slow down, you move too fast

lessons in living

I appreciate each and every one of you taking time to read this column. I have managed to write ever single day since I began on 4 November 2022. I admit it takes considerably more time than I expected but I enjoy it, especially hearing from you as I envisioned this as a measured, civil conversation from the moment I started.

I wasn’t confident I would get to it today for reasons you’ll see.

Before that, It bothered me to no end hearing from one of my loyal readers this morning that the last two days have had a slew of typos. He suggested I had probably been in a hurry (he has seen me work for too long to ignore that possibility) or it could be a transmission problem. I welcome his notification even if it has distressed me for 4 hours.

The reason it bothered me is that I actually read, then re-read each column to prevent typos. I know my aging eyes are deteriorating but I want to assure you I am not sending a product that I just type out willy nilly. And I do apologise for any errors that appear. I—no one else—am responsible for this Substack production. I want you to feel you can forward it to your friends, family, and colleagues if it will advance our conversation.

For those who subscribe, I thank you profoundly and am determined to make it worth your investment.

Our power was off for 7 hours, returning about 5 minutes ago. We had a torrent about 6 am, then the sky darkened and lightened several times before clearing about 11.

The outage reminded me of how utterly dependent we are on electricity. Modern bathrooms often have no ambient light (I showered by candlelight this morning). We live near the water so everything is electric as may well be your home and certainly your office. We had to find somewhere for breakfast; the first place had no inside seating and the rain left the outside seats with puddles. We ate elsewhere eventually. Lunch was dry cereal here at home because we lacked power to toast bread (my normal lunch is two slices of wonderful Bakers & Co. bread with a schmear of Perfect Pita Daughter hummus, either Sriracha, Chipotle or Achno dried peppers and spinach). Somehow Cheerios don’t equate to the richness of the outstanding bread and superb hummus but I was hungry.

I am speaking with high school students about careers in national security at the University of Maryland later this afternoon so I am walking out the door soon. I feel I missed most of my normal day with you which disappoints me. I had planned to address the statement someone made to me this morning; ‘Israel has become a dictatorship’ after today’s Knesset vote but I didn’t have access to the internet without power. Tonight’s the HoA meeting which I feel I should attend so it wasn’t quite the day I’d envisioned. Happen to you once in a while? I know I’ve written about it at least once.

Feeling sorry for myself? Actually, hardly.

I am the luckiest person in the world. By some miracle, we had that welcome downpour this morning so the humidity is low and the temperatures are not what Bisbee, Albuquerque or Ft. Stockton face right now. No wildfires like the Greek islands. We actually are so lucky because we sat on the balcony where it bordered on chilly with a breeze for a change: NOT something taken for granted at all.

Keeping the fridge and freezer doors closed meant that everything was near-but-not-over-the limit for safe consumption. It’s not just the cost of tossing food which bothers me but it’s the reality that so many others don’t have enough. Mercifully, we won’t have to do that this time. We certainly have plenty.

The best single thing out of all of this was that it reminded me to slow down and be thankful. Nothing, repeat nothing I do is earth shattering. It just isn’t. Today was a gentle reminder that life is about living rather than relying on technology, power, and gizmos. I communed with a New York Times puzzle book and finishing the aforementioned volume on the history of Hong Kong. Nothing had to be done that didn’t get done. It’s so easy to forget that part which makes me look pretty silly in the grand scheme of things.

I hope your day was superb. FIN