I Was Thinking... Isn’t That Terrible

A short time ago, a committee announced their choice for a new Minnesota state flag. It took months sorting through the various submitted options. After the choice was finally made, there was a firestorm of comments all over social media as to why this was a terrible choice. Emotions ran high and reactions reflected some deep-seated feelings about the flag.
But it made me wonder if I was missing something. Why wasn’t I more upset? While I wasn’t thrilled with the selection, neither had I been offended by the previous one. Neither of the flags had really produced a passionate reaction in me. In reality, the very fact we had a new flag or kept the old one didn’t seem to affect my daily life. Too often it seems, things that aren’t actually that important seem to stir some people up.
Over a year ago, when the decision was made to remove the only stop light in Kasson and replace it with a couple of roundabouts, there was a sweltering of discussion and reactions. It was quite a controversial issue that raised the ire of many people.
While I thought the light worked pretty well, the decision to put in a roundabout seemed unnecessary but not something that would be earth shattering in my life. The only inconvenience was the construction that occurred over the summer. Somehow, I still managed to get where I wanted to go even if it took me a little longer. My stress level never neared the fever pitch at seemed to occur in others. And now that the roundabouts are in and functioning, no one’s life seems to have been drastically altered.
With the hectic pace in pre-Christmas preparations, it seemed like the post office, like everyone else was stretched beyond their means. Sometimes our mail came at 5 p.m. and the next day it wouldn’t come until after supper. I heard discussions of the late delivery at church, when I met with a group for coffee and when we visited friends. There seemed to be general discontentment and concern with the tardiness of the postal service.
Yet we continued to get our mail, even if later than normal. When we finally sorted through it, about half went directly into the recycling bin, several of the others were bills I didn’t look forward to getting in the first place and there were a couple of Christmas cards. Since I wasn’t expecting any time sensitive correspondence, a notice I’d won the lottery, or an eviction notice, I guess it didn’t matter that much when the mail arrived.
I’ve gotten to the point that I almost want to skip watching the nightly news. As it has been for some time, most stories are about the tragedies that occur locally, nationally, or globally. There is always plenty of sorrow to share. While some of it is media hype, there are still many other people suffering with real problems. There are also real environmental issues, global conflicts, and social ills. So, in comparison, many things that keep people riled up are really pretty trivial.
Whenever I talk to someone about my age, we seem to agree that time sure has gone by much faster than we expected. We confide that we can’t believe we are really as old as we are. Another disturbing trend is the number of funerals we seem to be attending now. And with age, also come the more frequent doctor visits, more aches and pains, and small pharmacies that appear in our cupboards.
Life provides enough concerns and sorrow without creating our own imagined calamities which in fact aren’t. So, in the new year, chill out. If the Vikings don’t even make the playoffs, our life will still go on.
Did You Ever Wonder? — Why do they have to stick down the first sheet of a toilet paper roll?