‘You Can’t Wait For Inspiration. You Have To Go After It With A Club.’
This morning started off grandly with a lovely Zoom church service @ First Presbyterian of Carbondale. The miracle of technology, during the scourge of our pandemic…is amazing! Our worship service has in ways been enhanced, especially when considering participation. A member zoomed in from Florida and another from his station, in the Armed Services. Last night, Jonathon asked me if I was planning on attending service this morning, and I replied that since we were already there…I thought that I would.
The campus of Southern Illinois University looked resplendent in it’s Spring regalia. Some of the blossoms are fading from the trees as the green leaves, or in some cases, dark red leaves, take their place on the natural clock. Whenever I pass Anthony Hall, named after the famous suffragette, Susan B. Anthony, I think of the former chancellors that I have known…and the hours that I have spent in…
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‘It Is No Bad Thing To Celebrate A Simple Life’
Well, life continues under our 2020 pandemic. Puzzling has captivated my attention. I telephoned, Emily, the owner of Main Street Books in St. Charles, Missouri…and ordered three more puzzles. Yes, we have been home bound…for awhile. MJ asked me what additional puzzles that Main Street had, other than the Celestial Sky model, that I purchased earlier this week. I emailed, Emily, and she responded within minutes. What a refreshing change from the, forlorn habit, of people who wait an interminable amount of time to respond…or not at all, which has been my experience over many years. Illinois lost the most lives, today, to the virulent virus. Our Governor, covertly, purchased PPE from China and brought it into our state, under guard, to prohibit the Federal government from confiscating the precious life saving material.
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I was parked in the, locked, Barnes and Noble Booksellers, parking lot, this afternoon. The lot was empty accept for my red Camry and the truck of a gentleman who walked to the back of the company vehicle and removed trash collecting bags and proceeded to collect refuse from the area. As he walked slowly to the bins…the rain began. He had neither rain coat nor umbrella. I considered that this hard working man, represents much of the American work-force. No one has asked him his opinion of whether or not he is afraid of becoming ill with the virus. He is, probably, accustomed to working from paycheck to paycheck…and devotes little time to considering his health and welfare…he does not have the luxury.
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I admire any leader who chooses to give a consistent and logical message to us during a chaotic time. So much of leadership is the nuts and bolts of the hard work that it takes to ensure the health and safety of their citizens. There is a profound and stark difference in leaders who are show horses and those who are work horses. The stultifying comments of some doctors who advise their television viewing audience that schools should go back in session as there would, only, be a 2% – 3% mortality rate…that is over 9 million human beings! Real physicians…tell you the truth. If you have cancer…will you be satisfied if you are advised that you have the common cold…and it will disappear?
It goes without saying that the economic catastrophe that has encompassed our globe, is unparalleled in our lifetimes. This pandemic has exposed the inequities that have been in our society. Our grocery store workers are essential to our survival. Many have died from COVID-19. They are afraid to go to work…with good reason. Sadly, we have accepted, all to long, that there are millions of people that not only do not make a living wage…while at the same time they are vital to the functioning of our society.
I was listening to a young woman from China speak of her fears in now being allowed to leave her home and visit, small, clothing shops…for the first time in weeks. She was afraid of contracting the virus. A phased in approach to re-opening our economy has to be done…but it should not be done without a commitment to testing on a massive scale to identify who is ill and who is not. South Korea was a model for effective and wide-spread testing…not political rhetoric and obfuscation and the lack of a concrete plan that will calm the fears of all of us…as we return to earning a living and providing for our families.
Life must be our primary concern and our express goal, in all of our human endeavors. Life is more important than our ‘way of life,’ which is political-speak for capitalism and a vibrant stock market… Somewhere we have lost our way. My management philosophy for the over 25 years that I was a manager at Southern Illinois University @ Carbondale, could be summed up in a sentence. Put people first, and work excellence will follow.
Our ability to return to work and revitalize our economy is not contingent on a frenetic race to open things up…without the commensurate work of protecting those workers, with massive testing, in order to ensure their comfort in returning to work…and our economy will automatically renew with the energy and vitality of the hard work of safe and secure, Americans!
The renown English author, J.R.R. Tolkien said, ‘It is no bad thing to celebrate a simple life.’ My entire life has been a simple life…as is the majority of people that I know. In the little Southern Illinois town of Eldorado…I knew a lot of working poor people. I knew kids that did not have summer shoes so they went barefoot for the season. I recall a dignified professional gentleman who worked for, Ben Franklin Dime Store, and was a vital member of the retail establishment for his entire career.
Age strips illusions of grandeur from a person. Life teaches us that we should love the little people…and that we are all the little people!
