Dallin Malmgren's Blog, page 25

God is in control

Artwork by Annalisa Barelli

It struck me like a lightning bolt as I was sitting on my back porch. We all know that He is concerned. We all know He will comfort us. We all know He loves us. But do we believe, even for a second, that He is in control? That right now He has a handle on this whole virus thing? He has intimate knowledge of how this has, is, and will affect each one of us. And it is going to be okay. Because He is in control.

A few words about God. There is only one God. If there was more than one God, He wouldn’t be God. I use He because that is my cultural background, but I am quite sure He is genderless. I personally believe He is Triune, i.e., He manifests Himself as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, but again, I wouldn’t put much weight in those gender roles. I know that most of us conceive of God differently. But that does not mean He is not in control.

True, it doesn’t look like He is in control. This world has gone haywire. Clearly, as a species we are not handling the pandemic very well (some countries better than others). There is discord and finger-pointing and anger and selfishness and profiteering and hoarding and fraud. Why would God allow…

The point is, in control does not mean in charge. (I wish Trump would learn the difference.) God is not going to declare a moratorium on human beings making choices and living with the consequences (good and bad) of those choices. That’s the way this world works. We are here in this predicament because that is where our cumulative choices (as a species) have led us. But He is still in control.

Some of us tend to have pre-conceived ideas of what the world would look like if God was really in control: there would be no pre-marital sex, no abortions, no homosexuality, no dancing, no drinking, no teenage rebellion, the list goes on… again, that is looking for a God in charge (telling us what to do) instead of in control (making whatever we do turn into good). I’m not rejecting morality—us choosing good is what will heal the planet—but God is going to create good out of whatever happens. Because He is in control.

Why do I think He is in control in the time of pandemic? Look how He is cleansing our planet while we are under quarantine! Despite all the ills mentioned above, look at the heroism and sacrifice and love that we are capable of when tested to our limits! Remember that this is not God’s first pandemic. They’ve occurred throughout human history and, then as now, He draws us nearer to Him. In every pandemic-related interaction, the most beneficial result produced is love—I believe that is manifesting itself all over the planet.

So if we buy the premise—God is in control—how do we respond? By aligning ourselves with His purposes. Most of the world’s religions similarly endorse how humans should treat one another—with love, with respect, with compassion—by caring for the sick and the weak and the poor, by loving our neighbors, by putting the needs of others before our own. That is our most noble response to the pandemic. The other thing we should do is not stress—because God is in control.

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Keeping a vow

Photo by Karen

On July 2, 2019 I made a vow to God. The plan had always been that when I retired from teaching, I would concentrate on my writing. But I had been retired for five years and had hardly written anything (except my prayers). Had I deceived myself all this time about being a writer? I had written a great deal during the earlier part of my career, but after having three books published, I hit a dead end. No one wanted my last three young adult novels, no one wanted my three screenplays, my agent and publisher no longer wanted to hear from me. Very discouraging. I taught Creative Writing for 34 years—had I just faked being a writer? When I retired, I wanted to write but I didn’t want to try to write for money. Of course, it’s harder to write without a motive.

Back to my vow… I believe that God gave me the gift of writing—not in the Steinbeck/Hemingway way, but in my way. I am comfortable putting my thoughts on paper. I like to turn a phrase. So I wasn’t using His gift. I decided that I would go back to my blog, something my son had set up for me by creating a website—I had written essays very sporadically since 2012. I would write whatever I felt like writing about, two essays a week, for one year. After that, I would re-evaluate. At this point I am ten months in. The other day I came across a poem I had written 30 years ago that perfectly expresses how I feel now.

The Obsession

The muse struck me down in the hallway

–Forced me to fill paper with words.

I’ll write if there’s something I must say;

My phrases are nuclear swords!

I feel I have just been inspired,

Anointed to help spread the news.

I will write, no matter how tired,

To tell all the world of my views.

I’ll write of the human condition,

The conflicts that rage from within.

My prose will evoke real emotion—

Compassion, repentance of sin.

I’ll chronicle human behavior

And not flinch from the gore and the mud.

Like a prophet proclaiming a savior,

My pen will drip drops of bright blood.

I’ll examine my own sad existence

And confess each mistake that I’ve made.

I’ll write on despite all resistance!

By the way, sir, is this for a grade?

The last line became the title for my third book, a collection of essays about being a teacher. I had completely forgotten!

