What About Your Liver

The lab tech asks if I have a preference for which arm he should use to draw blood and I respond with “whichever one you can get it right the first time.”

In response to a quizzical look I tell him they had trouble last year and pricked me multiple times. I smile while saying it and watch him get it right on the first try.

“I can count on one hand the number of times it has taken more than once to find my vein and shrug my shoulders.”

A day later I have the results and if the doc asks “what about your liver” I can tell him I don’t like liver and onions or Brussels sprouts.

Stuck In A Group Of Fools

The war has us searching for like minded fellows who can offer support and so I have joined several new groups and have wondered if I wish to stay in a couple of them.

Feels a bit like I am stuck in a group of fools who have no plan other than to call those who disagree with them self hating and or talk about how they have armed themselves.

They know very little about those they insult and I wonder if insecurity makes them push false bravado though in truth I spend little time thinking about that.

What I focus more upon is the lack of direction within the group and the feeling that it is lots of people shouting directions without a real plan.

If the goal is to do something about antisemitism yelling at those who disagree with us while debating which gun is best isn’t of particular service.

That shouldn’t be interpreted as a sign of pacifism because I am not that guy. There are just wars and times in which violence is the solution required to bring about deterrence and or peace.

We need to establish that we aren’t easy marks and suckers but that is more of a short term answer to the bigger question of how to confront the antisemitism we see now.

That requires strategic thought and executing a plan that is actionable, effective and sustainable.

Don’t look for that answer in this post because I am not trying to provide it here. This is me complaining about the lemmings and sheep who try to bark like dogs but whose voices sound more like braying donkeys.

It is good have community around you and to feel like you are not alone but I like communities that have plans for how to respond to challenges.

Life Will Be Different

Been saying for a long time that I have felt big changes in the air and that I expect that things are going to look different and this is one of those signs that I was right.

Not saying that I knew this particular event was coming because I didn’t but I know it is going to force a reassessment of many things.

Much of the world I grew up in is gone or has changed in significant ways that will impact the lives of my children. They are going to be part of a different world than I knew and to an extent they already have been.

But I am beginning to consider how big those changes are and trying to understand what the impact of such things will be.

It is not wise to compare times because there are too many variables but I am concerned enough to ponder this more frequently.

Might be too soon to try and figure it out after all it took some time after 9/11 for us to begin to see with clarity what things looked like and to adjust.

Maybe we just need a little more daylight to gather our thoughts and figure out the best path forwards.