Susan's Scribblings the Blog

Tag: life

• Yule Blog 2025

  Posted at 3:11 pm by kayewer, on December 20, 2025

  The holidays of 2025 have descended upon us again. By “the holidays,” I mean Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, and New Year’s. And those are just the most commonly known ones. December 21 is Winter Solstice or Yule, the shortest day of the year. There is also Boxing Day (referring to the donation receptacle for the poor found at churches, not pugilism), and a little-known celebration on December 26 called Zarathosht Diso which commemorates the death of a prophet worshipped by the Zoroastrians for over 4000 years. Followers trek to temples or spend time in reflection and readings.

  For the second year in a row, I decided to make limoncello. Those of you who tuned in a few weeks ago know how the initial prep went on Thanksgiving. Since then my hacked-up finger has healed, and the infusion is now ready for simple syrup and distribution into jars to give to excited consumers who enjoyed my first batch.

  I still plan the usual beef for Christmas dinner and pork for New Year’s, though my beef this year will be a decent brand of hamburger as the eye roast prices are seriously over budget. A trip to “Ack-a-me” brought out the “Ack!” response upon seeing the price per pound. Albertson’s is having a bad year.

  As to other holiday traditions, I and others will tune into a Turner network at some point between Christmas Eve and late Christmas Day to watch Ralphie shoot his eye out with a Red Rider air rifle (A Christmas Story), and folks in Sweden will watch Donald Duck (or “Kalle Anka”) and the legacy Disney ensemble in a traditional holiday broadcast promptly at 3:00 PM on Christmas Eve. Also I will be bingeing a few episodes of my newest diversion on Passionflix, The Black Dagger Brotherhood. And for those rolling their eyes, there appears to be nothing about channel owner Tosca Musk’s character that screams negativity, so I’m checking out the broadcast story before reading the books and supporting the performers.

  The mall parking lots are the fullest they’ve been all year, a testament to the return of holiday shopping madness, so I have not set foot in any mall since before Thanksgiving. Also, the stomach virus has infiltrated nearby towns to our west, and so I’m trying to stay more than a lightyear away from anything or anybody from which I could pick up that gastrointestinal terror from the microscopic world of germs.

  Next week will be a recap of 2025 and a look ahead. One must have something to look forward to, and a major event is our 250th anniversary as a nation, flaws and all.

  Be safe, don’t overspend, and don’t forget to watch something holiday themed on television.

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  Posted in Uncategorized | 0 Comments | Tagged christmas, family, holiday, holidays, life

• Cornered

  Posted at 4:28 pm by kayewer, on November 15, 2025

  I went to an event in Pittsburgh, PA today, which means that this Jersey girl drove across the entire commonwealth and back, which takes a little over nine hours round trip. Having done this excursion before, I got smart and took a hotel room overnight instead of spending an entire day driving to and from. By the time I navigated traffic in the infamous Philadelphia concrete car-choking freeway that is known as the “Sure Kill Expressway,” I was famished and tired. I did what any red-blooded average person does; I stopped at McDonald’s to pick up “linner.” That’s a word for when you get late lunch or early dinner, to the uninitiated, just like brunch is breakfast/lunch.

  The chicken wraps are a popular choice, and they still had a third spicy buffalo version available, so I bought one of each. When I got the bag home, each wrap was lovingly bundled like a baby with a sticker on the corner of the paper to prevent unravelling. The buffalo wrap was even given special treatment because it had no wrapper of its own, so the order slip was attached to it to identify it from the other two.

  This is where it got interesting. And forgive me for being such a detail-oriented persnickety person.

  The other two wraps were done the exact same way; same rolling technique, same sticker. Two cleanly executed handfuls of my not having to cook. When I unwrapped the first, however, I realized that the wrapper itself was designed to identify the two varieties of chicken wrap: Spicy or Ranch. The Spicy wrap has red labelling in the corner, and Ranch has blue, across from each other on the same paper wrapper. The trick is that the person doing the wrapping has to remember to put the hot item into the opposite corner of what it is, placing the Ranch wrap in the Spicy corner and vice versa, so that when it is rolled and closed with the sticker, the identity of the type of wrap is clearly marked on the outside.

