Revisiting Abbott and Costello's "Who's On 1st" as the great metaphor on life and its stages, I've been looking at third base here. As the routine goes, 'I don't know's on 3rd.' My view on this one is starting to take shape as a run back to the base after you've rounded it and decided you're not ready to head for home. It's no longer about who you were when you were in the first part of your adult life, when you chose a career, perhaps a spouse and, yes, maybe even children. You're way past first and even past second; where you retired and made the choices about what to do, where you'd live, whether you'd have a bucket list and what would be on it. You might have even started hitting some of those targets on that bucket list.
Who's on third? "I don't know," but I'm starting to think 3rd base might just be the one where you (the who) decide what you'll become as you head for home. Think about that, will you be the crabby old one, or the loony tunes one, the forgetful and always stymied one or even the silent staring one? I think we are still in charge when we head for, and decide to stop at 3rd--if fate allows, of course. Think about that last little bit--if fate allows. We're pretty fortunate to still be around, ya know? We could have left the playing field in a tragic accident--like a car crash or a train wreck. We could have left this playing field because we had a heart attack, stroke or contracted some disease in some faraway place. or some other sudden medical issue. Instead, we have this chance to head for, and maybe even hang around 3rd--for who knows how long.
I'm starting to think this "I don't know's on 3rd" business is about who we decide to become. Will we be kind, creative, contemplative, social and friendly? Will we still be exploring new avenues? Whoa, that's something to think about. It might depend on our mental vigor and health. Should we attend to sharpening up this brain?
Wednesday, January 30, 2019
Friday, January 18, 2019
New Years and Birthdays
I ran across a piece by my favorite poet, Billy Collins, the other day. (Just so you don’t think my favorite is just some slouch, I want you to know he was twice the Poet Laureate of these United States.). Anyway, the poem is called “New Year’s Day, ” and taken as a whole it seemed to me a bit on the maudlin side, but the idea that grabbed my attention was about birthdays. It seems the English essayist, Chales Lamb once wrote that everyone has two birthdays, the day you were born and New Year’s Day
It seems the Mr. Lamb related to those two days especially because they marked the passage of time. Mr. Collins’ take on this was that both marked the passage of time, of course, and that both mark a “joyous anniversary of our existence.”
Mr. Collins observes that he’d welcome another birthday to remind him to stop and remember to reflect on his existence on this earth. He goes on to reflect on the fact that at some point there will come an ending day, etc. That’s the maudlin part.
I prefer instead to go back and look at the suggestion that we add another birthday to our year’s calendar. Now some of you out there think I’d be in it for the presents, but my point of view is that it might just be a chance to do something different. Turn birthday on its head and consider it your duty to provide a gift to someone else. We could sure use a day like that, one that reminds us to give, not just take from life.
Sunday, January 13, 2019
What Do You Mean To DO With That "I Don't Know" Out There On 3rd?-
My dear wife asked me was I going to be obsessed with dying now that I'm choosing to write about it. I can understand why she asked me, because it might give that appearance. It was hard for me to explain, so I thought maybe if I wrote about it, I might be able to better explain it. So here I am, saying it's not about becoming obsessed with dying. But I do accept that the very fact that I am here and alive means I won't be some day. This is true for all of us, and you don't need me to chime in and repeat that for you.
But there is some logic to all of this as seen through the lens of Laurel and Hardy's "Who's On First?" routine. As I explained, I have come to view the first part of my adult life as the Who's on 1st part--it was dominated with the growth of my family and the development of my career. It was so busy that there was little time for reflection or for writing about it. The next phase or part became What's On 2nd--and that was retirement and, since I could see it coming, I tried to prepare myself for it. Much of my outside, non-work attention was devoted to dreaming up what I would do and who I would become. I even spent time working on the idea of becoming a retirement coach of sorts. As things turned out, some other things came along and got in the way, but I did benefit from the time and attention I gave to What is On 2nd. I appreciate the retirement that I wound up with and feel a lot more grounded than I would have if I had just let it happen to me.
