With a whole bunch of things on my mind, and with the to-do-list growing longer, I was not accomplishing much. Nothing at all. One doesn't have to be a Catholic to feel guilty about every damn thing--just ask me and I will tell you how I drive myself up the wall with guilt!
Life as an atheist is not as easy as the religious might think it would be. We are humans too--after all, if you prick us, do we not bleed? ;)
So, when the sun came out and cleared the fog and clouds away, I hoped that a walk by the river would clear up my mental fog and clouds as well.
"It is cold there" warned a neighbor, who was wearing shorts when it was only 58 outside.
It definitely is autumn. A few leaves are on the ground. And there is color beginning to appear among the green. The river was brown from all the rains. The old, familiar, Oregon.
As I was walking, I could feel the internal fog slowly clearing. I was reminded of yesterday's Radio Lab episode about a woman who started running in order to literally outpace the epilepsy attacks. I wondered whether running would similarly clear up my mind that much more. That was only a thought--as much as I swim like a rock, I run like a paper arrow!
I smiled, almost as a reflex, when the rare person came by. One woman, perhaps in her sixties, wearing a hat and walking two big dogs, smiled at me. As we passed each other on either sides of the path, she paused. "Are you the gentleman who writes in the paper?"
Why don't young redheads ask me that question, right? Not that I do not appreciate grandmas, but wouldn't it be wonderful to have a young redhead fan!
"Yes, I write for the paper" I said while crossing over to her side.
"I should clarify here" she said with a smile. "It is not that I think all Indians or Pakistanis look the same and I ask everybody. But you looked like a dead ringer for the photo in the paper."
I am amazed that people do recognize me from that photo--it is more than six years old. I have lost pretty much all my hair since, and whatever is left has no black streak anymore. Yet, people recognize me.
"I enjoy writing for the paper."
"I am agreeable to almost everybody except Charles Krauthammer. I like your columns."
"Thanks for the feedback" I said as we continued our respective walks. Krauthammer seems to have set the bar really low!
As I rounded the curve and traced my path home, the sky and the mind seemed to have cleared up completely.
Soon, the sun went down. The mental fog is building up again. Life!
2 comments:
Oh you are a lot better than Krauthammer, Krugman, et al. You have the elusive balance in the argument that many so called established columnists lack. Maybe its because you aren't one bit bothered about circulation, TRPs, etc on which advertising dollars depend.
I presume the lady's opposition to Krauthammer was simply because he is fairly conservative, although in social issues, he is a fair liberal.
May the fog lift and lift soon.
I would think that it will be pretty darn difficult to spot a rabid Krauthammer fan on the bikepath ;)
I think you give him way more credit than I would--the guy is a total partisan hack!
Oh, thanks for your compliments ;)
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