With or without religion, you would have good people doing good things and evil people doing evil things. But for good people to do evil things, that takes religion.
The good life, as I conceive it, is a happy life. I do not mean that if you are good you will be happy - I mean that if you are happy you will be good.
Too much sanity may be madness and the maddest of all, to see life as it is and not as it should be.
The only way to find the limits of the possible is by going past them into the impossible.
August 31, 2009 - 1:41 p.m.
I had a remarkable day yesterday. I wish I had updated as soon as I got home and it was fresh in my mind but other things needed my attention and I didn't. I'll try and recreate it as best I can.
The weather was perfect, mostly sunny, in the upper 70s and dry. I couldn't resist going out for a walk. I didn't wear my usual linen outfit and straw hat. Instead I dressed as I would have years ago. I wore shorts, my Moxy Früvous bucket hat, and my Halley's Comet t-shirt. Figure out how old that is? It is only the second oldest t-shirt in my wardrobe. My Doctor Who t-shirt is from the late 70s maybe very early 80s. I have a black hole t-shirt of similar vintage.
I didn't walk in my neighborhood. Instead I drove back to my old haunts which have more natural beauty; the Joe Michaels Mile along Little Neck Bay. Between my wardrobe and my destination I dubbed it my retro-walk.
The day was so beautiful it gave me a sense of euphoria. I decided to indulge myself so before I started my walk I went to Baskin-Robbins and had a hot fudge and peanut butter sauce sundae. I haven't done that in ages. Certainly not this year.
My plan was to park at the Alley Pond Environmental Center but the sign said the lot closed at 3:30 on Sundays. Well actually it said "except for summer" but it didn’t give the summer time. I was a bit nervous that they'd put the gate up so I didn't park there. There isn't anyplace else convenient to park for the walk along the bay in Bayside so I drove to the other end of the walk, Little Bay Park, that has a lot. There was a back to school festival and the weather was perfect so the lot was full but I found a spot when someone pulled out.
I never made it to the Joe Michaels Mile. The lot is adjacent to not just the park but Fort Totten. Last time I tried to go to the fort with my mother the guard looked at me like I had two heads. He said, "This is a military base! You can't come in!" I had been there as a kid and there is a historic Battery there that I visited as a kid and it is the home of the Bayside Historical Society so I thought that odd but you don't argue with a soldier with a gun. Yesterday I saw people strolling in so I did to. There are no signs outside to tell you this but inside I saw that the Battery is open Wednesday through Sunday. There is also a public pool there that I never knew existed. It is in fact a New York City Park, not just a fort and training ground for the police and fire departments. When I was there with my mother it must have not been visiting hours. The guard instead of telling me that just turned us away and acted like entry is never permitted.
As I said, I haven't been to the Fort since I was a kid. I love that sort of thing. I don't know why we didn't do it more. It was all of 7 minutes from my house. I don't know why I haven't been there as an adult. I got there too late to see the battery in the old fort but I still had a ball walking the grounds. For most of the walk I was all alone with no one in sight. I love having places like that all to myself. There was a beautiful walk along the bay. There were beautiful old historic buildings. There were ugly areas with temporary buildings for the Fire Department training. There was a residential section for the trainees. There were feral cats that someone was keeping as there was food and water bowls laid out for them. There was a parade ground by the pool. That’s where all the people were. The pool was filled with people having fun. Alan would have hated it because there were so many people. I want to go there. It's a free pool. Next swimming day I'll be there.
I love being alone but I also love people watching. I had a great moment crossing the street. There are fans to ferry people from the Bus Stop by the parking lot to the pool. I started to cross the street at the van approached. I stopped to let the van go by. The van stopped to let me go by. I started to cross and he started to move. This happened a few times. Eventually I crossed first. As I did so I waved and smiled. I felt a human connection with the driver. Apparently he did to. After I crossed when he was behind me he honked the horn. When I turned to look he stopped and waved to me with a big smile on his face. So did some of the passengers.
As I was walking across the parade ground there were some kids playing, two teens with what I take it were their younger siblings. They were rough housing. One big sister was holding her little sister upside down while the little one was shouting "Mom!!!" As I walked by the big sister looked at me and said, "Hi" to me, like there was nothing more natural than standing there holding your sister by her ankles.
