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before i begin to extol the events of the last few days let me begin by acknowledging how completely whacked much of it will sound. i have no way of knowing - yet - what, if anything, some of it means but i am willing to keep an open mind and ride the events of the near future with as little fear as possible.
friday was hectic and intense; it was seven o’clock in the evening and i was banging away not at my darling dirt but at my computer, completing some fare research on a proposal. i wanted to give notice but realized there was no one left in the office to submit my resignation to.
saturday i did some heavy-he-man shit at home that i had no business doing but i wanted it done so i did it. therefore, along with a grand sense of accomplishment i am now sporting a pretty messed up back.
sunday was filled with moans, whimpers, self-pity, self-loathing and bottles full of ibuprofen. i have got to take better care of myself and there is no way i will do it if i continue to work as i do.
monday morning i could barely walk but i had an air france deadline for eighty merry travelers into dakar, senegal so i hobbled in to the office only to discover that the persons responsible for their end of the deal had not done their job. this did not stop people from bending over to wave all kinds of requests at my crooked and feeble form. the time was ripe; i gave two weeks notice.
still hurting but with a brand new sense of empowerment and liberation i decided to go home and get flat. on my way home, i crawled into the grocery store to pick up a few, lightweight things. the cashier, in handing over my receipt, brushed my fingertips lightly with hers. what resulted was a shock so loud and powerful the folks in line behind me jumped back and me and old mable pert near had a coronary.
we chuckled a little nervously; i thanked her and made my slow way to the car. after placing my meager purchases in the trunk, i headed down the road. for reasons i’m still unsure of the phrase
kept running through my mind. i can’t say when i last ate a plum and i’m not certain i’ve ever even bought one but when i got home and opened my bags five ripe, juicy plums came tumbling out.
now i did not buy them and i did not bag them; everyone in line used those divider bars that neatly and efficiently keep individual’s foodstuffs from touching. my receipt is the high-tech type that reads ‘small yellow onion’ if you buy a small yellow onion but nary a single plum is accounted for. however, come lunchtime today i walked into the woods with my succulent plums and enjoyed the peace and quiet, the sound of birds, squirrels and chipmunks…the gurgle of the river and the sweet, slippery taste of my mysterious plums.
prevention is kinder than destruction. each year over six million healthy dogs, cats, puppies and kittens are killed as surplus. remember: neuter, spay and don't let them stray!