Loosing it

This morning I got up bright and early to take the van in for a check up.  They checked her vitals; heart rate, fluid levels, cholesterol; HDLs and LDLs, triglycerides, blood sugar, electrolytes, battery level... You name it, they checked it.  In the end all she needed was an oil change and filter.

Meanwhile, I hung out in the office and visited with the other customers coming and going.  There was a small space heater that made it the most pleasant place on the property.  It was an unexpected pleasure to see an old familiar face from my childhood.  We went to the same elementary school and lived near enough to each other to play as kids.  So we greeted each other and caught up on the high and low spots since the last time we visited; 1994.

He told me of his wife's recent death and his new grandchild.  I asked about his son Nickolas, to which he gave me a very puzzled look.  "Just who do you think I am", he said.  I answered without delay and was totally wrong.  My mind went racing trying to regain its footing.  It was something like the disorientation one experiences coming out of anesthesia.

How could I be so wrong?  I've known this guy for over 56 years!  It's not the same as forgetting the name of someone you've just met.  I know its not the end of the world and life will go on, but it shook me then and bothers me still.  Maybe this is just one of those things we have to expect as we get older.  I hope not.  I'd rather think that I was just off my game and hadn't had my coffee yet.  I'm gonna tune up my game and be ready for him when I see him again in 2032.  Gotta stay sharp for my next test at 82.

Is anyone else troubled as they look at the current events in the news.  I suppose only the unthinking are unconcerned.  It's a struggle for me to maintain the long view at times.  I look at the war that's brewing in Israel.  Our country seems to have lost its mind.  No apparent concern for the runaway government.  All the drama around our insane foreign policy and the new installment of sex scandal.  The world seems to be heading full tilt for catastrophe and (were I king) I'd be doing things differently.  As you know, I'm not now and never will be in charge of anything but myself.  This is a good thing.  So I continue clinging to my Bible and my guns.

We are just a week away from the start of our transcontinental trek.  Monday we start squeezing as much of our stuff as we can into the van.  Once it's full, we are ready to roll.  We're both excited about starting our new life in Florida.