A Song For The Dying...

 Today, as I worked, my wife rehearsed a song. I heard her singing in the front room as I sat behind a closed door. Her high school classmate died recently and a request was sent out to her class madrigal group to sing a tribute to their friend, a song that was the student's favorite...

A song for the dying.

I first asked my wife why she was rehearsing. She told me the story of her friend who passed away. I asked what happened. Turns out the student had a heart attack while driving. It wasn't the crash that took her life.

Heart attack.

I've heard those words many times in the past year. I'm no statistician, but I'll bet you know someone who has had a heart attack, or you know someone...friend, neighbor, co-worker...who has had someone close to them who has had a heart attack in the past year. I say that because I've lost three family members and one friend (ages from 30's to early 60's...) in the past four months...one a month. Statistically speaking, I can't be the only one with so many deaths from heart attacks in their life in the past year.

In our church, there's a phrase I've heard all my life...that in the last days, men's hearts will fail them. This comes from Luke 21:26 which states, "Men's hearts failing them for fear and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken."

I stated before I'm no statistician, nor am I really an expert on the scriptures, but I wonder if those who predicted the end times and talked about failing hearts were talking about actual heart attacks.

My wife recorded her part and downloaded it with the others. Because of the amazing times in which we live, her voice will blend with others and provide a loving tribute for their fallen friend...just another song, one of so many sung and performed in the past year. Too bad it won't be the last song sung for the dying.

Denny's...No More

 My mother-in-law asked if we'd join her for lunch this morning. We jumped at the idea. Next, we had to decide where we wanted to go. Moving away from a huge metropolitan area had its advantages, but also some disadvantages--for example, the choices of where to eat out.

We sat around her kitchen table and discussed out options. We rattled off a few places we thought might be good, then I said, "There's Denny's." 

"There's a Denny's in town?" my mother-in-law asked. "Where?"

Across the street from McDonalds. She had never seen the restaurant in the twelve months we've lived here. We decided to go to a place close to the Denny's and as we drove passed the restaurant, we noticed it wasn't there anymore. Oh, the building still exists, but the signs were gone and the windows covered.

Denny's was gone.

To be honest, we hadn't been regular customers at Denny's. We'd eaten there a few times and even ordered out once. Denny's isn't someplace we'd feel like going every week, but there were certain times when Denny's was the perfect place to go. Now, if that urge hits us. we'll need to drive at least twenty miles away to enjoy a Moon Over My Hammy breakfast or something else from their iconic menu.

At lunch we explained to my mother-in-law that when she said she didn't think there was a Denny's in town, she was technically correct. It was us who was wrong. I'll bet that restaurant had existed in that location for decades, maybe thirty or forty years. I'm sure they had valid reasons for closing--the economy, covid, staffing issues. Still...it was nice when the town had a Denny's.

Even Dream Jobs Suck, Sometimes...

 If you ask a kid if they want to be a writer when they grow up, chances are, they'll say, "naw." They probably want to do something more cool, like be a fireman, cop, or professional sports athlete. But, as that kid grows and either his personality or his body fails him in achieving--especially that professional athlete--goal, that same kid just might consider being a writer...

That is, if they can be a sports reporter.

That is a dream job.

At least, for a lot of grown-up kids, it is.

Years ago, I had the opportunity to call myself a "Sports Journalist." I wrote several articles for the Davis County Clipper. I covered local high school sports and I actually loved it. Reporting on local high school sports consists mostly of putting in as many high school student's names as possible. "Rex Sorensen tipped Max Hefner's desperation 4th-down Hail Mary pass to secure the win for Viewmont, thus guaranteeing the Vikings another winning season." Rex, his friends, and most importantly, his parents (who pay the subscription bill for The Clipper...) geek out that Rex's talents were forever preserved in print--doesn't matter the paper's size or circulation, it's IN THE PAPER!