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A movie that changed my life

Art does more than entertain. At its best, it elevates. And so, I ask, what is the most impactful movie that you ever saw…the one that changed your way of thinking, your perception of the world and your role in it. Several come to mind for me (2001: A Space Odyssey, Ben Hur, King of Hearts), but there is one winner: The Graduate.

The Graduate was released December 21, 1967, Christmas break of my freshman year of college. Benjamin Braddock has just finished college and has come home to figure out what to do with his life. He is a lost soul and becomes even more lost as the summer wears on. Then he falls in love with Elaine.

Logically, much of the film’s impact on me had to do with the fact that I was equally lost, and, like Ben, I knew it. My standard answer when asked about picking a major: “I’m going to be a business major so I can drink martinis at lunch.” I might have meant it. I love the scene in the movie where an older businessman takes Ben aside at his graduation party because he has one word of advice for him: “Plastics.” It dawned on me how empty a life spent seeking material gain would be. I believe The Graduate was instrumental in turning me from the direction I was headed.

I want to rave about the movie a little bit. The interplay between Ben and Mrs. Robinson as they proceed into and out of an affair is wonderfully written and acted. The cinematography is incredible: shots of Ben in his scuba gear at the bottom of the pool—or of Mrs. Robinson when Elaine finds out the truth—haunting images that stay with me. The editing made me notice editing for the first time: jump cuts of Ben getting onto a pool raft to him getting on Mrs. Robinson or his slow motion sprint to the chapel. And, of course, the soundtrack: such a perfect fit! Simon and Garfunkel must have lived in Mike Nichols’ (the director) back pocket.

The ending of the film taught me a greater lesson than turning from materialistic values. The first time I saw it I thought it was the most joyous movie ever: they escape from the raging horde, get on a bus, and live happily ever after. The second time, I watched more closely—they get on the bus, look back at the chapel, look at the people on the bus staring at them, laugh, look at each other, and look away. And in comes the familiar refrain: “Hello darkness, my old friend

I started college in 1967 and graduated in 1981, and I spent many of those years believing that if I just found the right woman, all the pieces of my life would fit together. It was a constant search and discard, or be discarded. I’ve been married to a wonderful woman for 42 years, but I have no illusions that finding “the one” has been the key to peace and contentment. Yet, I think we are encouraged (mainly by Hollywood) to believe that. Ben tried to tell me at the beginning—I’ve always been a slow learner.

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Spiritual dryness

Photo by me

“…all is vanity and striving after wind…”

It has crept up on me the last week or so. I can recognize it, but I’m not very good at combating it. It’s a disturbing malaise—a vague uneasy feeling of lethargy. I still believe the same things—it’s just like it’s tacked up on a bulletin board rather than written in my heart. I have not really varied in my religious practice: quiet time, golf as a spiritual exercise, back porch meditation, prayer with Karen—but with a nagging sense of going through the motions.

No doubt, quarantining is a factor in my drying up at the edges. Even though I’m retired and not under any particular stresses, the routine, the sameness of the days wears on me. Quarantining also means a lack of contact with others, which translates into a lack of service. The main extent of my reaching out to others is contacting my family and friends by phone and through social media. Other than writing a few checks to charitable organizations, I don’t feel like I’m doing much for the planet.

This spiritual heaviness drifts over into other aspects of my life. (When you’re abiding in Christ, there aren’t supposed to be other aspects of your life!) I find myself drawn to jigsaws and crossword puzzles but neglectful of my writing. I’ll commit to a half hour sit-com but not a full-length movie. I am slower to answer correspondence. Afternoon naps have become so enticing! Chips instead of carrots. More hiding in my study. Eyes on myself, not on the Lord.

Fortunately, I know what to do about all this. I don’t have to sit here like a puddle of mud. There are audibles I can call.

First of all, stop blaming the situation. The apostle Paul wrote: “I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances…” (Philippians 4:11) He was in jail when he wrote that! It’s not just realizing the whole world is suffering, most of it far worse than I. It’s knowing that God, in His infinite wisdom, will turn this into good.

Secondly, I am promised a spiritual benefit if I suck it up. The apostle James says: “…knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and lacking in nothing.” (James 1:3–4) This is strengthening my character! No fair-weather Christianity for me.

Thirdly, I have to quit looking at the soil and look at the sky. My eyes have been in the wrong place. Whoever wrote Hebrews said: “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith..” (Hebrews 2:12) He started it and He will finish it. I need to quit worrying about how I am doing and focus on what He is doing.