  Both of mine were identified as Spicy. Inside one, though, was the Ranch I ordered.

  Who knew chicken wraps could have an identity crisis?

  As I bit into my Ranch wrap which identified as Spicy, I pondered the absurdity of the issue, wishing at the same time that whoever was cranking out the chicken wraps would actually experience an epiphany and figure out how the paper was supposed to be applied. I don’t know if this is just me or just them, but either the person wasn’t trained, or they didn’t realize that this was the key to something small but important in how to identify similar items. If three people ordered different wraps, the buffalo order was easy to spot, but the others needed to be unwrapped to figure out which was which.

  Anyway, the wraps were wonderful, the fries tasty as always, and the grumbling in my tummy has subsided.

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  Posted in Uncategorized | 0 Comments | Tagged food, life, restaurants, travel

• Redux

  Posted at 8:17 pm by kayewer, on October 4, 2025

  Life is truly a realm of transitions. From the moment of birth, we begin evolving and growing, and as we become sentient, we also make choices and decisions and change them constantly. Occasionally we cling desperately to some ideals and concepts at considerable cost to our sense of self. The changes we make alter the course of our lives from one time to another.

  In my decades of life, I have found a unique niche in writing which has been both a joy and torture. When an elementary teacher first took an interest in my assignment preparation technique, and later when I was sent to an advance creative writing workshop at the high school, the faculty treated me as if I were a burden by having any type of talent. It became clear that I was expected to not succeed, possibly in favor of other students with more desirable, but unspoken, traits.

  It’s wonderful for the ego to have those who are supposed to be shaping your character break it down by shoving metaphorical bamboo shards under your emotional fingernails.

  Occasionally my writing has brought positive responses and rewards, but on others I have lost privileges and my feelings of worth. At present I have had some tests of resolve which I cannot ignore. My current project is a series of novels which are being critiqued, and it’s been a harrowing journey. While I sort out the particulars of my project and try to keep the rest of my personal life in order, my blog may be shorter or more sporadic, though I will strive toward the former to keep my promise of consistency for you, my devoted readers.

  All of the publicity in our world says that a life should be well-lived, and the key is to not leave anybody out of that opportunity, and I include myself in that concept. For all the negativity, isolation, bullying, ignorance and cruelty I have experienced, the balance of positivity, companionship, kindness, knowledge, and empathy have put too much stress on the wrong side of the scale. My health has suffered, and I have felt banned from an essential part of what makes our country great: the pursuit of happiness.

  The process of reinvention can be difficult, but trial and error must eventually lead to success, and that is what I will be striving for in the weeks to come. I hope you will continue to follow my journey with me.

  After all, the year isn’t over yet; it’s only week 40 of 52. Anything is possible in twelve weeks.

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  Posted in Uncategorized | 0 Comments | Tagged blog, blogging, life, mental-health, writing

• Cut To The Chase Already

  Posted at 3:24 pm by kayewer, on September 20, 2025

  When I first began posting on this blog, I wanted to be sure I didn’t make my entries feel like interminable cliffhangers. So much on social media prompts viewers to “click for more,” and I don’t want to be one of “those” people who strings readers along without a reasonably timely payoff.

  Here, therefore, are some of the things you may have been lured into by social media like Pennywise trying to grab a child from under the sewer grate, without any suffering involved. Also included are some quick pieces of (what I hope is) sage advice. Nothing wordy. Just the advice parts.

  Pink Himalayan sea salt mixed with lemon juice and water is not a dietary kick starter, and definitely not a substitute for injectables or proper diet and exercise. What it may do is provide hydration similar to Gatorade(R) or other such beverages. Don’t waste your time, and ask your doctor or a dietician.

