or quilting or maybe making dinner together. It’s nice, it’s normal but, well…….ya know? It ain’t exciting.
It turns out that my biggest challenge in whatever kind of change era we are all currently in is learning how to relax and stay put! That is not easy for me. I have grown this singular dorky character into one that needs the irregular, the odd surprise, the lack of routine and the ‘new adventure’. Mental image: driving Sal around Thailand on a scooter. WooHooo!!!
Getting old means I need radical change less and less but I still need some real surprises, small adventures, doable challenges. I am still restless by nature but without the youthful energy that used to cause it. This is a new kind of flux state I am in these days…..sorta like the sentiment of being all dressed up with but nowhere to go….. I am getting all stressed up but with no energy or focus on what to do about it. What is causing that? Is it just Covid? Is it just aging? I do not know……..
I still have, of course, the necessary chores to keep me from the silent madness of real bushed-out, cabin-fever-style boredom (I hope) but well, it’s pretty cold outside right now…..not conducive to getting anything significant done……and I will avoid making a winter martyr of myself just for the sake of warding off the cobwebs and lethargy of indolence. Hibernating may seem kinda silly but it is better than catching pneumonia or breaking into a sweat during a snow storm while bleeding from an errant chainsaw, ya know? Aging gently and boringly seems kinda good compared to that!
Moderation in all things? But moderation SHOULD include a few surprises, too, right?
Truth? I think I am mostly in need of sunny days, blooming gardens, more wildlife and a great, wonderful Springtime. I think maybe we are all a bit overdue.
Our Off the Grid Home 
It is disquieting to read the emergence of the use of the term ‘’fake news’’ to characterize an evident “fact” as false. Biden was elected President of the United Stated but daily claims are made that Trump won the election but it was stolen from him. Have you looked into words of House Representative Green?
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Yeah. Green is whacked. But she is not alone. Q-Anon has definitely made a big impression on a lot of people recently. Finally there is a reason for a HOMELAND SECURITY but, in true ‘Merican style, they are all camo-wearing, Q-Anon followers…like the police…like some politicians…the States are split, divided, bifurcated and alienated from each other. Tennessee’s Hagerty just hired 13 ex-Trumpists that worked in the White House. Fox hired Kayleigh the ninny and the GOP picked up a lot more of the unhireables all through the Congress. Hell, McCarthy and Trump even met today to plot strategies for the next time around. This madness ain’t going away anytime soon.
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Two crocuses popped up in the garden at my Burnaby shop today.
Winter is waning……..Coupla more weeks ( 4 max) and we will be into the warmer weather.
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I hope you are right. Didja hear? Seems you will need to bring a second bottle to the planned-but-not-scheduled scotch fest that will come with steak and prawns. There you will meet a few blog weirdos also bringing coals to Newcastle. Right now, I count six. But that will likely be ten by then – whenever ‘then’ is. IT definitely feels like the madness is encroaching…c’mon, Crocuses!
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I hate to be a broken record, but I’m hearing a cry for You suddenly seeing a gaggle of folk on your front deck, a bottle in each raised hand yelling “SURPRISE!!!” and having Sal then kicking you in the pants for causing such a change in Your (Her) state of Peace…
Just sayin’! 😉
And just kidding. You, like us, are relatively safe in yOUR heavenly hideaways, a fabulous dram or no, so not to worry. 😉🙂😎🥃❤ And it was both gorgeous and warm on Our deck today so hold on. Spring IS coming!😊🙂☺
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Well, RB and NonCon are already semi-scheduled anyway…awaiting Covid’s retreat. And Wim really NEEDS this. The guy is already here in heart and spirit. Reading his emails is like looking at a puppy in the SPCA. He wants out! And then there are ‘ones’ who would kill to be here for that kinda thing…..maybe not scotch aficionados but ‘manly men’ who love such ‘manly’ things. Doug, Trev, Dwayne…there is a long list. It could get crazy (like the time we blew the trees out of the forest with a Vodka soaked ‘jam’ with a genset powered rock and roll band……ooooh, THAT was fun). Crazy Bill and the band. And the list can grow…..
Still, there is only so much room on the grill, so many sleeping places, so much toilet paper and so much bacon and eggs…..I really have to get a grip….but…for the record – if Tracy comes from OZ, she’s in.
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I could bring caul……err, wine?
