Nov. 03, 2002 - 17:32 MST

THE WONDERING JEW

Short Term Nostalgia

Being an old Meandering Man I often go back to the days when I first became aware as an individual.

Here and there a trip to points in between then and today.

A year ago it was a reverie which holds the floor. A short little tale that is a reflection of me and kids of my age back then. I often visit those days, sadly remembering the bad times but jubilating over the good ones which I fully believe outnumbered the bad times.

Somewhere about ten months after I started my diary, with trepidation I did an inventory counting the ways treasures of the web came to me. Some of them I sought out but maybe the ones I encountered serendipitously on the way were of far greater importance to me. Somewhat like stumbling through a cow pasture and stubbing my toe on a gold nugget.

As I go from day to day I am by turns a crusty old curmudgeon who carps at the way our country is run and a man who delightedly discovers things hitherto unknown facts about himself and other folk. I think that in the attempt to discover myself I have cyber met many wonderful people, people who may think differently than I, yet through conversation have found common ground on which we can converse and the beauty of it all is that we can, in peace, agree to disagree and continue our friendship. Now that is an amazing thing I have encountered that seldom occurs in real life at least as far as I know. How sincerely I yearn for countries to "go thou."

Between writing a diary and conversing via e-mail with other folk I have been enabled more or less to walk that mile in another's shoes. Humbling to say the least, for me that is. But building in me a great admiration for people who keep on keeping on -- regardless -- still having joy in friends, relatives and living. Also allowing me to kick my bum and say something like, "So, Bastion, you thought you were bad off and in great pain and existing in extreme privation -- hah -- now you know better."

I think looking back a couple of years helps me enjoy my Short Term Nostalgia . . . . . . . .

Blog