If only they could see: "They fail to see the—often subtle—magnificence of daily life right in front of them and fail to decide for themselves what’s true and what isn’t."
I love to watch the light change in my yard, with the skyline and the setting sun in the background.
Great story! Thanks for taking us along. Maybe your visit with Jane will inspire her to get out of her apartment- realizing that she's tougher than any virus. Love your uncle Monk. You have some amazing smart and long lived genes in your family line, so you'll be entertaining us for a long time.
teared up too. Just got scolded because I still call the obedient ones sheep, and don't want to re-connect with the people who dropped me like a dead mouse, wearing a mask to come visit me, once in 4 years now. It was painful then, and it is painful now, because for years I considered these people my sisters from another mother. Reading about others, they have the same experience and with their own family none the less. Glad you were able to see your loved ones. Maybe this year will bring normalcy, but I don't hold my breath. Sad for all the elderly indeed, in their little rooms or apartments, at least I got a wooded acre, a dog and 2 cats! The few elderly people I know here, one jabbed one is not, both have a large area as well, we live in rural GA, so plenty of space here. Thank you for this uplifting story!
It is astonishing to me that Aunt Jane has retained all of her faculties at her advanced age, despite the self-imposed isolation of the last several years. What a strong spirit, what a lovely lady, and such a tragedy, what we've lost. When will enough people wake up to make a difference?
Great story, Mark, and thank you for your amazing courage in standing strong during this madness. The takeaway is loud and clear: Live not Your Life in Fear! At the risk of angering anyone here - and rest assured, I was and am totally against this whole scam - I also see a lot of fear on our side. A lot of people who resisted the Scamdemic are spending a lot of time worrying about the Next Big Pandemic and stuffing down vast amounts of extra vitamins and dubious "natural" remedies. A part of the Resistance seems to have become a Doomsday Cult that Fauci would be proud of. Their new hero is Geert Vanden Bossche, who predicts a massed die-off for the jabbed. Of course, he may be right, but that's not the point. The point is that we can all die at any moment and that fear and worry - as your lovely story points out - are a terrible waste of what precious time we have left. The enemies of humanity want us scared and terrified. Let's disappoint them.
I am not scared of the next Big Lie - but I am terrified of the sheep who will fall in line and demand that those who do not agree be segregated or worse.
Great story, Mark. When I was a young truck driver, I would go 70 miles north of here to load potatoes and take them south, many times to your neck of the woods in Newark, Passaic, and Jersey City. Usually it would take six to seven hours for the farmers to fill the trailer, so I would borrow the farmers pick up and go to visit my elderly 90 plus Aunt and Grandmother who lived in the city. I always would come away with a few morsels of old time intelligence that seems to be not so common today.
Every time an elderly person passes, a wealth of information dies with them. Take the time to gain some of the insights a lifetime lived yields.
Oh, and BTW, clouds come and go, but having been lucky enough to be directly in the center of the path of totality, I can say that the image of the sun finally showing again after being blocked, is unforgettable. Ha!
I especially loved the eclipse comparison. I did travel for a whole weekend to be 3' in totality but it was a long, weekend trip, meeting up together as family and visiting others as well. Unlike the eclipse which was predicted centuries ago, the beauty of nature lies in the spontaneity and the fact that it's enjoyed by you and not sold by others.
What a loss for your Aunt Jane in the remaining years of her life but what a very strong lady. I will never forgive the terror they tried to bring into people's life especially the elderly, I was in my mid sixties and at the beginning I felt the fear but somehow managed to regain my senses and think clearly about what they were trying to do to us. But even for the very brief period of fear I experienced I am very angry for being manipulated into that mindset. They have stolen years of enjoying family and friends and quality of life from many elderly people and given them fear instead, this should never be forgiven.
I bought a tee-shirt that shows a picture of a TV and beneath the TV it says "Shut Up. Stop Thinking. Do as WE SAY." It is very appropriate. I sometimes forget that I'm wearing it when I'm out and about until I realize that people are staring at it. Some laugh. Some come up to me and agree. I think that we all need to watch less TV.
Anyone who watches news on TV has been brainwashed. And they don't even know it happened. It doesn't matter which type of news or how much you watch. It's all mesmerizing propaganda that controls what you think and feel at a deep level.
Moving his elbows to feel wood! Poor Jayne, my elderly neighbour is the same, I feel no longer welcome to pop over for a chat and what I've seen and heard over the garden fence, he's declined both physically and mentally. What a lovely nephew you are and a beautiful recount of your visit.