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‘They Are Building This Plane As They Are Flying It’ — The Jazz Man
The sun is shinning in Southern Illinois. Our 16 year old Boston Terrier, Brody, has been for his hydrotherapy and, constant, peanut butter incentive…and now, he is napping. We planned on vacationing in Maine at the end of May…plans change. We love Maine! We visited Booth Bay Harbor, last May, and began planning, soon thereafter, […]
via ‘They Are Building This Plane As They Are Flying It’ — The Jazz Man
Puzzles
I was leisurely puffing my Christmas Cigar, that Aaron gave me, when I saw on Facebook a video of Emily, the owner of Main Street Books, in St. Charles, Missouri, opening some boxes of exquisite puzzles. There were six varieties, including; The Celestial Map and The National Parks. By the time that I had written an email to Main Street…the National Parks had already sold out…but I procured the Celestial Map! I am on the waiting list for NP. I happily recall MJ and I, puzzling on a cruise around the United Kingdom, a few years ago. I also remember MJ and Ira Kaye…working steadily on a puzzle when we were at Destin, Florida.
We are immersed in something that none of us have experienced. The pandemic has changed the way that we live, for now, and it will, whether we like it or not…create a new normal for all of us. The latest modeling estimations are that, if we do everything right as to social distancing and face masks and hand washing, we may have 60 thousand deaths from COVID-19…in the United States. With most States being under stay at home orders…our economy has ground to a halt. I read where a congressman stated that if the decision is whether to have people die or lose our way of life…we must let people die. That may be easier said… when it is not your; wife or husband, or son, or daughter…or mom, or dad…
I watched the television show, Dragnet with the actor, Jack Webb, portraying the Los Angeles police officer, Joe Friday. One of his favorite statements when he was interviewing someone regarding a criminal activity was…’Just the facts ma’am.’ We desperately need the facts regarding the hidden killer that is decimating our world!
It is true that our businesses cannot remain shut-down indefinitely. It is equally true that if we open them prematurely…we will be back to square one…and thousands of Americans will die…;
Instinct, or how leaders feel in their ‘gut’ is not the answer to our most profound puzzle! Most medical scientist and epidemiologists agree that testing is the key to this life and death conundrum. Perhaps we should focus on what they are telling us and not on the political expediency of the moment. While our neighbors are gasping for breath!
I heard New York Governor, Andrew Cuomo, say that,’ we are the country that sent the first men to the moon… over 50 years ago’…we can figure this medical and scientific puzzle out…if we rely on the professionals that have trained their entire lives to do so
Fighting over which politician will be the winner…is an exercise in futility. I have my eyes on the heroes of this war…the nurses and grocery store attendants and custodial staffs and warehouseman and drivers of needed supplies that are providng the, desperately needed PPE’s for our health care workers and food to keep us from starving!
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To solve the herculean puzzle that faces our Globe…we need servant/leaders and selfless members of the human family…that are in the mold of our precious nurses and frontline members of the war against our 2020 pandemic… who swallow their fears and weep at the bedsides of the dying…and pray for God’s guidance!
Monday Memories
I was pursuing Facebook and I saw a great photo of Christmas 1952. Although, I did not come along until 1957…the photo of the, ecstatic, young boy, when he realized that he was getting a toy peddle car, reminded me of a similar car that I had in the late 1950’s! I enjoyed many happy and care-free hours peddling my little heart out! The Christmas tree, in the ‘Old Christmas’ photo…looked just like the Tree that I recall when we lived in Chicago.
As I walk the campus of Southern Illinois University @ Carbondale, and snap photos of the lovely blossoming spring trees…I am reminded of my being mesmerized by the beauty of our campus, through out the 42 years that I have been affiliated with it! Our pandemic has caused me to be appreciative of the little things…which I have discovered are, really, the big things. It is miraculous to be able to wake-up each morning and to be excited about the possibilities that the day has in store!
I discovered, many years ago, that when inspecting the quality of my cleaning, in the early days of my career, and discovering that, although, I saw it with my own eyes on a nightly basis, I really had failed to see so many important facets of it. There is a saying that applies; ‘It is all in how you look at it!’
When I was a child everything that I saw was new and unique and wondrous to behold. There was an adventure around every corner. I saw a Cardinal yesterday. He posed for me for some time. What a magnificent creature! He appeared to have on a little red hat.
I have been ordering books from my favorite independent book-store, Main Street Books, in St.Charles, Missouri. Every time that I order one…I get a thrill out of the experience. I am expanding my library…and helping such a fine establishment…and the owner sends such lovely and heartfelt postcards with each order.
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I saw a photo, on Facebook, of my old friend, Brad Dillard, and it was of him in his police officers uniform and the narrative spoke of his completion of his police training. There he was, smiling broadly, and I was transported to the time that I first met him, and noticed what a friendly person that he was…and we were both much younger.
MJ and my good friend, Wendi, is making us both a face mask…I am humbled at her love and care for MJ…and this Old Curmudgeon!
We are surrounded by love… Our nurses love us…they are risking their lives for us! Our grocery store staffs love us…they are risking their lives for us! Our custodial staffs love us…they are risking their lives for us! Our truck drivers and warehouse workers love us…they are risking their lives for us!
We are afraid…with good reason. But, the helpers…are all around us. We are surrounded by God’s love…when we are surrounded by his loving creation!