  There is a diet personality named Dr. Gundry who pooh-poohs the idea of eating oatmeal for breakfast because of lectins, which supposedly affect your gut health. Oats are for horses, he says. Many experts tout oatmeal, particularly the steel cut variety, as having great heart benefits and the ability to control diabetes and cholesterol because of another substance called beta-glucan. If you have digestive issues, ask your healthcare provider for personalized advice on what to have for breakfast, rather than watching a soapbox-standing barker on social media. I have eaten three-minute steel cut oatmeal daily for years, and my lab numbers are just fine.

  The best way to deal with procrastination is to not put off the entire project, but to start on a piece of the project you can handle, and work your way up from there. I managed to declutter with this method.

  Before becoming entrenched in a new series on a streaming service for which you would have to pay, check on social media for people who have already watched it and listen to their opinions. You may decide, as I did, not to get started on a show because it obviously was not what I had hoped it would be.

  I received negative feedback from somebody, and it really hit me hard. I recently found that somebody else had a similar experience with the same person. So it wasn’t just me, and I wish I had asked about it sooner. Not only am I re-committed to what I was going to give up on, but my being ticked off is fueling my rebound. That’s not a bad thing.

  If you need a restraining order, you need to get that person away from you with more than just a piece of paper. Somebody that desperate to cling to you is dangerous. Not convinced? Look up some of the people who are no longer with us because the restrained person simply did in the restrainer. Don’t be another one of them.

  Just because somebody posts an opinion doesn’t mean it’s gospel. Who is the person? What else do they support or detest? Do research before you click the like button.

  If a person provides an opinion you don’t agree with, remember all the opinions they gave that you did agree with, and measure against what you like and don’t like. You may simply chalk it up to being human. Humans are flawed, after all.

  Always look at the sender’s email address, especially when it’s delivered as spam. If the email doesn’t resemble an actual business or entity, it’s probably a scam. If they offer something with a series of steps that seems odd, it’s probably a scam.

  We in the US are subjected to more dangerous food additives than in Europe (including the UK), because we don’t ban as many of these chemicals. Their products may be less brightly colored, but they are certainly healthier. That says something for stores that carry imported versions of products, and they may be worth trying. They are expensive, however.

  When you step outside your front door, the world’s rules govern you. When you are inside your home, your rules govern all who enter. Just remember that they also have the option to not stay.

  I hope some of these snippets will benefit you, because I took considerable time to gather and present them in the simplest way possible to save you time, effort and possibly health problems. You are welcome to submit your own or let me know if any of the advice here has benefitted you.

  Excuse me while I prepare my oatmeal.

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  Posted in Uncategorized | 0 Comments | Tagged breakfast, food, health, life

• How Does September Know?

  Posted at 3:12 pm by kayewer, on September 6, 2025

  The month of September started on Monday, and suddenly our lives have switched gears into autumn mode as if an activation button had been pressed. Sure we had Labor Day, and I had my hamburgers, but come Tuesday the entire national mindset turned toward football season, the start of school, and pumpkin spice. It’s amazing how the timing is so perfect, and life itself has fallen into place as well.

  School started for my neighborhood on Thursday, so parents only got a fraction of their lives back. Normally school would begin on Tuesday. Sure it’s a jolt back to reality, but it enabled the families to return to routines forgotten in the summer.

  Football season also started on Thursday. The previous season champion Eagles won their first game. Most of the pro season hasn’t gotten started yet, and college football is just ramping up.

  The trees, however, are starting to drop leaves, and a cool tang has entered the air that was not there since April. We experienced the side effects of a major hurricane, and thunderstorms are beginning to appear. The moon is preparing to show off its luster and hide behind eclipses. Corn stalks, pumpkins and chrysanthemums are filling the supermarket store fronts and the hardware store nurseries.

  The pumpkin spice craze began a bit early in August, but fans are enjoying the variety of products laced with the tongue-tickling concoction. I indulged in a pumpkin muffin recently, enjoying its warm feeling on my tastebuds. I swapped my cold summer cereal for hot oatmeal, yet the days and nights still require air conditioning.