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It’s all about attitude, John. Single-minded, single malt attitude! And you HAVE it. Mind you, an entry fee is still an entry fee. If it ever happens I will suggest which scotch you should bring……and…ummmmm….of course, some cauliflower dish……you know, to complement the steak and prawns? Or, the recipe for something and we’ll get the cauliflower flown in. Whatever…..do I need to hire a cleaning lady? Can you run on steep rocks….?
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I think COVID and partial or complete lockdowns get to us all. The (partial) absence of any forecast on nice things like meeting friends, planning a vacation, getting back to normal life (whatever that is) is getting to us…and the longer this situation goes on, the harder it will get on us all. I remember that in march last year, we decided not to plan any summer trips, and at that moment it was not that bad a decision, 1 summer without plans wouldn’t hurt I thought. And in my head, we were already planning for summer 2021. But guess what, it seems we will have to bury these plans as well, and NOW it REALLY gets hard!
I have a restless mind, just as you have. And I NEED plans, dreams, adventures to keep me mentally healthy. I am slowly getting into a “cabin fever” state, although I am not OTG…and hating every second of this state, but it is more and more difficult to stay “positive”. Having a bad case of OTG genes does NOT help at all, and David, you are right, I NEEEEEEED this :-). your description of me as a puppy is so accurate. But this blog helps me to keep sane, exchanging comments with all of you “weirdo’s” out there is partly what keeps me going!
I reaaly hope we will be able to meet someday, with scotch in our hand and a good steak. BUT….you’ll have to drag me off the island at the end of my summer vacation, maybe already warn the coast guard that there is a nut case coming to the area.
Personally, I don’t like mediocracy and moderation, a nice adventure or surprise from time to time keeps me sane (but frankly, I sometimes drive my wife crazy with my unrestfull mind)
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You make me laugh, Dave. I was about to ask where my invitation was and then I read your comment. I don’t clean though. My husband tells me I am more management than worker bee! However, I can sing nice harmonies. 🙂
It is difficult staying out of trouble, isn’t it? I am pleased to see that you are giving it your best shot.
I know, we could all write a novel together, taking it turns to write a few pages/paras. You would have to start us off though because I have trouble getting started, although I’m full of ideas (that go nowhere). Maybe I should buy a plot in Tassie before it becomes the millionaire’s playground? I often find that I am bored when that urge starts to kick in. The rural escape urge that is.
I think it is called attention deficit. But hey, that’s not a bad thing.
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I was not thinking of YOU as the cleaning lady. YOU would be a guest like the others. But John is partial to chasing cleaning ladies around the house and I would be a poor host if I did not have one here for him to chase. Hmmmm……I should ask him if he prefers them fast and nimble or slow and easy-to-catch…..I suspect the former. I have a few aspiring runners limbering up in the bull-pen as I write.
I like the shared novel idea….”She was just a cleaning lady and this was just another job. But being asked to bring cauliflower and wear running shoes was a bit of a twist.”
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Better go for ‘fast and nimble’. If it were ‘slow and easy-to-catch’ I might end up like the dog-that-chases-cars, wondering what I’d do if I ever caught one.
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Oh dear. That sounds positively prehistoric. Tell John that is what the internet is for. 😉
I’m stuck on the second para.
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John may be old but he isn’t prehistoric. Not yet, anyway. ‘Primal’ works, tho. Maybe even ‘herbivore’, too (’cause of the cauliflower). He is, it seems, somewhat ‘migratory’ now and then as well. Flies south and all…..And, let’s be honest, he is only gonna catch one who slowed down or purposefully tripped so as to allow the ‘capture’. It’s all good.
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Bored in Paradise. Title of a long-unwritten novel on the subject of being bushed. Join the club. As the last round of provisions dwindles (we are onto the powdered milk and the homemade raspberry wine now) having not been to the shop since well before Christmas, I spend my days, in between mask-making and half hearted online yoga videos, plotting the next big adventure; possibly a two day long excursion to the River for groceries. One day for the errands, big night in a sani-wiped motel room, followed by a drive-by visit with our offspring, maybe a socially spaced (out) walk with them and the pandemic pup (before she becomes a full grown hound). Small things have gradually become big things. Is this aging? Aging in place; the dream of the future? Unfolding before our eyes. Still, better than the alternative. Have you read Andrew Nikiforuk’s recent Tyee article on Covid? Now there’s a sobering little read for you. Spoiler alert! This is only the beginning, thanks to the bumblers that be, in charge. Would be nice to get together distantly one of these months! Happy New Year and Love to you both.
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