My fourth point is not going to zero in on a Bible verse, but rather look back to one of my own blog posts: To thine own self be gentle. What I love, and often forget, is how patient God is through all of our ups and downs—always forgiving, always supporting, always trying to lift us up. We can use a little of that therapy on ourselves.

My boy Bob Dylan wrote a wonderful song on the album Saved called Pressing On. It is an inspiring anthem—you have to forget about what lies behind and just keep moving forward, pressing on. Karen and I listened to it on the back porch a little while ago. I feel better already.

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My old-fashioned

Photo by me

This one is more about pain relief than spiritual upliftment…which is okay in the time of Corona. I want to write about my favorite drink: the Old-fashioned. This is how I make mine: The glass is important. I like a utilitarian glass, something that sits on the counter solidly—nothing delicate or flutey (see photo), and nothing too big. I put about a quarter teaspoon of sugar in the glass and add just a few drops of water, enough so I can swirl it around. I quarter an orange and add one good slice of one of the quarters to the swirly sugar. (I eat the rest of the quarter and save the rest of the orange for another day and another Old-fashioned.) Then I fill the glass with ice (cubes, not crushed—melts too fast otherwise). Add a maraschino cherry, along with a little maraschino cherry juice. You must add Angustura bitters—my recipe says a dash, but I like about four drops. Finally, the bourbon. My go-to is Maker’s Mark, but my son likes Bulleit—I’m going to try it the next time I go to the liquor store. A hint if you are on a limited budget (or cheap, like me): Evan Williams’ Bottled-in-bond (the white label) costs about half as much and is a very acceptable bourbon.

Three things I love about this drink: !) You have to drink it slow…it usually lasts me about an hour and a half. Small sips, savored. 2) It tastes better as the drink goes on—at first it is just a tad too strong…as the ice melts in, it gets more and more mellow. 3) My favorite part: you eat the orange and the cherry (in that order) when you finish the drink…best tasting fruit imaginable!

Now that I think about it, this essay is about pain relief and spiritual upliftment.

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Bond. James Bond. (My paean to reading)

Photo by me

As a retired English teacher, one of the most distressing observations I can make about American youth (then and now, I believe) is that they don’t want to read. Oh, there were flurries of hope: The Twilight series (if you call that hope) and Harry Potter, and…and…that’s about it. When I used to ask in my class “Who has never read a book?” there would always be some hands raised.

I fought the good fight. One of the reasons I wrote my first novel, The Whole Nine Yards, was because I wanted to write something that a boy in high school might like. (I later learned that the real market for Young Adult is junior high/middle school, but that’s another story.) In my creative writing class, one of my exercises was a reading autobiography, i.e., how books had affected your life. Some of my students had a hard time with that one.

I feel bad for kids who don’t read the same way I feel bad for kids who say they don’t dream. They are passing up free life. Experience without consequences. I tried to tell them—readers don’t get bored, readers aren’t dependent on others for entertainment, readers can travel through time, readers have healthy brains. Mostly I would get back vacant stares. I’m reminded of one boy in my classroom, years ago, who responded to my declaration that reading was fun as follows? “It can’t be fun. When you read, you have to think.”

I can remember my mother loading all of us kids into the car and taking us to the Upper Darby public library. It looked like a big white house and it sat up on a hill surrounded by trees. It had two stories and on the upstairs floor there were long aisles of books with white radiators at the end of certain aisles. I used to take my book and sit down near a radiator because I like how it smelled.

When my sister Diana was five, she memorized the children’s book Madeline.

“In an old house in Paris all covered with vines

Lived twelve little children in two straight lines.

In two straight lines they broke their bread,

Brushed their teeth and went to bed.”

She used to go up and down the street knocking on doors, offering to recite it for twenty-five cents. She was getting rich! It killed me because I could recite the whole damn thing too, but nobody thought it was cute when a ten-year-old boy did it. Not cute enough to pay for.

I know that I was a young reader because I’m sure I read the entire Hardy Boys series. After that it was the Chip Hilton series. Might have slipped a few Nancy Drew in between. But my turning point came at the end of fifth grade when my teacher sent home a note that said “Dallin is a very slow reader.” My father decided I needed to read a book a week all summer to improve my reading skills. The first book was The Earth is the Lord’s, and it was thicker than my fist. It was a fictionalized account of the boyhood of Genghis Khan, and I was hooked after 50 pages. I finished that one with a flashlight. I don’t remember the order, but Beau Geste and Boon Island and A Prisoner of Zenda came after that, and I became a life-long reader.