  It’s a strange transition, yet it seems to be right on schedule. As we move from sandals to shoes and tank tops to longer sleeves, the calendar has been our perfect timekeeper, as evidenced by the timely change of the weather and our ability to adapt so quickly.

  I guess it’s time for the hot cocoa, too. Excuse me while I check my pantry.

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  Posted in Uncategorized | 0 Comments | Tagged autumn, fall, life, pumpkin, seasons

• My Public Service Announcement

  Posted at 3:03 pm by kayewer, on August 16, 2025

  The day after Labor Day will be here before you know it. It’s the most chaotic day in the calendar before the rest of the holidays appear, but you can control the chaos if you think and plan ahead.

  Back to School fashions are already in the stores and online. If you or your kids are consistently clueless about what will be in style when school starts, try limiting your initial purchases to some basics. That way you always have simple back-ups and money left to buy what they really need to wear to be cool this school year.

  There is nothing more frustrating than to find that the car that sat in your driveway while you were away for two weeks in downtown sunny vacation resort won’t start on the day after Labor Day when you need it. The number of available service facilities will not suddenly increase to accommodate all of the stranded motorists who will suddenly need help, so to avoid a lengthy wait for whomever you will use for roadside assistance, go over a checklist with your sleepy car now. Is the battery three years old or older? When was your last scheduled maintenance? How old are the tires? Did somebody help themselves to your catalytic converter while you were away? Good things to know now before something goes wrong. And if you find yourself cat converter-less, I feel for you. The world really needs one that’s not worth stealing.

  Buy and freeze your cookout foods now, and thaw them in time for your event. Save the rolls and bread for the late week before Labor Day, not the weekend of, when you may find them sold out. Ketchup doesn’t need refrigeration. Neither do most mustards if kept in cool conditions to prevent deterioration. Believe it or not, butter can be kept in a closed container in your kitchen so it’s always soft for spreading.

  The first week back from summer can be stressful, but don’t keep your stress relief items within the reach of the wrong people. Secure your prescription medications (including gummies and other “greenery” from the dispensary), and keep alcohol away from children. If you enjoy firing ranges or hunting, take care with your gear and make sure what you fire and what is fired are separate (as in chambers are empty and the box to refill is elsewhere).

  As an older woman, I have learned that September can be anything from cold and dry to hot and wet, so I break out a transitional wardrobe the last week of August, which includes a cardigan, longer sleeved shirts and comfortable non-sandal shoes.

  For those going back to work, before getting back into your routine, try one or two of your grocer’s prepared meals for one or two as backups in your fridge. They tend to cost upwards of ten dollars a person, but they can be popped into the microwave for 2-3 minutes and save you from the drudgery of preparing from scratch when your first days back have you physically spent. And it beats resigning yourself to peanut butter sandwiches.

  Hope these tips and tools will be helpful as we prepare to bid farewell to the summer of 2025.

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  Posted in Uncategorized | 0 Comments | Tagged back-to-school, labor-day, life, mental-health, parenting

• Appreciation For the Pen

  Posted at 3:04 pm by kayewer, on August 9, 2025

  We humans spend more time with keyboards than with handwriting implements. Our society has forgone what was once considered a measure of one’s character for what requires little effort. Keyboards can be used by anybody who can hunt and peck at the buttons (those little horizontal raised lines at the bottom of the F and J keys even clue in a user as to where “home row” is for those who have taken typing, itself nearly a dead art). If you could peck, you could produce.

  I took semesters of typing in high school on what was then state of the art equipment: the IBM Selectric typewriter, a metal behemoth perfectly designed for the classroom. It was too heavy to move, and the only loose part was the interchangeable type font ball, which was a miracle of evolution. One could type in Arial or Times New Roman with just a click of an inset black lever and a snap to remove one font and install the other. Our hands flew across the keyboard at the speed of sixty words per minute (that was an A with no errors). A few years later, I tested at ninety words per minute. What a joy.