Our present distress has magnified the love and concern that our human family has for each other. From the singing on the balconies by the precious home bound Italians…to the united applause, in the United Kingdom, for it’s heath care workers…to, ‘At exactly 7:00 p.m. on Friday evening, thousands of New Yorkers in quarantine stood on their porches and near their windows to applaud first responders and health care workers on the front-lines of the coronavirus outbreak! ABC 7
We Have Each Other…We Have Today
We attended a wonderful Easter church service, this morning. I am slowly catching on to Zoom Church. If you want to see your fellow congregants…you have to click the little arrow to facilitate the scrolling of the images of those in attendance. There were all of my friends! Beaming and smiling, virtually radiant, as they sat in their homes…and joined together for worship. Pastor Kerry was there, with a photographic backdrop that is of the front of our sanctuary. The first time that I saw it I thought that he was preaching from our church. This morning he had the, ancillary effect, of fog around him…that slowly thickened as his message continued. It produced a bit of a spiritual theatrical prop…by virtue of a technological hiccup. Kerry, during his children’s sermon, produced what appeared to be unbroken eggs, and subsequently asked what the children thought would happen when he broke…
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Hope Deferred
Happy Easter!
‘Now on the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they, and certain women with them, came to the tomb bringing the spices which they had prepared. But they found the stone rolled away from the tomb. Then then went in and did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. And it happened as they were greatly perplexed about this, that behold two men stood by them in shinning garments. Then, as they were afraid and bowed their heads to the earth. they said to them, ‘Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen! Remember how he spoke to you when when He was still in Galilee, saying, ‘The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.’ And they remembered his words.’ Luke 24:…
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The Big 36!
Tomorrow is Jonathon’s 36th Birthday. This must mean that I am at least 45… This year Jonathon and Easter…share the same day. JC…and JB! We had planned a birthday dinner in Cape Girardeau today and Easter dinner, tomorrow, at Kokopelli’s in Marion. We Brooks have been planning our food celebrations…for a long time. Have you considered that food is integral to our recognition and memorialization of events that are important or milestones in our lives? Seldom are there happy events that are not magnified by good food. Even when we are sad…we look for solace in a good hamburger… We were at my favorite restaurant, Cunetto’s on the Hill in St. Louis, several years ago…when a large group sat down next to our table. There were 20 place settings and the diligent waitress was busily serving water and taking drink orders…when a man with an authoritarian manner, think Tony Soprano, brusquely inquired, ‘Are you going to take the food order?’
Seriously though…as you often hear…Jonathon and his friend Jesus…are truly joined at the hip! Jonathon cares about his friends, and always has time for them….and he has a lot of friends! He is like all of us humans…he has had disappointments and has endured difficult times. Yet, he chooses to meet the world, each day, with a smile and an sunny attitude…and he is a joy to be around…and people seek his company.
Aaron and Jonathon are the light of MJ’s and my life! When we think about what fine and responsible men that they have grown into…I know it is all because of their mother…and she agrees…
When it comes to birthdays…we will not be defeated. Tonight we enjoyed fine Mexican cuisine from Del Sol…delivered curbside…and for our Easter feast we will have Hunan…and mine will be my favorite…Crispy Duck.
Jonathon and Aaron are men that appreciate a fine craft beer. I traveled to the drive-thru at Westroads Liquor Store, in Carbondale. I thought that I had found a secret path from the business that was next door, until I felt the, profound, bump of the curb…that I had just jumped. I, quickly looked to my right and my left to ensure that someone had not witnessed my frivolity…and considered that I had already visited the, Spirits Store. They did not have any of Jonathon’s suggestions…so I asked for their, expert opinion…and 3 packs later…we are all happy!
Laughing Past Midnight
A great, Jonathon Brooks Blog!
Pull up a couple of rocking chairs, bring us each a stout, and let’s tell stories. Make it fact or make it fiction. Just make certain it makes for an interesting tale. Keep me laughing until way past the midnight hour. Or keep me interested until the sun shows up. Stories make us more fully alive.
The story of my life has had a lot of intriguing plot twists. I am certain you could tell a similar story regarding your life’s experiences. My current five year plan is to laugh at the mere idea of ever having a five year plan. I toast my stout to you and to our future plot twists!
I’ve decided to begin writing more flash fiction stories. Many of them will probably be between 500 and 750 words. These flash fiction stories will be written in one sitting and tossed out through this blog page…
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Young Samuel
A great, Flash Fiction Story from, Jonathon Brooks.
The boy had heard before that the nice guys always are the last ones to journey across that finish line. Young Samuel wondered if this statement was also the fact of the day for shy guys. ‘Cause if the statement was the truth for nice and shy dudes then he suspected he might not ever cross the line. Samuel, the young and kind and shy, is age fourteen with a whole lot of heart and a whole lot of life before him. It is his first day of high school.
Would there be bullies? And would they bully him? What about older women who were Sophomores or Juniors or Seniors? If Samuel smiled their direction then might they return the favor? It was only two hours into the first day of the next four years. Graduation day was only an eternity away.
Freshman Samuel sat down for his English class…
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The Happy Traveler 