Dave Barnhart: ❤️

As I readied myself to go to my fitness class yesterday morning, it tuned to Winter. The clear bright sky became overcast, and snow powered down turning everything white in seconds. It was blizzard-like as I walked to the car. It was so weird. All Sunday night, the sky was clear, and the large bright moon had the forest looking beautiful. There were moon shadows everywhere. And when I rose, there wasn’t a cloud in the sky.

I could not believe the density of the snow falling. It was ridiculously thick, and because the night had chilled the earth, every flake stayed frozen on the ground. I was tempted to use the snow as an excuse not to go to fitness, but I decided to go anyway so that I could relax through the rest of the day without guilt. 

By the time I got to North Road, just a minute from my house, the sky was clear again and the snow had stopped. What a day! And as I drove home, there was no snow anywhere except on my deck. I was so glad to be home! I am thrilled with my commitment to the fitness classes, but nothing feels better than when the class is over. And coming home to the hot tub and soaking in glorious sunshine is a wonderful way to relax and recover. I had no plans for the rest of the day, and I was glad about that because soon I must get busy preparing for another dinner party. 

It stayed cool through the day, but the sunshine was spectacular. The sun drew me to action, but my body was sore from the fitness class, and I was tired all day for the same reason. However, we went for a third walk to be in the sunshine, and we both were glad for that.

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I had to share this. I think it is an amazing take down of the religious right. It was written in June of 2018 as a Facebook post; it was written by Dave Barnhart, a Methodist pastor.

“The unborn” are a convenient group of people to advocate for. They never make demands of you; they are morally uncomplicated, unlike the incarcerated, addicted, or the chronically poor; they don’t resent your condescension or complain that you are not politically correct; unlike widows, they don’t ask you to question patriarchy; unlike orphans, they don’t need money, education, or childcare; unlike aliens, they don’t bring all that racial, cultural, and religious baggage that you dislike; they allow you to feel good about yourself without any work at creating or maintaining relationships; and when they are born, you can forget about them, because they cease to be unborn. It’s almost as if, by being born, they have died to you. You can love the unborn and advocate for them without substantially challenging your own wealth, power, or privilege, without re-imagining social structures, apologizing, or making reparations to anyone. They are, in short, the perfect people to love if you want to claim you love Jesus but actually dislike people who breathe.

“Prisoners? Immigrants? The sick? The poor? Widows? Orphans? All the groups that are specifically mentioned in the Bible? They all get thrown under the bus for the unborn.”

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When I was 6 or 7 years old, the Tyrells went to San Francisco and left me at home with a babysitter and a new toy. It was a polar bear. It was covered in white fur (probably rabbit), and it could be wound up, and the bear would walk and growl. That story is my oldest memory of joy. It is my first experience of intense happiness. A polar bear.  And now the great love of my life is a big white dog that walks and growls, and when she came to me, at eight weeks old, her name was Polar.

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I understand ‘cranky’ or ‘ornery’ as a common descriptor of old men. 

I was on YouTube. I’d searched someone I searched an entertainer and I’d clicked on my choice which proved to be by a person from a show called Entertainment Tonight. The ET reporter was so entirely off-putting, I had to turn it off. Pondering her, I wondered how she can be so impossibly insipid.

I’ve mentioned here before that when I was in college, I wrote about common phrases as an exercise for my creative writing class that could be on any topic we wanted. One phrase was, Ignorance is Bliss. When I came across that phrase, my mind immediately went to this: Knowledge is Hell. That was a long time ago, but it could be my mantra.

I’m appalled that the collective intelligence of mankind is trumped by the hierarchy of power. I’m ashamed of our wars, our treatment of all those without, how we treat criminals, so many things. All I see everywhere, gives me reason to despair. Except in nature.

Knowledge is Hell.

And I get up every morning and go through the routine of every morning, not thinking about THE BIG PICTURE. I retired from working when I was 57. It was sudden. My retirement from the human race was a much longer process, but I have retired from everything. That’s all in my head, and no matter what happens in there, my soul is dancin’ from the minute I wake until I sleep again. 

My world is my pets and plants, and I occasionally see people, and always have fun when I do. 

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Today, I see Dr. Shoja. I am ready. And then, I will take a break. I know I will see her again if I outlive Sheba and have to go through her death. I’m concerned about paralysis, because it is the worst symptom I can get, and the most dangerous. Her door is always open.