  My handwriting was a neglected part of my education, but when I sat myself down one afternoon and devised my own unique penmanship method, I was happy to write anything out by hand, but it’s an art going out of favor with the dying Boomer generation, of which I have the distinction of being on the latter end of its run. Writing checks is disappearing, card shops are struggling, and newspapers may soon be replaced by digital only editions. Back in my work commuting days, you could enjoy watching fellow riders filling out crosswords and puzzles in pencil. Or ink. With a pen. Today’s online games are “play as long as you can until you lose,” though I still enjoy Sudoku, Connections and Wordle online.

  People are in such a hurry today that they can’t take a few minutes to actually craft something with their hands and some requisite patience. Before our offices shut down, live interviews were still the norm, and I’ll never forget the first time we encountered an applicant who had never developed a handwritten signature for himself. Imagine that: in the olden days the illiterate would at least mark an “X” on a document, but this person never gave his own name a unique look with a pen.

  My maternal great-grandfather, according to my mother’s story, had an elaborate autograph; he would begin his first name, swirl the ink to the end of his last name and back again to fill in the rest. It likely resembled how our founding fathers signed our first national documents. Quill pens are out of style, of course, but those beautiful letters flourished with elaborate dips and trails are an art today’s youth cannot understand or appreciate.

  Why do I bring this up?

  Today in the mail, among the demands for charitable donations and meaningless junk, I received a small envelope with my name and address handwritten on the front. I had received similar ones for events in which I had no interest, but I opened it to find, to my delight, that it was an actual thank you note.

  Now, this friend who sent the note, and I, see each other every week. We have a regular date during which we eat food we shouldn’t and enjoy each other’s company while watching movies or programs and sharing conversation. She took the time to write out a note because I had attended her surprise milestone birthday party a few weeks ago. I brought a gift I knew she would like, and it was a fun afternoon. She could have just thanked me on that day and been done with it, but we’re both late Boomers, so she kept the tradition alive by actually sending a card to thank me.

  She not only thanked me for the gift, but for being her friend. In her handwriting that she developed for herself in her growth as a person.

  That is what is dying when we don’t do things that require handwriting; not just the act itself, but the human qualities that go with it. Saying please and thank you, and making it tangible. In ink. And it cost a stamp.

  Try doing that in Times New Roman.

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  Posted in Uncategorized | 0 Comments | Tagged Books, greeting cards, handwriting, life, poetry, thank you notes, writing

• Fulfilling Month

  Posted at 3:32 pm by kayewer, on August 2, 2025

  Of all the months in the year, August seems to be the one with the most mixed messages to offer in the course of its 31 days. There are no official federal holidays in August in the US, which means no possible three-day weekends or breaks in the workweek. It’s the last month in the period measuring two thirds through the calendar year. It’s named for the emperor Augustus, who conquered Egypt during this time period, formerly known as Sextilis (the sixth month in the Roman calendar, until Julius Caesar invented the Julian calendar and mixed things up in 46 BC); the new name was bestowed in 8 BC.

  Schools begin preparations for the year, with colleges intaking freshmen and others starting early for the upcoming elementary and high school students. This means that some vacations end before Labor Day. However, no vacation is complete without celebratory foods, and August has quite a list of them, including Family Meals Month. Dippin’ Dots are an interesting item on the monthly roster, which includes catfish, goat cheese, peaches, panini and sandwiches. And yes, the two are recognized separately, even though one is a form of the other.

  Remember, I said it’s a mixed message month. And the food keeps coming.

  Today, the first Saturday in August, is Mead Day, when folks should consider brews of all kinds. Tomorrow, the first Sunday, is Friendship Day. This means you should be careful not to be hung over and grumpy after overindulging on Mead Day. If, by some misfortune, you do something while grumpy from too much libation, it’s also International Forgiveness Day, which gives you the chance to nab the person you’ve wronged on the way out of Sunday services. If it doesn’t work out, find a new friend, perhaps.

