Assimilation, Reclamation, Our Deepest Secret, Some Very Good News

“It’s a fact—everyone is ignorant in some way or another.  Ignorance is our deepest secret. And it is one of the scariest things out there because those of us who are most ignorant are also the ones who often don’t know it or don’t want to admit it. So here is a quick test: If you have never changed your mind about some fundamental tenet of your belief if you have never questioned the basics, and if you have no wish to do so, then you are likely ignorant.

Before it is too late, go out there and find someone who, in your opinion, believes, assumes, or considers certain things very strongly and very differently from you, and just have a basic honest conversation.  It will do both of you good.”
— Vera Nazarian 

Good morning, my clock shows 8:08 a.m., but my mind and body are sure it’s 6:08 a.m., this is my one day of acclimation.  We are safely back in our Indianapolis home, arriving yesterday afternoon; it was a unique trip; let me share some highlights.

Travel is different these days than, say, 18 months ago. Then, before the pandemic, we would arrive at the airport an hour before our flight, get a coffee or drink, then board, deplane; it was a walk-on walk-off scenario.  That is no longer the case; today, plan for delays.  Let’s start with ordering an UBER; no longer do you have the luxury of waiting until you need an UBER, you must know the schedule ahead, or your pricing will be 3x a preschedule.

We left our mountain house at 7:00 a.m., we headed to the condo to met Bay and met an UBER.  We called her and said order it for 7:50; when she initially jumped in the app and needed the UBER, the price to get to the airport was $120.00; when she selected 7:50, the price dropped to $40.00. So I think no matter your situation if you UBER or LYFT, preorder and save yourself stress and money.

We got to the airport, using our regular entrance, west side, first door, and headed to TSA.  Gone are the days of walking into the TSA line yesterday. We were about 100 yards from the start; we winded a long line before getting through security.  The lines moved fast, but they were long; two hours before your flight is no joke. So be prepared to slink along before getting to your gate.

Masks are required in every airport; they are not fans of BUFF’s or Gators; it must be a cloth or paper mask.  It’s an added hassle, but there is still magic in the restaurants; once you sit down, the virus can no longer attack; we had a breakfast burrito before getting on our plane.  I had planned to work, but after the few days I had, I opted to rest.  As soon as the plane took off, I fell asleep and woke up in Indy.

We deplaned; Bay’s mother Angie was our UBERANGIE; she rolled up, we got in, and it was nice to see a familiar face.  Our home had been rented the day before; we had not been home since our Air B and B experiment had started; how would our home be after being leased to strangers over the past few months?

We walked in and were greeted by our Air B and B manager; he had filled in for the cleaning crew, a last-minute cancelation, so he took it upon himself to get the house ready for the owners.  I must say we were both impressed at how clean and orderly the home looked, smelled, and tasted.  We looked at our book of guests and had folks from all over the country visit our house; the reviews are perfect, everyone loves our space.  I think our experiment worked; we will use all excess revenue to pay off our debt on this house.

It was a little weird coming back into this home that served us for six years.  It’s still home, but now it feels like a familiar Air B and B even to us.  We no longer live here; we share this space with others.  We had a collection of humanity; we had white people, people of color, and folks from the Muslim community.  You might wonder how we know this information; we have a ring camera at our front door that alerts us when our guests arrive; it’s cool to see all the different folks enter our home.   I logged into our downstairs television to find YOUTUBE sharing “The Study of Islam” videos; I’m happy we do not discriminate; I don’t care who you are, just be kind, and you can stay at our home.

We don’t have food here, so we headed over to our local Mexican restaurant to get some tacos for dinner.  Then we returned, watched a movie before hitting the bed at 10:00 e.t. which was 8:00 m.t.  We both slept like rocks; I woke up a couple of times confused about where I was. Finally, I got up, made my coffee, grabbed my Nicorette gum, sat in my purple writing chair, flipped on my fireplace, and found an eerie similarity to my writing spot 1187 miles from this spot. 

I’ve got some training with a group in New Mexico at lunchtime; after that, my wife and I will be securing a second car from our kid for our short stay. After that, I’ll head to Carmel, Indiana, to meet with a few friends and catch up or maybe even mustard. So home early, then up at 5:00 tomorrow e.t. or 3:00 m.t. to head north and visit with some of my northern friends.

I reached out to my son to see if I could swing by and see their kid. Unfortunately, it’s been too long; I’d like to see my granddaughter, but he said they had some things going on, the time would not work. However, he shared some good news, he and his wife are expecting their second child.  So Grandson will have number two in about six months; we are filling up our mountain top bunk beds as suspected.  We made room for eight but can fit more if needed.

As I looked back to my mental state six days ago, I was not in a good place.  I felt as if I had been kicked in the gut; my mind was not clear, but over time with a bit of help from my friends, a little meditation, and some good news, I’m back to having a full tank of anticipation, excitement, and hope for our future. So, today will be a day of acclimation and reclamation of my Hoosier self; I hope I get to see you; if not, I’ll be back soon.

“It’s a fact—everyone is ignorant in some way or another.  Ignorance is our deepest secret. And it is one of the scariest things out there because those of us who are most ignorant are also the ones who often don’t know it or don’t want to admit it. So here is a quick test: If you have never changed your mind about some fundamental tenet of your belief if you have never questioned the basics, and if you have no wish to do so, then you are likely ignorant.

Before it is too late, go out there and find someone who, in your opinion, believes, assumes, or considers certain things very strongly and very differently from you, and just have a basic honest conversation.  It will do both of you good.”
— Vera Nazarian