3 Mile Hike, Company, Looking Inward, Violence and Incompetence

“Violence is the last refuge of the incompetent.”

— Isaac Asimov 

Good morning my friend, thank you for stopping by my free internet soup café, I’ll make the soup, let’s share life as I make this batch. We have got company, our friend Nate is in from Indianapolis and our daughter is here choosing to stay with us vs. her condo.  Bay headed back east for some education and will be returning this weekend.  We have enough for evening Euchre; the girls cleaned our clock last night.

We worked until 4:00 yesterday then headed down the hill and did a 3-mile hike, in addition to eating better and cutting back on the booze, I’m committing to moving more than before, I want to show up as my best self for my daughter wedding. I made ribs last night; my Queen made BBQ chicken and spicy green beans. It’s was pretty amazing.

I had a call with my East Coast friend Josh; he’s an expressive young man that asks a lot of good questions. He and I met via COVID; he’s pushing me to work on my business model for my new company, it’s good to be challenged. I need to tweak my marketing further and reach out to some new opportunities.  I have the luxury of taking it slow, but why am I so cautious with this opportunity, my past has been grown with reckless abandon.  Maybe I’ve learned a lesson or two; perhaps I’m afraid of success?

It’s chilly up here this morning. The sunrise was stunning, sometimes I come down and sip coffee and wait for the sun; other days I lay in bed with my Queen and snap a photo of the event. Today was the latter.

I am competing with my friend Scot on my Apple Watch. I’m not winning; I think he might be putting the watch on his dog and letting them go for a run. Kidding, he’s driven, even when I hit 146% to goal, he will scream in at 176% of goal, he is much younger than I, maybe that is the reason. I think ageism is real; us old folks need to stick together.  

I’ve slowed on my media consumption, tending to focus on our world, not the world outside. I’ve learned that not all appreciate or enjoy my perception of the world, I’m learning, give me time, I’ll figure it out by the time I die at 114. For now, I’m just trying to be a student, take in facts, mull, decide what I believe, and then take those notes and put in my back pocket.

I do have a topic I asked my Queen if I could pen some thoughts, she said no. I respect and love her. So that those thoughts will be written down, sealed, and stuffed in my review later file.  No use in stirring up the hornet’s nest on a beautiful Tuesday.  

I am seeing a lot of back and forth on the wearing of masks. I don’t get the folks that refuse and get angry when someone asks them to put one on. Why not respect others, and if you are going to be around people, wear a mask.  We’re buff people, a little scarf around the neck, it can be pulled up with ease and removed with ease, what is the big deal?

I did see a group in Florida chanting my body, my choice about the mask conversation. They cooped this message from the pro-abortion group, which seems to be pro-mask. It’s interesting how different words can be used for something seemingly unrelated.  The violence continues, people are dying some from COVID, but many are dying from gun violence.

According to the news, 80 people in Chicago were shot, 15 killed, it might be a good time to invest in our police to help calm this current storm. The move to defund seems a little misguided with the new data.  Just like with COVID, there are hot spots of violence, think larger cities, we don’t have too many shootings in Beautiful Parker City, IN or Conifer, CO. I like our rural sensibility.

Even our home of Indianapolis had seven folks shot in the Broadripple area, luckily no deaths. I think it risky to be out in some of our hoods. A couple of people peacefully protesting in Bloomington, Indiana, was hit by a car last night. A day after the Seattle crash that saw one lady lose her life and the other in critical condition. All due to a roadblock set on a curve. The driver’s bond has been set at 1.25 million dollars. Peaceful protests seem to lead to injury as well.

I hope you are safe; I hope you are looking for strategy and solutions in this time of strife and anger. I think it a time to get small, focus on what is in our control, and let those in power take the reigns and stop the insanity.  We have an election coming up, if you are not happy, vote them all out of the office and let’s start over.

So much for not paying attention to the media.  I do read daily, I keep up with what’s going on, and I’m saddened by where we are as a country. First, a pandemic and then some socio-economic clashes have made the current environment unsettling. Some say I’m paranoid, but I am just consuming the news that is written. Can we have a conversation about violence and possible ways to end our current war?

So wear a mask, join those looking for solutions and make sure, if you have input, to share it. We can put it in the societal oven and let it bake, ideas, mixed like my soup that can maybe produce a tasty dish. I hope the words find you well; you are smiling, you have a full day of goodness and quality work ahead of you, finish the day contributing.

“Violence is the last refuge of the incompetent.”

— Isaac Asimov