Saturday 27 June 2020 I know, I know, last week was to be my last blog for a while. Well, shucks, call it phaseal transition syndrome. An antidote to withdrawal pains. Slowly letting go. Almost there. Not quite ready to pause for the “Silent Eye” moment (the technique that improves human visual attention, applied to sport or surgical training; a practice purported to have propelled Serena Williams to tennis stardom–a technique I’ll give the old college heave ho). Whatever the reason(s), I return only to post my little list, partial as it is, in response to a persistent topic du jour: the novel coronavirus pandemic.

I force a smile as I think of people who incomprehensibly respond to the pandemic with a quizzical, “What?” I strain to offer some mercy, some puzzling allowance, some excuse for willful or actual ignorance, some prayer, some hope. On the other hand, I rejoice at the great numbers of people who “get it,” and act accordingly. Hallelujah! God is merciful and just, host to the “great multitude that no one can count, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages. . . .” Revelation 7:9a

Someone has spoken of this time as one where we’re learning to “tolerate uncertainty at a high level.” May my little list elicit a smile or two as I hereafter, henceforth, now again, but not forever, pause my blog.

I’ve got a little list

My little list asserts that I have no problem, no second thoughts, no hesitation, no reservations, no qualms, no compunction, about:

• Observing the recommended or mandated infectious disease control precautions (if you’ve had a birthday these last number of months, I’ve hummed the song over and over for your benefit, too, I trust)
• Hanging up in mid-sentence, even quicker, on nuisance phone calls
• Binning suspect emails
• Laughing at a mailer for motorcycle insurance (I bought a pair of walking shoes on our walk this morning, assurance of happy feet, no insurance needed)
• Smiling at the raft of gutter cleaning ads (oh, the memories, not un-fondly, of moving a heavy extension ladder around our former two-story house)
• Spending not a penny on fireworks
• Eating garlic and onion (at today’s Goshen Farmers Market we bought some spicy salad mix, small cucumbers, yellow tomatoes, and a pound of ground beef)
• Eating beans, for that matter
• Buying local strawberries rather than picking our own in a field full of agile bodies
• Tuning out tube, tattle and twitter
• Using Clorox for its intended purposes
• Wondering why some VIPs and non-VIPs equate a face mask with a muzzle
• Imagining, with a big teeth-baring smile, that behind my mask I’m sporting a nose ring
• Welcoming a trip other than to the grocery
• Giving wide berth to bikers, joggers and other walkers
• Driving along a country road unperturbed by the brain-frozen tailgater
• Chalking up a visit to the dentist as almost the day’s highlight
• Searching for out-of-doors seating at a restaurant
• Tipping a little extra
• Navigating month in, month out, surprised by where the time goes
• Enjoying happy contentment at home
• Entertaining at tea on our patio
• Preparing for eventual travel by purchasing, on sale, of course, a Mr Voyager Blazer 2.0 and a Wildriver Ragg Beanie
• Being glad for this time-out to give the Silent Eye to what’s next for It’s About Now

Maybe another reason for this bonus blog is to keep me from sinking into a Rip Van Winkle-type sleep. I’ve now got a little list to keep me on my toes. Thank you for indulging me in this unexpected post. Every good wish ’till we connect again down the road.

Happy July 1. Happy July 4th. Happy summer.

-John