I read The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings trilogy when I was seventeen. The first time I read them, it took about six days. My world ceased to exist—there was only Middle Earth. When Gandalf died, part of me went with him, and I still think his resurrection played a role in my becoming a Christian. I read them two more times before I turned twenty, and then I vowed not to read them again for twenty years. I read each book in the trilogy just before Peter Jackson’s film version was released, and they were just as good as I remembered. (His films were good, too.)

We did another exercise in Creative Writing where we had to come up with things we’d be willing to fight for. I’d fight for the right to read. In fact, I have. In the seventh grade, I discovered Ian Fleming’s James Bond series. Books got passed around a lot in my family, and my sister Miriam had his latest, For Your Eyes Only. I snuck into her bedroom one night and took it off her bed stand. The next day she caught me with it. Ugly words were exchanged, and we ended up in a tug-of-war, book in the middle. I had my legs spread, both hands on the book, leaning away from her. Bam! She racked me. Her leg shot through the air, and I went down like a gunshot. She walked back upstairs with her book as I lay writhing in agony. I suspect James would have handled it differently.

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What I endorse: the corona version

Photo by Karen

This is my third “endorse” post—I used endorsements as a writing exercise in my Creative Writing classes. You just tell the world about things you like. My first one was about everyday things, like raspberries and polar bears. My second post was the artistic version, featuring artists like Tim Duncan and Leonard Cohen. This one is what I like in the time of corona:

1) My family: The Texas Malmgrens have a Saturday Night Margarita get-together every week on Zoom. We talk and talk; always fun. Bethany calls most every day when she is walking Nessa. Zack and Kallie and the girls come over once or twice a week. Annalisa and Karen text back and forth. And it goes beyond that—I have talked with my brother and four sisters more in the last month than in the previous year before that (not counting visits). Sometimes I realize that we had forgotten how much we like each other.

2) Entertainment: Wherever you can find it—I no longer judge video games. I belief Tiger King got half of America through the first week of the quarantine. Karen and I have discovered Schitt’s Creek as a mildly guilty pleasure. I think of crosswords and board games and puzzles as entertainment too.

3) The Bible: I think this is the most colorful, entertaining, profound, confusing, mysterious, enchanting and inspiring book about the history of God and man that ever was. I think it was given to us by God through humans. I don’t understand why people try to read it as black and white.

4) Golf: Yeah, I just made some people cringe. Our course closed for a couple weeks than re-opened. I know that it counts as a spoiled privilege, but it’s also a fairly safe social distancing form of exercise, especially for us old men. I haven’t played that often, but it’s one of the true pleasures of a day.

5) Waking up: I know this is another privilege—when I wake up, I usually don’t have to get up. I can lay there awhile, or even go back to sleep. Of course, it wasn’t like this most of my life. What I try to do now is make the realization that Jesus is right there with me at that moment. We plan my day…or I drift back to sleep.

6) Dr. Fauci: I just like the guy. I believe he is trying to save the country while walking a tightrope. The stress must be unbelievable.

7) My wife: She is the perfect person for me to go through this with. Not that it is always easy, ha, iron sharpens iron. But we get through our bad moments fairly easily now—we are finishing this journey together. It would be hard for me to go through this without her.

8) Social media: I try to ignore the dark side. I love how I am able to stay in contact with people from my past—I love observing former students turn into productive, socially aware people—I enjoy the brief contacts with past colleagues, fellow sojourners, voices from the past. Whether because of old age or quarantine, I find my thoughts drifting to the past. From where we were to where we are now—for most of us, the response is gratitude.

9) Church: In a way, I think this is good for our church. So much is ritual in a church service. We are shaking up the way we worship. My pastor called it the Easter of Empty Churches. The message is that the church isn’t empty; the building is empty. The church is moving—I hope that is happening across the country.

10) The corona beard: Well, I don’t endorse it entirely. It has been nice to let it go (I’ve never liked shaving), but I’m not sure I like having it on my face! It still itches too. It does surprise me how tolerant Karen has become of the beard.

11) Quiet time: My most essential. Reading and praying and believing. Trusting in God in these perilous times. That is the foundation of our endurance.

This is what gets me through the time of corona. I would be pleased if you would share your endorsements with me.

