Living in flux

-Posted by Isaac

Happy 2020! How’s it going so far? Are you sticking to those healthy resolutions?

We sure are.

Getting out, seeing new places, educating yourself?

Are you laying plans for those castles in the air?

Or maybe 2020 is just another year to further your kingdom…

Either way, I’m sure you’ve got your ducks in a row.

Until, surprise!— you find that your orderly ducks-in-a-row turn out not to be ducks at all.

Maybe you’re like me— you’ve picked a mind numbingly simple resolution. Like walking. I’m going to walk more this year.

Helps me think.

Like the wise men, I’m going to follow that yonder star. What exactly that means is yet to be determined.

And speaking of such…

You can see from the above, we took a little trip this week. Edisto Beach, SC. One last bit of fun in the sun before the jaws of reality squeeze shut— school, work, rain, cold… welcome to Ohio!

So I did a lot of walking (and thinking) down there. At times I had my ear buds in to help in that thinking process. I listened to several talks (hours worth) by a guy I consider to be the most important thinker and writer in the modern world—Yuval Noah Harari. Ever heard of him? No? I know, not many have. But anyway, I’m not trying to push anything on you, I just found something very funny and ironic a little later. In my going down that humanism rabbit hole with Harari, I ended up listening to a Ted Talk given by Amber Scorah about cult psychology.

And the irony— the very next day, a lady who looked exactly like Amber Scorah approached me and struck up a conversation. She spoke of her two trips to Heaven.

Gave me a book and everything.

I think she was trying to save me. (In the most inconvenient of circumstances.)

It was a bit awkward because I didn’t have my pants on at the time. I had just finished a run and was trying to change in the car. That didn’t seem to phase her. We talked for a good five minutes through the car window. I mostly just listened and nodded and smiled, my crumpled wet shorts in my lap.

It was all about her experiences… and it seemed to me she left feeling very uplifted. (Another lost soul saved! Check.) I continued to smile. And wondered for awhile. I should’ve asked for details, darn it.

I finished dressing and thought out loud... What a world we live in.

So goodbye to 2019. Sure doesn’t seem like we’re getting any saner.

Maizy did this little video she wanted you to see.

(I learned that you guys on the mailing list can’t see the YouTube videos. Somehow they don’t attach, and I’m not ambitious enough to try to fix that little problem.) So here’s Maizy’s: https://youtu.be/EMHKGp1hfTY

Sorry to those on the mailer. I’ll just try to remember to link it in the future, and you can open the videos in another window. I had doubts that anyone was actually watching these things, but Amanda R. gave me hope last week with that David Foster Wallace speech.

And I found a little sendoff for you too. A meme I saw on Facebook in the waning hours of 2019. (While considering a no-more-Facebook resolution for the new decade.)

Hot dog, let’s bring on 2020!