The 99.999%
We spent most of this month traveling (see previous post). Following our time in Yosemite, we were in Portland with our exchange daughter, Claudia and her family, who were staying with one of her friends, Lindsey and family, from her high school days here in the states, along with another friend, Betsy, who came with her family from Maryland. Lindsey's parents live nearby, after having moved from Minnesota.
We stayed with them in a neighbor's home; the neighbor was on vacation and graciously offered their home to us, in exchange for some plant watering. This was not an AirBnB. This was someone saying, "Oh, you have lots of company coming and could use some additional space? We're out of town! Have them stay here!"
I could stop this post right here with this point: people, in general, are nice. They are kind. Giving. Generous. Big hearted. Interested in you, if only in passing.
The 99.999% of people inhabiting this planet are like that. On those days when the news is filled with what feels like the depths of human behavior, please remember that. Most people are lovely and they act that way in public.
Following our visit in Portland, we moved on to Vancouver where we stayed with another exchange daughter, Bridget and her family. On our arrival, we met her children, Kyra and Brenden.
I asked if they hugged or shook hands. Kyra: hug. Brenden: hand shake. When we left, Brenden moved on to hugging and asked his dad why we couldn't move to Canada. "They have so many guns in the United States," he said. Age 7.
In Vancouver, Dan and I did another 2000 ft. vertical climb up Grouse Mountain called the Grouse Grind. Along the way, Dan took a few more frequent stops than I did so he managed to meet a few more people. All of them, and I do mean ALL, exchanged pleasantries with him and when they passed me, did the same. Many came to know his name, because I often called down to him to make sure he was okay and remind him I was above him. He told some classic Dan-o jokes and they laughed with him. They were from all over the world. They were the same as you and me, the 99.999%.
We've just been at the State Fair; if you're a Minnesotan, you probably know that the Fair is a teeming mass of humanity. If you accidentally bump into one of them, or they into you, they say, gently, "Excuse me. Sorry." One woman zipped up Molly's back pack because she saw it was open and a wallet sticking out. When we thanked her, she said with a smile, "You're the second person I've done that for today."
If there is one thing that has been solidified for me over these first six months of retirement, it's that people are nice. Yes, terrible things are happening everywhere and I'm no Pollyanna. I believe that the more that happens, the more incumbent it becomes upon the 99.999% to stay as nice as they inherently are and not get sucked down the vortex of insufferable behavior. Okay. Enough said.
Cooking:
Last night Voldemort and his family were here for dinner. I made a marinara sauce using everything from the garden: fresh tomatoes, parsley, basil. Added some oregano and garlic and onions, simmered it all down, plus some meatballs and a side of freshly harvested green beans. Delicious. I hope your gardens are offering up similar late summer pleasures and if you don't have a garden, I'm certain there is a Farmer's Market near you where someone did all the work already, even picked and washed it!
I could stop this post right here with this point: people, in general, are nice. They are kind. Giving. Generous. Big hearted. Interested in you, if only in passing.
The 99.999% of people inhabiting this planet are like that. On those days when the news is filled with what feels like the depths of human behavior, please remember that. Most people are lovely and they act that way in public.
Following our visit in Portland, we moved on to Vancouver where we stayed with another exchange daughter, Bridget and her family. On our arrival, we met her children, Kyra and Brenden.
In Vancouver, Dan and I did another 2000 ft. vertical climb up Grouse Mountain called the Grouse Grind. Along the way, Dan took a few more frequent stops than I did so he managed to meet a few more people. All of them, and I do mean ALL, exchanged pleasantries with him and when they passed me, did the same. Many came to know his name, because I often called down to him to make sure he was okay and remind him I was above him. He told some classic Dan-o jokes and they laughed with him. They were from all over the world. They were the same as you and me, the 99.999%.
We've just been at the State Fair; if you're a Minnesotan, you probably know that the Fair is a teeming mass of humanity. If you accidentally bump into one of them, or they into you, they say, gently, "Excuse me. Sorry." One woman zipped up Molly's back pack because she saw it was open and a wallet sticking out. When we thanked her, she said with a smile, "You're the second person I've done that for today."
If there is one thing that has been solidified for me over these first six months of retirement, it's that people are nice. Yes, terrible things are happening everywhere and I'm no Pollyanna. I believe that the more that happens, the more incumbent it becomes upon the 99.999% to stay as nice as they inherently are and not get sucked down the vortex of insufferable behavior. Okay. Enough said.
Cooking:
Last night Voldemort and his family were here for dinner. I made a marinara sauce using everything from the garden: fresh tomatoes, parsley, basil. Added some oregano and garlic and onions, simmered it all down, plus some meatballs and a side of freshly harvested green beans. Delicious. I hope your gardens are offering up similar late summer pleasures and if you don't have a garden, I'm certain there is a Farmer's Market near you where someone did all the work already, even picked and washed it!
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