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How are you doing?

Photo by Karen

Introspection is usually a healthy activity—even moreso in the time of Corona. Covid-19 has affected our lives in many different ways, but we do share one commonality: all of our lives have been greatly affected. Every one of us can say: I’ve never been through anything like this before. And it affects everything about us—our activities, our moods, our thoughts, our relationships, our finances, our time. It is helpful to assess: how am I holding up? Each of us has to answer for himself/herself, but we have certain common barometers we can use in our assessment.

1) Sleep: Are you sleeping more or less? If you’re an insomniac, is it better or worse? What about dreaming—are you dreaming more or less? Are they more vivid, more easily remembered? Are they pleasant or scary? If you were giving yourself a grade for your sleep patterns during quarantine, what would it be?

2) Food: Most importantly, are you being safe? What are your chances of getting Covid-19 through this channel (that includes how you procure food, not just what you eat)? Are you eating healthier or less healthy than pre-quarantine? Are you gaining weight? (4 pounds here, sigh). Is your daily meal schedule regular or irregular? Has your approach to cooking changed at all? How has food affected your family life during the quarantine? Again, give yourself a grade.

3) Your phone: How adhesive has it become? (I saw two golfers marching down the fairway, one with clubs on his back, the other pulling a cart, both with their eyes fixed on the phones in their hands.) Every Monday I get a notification on my weekly usage with my phone—it has skyrocketed the past three weeks. I get it that it has become our communication lifeline…and even God can speak to us through our phones…but there has to be a line drawn somewhere. If, whenever there is a pause in your life, you look at your phone, then maybe… This grade is only pass/fail.

4) Exercise: A tough one for me. They shut down my golf course (just recently re-opened it) and my gym has been closed for almost a month. But the real problem isn’t the venue—in the days of Corona my body has become sluggish. Karen and I walk everyday, and I’ve gone fishing a few times. I don’t grade out very well on this one.

5) Moods: I can’t be serious! How can you grade yourself on that? No one can really control his/her moods. Like the old song says: “When you’re up you’re up, and when you’re down you’re down.” Ah, but I disagree—sort of. Moods can be like the virus: contagious. How you are affects all your quarantinistas. There’s an old Zen adage: If you want to be, act as if. Feeling kind of down? Fake it! Act cheerful…and watch the results. You get an A for effort on this one.

6) Activities: You have to do something to pass the time (besides just stare at your phone). I give the highest marks to those people who are being creative. I must have seen at least 20 YouTube quarantine song parodies—many of them hysterical (my fave is the guy at the rainy window doing Adele’s Hello), and some are absolutely uplifting. One of my nieces is an art teacher, and she and her two daughters are doing amazing things. Today’s newspaper suggested making your own quarantine video documenting how you are surviving these days—I’ll bet you’d love to watch that in ten years! Since most of my creativity is geared toward writing, I’ve taken up mundane activities like jigsaws and crosswords to keep things moving throughout the day. Again, creativity and collaboration improve your grade in this area.

7) Television: Curiously, Karen and I are watching less TV than we did pre-quarantine, and that is mostly news. Our idea of binging is two episodes in the same night. But I would be very pleased to find something like Game of Thrones or Downton Abbey or Mad Men and start it right now and follow it four or six or eight seasons and ride that baby right through the quarantine. We are trying to survive a lockdown. I suppose you are watching too much TV when you start hating it. Grade accordingly.

Of course, the grading thing is ridiculous. But if you’ve gotten this far, it might be helpful in evaluating your introspection. How are you doing? Can you identify aspects of your life that you need to shore up? I feel like I should get up and walk five miles tomorrow morning. (Wonder if I will?) Perhaps you’ve found something you should put a little more thought and effort into.

I left off one category, but that’s because it transcends introspection: charity. Not how are you doing, but what are you doing for someone else? Putting a little energy into that will do more to lift your spirits (and improve your grade) than anything else I can think of.

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The right to vote

This is totally non-partisan. I want every single person who reads this to vote. I want every single person who reads this to encourage every single person they know to vote. My goal is for this election to be the year that more people voted than ever before. I want every single state to make it easier to vote and to encourage more people to vote.

“We hold these truths to be self-evident…that all men are created equal.” If that is not the bedrock of democracy, then “…I am the way and the truth and the life…” is not the bedrock of Christianity. If all people are created equal, that means every single opinion counts as much as the next one. So democracy means that we gather up the consensus of what everybody thinks and we act accordingly. That would be pure democracy.

