The consequence of action

This is dedicated to those who beat themselves into senseless pulps psychologically over things they’ve done that they’ve come to regret. What can I say but, right there with you.

Without going into detail, today held for me the right action for the right reason done in the wrong place at the wrong time. Heck, any other safety-minded person not aware of the equal and opposite effect of this conscientious act would likely have chosen the same course. Thing is, this correct act at the incorrect moment under slightly different circumstances would have turned very, very wrong, and the realization of this fact sent me briefly into a weeping tizzy.

Piqued your curiosity? Live with not knowing. That’s not what this is about. This is about playing the ‘what ifs’ and the ‘I should haves’ until those proverbial cows come home. I can do that. I’ve done it many times. I’m good at it. Regretted the choices made and not made, the roads taken and not taken. Oh, yeah, lots of practice. But, I’m learning the gentle art of letting go of things and, yes, even forgiving myself for some of it. Hey, I said was still learning.

You can berate yourself, hate yourself viciously (I think I’m channeling lyrics from “Mr. Magoo’s Christmas Carol”, for those who think they sound familiar), but it’s not going to change the outcome. That’s etched in history, with no way to undo it. You can live and relive the moments, playing them in your head over and over and over, or perhaps you’re more inclined to run different scenarios of the same event ad nauseum trying to get a better outcome. But, unless you’re an efficiency expert trying to prevent similar situations for future populations, please stop. You do have to think about those moments you’re not pleased with, but then realize that they’re done and move on. To let them run your existence is wrong. I know, easy to say, not always easy to do. But, the steps forward have to start somewhere. Make amends with others when possible. Fix what’s been broken if it can be fixed. Take a chance if a chance is needed, or stop taking chances if it’s all you do and it gets you nowhere. Above all, accept that it’s happened, learn from it and stop looking back at it. Hindsight isn’t always better.

Go live your life in a better way and put away those wrong moves for your memoirs.

In our arrogance

There was big and little buzz in the news yesterday about the possibility of water in liquid form on Enceladus, one of Saturn's moons. The part that has a number of folks in the scientific community interested is that, with what we know of the requirements for life to exist, two of the elements (heat, water in a liquid state) exist on a rock other than our own in this planetary system. Could it be that there is life there and, if so, what sort of life is it?

Ultimately, the question becomes is there life elsewhere? Is there intelligent life somewhere other than our own terra firma? That question came up during one of the radio broadcasts I listened to yesterday.

Really, people, wake up! We know that the galaxy we're in is vast and that the universe our galaxy is in makes this planet we call home look smaller than the tip of the cliched needle in the haystack. We've seen this fact in those beautiful photos that continue to be taken by orbiting and planet-bound telescopes. Are we truly so egocentric to think we're the only intelligent life going on in and beyond the Milky Way?

While I'm going on about that, what about the possibility of intelligent life as we don't know it evolving under conditions which we would consider impossible for life to even begin. Do we really think carbon-based beings are the only ones that can sprout any smarts?

Our thinking has changed over the millenia we've been able to contemplate our existence, from thinking beyond our village to a whole region, a whole country, a whole continent, a whole world. During that time, our ancestors managed to stare up at the sky and wonder if the universe really revolved around us or if there was something more, otherwise we would never have learned about the little bit we know beyond our planet's boundaries. Science fiction writers have creatively hypothesized about life beyond our tiny corner of the cosmos for more than a century, and I won't even get into all the sightings of UFOs and extraterrestrial beings which may or may not have credence. I'm just going to ask again, are we really still so ignorant or arrogant to think that we're alone?

The work week works for me

There's something to be said about a job that you enjoy doing that won't allow you to do overtime. I'd call it ideal if the pay were a little higher. For now, I'll just call it nice. I've put in 37 hours and temporal change already this week, which means that tomorrow is going to be a very short workday on a day when the weather's been promised to be very spring-like. Weather forecasters, don't fail me now.

See, here's my problem. I was born either with a slacker gene or without a workaholic gene. Either way, I prefer a life without overtime, be it voluntary, mandatory or something in between. It's not that I want my workday to end abruptly after 8 hours. I just seem to do my best within the 40-hour work week. There has to be some reason why those who came before us decided on the magical number of 40 as the point where time and a half begins.

Don't get me wrong. Yes, I have expenses like everyone else -- food, shelter, taxes, internet access, kitty litter. My portion of the national debt could buy a very nice little used car like the one I'm driving and still making payments on. But, my desire to get away from even the nicest job and do something else overrides the drive to make more money by putting in hours that only caffeine (or worse) could maintain. This could easily change if my expenses increased dramatically; however, I live a simple life with simple needs and only catastrophe could take me back down the road of full-time and part-time jobs running simultaneously. I've done that a few times and earned that grubby, tattered t-shirt. But, I really don't want to wear it again.

Now, where are those cobblestones that I can be kicking down and feeling groovy?