Title : “It’s A Wonderful Day In The Neighborhood”
link : “It’s A Wonderful Day In The Neighborhood”
“It’s A Wonderful Day In The Neighborhood”
Good morning, Gentle Reader. And to those of you who share with me the blessing of having been born an American, please be aware – always – that whatever our gripes about the Land of the Free, we are incredibly fortunate to be citizens of the United States of America. Among the unearned privileges available to the children of not-wealthy and not-connected persons, this one is ‘way, ‘way high up on the list. Just about any morning one awakens to American citizenship is a wonderful day for that reason if no other.
We do a lot of bitching about various things, we in the Right. And those complaints are largely valid. But let’s remember the good parts of American life, too. Ponder, if you will, this reflection by noted philosopher and social analyst Louis C. K.:
He has a point or two, wouldn’t you say?
Yesterday was something of a kickoff day here at the Fortress. My wife cleaned “her” deck and stored the deck furniture in the barn. I prepped the lawn maintenance equipment for winter storage, packed it away, and – sniffle – drove my Corvette Joy into the backyard to store her in the barn as well. Maintenance chargers abound here at the Fortress. Were we without them, I’d do a lot more swearing come springtime.
Consider it the Fortress’s official First Day of Real Autumn. The air conditioner compressor has been turned off and jacketed, the heating system has been activated, the fallen branches have been minced up and put out for collection, and – be still my beating heart – Beth has taken out the slow cooker and started our first Seasonal Food: chili.
It’s time to enjoy the colors and the cool weather before the onset of winter. New York State may have some problems – who am I kidding? It’s got a lot of problems – but it has its pleasures as well. Should we ever relocate, autumn in New York is one of the things I’ll miss.
I’m in a good mood. My health is decent as is my wife’s, the animals are all well and apparently happy – the cats won’t admit to it, of course – the house and grounds are in decent shape, and the bills are all paid. It was a rough year in some ways, but we got through it. It’s time to appreciate.
Yes, I know perfectly well that appreciate is a transitive verb that demands an object. Whom do you think you’re addressing? But I’m trying to make a point here. That Louis C. K. clip above should be more widely seen – and more widely appreciated for its insight.
We really do live in a place and time of miracles. Yet from our public discourse it often seems that we spend most of our time and energy complaining. We have all these problems. The schools lack state-of-the-art computers! There are children who don’t have PlayStations or designer sneakers! They don’t have iPhone 11s! The savages in the inner city can’t afford gold teeth or this year’s top-of-the-line GhettoBlasters!® And those poor Muslims suffer so horribly from our distrust!
What a crock of shit. Yet it’s full to overflowing. Empty it a trifle, and it refills to the brim as if by magic: a steaming pile or ordure redolent of that least praiseworthy of all human mental states: ingratitude.
We should heed the lesson of gratitude, we fortunate 5% who call ourselves Americans. There are less fortunate others out there.
I know the above can seem overwrought. Even a trifle sappy, eh what? After all, you’ve got unpaid bills. You’ve got a nagging wife to placate and whiny brats to feed. You’ve got an employer who doesn’t appreciate you. You’ve got neighbors who borrow power tools and will only return them under duress. And the cost of living! My God, the cost of living!
Okay, I get it. Life’s a hard job. But you’re equipped for that job. You’ve got the tools – and I don’t mean the ones you neighbor is still clutching to his breast and cackling over. Besides, when you awoke this morning and looked upward for the first time today, did you see sheet rock or wood? There were no roots dangling from the ceiling, were there?
Any day you awaken above the sod is a day of opportunity. A day to appreciate what you have and to make your life better still. A day to renew old friendships and make a couple of new ones. A day to dig the wax out of your conscience’s ears and listen for God’s voice. It would probably sound a bit like this:
Yeah you, asshole!
Be happy, you ingrate!
You’re one of My most blessed creatures!
There are children in Ulan Bator who don’t have any Nikes® at all!”
You know not the day nor the hour, so make this one count.
May God bless and keep you all.
Thus Article “It’s A Wonderful Day In The Neighborhood”
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