There are obvious restrictions—I do not think children should vote. After teaching 33 years of high school, I think 18 is a pretty good entry point. But after that, our united goal should be to get everyone to vote who possibly can. If we are more committed to the concept of democracy than we are to our own opinions (“Opinions are like assholes—everybody has one”)—then we want everyone to vote.

I am not naïve—I understand the workings of the electoral college and the concept of gerrymandering and the political benefits of suppressing the vote. All of that flies in the face of democracy…all men are created equal. If you are Neanderthal enough to think “all men” means white male landowners, then this essay is not for you anyway. It means: Your opinion counts as much as mine—let’s vote on it. We need to start living by democratic ideals rather than political scenarios. The first thing it takes to live democratically is to swallow your own ego.

Who should vote? My radical view: if you live here as an adult, you should vote. I want the convict to vote—the system didn’t work for you—vote. I want the immigrant to vote—ideally, you came here to be free—how is freedom working out for you? We have moved beyond gender and race and sexual preference—now we need to move beyond economic status—if you live here, you should have a voice.

How do we get to vote? As easily as possible! This is my concern with my country—I think we are discouraging people to vote. I think we want some votes to count more than others. That is not democracy—all created equal. If we believe that, we should encourage every single person we know to add his or her opinion to the melting pot.

Our voting methods are ridiculous—half on us, half on the system. In my state primary (Super Tuesday, Texas, pre-sheltering), some people had to wait in line six hours to cast a vote! In Wisconsin (yesterday), people were forced to put themselves at risk of contracting the virus in order to vote! Something has gone seriously wrong. My wife and I have early-voted for 16 years, and now we have been turned on to voting by mail (because we are 65). What does age have to do with it? Why can’t everyone vote by mail? Do you realize how democratic democracy would become if we solicited people’s opinions (that’s all a vote is, an opinion)?

As I stated first, this is non-partisan. Most of my friends are old white guys, and most of them support Donald Trump. I want them to vote, and I want them to get as many people as they can to vote. Their opinions matter as much as mine. Trump says that if there was an extremely large voter turn-out, the Republicans wouldn’t stand a chance. Isn’t that an extremely undemocratic thing to say?

To all my get-out-the-vote compadres: we have to figure out the easiest ways to increase voter turn-out and pass it on to everyone we know. In the age of Covid-19, voting by mail is an obvious practical solution. We have to push those in power to agree to it. There is a bill before Congress. Let them know where you stand. The real success of the 2020 election will be measured, not by who won, but by how many voted.

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My Coronavirus Questions

Rodin’s The Thinker

I don’t count the number of quarantine days, but I know it has been a lot. These are the things I wonder about:

–This is a plague of biblical proportions. What is God’s point of view?

–When does personal safety become obsessive?

–Is this the Darwinian concept of “thinning the herd”?

–Should Trump be given a pass for his initial failure to address the pandemic appropriately?

–What if the choice is between quarantining and being with family?

–Thus far New York has been the hardest hit by far. Governor Cuomo seemed like the first leader to realize the gravity of the pandemic. Have New Yorkers somehow mishandled their response way more than the rest of us?

–If I was a public health worker, would I have the courage to go to work?

–How confrontational should I be with someone not observing social (I prefer the term physical) distancing with me? Or if I observe it with others?

–Is it okay for me to play golf?

–What is really going on in China?

–How worried should I be about our investments?

–Is it possible to avoid sharp words and angry feelings among quarantinites?

–I’ve gained 3–4 pounds. Am I blowing it?

–Will we have an election? Will it be fair?

–Should I watch Tiger King?

–Is Covid-19 really bringing families together or just accelerating whatever direction they were already headed?

–Aren’t I making a moral decision every time I go out the front door?

–How much sleep is too much sleep?

–Shouldn’t a true patriot want as many people to vote as possible? Isn’t that the foundation of democracy?

–Should parents feel guilty for placating their children with screen time?

–Is a jigsaw puzzle a pleasant diversion or a mindless escape?

–Do we want a cheerleader president?

–How much TV news is too much TV news?

–How long is this going to last?

–What is the best possible outcome of the pandemic?

–If Jesus is with me right here, right now…how can I be more aware of that?

–If I get it, will it kill me? Am I ready to die?

Those are the things I wonder about as I sit inside my house. If you would like to share, I would love to hear your opinions on any of them.

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