Mental Health Day

Of all the bizarre turns life can take...

I recognized when I began to write this that at any time this scourge could have a direct personal impact, such that my wry sense of humor would fail me and I would need to cease and desist for a period of time. Or that I could suddenly become ill and pass away myself, making further posts a moot point.

But it never occurred to me in any vivid way that the reason to halt my flow of words might be something other than the current worldwide plague. At the same time, I was cognizant of the stark reality that there are many other things to worry about, and many other ways for people to leave this world, and they do not dry up and step aside waiting for COVID-19 to pass. You know these things as background information, but they don't seem real until something happens.

Just a couple of hours ago we learned that a very close friend of hours had gone out for a walk this morning, and never returned. I won't go into the circumstances, to the extent we even know them - we are just too devastated for me to make an essay out of it. I might venture to say that being confined or constrained in the way we all are may have effects well beyond what we might imagine. Whatever the ultimate truth may be, a loss is a loss.

Our friend was a social center of our lives for almost two decades, and will be missed in more ways than I can begin to state.

Everyone stay safe, and do not let our present, temporary condition make you less vigilant of life in its infinitely varied hazards and vicissitudes.

I had already put together a couple of other posts, featuring my irreverent wit, when we got the news. They can wait for a more appropriate time. I will let you know if and when I resume.