other woman.
The other woman next to me, she was quiet and unnerving—eerily gazing into the dark abyss that lay past the plasticky glass.
A low hum emitted from the bus’ engine, muted to a vibrating tune. However, in the deafening silence, it was a battle relay.
Framed and propped, she was ethereal; a beauty that didn’t deserve the title of woman—no! Instead, a nymph or, a goddess.
She was thin, her skin sinking ’round her collarbones with bony wrists and nimble fingers. Black (mirroring that of the deep evening) danced in her hair, and reflection pressed her dusty grey eyes to my own.
A soft, haunting gaze.
I’d have fallen in love, if it weren’t for the silver band that stained her ring finger.
Ring finger.
Strange name for an appendage. As though its only purpose was to hold that scared metal.
But, to a woman like her, it served no purpose. Instead, a greeting and welcoming to any grime that could so shamelessly kiss down the neck of a betrothed.
Perhaps I couldn’t blame her— I mean, look at her!
I wouldn’t let her slip through my fingers.
Grasping the cold metal, my fingers burned with a sharp press to the small knife.
Snowed-In Ramblings
Suicide lovers
Star-crossed hearts
Untouched forever
Apocalypse starts
Isolated thoughts
Broken dreams
Memories disrupted
Muffled screams
Blame yourself
Blame me too
Blame the gods
For creating you
Never meant for this
Love wasn't the plan
But you are you
And I'm just a man
Laugh at it all
Even if it's not funny
Forever your bee
Forever my honey
The nature of human existence
Lately, a book I read in college keeps coming to mind: Things Fall Apart by the Nigerian author, Chinua Achebe. Given the class was 40 years ago and my brain is an indiscriminate sieve, I am pleased that I actually remember the title and author, and am unsurprised that I have no memory of any specific details. I believe it was about one people's traditional way of life falling apart in the face of another nation's empire building.
Regardless, it is the title that speaks to me: It is a simple reminder to me that life is always falling apart in some way, somewhere for someone.
A marriage. A friendship. The business or personal relationships thought to be unbreakable that fall apart.
A terminal illness that eradicates a family's life savings before the loved one finally succumbs.
Unexpected job loss followed by extended unemployment.
A contract. An agreement. Peace.
Over and again, throughout history, lives have fallen apart because of catastrophic events or decisions with far-reaching repercussions made in distant halls of power.
Consider the genesis and impact of the following policies, programs, events. The goal of each, even the wars, though maybe not the pandemics, the Crash or the Depression, was to improve lives, the way of life, for some group or groups. As you know from your own experience, you can never please everyone; this is even more true at the macro level. So, things falling apart is inevitable. In each case, while some benefited, others lost their lives and/or livelihoods. New lives and ways of life arose from the ashes.
Manifest Destiny; the Monroe Doctrine; the Industrial Revolution; the Open Door Policy; the (Theodore) Roosevelt Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine; Dollar Diplomacy; World War I; the Spanish Flu (considered a misnomer for the 1918-1920 pandemic); the Wall Street crash of 1929; the Great Depression; the New Deals (the presidency of FDR); World War II; the Marshall Plan; the UN (and its many offshoots); the Cold War (with its proxy wars); the Great Society programs (the presidency of LBJ); USAID and the Peace Corps (the presidency of JFK); the fall of the Berlin Wall; 9-11; the Belt and Road Initiative of China (also known as the New Silk Road, which, as of this writing, has 140 participating nations that comprise 75% of the world's population and 50% of the world's GDP); the pandemic of 2020 (the Chinese Flu?); and, perhaps, the second presidency of DJT as it seeks to change the US government's role at home and abroad.
The worlds of faceless millions whose names will never be known in the annals of history, fall apart daily, have fallen apart consistently, throughout history.
Your life may be falling apart right now.
Personally, I have been watching my husband's life fragment and crumble for almost a decade.
Things fall apart; it is the nature of human existence.
That being said, I choose not to descend into an abyss of misery.
I am a huge fan of Dale Carnegie's works. In his book, How to Stop Worrying and Start Living (1948), he gives some very helpful tips to living more joyfully no matter what life throws at you:
1. Analyze the situation. Consider what could go wrong.
2. Accept the worst. Realize that the worst could happen, and prepare to accept it.
3. Improve the situation. Use your time and energy to make things better.
That last one is key. Criticizing, complaining, condemning...worrying does not help to make things better for anyone, least of all, yourself.
Worry never robs tomorrow of its sorrow, it only saps today of its joy." Leo Buscaglia
I wish you an abundance of joy-filled moments.
