That circle of life
We spent the afternoon (and evening) away from home. Despite the heat; this may have broken records for the date, and it certainly felt like the kind of weather that makes going to the beach, or pitching the tent, seem like a common sense response to the world. Our rationale for leaving home was anything but seasonal.
Remember that “to everything there is a season” meme? Well, at this point in my cycle, friends are losing parents. Another gathering coloured in grief. I did see people that had last crossed my path almost forty years ago, which shows that “time marches on” (another meme).
Again on our own, there were things that required shopping. OK, not me, exactly, but I was party to a huge thread purchase. After a couple of hours, I wandered off; when a car horn blew, behind me, I realized that I wasn’t alone on the roads. Another old friend, up to town for the same reason. We chatted, as old friends are wont to do, and made promises to get together under happier circumstances.
Listening to the radio, it’s clear that the refugee crisis in central Europe is greater than most have seen in a lifetime. Not driven by world war, this time, but the results are as serious. As are the reactions of the “rest of us”. Closed borders. Gauntlets. NIMBY. In this case, leaving home doesn’t mean you’ll get equivalent accommodations up the road. Our government is not willing to help, at least until it becomes a vote getting issue.
