Monday, August 10, 2009

A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall

So sang Bob Dylan on his "The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan" album. Well, a hard rain fell last week causing lots of flooding and misery for many, many people. Tonight there's more hard rain. I hope it doesn't cause people any more heartache. Normally this rain would be a welcome sight. Today was dreadfully hot and humid. I live in what is called the "Ohio Valley". It's a beautiful place but an allergy hell if you are prone to such things. Most of my life I been unaffected though I often wonder if I have ever breathed at full capacity. In the last year I seem to have fallen victim to local pollens, molds, and spores. My nose has been running, I'm sneezing, and, when outdoors, breathing is difficult. I'll need another allergy pill at bed time. All of this aside, I have been enjoying a quiet night. I've done a few Zen chores like cleaning up the kitchen and washing a load of laundry. It's a typical Monday night. My son left this morning for a seminarian retreat at the Sisters of Loreto in Springfield, Kentucky near the Abbey of Gethsemani. He'll be gone most of the week, followed by another week at home, before reporting to St Meinrad School of Theology for his first year of theological studies. This coming Thursday my granddaughter, Chloe, begins her first year of real school. Yes, little Chloe starts kindergarten this week. Meanwhile, I continue living my same life of daily work where I dream of the weekend. In the evenings, if I can stay awake, I read the morning newspaper, listen to music, and, occasionally, reading books. Sadly, I don't read as much as I used to or as much as I desire. I am simply too brain dead on work nights. The young people I know are preparing for their futures, whether they know what they will be or not. I'm not sure I am preparing for anything. The future is uncertain. The parts that seem certain I don't always want to think about. When one gets older the future gets a lot smaller. What to do? An obvious answer is to maximize the present by being as alive to it as you can be. This can sometimes be a struggle when one is bored with the routines of life or fatigued by their demands. It hard to be awake when you are asleep. Still, with whatever energy I can muster, I try. Practice makes perfect. If I keep trying, maybe I will someday be good at it.

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