Sunday, October 14, 2018

Diminishing responsibility



I started this blog so many years ago.  I wanted to write of my family history, so I put together the rudiments of the craft and started with a kitten I rescued at an art show in Pittsburgh.

There were no rules for me. I see I posted every two or three days, whenever I had material ready. I worked at what I published. I like proper grammar, good and useful punctuation. In the beginning I wrote mostly of my heritage. It didn’t interest my children at the time, so I wrote it down, to have it. It still doesn’t interest them.

With less and less responsibility to family, but some spark left, I find myself giving over my time to getting hurt and current events. The former seems to be in eighteen month cycles, so I have time to plan. My next trip to my endocrinologist will include adding bone strengthening meds. I guess I’m old enough to no longer care no one knows how they work or where they retreat to live in the body.

Another thing I do to compensate for the complete blank left in my brain by the bus in Washington DC is write stuff down. Not just anywhere, on loose scraps of paper, but on my desk pad. When the “stuff” is accomplished, I line it out. When the pad is a complete scribbled mess, I pull it off and start afresh.

I did that yesterday. But there were several un-lined-out lines. Ideas I’d jotted down to pursue.  Some are still worth the effort. Some are mired in our current effort to slog through to election day. Part of the malaise, so to speak, and worth few further words because we’re spending our effort on keeping our eye on the prize.

Here are some of my unlined jots. You may see them again. Someone else may like them and run with them. I will be months filling the pad with scribbles, and I doubt these jots will be copied to the next pad.

Time exists so everything doesn’t happen at once. Space exists so it doesn’t happen to you.

I think that is a remarkable bit of existentialism. I think Kierkegaard, or Sartre, if only I could still remember what they said and how to put together an argument.

There is justice if you fight for what is right.

When this came to me, all I could find to write it on was the sticker on a folder. Later I took off the sticker. It looked like this, after it jumbled around on my desk. But, I deciphered it anyway.



This seems to me a distillation of the daily lives of my parents and grandparents. Slow and steady wins the day. However, consider how many have been fighting too long. I could trail out an end to this post by listing, Native Peoples, African Americans, disabled, Palestinians, islanders succumbing to global warming, Syria ...
.....................................................................................................

One brave Republican.

After that I wrote: Susan Collins. I am so ashamed.

Bull Connor only put 2,000 children in jail.

I am sick at heart and to my stomach. We must sweep everyone ahead of us to the polls in November. This is not a throw away mid-term.

25 comments:

  1. You heard the lady...get out there and VOTE.

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  2. I'll vote, but I live in such a red state I don't have a lot of hope.

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  3. The prople can fix the whole mess. Vote!

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  4. humans are inherently selfish and inherently generous, inherently cold hearted and inherently compassionate. what is it I wonder that causes a single individual to tip one way or the other? and why do those that have so much, more than they can use/consume in a lifetime still trying to get more to the detriment of those who have so much less? I don't know.

    time. though there are those that say there is no time and that everything is happening simultaneously. try wrapping your head around that one.

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  5. Hari Om
    I like a good list of scribbles. Minders, doings and dones - and shorthand items that can compete with the cryptic crossword clues! It must have felt important at the time... YAM xx

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  6. Now, now...think positive. There is no reason why you will hurt yourself again! I had to laugh at the idea it is unavoidable though.

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  7. I love your filling your pad with scribbles! I do the same... with some taped all around my desk and most these days put on my iPhone. These are sayings I've heard, ideas I've thought of, things that need doing, quotes, pictures, etc. And yes, my desk area is messy. One quote I'll share as I think you'd like it is, "Breathe in, breathe out, move on..."

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  8. I like the different photo of you! I have four cork b boards scattered around my house. Have my notes on them. Notes about "time", life, etc, One quote says "time is the coin of your life, be careful how you spend it." Carl Sandburg. Have a note published by a lady named Joanne. Says "work is an innate reaction to trouble." Alas. I can't work enough to make things feel better!

    For so much of my life, I was always so sure that good/justice would prevail in the end. Seems like I was sorely mistaken, judging by the state of affairs today. David and Goliath makes for a good story, but I see the little Palestinian kids armed with stones against the big guns. Seems like my vote is about as useful. All is rigged for the rich and powerful, Nevertheless, I will vote. And keep on hoping.






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  9. I so hopeful that the midterms to turn out well.

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  10. I will vote. I will live in hope. Regardless of what happens. Things will change. They will get better, worse, better, but always different. Eyes on the prize and do what you can. I value your blog a lot, Joanne! Don't stop writing, please.

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  11. the first note is just so....
    keep on noting xx

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  12. So much comes to mind when reading this post. Beyond healing, I am mostly thinking about the mid-term elections upcoming. We have already received our mail-in ballots and are good to go.

    Unlike your children, I am interested in my family history. So much so, I have collected and retained bits of family lore shared with me over the years. Some of it I have posted on my blog and some of it I have documented on the backs of old family photographs. My father was the family historian and I suppose I picked up my interest from him.

    Greetings from over yonder--
    Bea x

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  13. I have a pad with written thoughts, and another of lists of things to do. I forget so easily now, and I need reminders.

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  14. I like your dry humour and your passion for justice. Admirable traits, both of them.

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  15. I saw a news piece that said young people weren't voting. We need to energize those kids. There's a lot at stake for these upcoming midterms.

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  16. My scribbled notes are mostly the shopping list variety. now and again I write down something that might expand to a blog post, but when I find it I usually wonder what on earth I was thinking and throw it away.

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  17. The time and space quote is a good one, put very clearly and succinctly. I may have to use it in the future, and I now have your permission. Good luck with the Mid-Terms. The world is depending on you.

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  18. No it isn't. I am really encouraging everyone to vote. Since a lot of us are doing this, I only can hope the non voters get the message. Even if I don't like the candidate, I'm voting Democratic.

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  19. I have a notebook that I take everywhere, in case I have some interesting idea (or someone else does). I also use it to note odd things like museum opening times or books I want to buy.

    "Time exists so everything doesn’t happen at once. Space exists so it doesn’t happen to you." What a wonderful quote, I never heard it before. I see the first sentence is generally attributed to Einstein, while the second sentence is a bit of a mystery.

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  20. I am not joking when I say that prolonged contemplation of disgusting politicians and horrible people doing horrible things, is very bad for the stamina and the memory, as well as the soul. In the past all these things have existed, but we have had other things to think about. We have been finding here in England that the political situation overshadows everything, and wehn our American friends come over we talk about American politics instead of English ones. I don't know what the answer is. I'm not quite ready to act like the people in tinpot dictatorships and banana republics and just switch it all off.

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  21. I agree with Ellen that some people are good and some are bad and who knows what makes the difference. There are a lot of scary things going on all around the world these days. I do hope there's a net Democrat gain in the midterm elections.

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  22. Yes, we all reach the list years eventually . I've got to the stage where mine have thing like "Eat those bananas TODAY".

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  23. I began reading your blog about a year ago, and enjoyed all the history so much. What go- getters your family were- the trips, the building, your own life. They were and you are - inspiring.
    Yes- we sloughing off to the midterm elections. I am confident that this horrible night we are going through will inspire change.

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  24. Doing whatever it takes. I enjoy reading you. Keep on.

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  25. Yes, we voted with great enthusiasm. Hugs.

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