So now, I find myself looking ahead and wondering and that has led me to want to explore the next part which I am calling--I Don't Know's on 3d. What I am looking at there is what I am trying to explain now. As I said, this is not about religious belief--I have a strong Faith that tells me where things will wind up on the other end. What I'm wondering about is the process that will take me there. What is or should be the best approach to that process called dying? My belief is that there is bound to be humor, laughter, reflection and challenge along the way to getting there.
Already, I am seeing some funny things, some challenging opportunities and some strange activities around. For example, there's a doctor out there who is seriously proposing that LSD would be helpful for those getting close to the final stages. Here's another--there are actually people out there trying to choose the best places to die. And one more, there is hardly any training required of a person who wishes to become an M.D. in the area of treatment to those that are dying--seriously, everyone they treat will eventually die, don't you think it would be good for every doctor to know something (maybe even a lot of things) about it? None of this strikes me as morbid. Rather, it make me kind of curious.
But there is some logic to all of this as seen through the lens of Laurel and Hardy's "Who's On First?" routine. As I explained, I have come to view the first part of my adult life as the Who's on 1st part--it was dominated with the growth of my family and the development of my career. It was so busy that there was little time for reflection or for writing about it. The next phase or part became What's On 2nd--and that was retirement and, since I could see it coming, I tried to prepare myself for it. Much of my outside, non-work attention was devoted to dreaming up what I would do and who I would become. I even spent time working on the idea of becoming a retirement coach of sorts. As things turned out, some other things came along and got in the way, but I did benefit from the time and attention I gave to What is On 2nd. I appreciate the retirement that I wound up with and feel a lot more grounded than I would have if I had just let it happen to me.
So now, I find myself looking ahead and wondering and that has led me to want to explore the next part which I am calling--I Don't Know's on 3d. What I am looking at there is what I am trying to explain now. As I said, this is not about religious belief--I have a strong Faith that tells me where things will wind up on the other end. What I'm wondering about is the process that will take me there. What is or should be the best approach to that process called dying? My belief is that there is bound to be humor, laughter, reflection and challenge along the way to getting there.
Already, I am seeing some funny things, some challenging opportunities and some strange activities around. For example, there's a doctor out there who is seriously proposing that LSD would be helpful for those getting close to the final stages. Here's another--there are actually people out there trying to choose the best places to die. And one more, there is hardly any training required of a person who wishes to become an M.D. in the area of treatment to those that are dying--seriously, everyone they treat will eventually die, don't you think it would be good for every doctor to know something (maybe even a lot of things) about it? None of this strikes me as morbid. Rather, it make me kind of curious.
What Do You Mean "I Don't Know's on 3rd?"
Somewhere in the past fifteen years I discovered Blogger, and things have never really been the same. I took a look at life through the lens of the famous Laurel and Hardy bit referred to in the title of this piece. Recently, it occurred to me that I am approaching a transition in my life. Peering at life through the lens of "Who's on 1st, etc.," I can see my life in these three phases--Who's on 1st, What's on 2nd and I Don't Know's on 3rd.
Who's on 1st--my younger adult years were lived in a sort of whirlwind. We married, had two children and I pursued the ups and downs and caroming around that was my life. We caromed from South Bend to St. Louis, to Chicago, to Atlanta, to Savannah, finally coming to rest in Hilton Head. Careerwise, I moved from liquor store clerk to Personnel Trainee to Assistant Director of HR and to Director of HR (the latter in a company that ceased to exist some six or seven years after I moved on). I ended up as a Senior Labor Relations Consultant in a Fortune 100 Company (Big Deal!). It was a career I enjoyed and one that took care of me and my family as well as we needed. Throughout this period, I did little reflection, and never sat down to write about it unless I was preparing a resume. ]
Somewhere in my 50's I began to think about what was coming next. This has taken shape as the period of What's on 2nd, or what else does life have in store for me. I thought about what was on 2nd and some of those musings found their way here as entries in my Whatison2nd.blog post. Tonight, as sleep eluded me once again, I thought about an article I saw but skimmed very lightly in my email today. All I get in my email these days are publications, magazines, newspapers, commentaries, ads, and more ads from every organization I've had the pleasure of doing even the smallest transaction with... Is that the same for you? or do you actually receive a personal email on occasion? Anyway, the topic of the article I'll be searching for after I finish this piece had to do with ending well. Hence, "I Don't Know's on 3rd" comes to mind.