  The first Tuesday in the US is National Night Out, when people are supposed to spend some time post-sundown sitting outside and being visible to one’s neighbors. Unfortunately homebuilding has not included front porches in new construction, unless you’re in the South where it’s expected or even somewhat understood to be mandatory. Don’t forget bug spray.

  Then, if you missed out on Mead Day, the first Friday is an excuse to make up for it, on International Beer Day. Just be careful not to freak out if you see somebody in greasepaint and a colorful costume, because the first seven days in August include the observance of International Clown Week. Seems appropriate more than a mixed message, though, considering the behaviors of some folks when they’ve had a sip too much recently.

  August 13 and 14 celebrate filet mignon and Creamsicles, respectively. August 15 celebrates Lemon Meringue Pie Day, followed by days devoted to rum (16) and vanilla custard (17), potatoes (19), peaches (which get their own day and month) along with pecan tortes for some reason, on the same day (22). If you want to live a 600 lb. life, follow up with these lauded foods on their respective August dates: waffles (24), banana splits and whiskey sours (25), bananas by themselves along with a day for the baked custard pots de creme (27), cherry turnovers (28),chop suey (29), and trail mix (31).

  Save room for a sip of water afterward.

  August may be the best month to undertake a new habit (or break an old one), start or finish a project you’ve neglected all year, or simply prepare for the last four months to come barreling toward us before you know it. That’s what August really is; the clubhouse turn in the year’s race. Try to make the most of it.

  And have a banana split.

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  Posted in Uncategorized | 0 Comments | Tagged august, family, food, life, recipe, travel

• Thank You For Holding

  Posted at 3:12 pm by kayewer, on June 21, 2025

  There’s a lot of preparation involved in going on vacation. When you travel far from home, you are actually uprooting your life in one place and temporarily setting it up in another place. Your home patiently waits for you while the power sits unused, your water stagnates in the pipes, the devices begin gathering dust on your counters, and the landscaping prays for rain.

  Meanwhile, you are transporting an array of stuff from one place to another so you will be able to live comfortably in a new location for a few days. Some of the stuff is essential, such as your toiletries, clothing, bedding and little Billy’s favorite stuffed animal. Others are short-term items such as bug repellant, suntan supplies, adaptive footwear and games for the kids unrelated to charging a device.

  Hopefully your vacation requires car travel, because heaven knows the luggage fees in airports these days prohibit most of the stuff you would easily pack in the car. As it is, stuffing your vehicle for a vacation trip is what playing Tetris has trained you for. You can cram a week’s worth of stuff into the minimal hatch space in a small SUV and have room to add Billy’s second favorite stuffed animal.

  Then there is the process of putting regular life on hold. In the olden days (about two decades ago), you would put vacation holds on newspaper deliveries and mail. Today the news is offered online, so your main concern is postal deliveries and online packages.

  I had stopped ordering things for delivery in May for my June vacation, hoping I would get everything before I left. It didn’t work. One package took over four weeks to process and deliver (right after I had departed and held the mail), and the second was delayed and ultimately lost in customs partly due to the tariff-related holds, so I received an email before my vacation ended, asking if I wanted a replacement order. Yes, please. At least I will be home to receive it. In July sometime.

  Bills, unfortunately, don’t wait for anybody, so while you’re away on vacation, payments become due while you’re buying souvenirs and eating dinner out. The bill next month is always a groaner. The food bill from eating out on a credit card goes up incrementally to how much vacation weight you gain.

  Weather can also be unpredictable. You could experience a cataclysm at home while your vacation destination is sunny and mild. On the other hand, you could pick a vacation week in which storms occur every day for the whole week. That happened to us once. Yes, we left early and got a refund.

  The decision to go away on vacation doesn’t mean that life is on hold. It’s still the same, just in unfamiliar surroundings. You may vacation in a dry town or one without a 24-hour pharmacy. The kids still want fast food, and vacationers who are used to their own cuisine at home may find a lack of places to shop for familiar edibles. However, you will be exposed to a new kind of local cuisine all around you.