So, when I heard of layoffs from one of the state's largest newspapers, it hurt. I felt terrible for those reporters and their families. I also thought about all those kids who would have done anything to be a sports reporter. Who wouldn't want to watch sports all day and get paid to write about it? But it isn't all "fun and games. To be successful, you've got to be part writer/part arm-chair quarterback/part bartender/therapist. The reason sports reporters are some of the best reporters in a paper is because of competition, and lack of paying gigs for those services.

I don't know these reporters personally, but I've read their work. I'll bet they were once those kids who looked on reporting on sports as a dream job, and when they got the gig, was one of the best days of their lives. Even though catching "red-eye" flights, doing interviews in blizzards, crazy deadlines, angry fans and readers, cheap motel rooms and bad food made the job tough at times, they kept doing it because they loved it.

I wish them all well. I'm glad some of those kids got to live out their dreams with a dream job...even though--as these great writers will tell you--the best of jobs can suck at times.

Flag Day, 2020 Version...

I've always wanted a flagpole in the yard, a place to display the flag, to honor it--not only on holidays, but everyday. My uncle and cousin in Idaho built their own. I think that's where I got the idea of having my own.

When my parents built their house decades ago, they removed an old power pole--it wasn't big, maybe twenty feet long. I thought one day I might use that as a flagpole. That didn't work out.

Another thing to consider, when setting up a flagpole is if you want it to fly at night, you need to light it--or you should, anyway. Last year I figured out a way to fly a flag at our house, fly it every day and every night. We didn't build a flagpole, but hung a flag in front of the house. Ever since we put it up, it's stayed, through each season, good weather and bad.

The flag is just cloth, different hues sewn together to form a symbol. What's interesting is, even though it seems the entire world has gone insane, the flag's remained the same. It's older, and a little more faded, but nothing's changed about the flag itself.

Now, opinions about the flag are held by individuals and each person has their own opinion about what the flag means and represents to them and to everyone else. I can't change that.

But, what I can do is--and what I'm going to do--is continue to fly the American flag, especially today...Flag Day. Any symbol should represent the best of things, the best of us. So, a flag can be a promise--if we uphold our end, it'll do the same. 

This year, we're flying the flag. I hope to still do the same when Flag Day comes around next year...and the year after that.

A Sign Of The Times...

Continuing on my "sign" theme, this came to my attention earlier this week. As I drove to work a few days ago I noticed a small change. I almost missed it, but I knew something was different.

The speed limits in the downtown section of our little hamlet have changed.

We can now travel 5 m.p.h. faster than we used to.

For years I got used to driving at a slower speed. I tried making sure my car didn't go too fast--I tried being courteous. After all, I don't want to get a ticket, and, the absolute last thing I want to have happen, I don't want to hit someone because I was going too fast.

I have friends who live on these streets. Sure, they have literal front-row seats to the annual Farmington Festival Days parade, but other than that, I do not envy their situation. I've driven to my friend's home during various parts of the day. There are times when you cannot get out of the driveway--there are just too many cars. And, heaven help you if there's an accident on the interstate and people drive through towns to get home. Then it's a nightmare.

I understand why these things change. If you took an informal poll of those who travel these roads (and if they knew they wouldn't get in trouble for telling the truth...), most would admit to driving above the posted speed limit. It was 35 m.p.h. before and now it's 40 m.p.h. On other streets, it was 30 m.p.h. and now it's 35 m.p.h. I probably drove almost 35 on the 30 and  40 on the 35 many times on these roads. What worries me is, because the speed limits are higher, people will be driving five to ten m.p.h. over the posted limit. 

I wonder if anyone who voted to make these changes actually lives on the streets that are effected. Or do they just want to drive faster on these roads so they can get home sooner.

That's an interesting question.

So, now we'll all go faster and get to where we're going seconds ahead of the time we did before. And since we're so obsessed with getting to where we want to go as quick as possible, the new speed limit is truly a sign of the times.