This one is at the top of my list of favorites! I'm really happy you got to see these old aunts and uncles, but ending with the eclipse mania and your beautiful cloud story just shows certain people are extremely susceptible to hype and definitely miss every day magnificence. Thanks!
I didn't drive to see the eclipse though I only live a couple of hours from the path of totality. Didn't want to fight the crowds or traffic. Instead I went to an eclipse-watching party at the local library, as it was supposed to be 90% in our area. It was very interesting. All these people gathered outside looking up at the sky, I daresay that this was probably the first time in a long while that any of them spent any meaningful time gazing at the sky. Of course the phones were all out in force. I deliberately picked a spot where branches blocked part of the sun because I liked the effect they created. Even at 90% totality, there really wasn't much you could see without the glasses because the sun was so dazzling, although the light did dim somewhat. On the other hand, looking through the glasses blocked a lot of the detail and of course all of the color, so while you could clearly see the moon passing in front of the sun, to me it just wasn't visually impressive. Give me a good supercell cumulonimbus anytime!
TAM agree! I watched the eclipse of 2017 in Wyoming. I and my two grandchildren went to the library, and sat under trees. We had the glasses and experienced it as well as we could.
I sure do love to lay on the grass and watch clouds. Available most every day.
Thanks to you for a memory, and Mark for a wonderful story. Prayers for all of us.
If only they could see: "They fail to see the—often subtle—magnificence of daily life right in front of them and fail to decide for themselves what’s true and what isn’t."
I love to watch the light change in my yard, with the skyline and the setting sun in the background.
Beautiful Mark!
Thanks, AnnMarie.
And thank you for your note. I very much appreciated it. And you.
Great story! Thanks for taking us along. Maybe your visit with Jane will inspire her to get out of her apartment- realizing that she's tougher than any virus. Love your uncle Monk. You have some amazing smart and long lived genes in your family line, so you'll be entertaining us for a long time.
Another heartfelt, moving, and beautifully expressed essay about life, death, and the human condition... thank you, Mark!
teared up too. Just got scolded because I still call the obedient ones sheep, and don't want to re-connect with the people who dropped me like a dead mouse, wearing a mask to come visit me, once in 4 years now. It was painful then, and it is painful now, because for years I considered these people my sisters from another mother. Reading about others, they have the same experience and with their own family none the less. Glad you were able to see your loved ones. Maybe this year will bring normalcy, but I don't hold my breath. Sad for all the elderly indeed, in their little rooms or apartments, at least I got a wooded acre, a dog and 2 cats! The few elderly people I know here, one jabbed one is not, both have a large area as well, we live in rural GA, so plenty of space here. Thank you for this uplifting story!
It is astonishing to me that Aunt Jane has retained all of her faculties at her advanced age, despite the self-imposed isolation of the last several years. What a strong spirit, what a lovely lady, and such a tragedy, what we've lost. When will enough people wake up to make a difference?
I had that thought during the visit. but forgot to put it in the story.
Until I just did. Thanks for reminding me, Momo.
Great story, Mark, and thank you for your amazing courage in standing strong during this madness. The takeaway is loud and clear: Live not Your Life in Fear! At the risk of angering anyone here - and rest assured, I was and am totally against this whole scam - I also see a lot of fear on our side. A lot of people who resisted the Scamdemic are spending a lot of time worrying about the Next Big Pandemic and stuffing down vast amounts of extra vitamins and dubious "natural" remedies. A part of the Resistance seems to have become a Doomsday Cult that Fauci would be proud of. Their new hero is Geert Vanden Bossche, who predicts a massed die-off for the jabbed. Of course, he may be right, but that's not the point. The point is that we can all die at any moment and that fear and worry - as your lovely story points out - are a terrible waste of what precious time we have left. The enemies of humanity want us scared and terrified. Let's disappoint them.
I am not scared of the next Big Lie - but I am terrified of the sheep who will fall in line and demand that those who do not agree be segregated or worse.
Good story, Mark. Heartbreaking and joyful at the same time.
"There’s no punishment too severe for the evil opportunists who stoked such unwarranted fear and loneliness. " Agree 100%, Mark, 100%.
Great story, Mark. When I was a young truck driver, I would go 70 miles north of here to load potatoes and take them south, many times to your neck of the woods in Newark, Passaic, and Jersey City. Usually it would take six to seven hours for the farmers to fill the trailer, so I would borrow the farmers pick up and go to visit my elderly 90 plus Aunt and Grandmother who lived in the city. I always would come away with a few morsels of old time intelligence that seems to be not so common today.