  You’ll encounter “resort pricing” and unfamiliar sales taxes. What passes as “soda” in your town may be “pop” in another. You may have difficulty finding cable channels, or the banks may have unfamiliar origins. To the locals, it’s a part of life, and you’re just passing through it.

  Fortunately for me, I did not vacation far from home, so there was little cultural shock. I did my best to not be a disreputable tourist, shopped local, paid my share of tips and taxes, and left with all my physical and emotional baggage neatly packed in the back of my vehicle.

  And no, I didn’t pack a favorite stuffed animal.

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  Posted in Uncategorized | 0 Comments | Tagged life, parenting, travel, travel-tips, vacation

• In An Instant

  Posted at 3:20 pm by kayewer, on June 7, 2025

  Have you ever had an experience in which you gave an honest answer and it backfired on you? I had that happen this past week. I had to make a change in something which had been running normally for a long time. Once I started the ball rolling on making the change, it turned out that, because I gave honest answers to make the adjustments, I had suddenly gone from having a long-term thing with no problems to having a load of problems which will cost me time and inconvenience.

  Telling the truth shouldn’t suck, and learning the truth about people, and how that truth shapes who we are, shouldn’t either, but it happens more often than not.

  One of my first experiences with this instant 180 effect was watching a movie about a young couple in love; she brought him home to meet the family, which consisted of her mother and monsignor uncle. The evening progressed smoothly and warmly with jovial conversation, until the uncle steered the talk towards church matters to find out more about the religious views of the young man at the dinner table. The fellow, accustomed to being honest, admits politely that he is an atheist who does not believe in God, and the merriment shuts down like a light being turned off. The man leaves in defeat and the young lady left in tears.

  Another famous example is the popular epic film The Ten Commandments, in which Charlton Heston as Moses gives a small speech about what has changed after it is confirmed that his heritage is Hebrew and not Egyptian. He notes that he as a person is no different than before (the same hands as before), and yet who he is suddenly turned his fate much darker.

  One of our most successful modern authors, J.K. Rowling, was (and remains) the biggest worldwide phenomenon, selling books which spun off into movies and theme park attractions and all sorts of promotional joy for millions of followers. Once she gave her opinions on transgender rights, however, her fan base diminished.

  One of the most noted composers, Richard Wagner, wrote beautiful and still well-known compositions such as the Ring cycle and Parsifal. His legacy is less one of outright rejection due to cancel culture, however, and closer to that of what we might strive for in the future: noting the bad and the good in human nature. Wagner was openly not a fan of Jewish people, yet opera patrons can appreciate the fact that he wrote exquisite music. In fact, conductor James Levine thumbed his nose at the composer by commanding his baton, proud to be a Jew, in front of the Metropolitan Opera orchestra through countless Wagner performances. Of course, Levine himself became another infamous cancel culture icon due to a professional scandal, and lost his status at Lincoln Center as a result.

  Since the month of June is one to celebrate pride in who one is, we should strive to be honest about our foibles as well as our successes, and not need to apologize for many of the things for which scores of overly zealous righteous folks reject entire subcultures, minorities or populations. Trying to sort out who to like or dislike should not be relegated to such frivolous things. One might as well divide people into who puts on both socks before both shoes, or who hangs their toilet paper over or under. All of it means essentially nothing in our planetary picture. LGBTQ people pay taxes, go to Starbucks, get tattoos and choose their pizza toppings the same way as everybody else. The most “vanilla” person on the planet may possess one flaw that you might not agree with, and they might find an unpopular flaw in you. Does that truth divide us, or bring us to a better understanding of the subtotals that make up who we are.

  I will need to endure the inconveniences to get back to the way things were. But I don’t regret telling the truth. What has been done is over, and it’s time to move forward. That’s how life is.

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  Posted in Uncategorized | 0 Comments | Tagged Books, honesty, life, music, opera, pride-month

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