Continued Confessions

with no religion involved

Someone here asked my opinion of the afterlife, and I replied that I was agnostic on the subject. And I guess that means that I leave open the possibility of any and everything. The term is usually applied to the absence of a formal religion, which does apply to me, so that’s where I’ll leave it. I do know that I talk to Mum on the regular, and she no longer occupies her space here on earth, so perhaps I believe in love everlasting.

And that brings me to a small cross-stitch that I did and have placed next to the bathroom mirror. It says “Love People, Use Things” which I probably read somewhere, but I have no attribution for it. It definitely is a good way to live. Unfortunately, it seems to have been completely inverted these days. Let’s hope our country gets right side up soon.

I finished Maura Casey’s memoir Saving Ellen, and I highly recommend it. Not only is it superbly written, it is the true story of family life with all its ups and downs. I’m also still reading A New Pair of Glasses by Chuck C., and I have to quote from his book another saying with which I highly identify—in fact, I have a mug with a similar saying. And since both Maura and I are sailors, it all wraps up nicely. My mug says “We can’t control the direction of the wind but we can adjust our sails.” And Chuck C. has a ditty with the same message on page 134 of his book:

Some ships ply east and some ply west by the self-same wind that blows.
It is the set of the sail, and not the gale, that determines where it goes.

So yesterday I had a fun time riding quite a few different buses as I practice for a life with lower vision. I also spent some time getting my free delicious coffee as I played poker at a quarter a hand on the machine at the bar next to the Wolf Den at Mohegan Sun. I used to go there once a week for the live bands they provided for us old folks to dance from 12 to 2, but it was stopped during Covid and hasn’t resumed. I miss that, but I found out that the lighting there is too dim for me now so I played my $17 slip that I had from my previous visit until it was gone, then said farewell.

I managed to get back to the bus stop and could see a bus waiting as I approached but it took off just as I came through the door. I actually ran after it hollering, and thankfully the passengers must have alerted the driver because he did stop for me. I sank thankfully into a seat and told him that I would dig out my fare in a second, after I had my heart attack. He suggested that I hurry because he had to get going, and I managed to comply and then get settled. I thanked all the other passengers for their help. It was only after we were leaving the casino grounds that I realized the bus was going the opposite way — to Norwich rather than New London. But no worries, I have nothing but time, so I enjoyed the extra ride.

When we arrived in Norwich, I saw a bus that said New London, so I jumped gladly on there with my transfer barely noticing that it said it was going by way of Route 12. Well, that is on the other side of the river so I got another great bus ride through all the towns on that side and came back home across the fabulous Gold Star Bridge with views you just don’t get from a car, particularly if you are driving. My trusty homeward bound local bus brought me the rest of the way, and I trudged up our little hill quite contented with my outing.

RESIST ALWAYS

TTFN