I was so happy that I saw the people strolling in the gate. It must have been fate. I chose that day to go there when the back to school festival was bringing in people. I was there as they walked in the gate. If it wasn't for that I wouldn't have looked twice. It was meant to happen.
Did you buy that crap! That's what it is. It was nothing but chance. I've been there scores of times and this time I got lucky. If you are sitting there thinking tha I'm being cynical, think to yourself. What evidence is there for it being fate? That is what needs the proof. That's the more remarkable possibility. Don’t give into believing in nonsense just because it feels good. Enough hectoring. Let's go back to my day which felt good without being nonsense.
I was having a blissful day and my only regret was that I didn't have my camera. You know what that means. I'm going to go back with it. I'll make sure I'm there early enough to see the old fort.
After I explored every corner that I could get to I left. The weather was still perfect so I didn't want to get in my car. I took the walk along the East River in Little Bay Park. I walked to the Throgs Neck Bridge, and past it to the end of the walk. The view was gorgeous. People see suspension bridges all the time so forget what a marvel they are. They have the classical beauty that comes from conforming to a difficult function. They are true marvels combining grace with monumental size. They are wonders of the world that we see but don't appreciate. There are millions of butterflies but that does not detract from the beauty of the one you are looking at. There are billions of snowflakes but each one is a work of art. Take a good look at the next suspension bridge you see. The Throgs Neck Bridge on the East River with boats on the water and the sun low in the western sky was a thing of beauty.
On the walk I was not alone. It was filled with people enjoying one of the finest days of the year. My favorite one was your typical beautiful young skater woman, with the tight body and short shorts. Why? Because there she was roller blading with a long-haired chihuahua on a short leash running as hard as it could on it's tiny legs to keep up with her. I didn't recognize the breed of dog. I thought it might be a Pomeranian puppy but it didn't look right. So I asked her. She took off her earphones to hear me and smiled when she heard what I was asking. People talk to people with dogs. It's part of the appeal of having one.
The walk was perfectly framed. As I was driving there Bob Sherman was playing Christine Lavin on Woody's Children. After I left Nick Spitzer was interviewing Alan Tousaint on American Routes. One of the songs played in the background fit my mood perfectly.
SummertimeSummertime,
by George Gershwin
And the livin' is easy
Fish are jumpin'
And the cotton is highOh, Your daddy's rich
And your mamma's good lookin'
So hush little baby
Don't you cryOne of these mornings
You're going to rise up singing
Then you'll spread your wings
And you'll take to the skyBut until that morning
There's a'nothing can harm you
With your daddy and mammy standing bySummertime,
And the livin' is easy
Fish are jumpin'
And the cotton is highYour daddy's rich
And your mamma's good lookin'
So hush little baby
Don't you cry
When I got home I stopped at the supermarket for a rolls for dinner and breakfast. Then I remembered that the Pakistani restaurant has Naan for 50¢. I got two pieces. They were huge and they were hot. I have to do that more often. It was another way to indulge myself.
The thing that made the day so special was that I felt so much like me. Yes, when I'm procrastinating and wasting time that's the real me too. But that's the scar tissue, the parts that had to deal with the wear and tear of actually existing. Yesterday I was the platonic ideal, the Intended Edition of my life. I was alone, I wasn't lonely. My mind was moving in the directions I love. I even thought of how to write about it for you. Yes this is imperfect. I forgot much of what I wanted to write but as Ralph said to Alice; "There's a piece of it at least."
Now I'm back to my regular self. It's August 31. My car inspection runs out at the end of the month. Guess what I have to do. I'm sure it is too late to get it done. I'm also a bit nervous as I don't have a garage here that I trust. I'm going to take it to the place that changed my oil and see if I can leave it there and have them inspect it tomorrow. I won't get a ticket because it won't be on the street. I have to get some shopping done so I'll ask if I can bring it back after I finish that.
Anatomy of a Murder Crohn's Disease - September 08, 2009
Party of the Second Part - September 07, 2009
Music Has Charms to Heal the Savage Ileum - September 06, 2009
The Child That is Father to the Nerd - September 02, 2009
On the Natural Road to Auto Inspection - September 01, 2009
Email me: GordonLew at gmail
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 License. Horvendile August 31, 2009
