Borrowed Thoughts

Hayter article for March 29, 2020

“Borrowed thoughts”

            I hear what you’re saying. “Please, not another article with your senseless ramblings!” Not at all. Not on this shift. No, today, I’m presenting some ramblings from some friends and family. -- I know. It’s ingenious.  

            I requested the selected few to write down a particular thought or two that popped into their skulls during their downtime. I specified that the thought didn’t have to be related to the coronavirus. Here’s some of what I got.

       ✿Jill -- My kid sister has been wondering how she would survive a zombie apocalypse. She made it clear that she wouldn’t want to be a leader. She’d much prefer being a provider and/or a protector. I hope that means more to you than it does to me. I used to think that Jill was the one in the family who had her head on straight. It’s scary to realize that no one in your family is mentally stable. By the way, Jill currently works out of her home for San Jacinto College. She thinks it would be neat if she could keep working at home.

      ✿Big Al -- “I have noticed that one effect of the six-foot distance we are to keep from one another while in public has been that customers and workers at the grocery store refuse to notice people. Ninety percent of those who walked by didn’t even look at me. The few who did, refused to smile or say “hi” or anything. I believe some have associated “rude behavior” with distancing themselves from one another. Me, I hate rude behavior. But, unlike Woodrow Cal, I feel it best to tolerate it.” 

            Al asked me if I had heard the commercial with the song that goes, “I’m standing on a mountain about to fall. Walking on a rooftop 50 feet tall…” He said that the tune makes him feel happy. Then after two minutes, he goes back to “worrying again about Clint and Dusti’s families, and the rest of you guys.”

            ✿Brad (Photographer, ex-reporter, food critic, and friend) Brad sees a possible trend where people start putting out signs in their yards letting people know how they are and what they need. Stuff like, “I need ice cream!” -- Brad also mentioned that he’s remembering how bored he used to get playing board games.  

            ✿Curt (Nephew-in-law from Washington State who owns the goats and, with my niece Rhonda, takes care of Kay and me when we visit)  -- Curt says that they are in a complete shut-down in Yakima Valley, but he’s still got plenty of projects to complete around their 40-acre spread. He said that he wakes up of a morning not knowing what best to wear, because he’s not sure what he’s going to be doing. Curt’s problem stems from him getting calls to help people out. He’s way too dependable and the people in the area have picked up on that. If I lived near him, he would stop accepting my calls. 

            With regard to his thoughts, Curt said that when he was a kid, he needed little help finding something to do. He might ride his bicycle back and forth and in circles. Maybe speed down a hill, into a creek, or off an embankment. Nowadays, he doesn’t see the point in him doing stuff like that. Perhaps I should remind him about some of the church members popping in for a visit. -- “Brother, Still, could you-- What th--?”

            ✿Rhonda (My niece and wife of Curt, who helps everybody and acts happy when we visit and sad when we leave.) -- Rhonda has been keeping up with much of the good things that have been going on during her weeks of isolation. She mentioned all the work that doctors and nurses, firemen, police, military… so many are helping out in whatever way they can. She also mentioned a quote attributed to Mr. Rogers.--  “When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.’”

            It’s hard to top that, so I’m going to end by sharing the answers I received from a few specific questions: -- What is your favorite à 1) Smell. 2) Dessert 3) Sandwich.

            Jill replied that her favorite Smell was a “baby.” Dessert -- Mom’s chocolate pie. Sandwich -- Schlotsky’s original.

            Clint (Al’s son) -- Smell -- baseball glove leather, Dessert -- cheesecake, Sandwich -- French onion Dip.

            Matt -- (Chemist and friend) Smell -- Eucalyptus,   Desert - Sahara, Sandwich - pulled pork -- On the questionnaire, I left out an “s” in the word “Dessert.” If anyone else caught it, they didn’t bring it up. Matt, being an ex-student of mine, felt a need to mention it. --  Sahara? I would’ve gone for the Gobi.

            AL -- Smell -- Ribeye steak grilling, Dessert -- Marlena’s fruit salad, Sandwich -- French onion dip.

            Nalin (Dennis’ son) Smell --  The smell of a Ball Park! Hot dogs, spilled beer, cut grass.  Hard to explain but you know it when you smell it!!!

            Dennis -- Peach soda. -- That’s an example of  “Dennis” humor. I’m one of a very few who can understand it. Dennis, my big brother, was also my best buddy all through my childhood. We could read each other’s mind.

            I think about those childhood days a lot. Especially when I have time to “cast my memory back there, Lord.” (A verse borrowed from Van Morrison’s Brown Eyed Girl.) -- Be safe. Stay nice. Look for the helpers. -- Next time.

end

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