Al Franken, Senator

Is it just me...

or is it too much of an irony that Al Franken - former comedian - is now a confirmed U.S. Senator? Surely, this must be a joke.

Sadly and surrealy, it is not. If it's a joke, I'm not laughing.

May our nation be kept as safe as possible from the monstrous damage that will come during, at least, the next 3.5 years. Franken must be singing praises to the gods of legal manipulation and truth distortion as I type.

Deja Vu, in part

Laura's family had a terrifying experience early Sunday morning. At 4:35am, we got a phone call from a family friend in St. Simons' Island. It was about Laura's brother, Wes. He had been in an auto accident and, since it was very early in the proceedngs, we didn't know much information. We were told a very similar story to that of when Laura's sister, Rebekah, had been in a fatal accident 2 Summers prior. It was eerie.

Since Laura was on the phone getting information, my heart was beating in what seemed like my throat. I wanted to know what was happening and feared so badly that the unthinkable might be possible. Pacing around from bathroom to bedroom, I heard bits and pieces. Finally, I knew that it was serious and we had to get in touch with Laura's parents. Laura initially thought she might not be able to do it. Quickly, she dialed the number. She prepared her Dad and delivered the news. They were ready to leave the mountain cabin in Cherry Log almost immediately, even though they had just only arrived the evening before.

Now it's been 3 days since then. I sit here writing these words in a completely different environment than I would've been 2 years ago. Wes is alive. He has a journey toward complete recovery, but his injuries are all concentrated around his face. He's already speaking, comprehending, and adjusting (albeit groggily) to his post-accident surroundings and conditions. Laura was commenting on how "fascinating" it was to listen to what Wes said and what he was doing. She was almost giddy about it. I believe it's because this is the reality that was nonexistent when Rebekah was in an almost identical situation. This is what might have been, in her case, that Laura never got to experience. Most certainly, it's an arena of redemption and grace this time around. A collective, deep sigh of relief is palpable amongst everyone involved with her family and this community.

Ponderings

Had some time to think. Here is the result:

Why do we chase and sprint after all these ghosts? You live a life full of intrigue and expectations that yield a rare sum of light. Beauty pulses all throughout, haunting the edges of days like the tick of a clock. Effort presses onward to finally grasp that thing – that one thing – which will finally bring resolution and bliss.

This is the losing battle. If anything, we discover ourselves to be easily fooled. Like hamsters on the treadmill, it’s a neverending emptying of the pockets to the dealer at the table. Yet, we try and try. It must be noble in the judgement of someone’s eyes, we hope.

Gorgeous sadness. Many have made fortunes mining the misery of our kind. They say if you can’t laugh at it, then you’d weep. The laughing may be a coping mechanism or just a method to stave off the brutal reality of our collective loss. The laughter is rich, however. Humor is a kind balm. The most honest is the dark variety. Here we marry the grim consequences of our actions to the wisdom gained from humble reflection. We can stare ourselves down in the mirror and smile. That’s a victory unto itself.

For all this mess we place ourselves in, how do we find a meaning to it? Almost as a gut instinct, we can flail in the pool of excuses and dish out accusations in all directions. No one is safe from these. The last target we would dare to put in our sights is our self. Claiming responsibility is a massive direct hit to the pride we all own.

If, in a lifetime, this level can be reached, there is truly hope. Tragically, we have a blind spot preventing us from achieving it, most of the time. If we treasure the perspective of an outsider, and step outside our own window view, the closer to freedom we would be.

Sometimes it's necessary

My kids provided a simple, yet effective, example of an important principle tonight. As we were driving in the car, Zoe was yelling, "Silence!!" to her brother. I was correcting her and saying what a paradox it was for her to be screaming the word, "silence," when she was being anything but.

However.... what came to mind is that, sometimes, it's necessary for that type of action to be taken to bring about silence. It's similar to when people complain about war, in some instances. War is a necessary thing at times. When chaos is going on, sometimes you have to go through the means of war to bring about peace. Kind of like screaming "silence!"

I continue to learn tidbits from my kids.

Looking past the obvious

I think this excerpt is a brilliant illustration:

"Let us begin with a parable. Imagine that a satellite phone is washed ashore on a remote island inhabited by a tribe that has never had contact with modern civilization. The natives play with the numbers on the dial pad and hear different voices upon hitting certain sequences. They assume first that it's the device that makes these noises. Some of the cleverer natives, the scientists of the tribe, assemble an exact replica and hit the numbers again. They hear the voices again. The conclusion seems obvious to them. This particular combination of crystals and metals and chemicals produces what seems like human voices, and this means that the voices are simply properties of the device. But the tribal sage summons the scientists for a discussion. He has thought long and hard on the matter and has reached the following conclusion: the voices are coming through the instrument must be coming from people like themselves, people who are living and conscious although speaking in another language. Instead of assuming that the voices are simply properties of the handset, they should investigate the possibility that through some mysterious communication network they are "in touch" with other humans. Perhaps further study along these lines could lead to a greater understanding of the world beyond their island. But the scientists simply laugh at the sage and say: 'Look, when we damage the instrument, the voices stop coming. So they're obviously nothing more than sounds produced by a unique combination of lithium and printed circuit boards and light-emitting diodes."

--- from There is a God: How the world's most notorious atheist changed his mind by Anthony Flew

Classic "Deep Thought"

“Probably the saddest thing you'll ever see is a mosquito sucking on a mummy. Forget it, little friend.”

- Jack Handey, from Saturday Night Live

Irony Alert.

Today, this unfortunate kid came in the door and asked for an application.

You may be (ARE) thinking: what's so funny here?

The whole situation ties together once you know what his T-shirt said:

"Genius by Birth / Slacker by Choice"

Hmmmm....