Looking Away

Posted by derrick on October 31, 2005

Don’t let us get sick
Don’t let us get old
Don’t let us get stupid, all right?
Just make us be brave
And make us play nice
And let us be together tonight - zevonThe world is a serious place. An elderly woman was murdered by the hurricane victims she was trying to help. Six more young men were killed in Iraq. Children are staving in nations with names we recognize and in places we try to forget. A young girl had her head hacked off in Indonesia while on her way to school. Homelessness reaches into every corner of America. People all over the country are holding “feeds” to raise money for their loved ones cancer treatments. The brutality of selling “potluck” dinners to try save your father or mother is just too terrible to contemplate. I often feel that darkness soaking in from every wall. I’m one who often falters under the weight of it all. We have to be schizophrenic to survive. I found in the water a place to escape, if only for moments at a time. We’re lucky that we can enjoy what ultimately is a frivolous endeavor. A recent post about my certification warned, “don’t let it go to your head.”. Me? Somedays, I’m just wondering why I get out of bed.

- d