Life and Death

and other challenging topics

Having committed to posting twice a week with a set schedule, I find myself beginning to resent the structure. But I am going to push on through because I know that it is just my obstinate nature trying to get the best of me. I really enjoy writing, so why would I resent the call to do it. And the topic of today’s post really is about taking things as they come. I was just notified that the friend with the brain tumor died earlier today; and I can only compare that news with a video I just received of my 8-month-old grandson attempting to whistle (at least that’s what my daughter says he is doing). Talk about the circle of life. I am very glad that years ago I adopted the philosophy of one day at a time, because honestly I have struggled for years to remember another great saying: “Inch by inch, life’s a cinch—by the yard, very hard.”

Originally my topic for this morning was going to be a Netflix show I just finished watching about a prison in Arkansas where the Sheriff experimented with giving inmates more freedom. I went online to check the title, which is “Unlocked” but it calls it Reality TV rather than a documentary. So now I am not sure how to take it. Then I found a whole bunch of other documentaries about prisons, so I may spend this sad day watching some of them to differentiate between the genres.

To end on a somewhat happier note, I have started reading the next book for Asha Rangappa’s Freedom Academy class. The title is “Let Them Eat Tweets” by Jacob S. Hacker and Paul Pierson, with the subhead “How The Right Rules in an Age of Extreme Inequality.” A fascinating look at history and the present by two eminent political scientists. The introduction alone has me riveted. I have also received the paperback I ordered by fellow Subtacker, Gary Gruber, entitled “Seven Decades: A Learning Memoir: Watershed learning experiences over the past 70 years.” I haven’t started that one yet but I’ll let you know what I think when I do.

Finally, for my bedtime treat, I have discovered Elizabeth Taylor, an important British author who lived between 1912 and 1975. I had never heard of her nor read anything she had written, and I am so grateful to have found her now. I’m halfway through “Mrs. Palfry at the Claremont” and I'm excited to know that I have plenty more to come. One of the reviews cited in a compilation of praise for the author sums up exactly how I felt when I began reading. And it is perfect for this combination very bad very good day. From the Daily Telegraph:

‘Elizabeth Taylor has an eye as sharply all-seeing as her prose is elegant — even the humdrum becomes astonishing when told in language that always aims for descriptive integrity, without a cliche in sight.  As a result, Taylor excels in conveying the tragicomic poignancy of the everyday’