Nature is amazing!
Nature is terrible!
Sometimes back to back – this morning’s beach walk amazing, but the high tide necessitating scrambling around trees and running away from water.
Almost a God reminder we need to show more appreciation for the amazing things – and less disdain for the terrible. Even the early arrival of pollen…
Amazing nature things coming quickly to mind: Sunrises, the ocean, potato latkes – I’ll wait a second while you add yours.
The terrible nature things perhaps even easier to call up: floods, wildfires, mudslides – essentially California spring.
And as with today’s walk, sometimes back to back – the calm before the storm, as it were –the weather always amazing right before a hurricane’s arrival.
While we’re at it:
Our fellow man amazing!
Our fellow man terrible!
And often it’s the same person!
It’s easy to call up human good and bads – sometimes we’re allowed to merge into traffic, and then cut off moments later.
Nature or man, both make the world a tough place to circumnavigate – but how much navigational freedom really exists?
An argument can be had about the existence of free will – one side pointing to subjective experiences, religion and moral authority as proof, the other citing determinism and the Atlanta Falcons that results are predetermined, you’ll never win a Super Bowl.
One view that nature will crush us no matter what – don’t bother building the sea wall on the coast – and that our fellow man will do the same, we’ll all be relieved of duty by the intergalactic DOGE boys.
But what if there’s a 3rd option: None of this is free willed or pre-determined, what if we’re trapped in a Twilight Zone episode, with God playing Rod Serling?
Or Rod Serling playing God…
What if we’re Burgess Meredith, losing our hearing (instead of our glasses) and no longer able to hear the advice our Captors have for us? Is it tragedy or comedy – who would solve problems we didn’t even know we had?
What if we’re William Shatner and that little fortune telling machine is more accurate than the investing advice I get from Double Bubble? But fortunately, the fortune cookie at lunch told me “Wherever I go, there I’ll be”.
Or what if we’re the entrée in To Serve Man? I’m guessing my love handles would be a delicacy…
If we’re in an episode of Twilight Zone, My Captor must be an alien.
Or what if we’re trapped in a dystopian game show?
Wheel of Fortuneless, with perpetual bankrupt spins, and having to sit next to Maggie on our Colette vacation.
Who Wants to be a Thousandaire – Regis not letting us phone a friend, our final answer being audited by the IRS.
Existential Crisis Jeopardy, the categories all nuclear physics, a negative score making us ineligible for the afterlife.
Or maybe we’re trapped in a ‘This is your life, the best you can hope for’ game show… so get on with it.
You wake up starring in “You’ve got another day” – what do you do with that gift?
The “You are Loved” show, where you’re reminded of the people who love you and concerned about you. Do you display gratitude?
You’re the host of “Special Olympics Jeopardy” – do you realize how blessed you are…
This post part of the “You are Lucky” segment, with a reminder to be an awesome person, nice to others, and free will or not, an effective life roadmap the Serenity Prayer:
“Give me the strength to accept what can’t be changed, the courage to change what can, and the wisdom to know the difference”.
For 279 more posts like this –each with a wish for more choice – go to beersatthenifty.com. Your phone will display every post, and you can waste an hour or two.
ENHANCE YOUR ENJOYMENT OF THIS POST, PAIR IT WITH THE FOLLOWING ‘AGING HIPSTER MUSIC’:
Doves a fine English band, with a new album that’s quite good. Comprised of Jimi Goodwin and the Williams twins, operational since 1996. I’ve added ‘Cold Dreaming’ ‘Renegade’ ‘Here it Comes’ ‘Sea Song’ and ‘Catch the Sun’ to the BATN playlist. Enjoy.
I close with a very sad note: Our good friend ‘Big John’ Henderson died this week. He fit in the amazing person category, and my Big John memories filled my beach walk with smiles, laughs and tears. Rest easy, John, but you’re missed. Peace.
A little eeriness this morning. Randomly I was thinking about the ‘To Serve Man’ episode and then read your blog a couple of hours later. The universe is a mystical place.