Duplicity. Since this was inspired by a political drama, let’s not pretend that people don’t play politics in day to day life. What most people call “pragmatic” is down right distrustful, because the truth is that they’re looking out for what’s best for them or what makes their lives easier right now, not for the greater good. I’m sure that most of us have heard “it’s not personal” from people we thought we got along with enough times by middle age to want to scream, and we probably have a lovely knife collection that we pulled from our backs when we were no longer useful to people. It’s why I prefer to keep my inner circle small. I was surprised by it in my 20’s and struggled with trust issues, but experience has shown that it’s just people being people, and I’m better off sticking to my morals and moving on. That doesn’t mean that I don’t trust anybody. There are plenty of people that don’t play the game. I’ve just come to a place where I realize that trust is earned, and it’s prudent to take the advice given to me by my father and my first boss out of college: keep your eyes and ears open, and use wisdom in all of your dealings.
Guns. I believe it was 2 weeks ago on Better Call Saul when Mike's daughter-in-law complained about not feeling safe because she heard gunshots. Rick and I laughed, because we hear gunshots all the time. No, we don't live in a bad neighborhood - we live in the woods, in the south, and it usually means nothing more than a neighbor is doing some target practice. The fact is that we both have our Concealed Weapons Permit, so we know gun safety and aren't scared of firearms. We also know that lots of other people around here have their CWP, and trust that they take their obligation to handle firearms responsibly and safely as seriously as we do. To us, guns are like house and car insurance, or emergency services: you pray you never need them, but it's good to know and be comfortable with it just in case. It isn't just to protect us, but those around us as well. Plus, target practice at the range really is fun, and good for sharpening your reflexes and coordination. Not bad, really, when you can learn to be careful and attentive at the same time.
Death. The reason people thought I was interested in death was because the reaper swung his scythe across my life for a while there. By the time my father-in-law passed from dementia in 2014, I had already lost 3 friends and our parakeet to cancer, and several others to age-related illnesses. That happens when you live in the same town and attend the same church your whole life, I suppose, but it’s still not easy. By the time our former Sunday School teacher passed in 2015, the workers at the funeral home recognized us, and I was numb to the dirty details of death (and beyond in both the Earthly and spiritual realms). The numbing of emotional reaction left me feeling not quite human, which was an internal struggle that led to The Earthside Trilogy. No, death doesn’t shock me anymore. But that doesn’t mean that I want it around, and I definitely don’t want to see your dead stuff – so keep the decaying, nasty stuff to yourself unless you want it back in future novels I write.
It’s funny what we get used to, isn’t it? Then again, life is strange, and I suppose we all have those weird things in life. It’s one more thing that makes us unique.
That’s all today. Take care, and have a great week.
Bye!