Now, let me be clear about this--it's not about where we will go next. I have a strong Faith that answers that question for me to a great degree (although I do wonder sometimes about what this afterlife I'm hoping to head for if I live the way I should actually looks like? Is it a single unified center of being that we are all returning to? Is it a replica of all that is/was good on Earth--and does that include my Golden Retriever Walter?
Oh, but back to the subject at hand--ending well. I don't know how to do this "ending well", but I want to try to learn about it. Let me be clear on another point--the author of the piece I skimmed earlier today suggests that regular doses of LSD would be a good approach. While that is a novel approach, I really don't think it is any good for me. I am, after all, working hard to stay in my right mind through the end of my life.
I just created my newest blog, entitled "I Dom't Know's on 3rd." I have barely begun a layout, etc., but it's there--and this entry will appear in both What Is on 2nd (this blog) and "I Don't Know's on 3rd. If you'll excuse me, I need to go look for that article I skimmed before I forget. I'll probably return after I have read it through....
Who's on 1st--my younger adult years were lived in a sort of whirlwind. We married, had two children and I pursued the ups and downs and caroming around that was my life. We caromed from South Bend to St. Louis, to Chicago, to Atlanta, to Savannah, finally coming to rest in Hilton Head. Careerwise, I moved from liquor store clerk to Personnel Trainee to Assistant Director of HR and to Director of HR (the latter in a company that ceased to exist some six or seven years after I moved on). I ended up as a Senior Labor Relations Consultant in a Fortune 100 Company (Big Deal!). It was a career I enjoyed and one that took care of me and my family as well as we needed. Throughout this period, I did little reflection, and never sat down to write about it unless I was preparing a resume. ]
Somewhere in my 50's I began to think about what was coming next. This has taken shape as the period of What's on 2nd, or what else does life have in store for me. I thought about what was on 2nd and some of those musings found their way here as entries in my Whatison2nd.blog post. Tonight, as sleep eluded me once again, I thought about an article I saw but skimmed very lightly in my email today. All I get in my email these days are publications, magazines, newspapers, commentaries, ads, and more ads from every organization I've had the pleasure of doing even the smallest transaction with... Is that the same for you? or do you actually receive a personal email on occasion? Anyway, the topic of the article I'll be searching for after I finish this piece had to do with ending well. Hence, "I Don't Know's on 3rd" comes to mind.
Now, let me be clear about this--it's not about where we will go next. I have a strong Faith that answers that question for me to a great degree (although I do wonder sometimes about what this afterlife I'm hoping to head for if I live the way I should actually looks like? Is it a single unified center of being that we are all returning to? Is it a replica of all that is/was good on Earth--and does that include my Golden Retriever Walter?
Oh, but back to the subject at hand--ending well. I don't know how to do this "ending well", but I want to try to learn about it. Let me be clear on another point--the author of the piece I skimmed earlier today suggests that regular doses of LSD would be a good approach. While that is a novel approach, I really don't think it is any good for me. I am, after all, working hard to stay in my right mind through the end of my life.
I just created my newest blog, entitled "I Dom't Know's on 3rd." I have barely begun a layout, etc., but it's there--and this entry will appear in both What Is on 2nd (this blog) and "I Don't Know's on 3rd. If you'll excuse me, I need to go look for that article I skimmed before I forget. I'll probably return after I have read it through....
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