Every time an elderly person passes, a wealth of information dies with them. Take the time to gain some of the insights a lifetime lived yields.
Oh, and BTW, clouds come and go, but having been lucky enough to be directly in the center of the path of totality, I can say that the image of the sun finally showing again after being blocked, is unforgettable. Ha!
I'm not saying an eclipse isn't interesting. I'm only saying that I like the more basic stuff that no one--incl. the media--makes a fuss about.
For example, I'd rather play basketball than watch pros play.
That post-squall sky was unbelievably beautiful. If I'd traveled though there fifteen minutes before or after, I wouldn't have seen it.
I especially loved the eclipse comparison. I did travel for a whole weekend to be 3' in totality but it was a long, weekend trip, meeting up together as family and visiting others as well. Unlike the eclipse which was predicted centuries ago, the beauty of nature lies in the spontaneity and the fact that it's enjoyed by you and not sold by others.
Such a great storyteller Mark !
What a loss for your Aunt Jane in the remaining years of her life but what a very strong lady. I will never forgive the terror they tried to bring into people's life especially the elderly, I was in my mid sixties and at the beginning I felt the fear but somehow managed to regain my senses and think clearly about what they were trying to do to us. But even for the very brief period of fear I experienced I am very angry for being manipulated into that mindset. They have stolen years of enjoying family and friends and quality of life from many elderly people and given them fear instead, this should never be forgiven.
My heart hurts for what your Aunt Jane lost during those years and for the people who lost out on being
with her.
I have a bumper sticker I had made, taped to my fridge that says exactly how I’ve felt for a very long time- “Shoot your TV!”
I bought a tee-shirt that shows a picture of a TV and beneath the TV it says "Shut Up. Stop Thinking. Do as WE SAY." It is very appropriate. I sometimes forget that I'm wearing it when I'm out and about until I realize that people are staring at it. Some laugh. Some come up to me and agree. I think that we all need to watch less TV.
I refuse to watch TV. I think this may be why I am still sane. ;)
Anyone who watches news on TV has been brainwashed. And they don't even know it happened. It doesn't matter which type of news or how much you watch. It's all mesmerizing propaganda that controls what you think and feel at a deep level.
Yeah. That, and the infernal commercials, are why I don't watch TV. lol
Moving his elbows to feel wood! Poor Jayne, my elderly neighbour is the same, I feel no longer welcome to pop over for a chat and what I've seen and heard over the garden fence, he's declined both physically and mentally. What a lovely nephew you are and a beautiful recount of your visit.
That was a very funny moment.
It brought a rare laugh out loud, for me!
His delivery was perfect.
Crimes against humanity. I am afraid the perpetrators will not be punished until they reach the gates of hell.
Yes, I am still angry about the whole thing.
A friend of mine died during the plandemic. She had ovarian cancer and I was not able to visit her in the assisted living facility.
Sadness and anger...lots of it.
So sorry for your loss. xo xo
Thanks..
This one is at the top of my list of favorites! I'm really happy you got to see these old aunts and uncles, but ending with the eclipse mania and your beautiful cloud story just shows certain people are extremely susceptible to hype and definitely miss every day magnificence. Thanks!
I didn't drive to see the eclipse though I only live a couple of hours from the path of totality. Didn't want to fight the crowds or traffic. Instead I went to an eclipse-watching party at the local library, as it was supposed to be 90% in our area. It was very interesting. All these people gathered outside looking up at the sky, I daresay that this was probably the first time in a long while that any of them spent any meaningful time gazing at the sky. Of course the phones were all out in force. I deliberately picked a spot where branches blocked part of the sun because I liked the effect they created. Even at 90% totality, there really wasn't much you could see without the glasses because the sun was so dazzling, although the light did dim somewhat. On the other hand, looking through the glasses blocked a lot of the detail and of course all of the color, so while you could clearly see the moon passing in front of the sun, to me it just wasn't visually impressive. Give me a good supercell cumulonimbus anytime!
TAM agree! I watched the eclipse of 2017 in Wyoming. I and my two grandchildren went to the library, and sat under trees. We had the glasses and experienced it as well as we could.
I sure do love to lay on the grass and watch clouds. Available most every day.
Thanks to you for a memory, and Mark for a wonderful story. Prayers for all of us.
What a beautiful post! Prayers for your dear Aunt Jane and all the poor souls whose minds and spirits were broken by Covid fear-mongerers and tyrants.