RECAFFEINATED MONDAYS: The Path Forward

What can you do to promote world peace? Go home and love your family.
– Mother Teresa

Since last week we solved racism, COVID, and economic recovery, this week we’re moving on.

I wrote that statement on Saturday. Sunday morning, I woke up to the news that a group of protesters had toppled a Confederate statue in Richmond’s Monroe Park. This after the Mayor and City Council have indicated that the statues will be removed. I’m pretty sure they didn’t ask for help.

I’m also sure that, as I said last week, removing the statues isn’t going to fix anything.

Also, on Saturday I posted a tribute to D-Day on Facebook. I said, and I still believe, that I will stand in their honor and for my country. I also acknowledged that the freedom they fought for also allows you to choose otherwise.

Apparently, I am living rent-free in someone’s head on the Northside.

I won’t apologize for believing that this is still the greatest country on earth, even with our problems.

Okay, enough of that for now. This discussion isn’t going away and I’m not going to solve it in one post.

Well, I could if y’all would listen to me, but for now, let’s move on.

Actually, to be honest, this weekend I didn’t feel much like moving at all.

We already know that last week was a stressful week. We also know that I’ve already noted that it did not directly impact me other than the stress of watching and trying to write in a reasonable manner about things that I still find difficult to articulate.

But it was also a stressful week for me at work. A mid-week meeting under new guidelines allowing for electronic public meetings (previously prohibited until recent General Assembly action), was challenging, and at times frustrating.

I won’t elaborate because I don’t like to spend too much time talking about the day job here. But there were multiple times in the process when we wanted to scream “would you just be quiet and let us take care of this?”

We did not. Neither did they.

After that I had to work on a video project. Have I mentioned that I don’t do video?

My 40th college class reunion at Asbury University is coming up. We’re gathering virtually this year. So, there’s a reunion choir, and a choir of my classmates singing our class hymn. I thought recording the videos would be easy.

They were not.

I’ve been working lately to figure out video. To get to that point, the first step I took was completely redoing my home office. Over Memorial Day weekend I took everything out, moved the furniture and set it up for what I hope will work for doing video Santa visits in December. But the recording and broadcasting is far above my level of expertise. On a side note, the equipment I apparently need to do the Santa visits is apparently far above my bank account expertise.

My son helped use what I have to record the reunion videos on my iPhone while listening to the iPad. I needed a blank background and there are no blank walls in my office. By the time we were ready for me to record we had completely emptied one wall, covered it with a sheet, and moved every light in the room.

When I went to record, I realized how long it has been since I’ve done any real singing. For one thing, it’s been years in church since the songs were sing-able (yes, I said that). It’s somewhat better in our new church but we were only there a few weeks before the pandemic hit.

So, reality is that the last time I did any real singing was the Christmas show at the amusement park, some six months ago.

I’m already feeling the effects of the gym (and the pool) being closed. Thus, the statement above about not feeling like moving much at all. The pool is how I manage my arthritis.

All this to say that the project of recording the videos was more difficult than I thought. Once I got semi-comfortable with the technology, I did not like hearing my voice. Fortunately, my voice will not be alone and the collective harmony should drown out my pitchiness.

All of the gurus out there are telling me that everything has to go virtual. It just wears me out.

I am SUCH a print media person.

Also, you kids get off my lawn.

I realize that I’m not doing a very good job, if any at all, of addressing current events today. I’m just filling you in on MY current events.

That doesn’t mean I’m not watching. I am.

It doesn’t mean I’m not thinking about what I should be saying and doing. I am.

Like I’ve said, one hastily written, emotional blog post by me isn’t going to fix anything. And, if we’ve learned anything this week it’s perhaps that a rush to action can do more harm than good.

Interpret that as you will.

This week I’m going to work on listening to others speak and trying to understand.

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