The Good Old Money Fairy, Defining Your Legacy

"Everyone must leave something behind when he dies, my grandfather said. A child or a book or a painting or a house or a wall built or a pair of shoes made. Or a garden planted. Something your hand touched some way so your soul has somewhere to go when you die, and when people look at that tree or that flower you planted, you're there.

It doesn't matter what you do, he said, so long as you change something from the way it was before you touched it into something that's like you after you take your hands away. The difference between the man who just cuts lawns and a real gardener is in the touching, he said. The lawn-cutter might just as well not have been there at all; the gardener will be there a lifetime."
— Ray Bradbury (Fahrenheit 451)

Hello, good morning, how are you? You look good; it’s been a while since you stopped by; thank you, I needed some company.   The sun is just getting ready to come up, the coffee is on the counter, grab a cup and watch the sun as I pen a few thoughts.  A relaxed day here yesterday; I had an appointment in the morning, then we ran some errands, our cleaning lady Anglea was over, and we now have a clean house. Of course, it’s never filthy, but it’s nice to have someone blow the dust off things weekly.

Bay stayed again; we started another gin game; this time, I’m competing.  She will head back to the condo tonight; she is getting her second poke.  She will stay with us tomorrow night when our friend from Breckenridge stays the night.  We will work here today; I’ve got some appointments, as does my wife, we need to run down the hill, but it should be another decent day of work and folly.

Have you noticed the push to focus on climate change?  A few months ago, Project Veritas did a hit piece on CNN, and the producer said after Trump, we are going 24/7 climate change.  We are going to scare everyone! Well, I’m not sure if NPR and CNN share the same playbook, but NPR is now knee-deep in the climate change “everyone is going to die” narrative.

It’s interesting when they mix in another social issue like race into the climate change story.  Did you know that black and brown people suffer more from climate change than do white folks? It’s a thing, due to the systemic patriarch society built by the white man, black and brown people are oppressed and suffer untold misery.  I’m just reporting the news folks, do not shoot the messenger. I heard a new term yesterday on NPR, the term economic justice, a new one on me.  The idea is to reallocate income and resources from those who earned the treasure to those oppressed.  It’s an equity move, something sure to bring our country together.

Speaking of bringing folks together, how is that mandate working out for us.  You have two sides, one that things if you don’t’ get a vaccine, you are a simpleton, and the other side views mandating a poke in the arm as a violation of their freedom.  I think it wise to vaccinate, I’m vaccinated, but if you choose not to poke, cheers, I’ll love you like a brother, mother, sister, or other.  You do you, and I’ll do me and forever the both of us can live free.  When did it become in vogue to tell others how to live their lives?

Our feeble old leader was in town yesterday pushing his build-back better plan. But, of course, the price tag to betterment is 3.5 trillion dollars, never mind the federal government is in massive debt, money grows on trees, future generations can pay our debts. But, seriously, where is the money for these programs going to be generated? Wait, I know, the money fairy.

The money fairy has been busy as of late, delivering checks to those that chose not to work these past few months due to the ‘pandemic.”  A time when logic and reason were thrown out the window and replaced with fear and abandonment of rational thought.  We are lucky to have lived during these times so we can share the lessons with future generations. 

Enough doom and gloom, my baby girl’s birthday was yesterday.  I spoke to her and her husband yesterday; he had cooked her some crispy chicken and pasta, it looked delicious.  I think she is 24, maybe 25. Is it bad I don’t know how old my kid is?  I’m pretty sure my son is 26, our middle is 26 (blended family), and I’m sure that makes Quincy 25.  Folks, don’t get old, the memory begins to fade, and you sound like an old man screaming, “get off my lawn!”

The deck is moving along nicely; we will wrap up that project by week’s end, we will have our hot tub delivered on October 1st, we have tickets for Bill Burr that night at Red Rocks, we will watch Bill then return home to enjoy your new tub.  My friend is getting married here on the 2nd, the property will be in great shape, and he and his family can use our hot tub and enjoy the new deck.  We have another wedding to attend; we will miss the event here but catch up the following day at their reception.

We were having lunch when I got the news.  My favorite comedian, Norm Macdonald, passed due to a nine-year battle with cancer.  The old joke “I didn’t know he was sick?” was my first thought, a sad day for the comedy world.  His last tweet was, “I have information that will lead to the arrest of Kamala Harris.”   

I think the thing that we might want to learn from Norm’s passing is that we will all die.  I know, shocking, but most of us live as we will never die, and I have an appreciation for the expiration of my body.  I know that I’m here for a reason; I’m to create and move minds; that is my mission. What is yours? Yes, I’m a father, lover, writer, teacher, and own a small business, but I’ll have nothing left but these words and the impact I brought to my communities when I’m gone.  What is your legacy?

"Everyone must leave something behind when he dies, my grandfather said. A child or a book or a painting or a house or a wall built or a pair of shoes made. Or a garden planted. Something your hand touched some way so your soul has somewhere to go when you die, and when people look at that tree or that flower you planted, you're there.

It doesn't matter what you do, he said, so long as you change something from the way it was before you touched it into something that's like you after you take your hands away. The difference between the man who just cuts lawns and a real gardener is in the touching, he said. The lawn-cutter might just as well not have been there at all; the gardener will be there a lifetime."
— Ray Bradbury (Fahrenheit 451)