SAVE YOUR OWN SAILOR SUIT . . . or . . .

     The house was ablaze beyond control.  In the early 1930's, Clarence Emory Williams and his older brother, Alton, each had little boy sailor uniforms that at first glance were indistinguishable.  Sensing that his prize outfit was imperiled, Clarence Emory dashed into the house to the bedroom that he and his brother shared and retrieved a uniform from the closet.  Once outside, he realized that it was not his outfit that he had rescued. Back inside he went, hung that sailor suit back into the closet, grabbed his and hastily exited the burning structure.

    Allowing for child-like immaturity and fear in this true story  (often repeated by my mom), it can still be a microcosm of an attitude that currently prevails . . . "I have mine; you're on your own !"

    David Brooks, columnist for the New York Times, recently wrote The Road to Character in which he compared  "Resume Virtues" and "Eulogy Virtues". The former is a highly individualistic, "looking out for # 1" extolling of the "self made person".  The latter incorporates an awareness of and appreciation for "our being in this together".  Individuals and societies are both composites of the two; however, Brooks insists that a huge imbalance currently prevails with a large tilt towards self-centeredness.  Allowed to persist and prevail, the imbalance carries the probable dissolution of the notion of community, as well as long-venerated virtues such as kindness, compassion, caring for the marginalized and the stranger. (The book is too rich and nuanced to be encapsulated in this post. It is not an "easy" or "quick" read but certainly a worthy undertaking. Bill Gates wrote a succinct review.  Google his review.)

    When the "Founding Fathers"  had affixed their signatures to The Declaration of Independence, Benjamin Franklin observed, "Gentlemen, we now hang together or we shall hang separately." . . . somewhat akin to recognizing that both our 'sailor suits' are our concern.

    Satchel

"Weather-related delivery delays . . . "

7:02 a.m. on January 7, 2016,  in Winston-Salem, N.C

       We have had (are having) a "weather event" in North Carolina.  Much of the state has been under a Winter Storm warning.  There are 7-9" of snow on the ground here and it is still snowing.  Other parts of the state had been alerted to comparable amounts but a shift in atmospheric conditions changed that primarily to ice and sleet. Raleigh's failed forecast of 6-8 inches led one person to complain that local meteorologist "have as much in common as 2016 pollsters".

  Snow, ice, or sleet all make driving even more treacherous for us winter-driving-challenged-Southerners. Two-hundred-sixty (260) automobile crashes had already been reported in the state by early this morning. The Raleigh News and Observer's website today has this story: "N&O experiences weather-related delivery delays" and gave assurances that "our carriers are making every effort to deliver your newspaper as quickly and safely as possible."  Reading that evoked a 40 year old memory.

     While teaching at a small liberal arts college in the Eastern part of the state, I had an early morning newspaper delivery route as a way to supplement income.  The subscription rates have long since disappeared from recollection but I do remember that the option to pay the monthly fee was considerably less that paying on per diem basis which was something like fifty cents per copy.

    Snow storms in Eastern North Carolina are relatively rare but when a big one occurs, life is pretty much paralyzed for a time.  Such it was sometime in the late 1970's. When the courier dropped off my bundles early that morning, the roads were already coated / glazed with significant icing.  After a few minutes of folding papers, I concluded that safety and common sense needed to prevail and I went back into my house. And, soon, I received a call demanding to know "where is my newspaper" and I answered (kindly, I hope) that it was on my front porch and he was free to come pick it up.

     But the biggest "Wow ! Can you believe that !" came at the end of the monthly collection period when a colleague, Dr. S, remitted her fee and instead of the monthly amount had deducted for the missed delivery. I suppressed the urge to rebill her at the daily rate for the number of deliveries she had received. Perhaps all that snow had done something amiss in her humanity circuitry. I remember deciding that if she need that  50 cents that much, she needed it more than I did.
   
   Stay warm, dry and safe if possible.
      
       Satchel

     

"Welcome back to Reality" . . .

     . . .   such was the subject line of an email I received yesterday from a client who was unsure of the time of 
his first therapy appointment of the new year.  I will be interested to know what prompted that title . . . was it something that occurred in his  world over the holidays or just the return to the 'routine' after all the flurry and flourishes of Christmas and New Years?

   A couple of years ago, I wrote a blog post that I called "January-itis", basically bemoaning the season's 
cold, miserable weather conditions.  Well, this one had less than an auspicious beginning   . . . no snow where I live but gray drabness and plentiful rain.  My brother in New Hampshire sent a picture of a snowfall that appears to be a foot deep.

    With a client coming at 7 a.m. tomorrow, I opted to make my 65 mile commute this afternoon (January 2). Traffic was heavier than usual. Then came the realization that 'vacation', 'holiday', time away has come to an end for most Americans. And tomorrow is "back to reality".  An area journalist has called this "the joyless season" and "the cold depressing season of 'now what?' " and our "bleakest 31 days". (Josh Shaffer, Raleigh, NC News and Observer, January 1, 2017).  

     As a therapist, I have seen many clients who deal with Winter Blues or Seasonal Affective Disorder.  Among the  generally efficacious methods of dealing with that malaise is LIGHT,  literally and metaphorically.  Offsetting January's lethargy and tug towards sloth and indolence requires what Mr. Shaffer termed a "vow to resist January".  Reading his article prompts my curiosity to search for activities other than veg-ing and napping.  Reaching for the 'heroic' --- like lose 20 pounds this month or go to the gym twice as often --- need not be the focus.  Maybe something as mundane as reading a long-postponed book or something as archaic as writing letters to someone(s) with whom contact has  languished. 

    It may just be that 'reality' does not have to mean 'boring'.

           Satchel