Did COVID Make You Lazy, A Personal Death Threat, Supporting our Police, An Old Fashion Shoot Out
"There is a huge body of evidence to support the notion that me and the police were put on this earth to do extremely different things and never to mingle professionally with each other, except at official functions, when we all wear ties and drink heavily and whoop it up like the natural, good-humored wild boys that we know in our hearts that we are. These occasions are rare, but they happen — despite the forked tongue of fate that has put us forever on different paths..."
I was awakened by a camel licking my ear. How are you, how did you sleep, we got 8 hours last night, sleep is essential, but it’s morning, it’s time to get my machine humming. I woke up to a beautiful sunrise; I’ll share a photo so you too can enjoy it. Jolene, our baby jaguar of a cat, slept between me and my Queen’s heads.
Yesterday we woke to snow; today it’s 45 degrees, sunny, the snow is gone, our plants survived, my Queen is happy. We worked until midafternoon and headed to our condo downtown; we are in the process of removing our stuff, it’s a slow move of 3 trips to clean our belongings out and open up space for Bay. The condo served us well, but it’s time to move on up like the Jefferson’s.
The one-two punch of COVID and the civil unrest have mentally tested a few folks. These are strange times, but I’m hopeful for the future, I think the worst is over, we can begin to return to some semblance of normalcy. But I did have a question, did COVID make you lazy or more energized?
When COVID started, we were told to stay put, shelter in place; this would cause most folks to maybe flip on their T.V., grab a sandwich, and relax. If this was you, I understand. Life before COVID was a little hectic for most; a respite was needed. But how long did you Netflix and chill? It was a forced retirement for millions; how did you enjoy doing nothing?
I never broke my routine, I still to this day get up before 6:00, I did adjust my 5:00 a.m. wake up time to 5:30, I can’t explain why, but it was a natural evolution. But once up, I made my coffee; I grabbed my Nicorette gum, I plopped down on my purple bean bag writing station and began penning my thoughts. I think I may have missed one day due to the family being in town, but other than that, I hit my daily goal of making soup for others.
Reclaiming all the drive time I became much more efficient, the 3 to 4 hours of windshield time became my creative time to think, do, and produce. We began working out daily, hiking daily, we used the gained time for good. When this opportunity arose, I referred to this time as a reformation. I reformed, looked at my life, and made some significant changes.
We all manage situations differently, but for us, COVID was a blessing in disguise. I think the interesting question is, how did this time impact you, your work, your play, your life? Can you thrive in a pandemic, I think for some of us the answer is hell yes.
Many statues are being torn down, statues that were created to help us remember the past are being destroyed, I’m not a fan of this destruction, we need to remember how we got here. What made us the country we are and what mistakes allow us to live in the most excellent society ever created. I must be careful here, some folks will kick back and say we are not a good society, we have our flaws, but comparing our way of life to other countries, I think we have a pretty good experience. I’m proud to be an American.
Do we have areas to improve, always, but instead of focusing on where we went wrong or the changes we need to invoke, can we take pause and look at the goodness and kindness in our world? We still have free speech; we have the right to arm ourselves, we have a bill of rights that allow for the equal treatment of all humans no matter their race, color, or creed.
The idea of defunding the police is, I think, a political talking point. I don’t believe any politician wants to reduce or remove our police presence. Of course, there are radicals; there are always radicals. But if you look at the legislation proposed this week in Congress, it’s more of a set of rules and guidelines; there is not a call for a reduction of funds for our boys in blue.
This does hit home, a few years ago I had a young man default on a contract, I went to court, won a settlement of about $20,000, and I got a call from his father that my award was hurting his credit. I explained to the man that this was a judgment against his son; it had no impact on his credit. He stated, “I know where you live; I’m going to kill you.” I don’t know if you have ever had a death threat, but it’s a little unnerving.
I knew the sheriff of our county, I called him, explained the situation, he went to the man’s house, and I never heard another word. Remove the police in this situation, and I would be left at home waiting for this man. He, with his gun, me with my weapon, and an old fashion shootout would have occurred.
I’m not a fan of removing my option to have my rights protected. I do think some reform is needed in many of the urban police departments, but to “defund” is a crazy proposal. There is a difference between the rural police and the metropolitan police. The landscape they work is far different; I can’t imagine the stress that these men and women face, it’s not a job I would want, and I thank those that put their life on the line for our communities.
I’m sure these words, to some, will be controversial. I’m not trying to stir the pot, just giving my two “sense” about current events. If you disagree, please explain in a civil manner where I’m wrong, and I’ll gladly listen to your view. My view is a culmination of my life experience, and if I’m missing something, do tell. It’s time I make some doughnuts. Cheers, my fellow humans!
"There is a huge body of evidence to support the notion that me and the police were put on this earth to do extremely different things and never to mingle professionally with each other, except at official functions, when we all wear ties and drink heavily and whoop it up like the natural, good-humored wild boys that we know in our hearts that we are..These occasions are rare, but they happen — despite the forked tongue of fate that has put us forever on different paths..."