Quarantine Diary #664 Whine, whine, whine.

1/7/2021

Lincoln gave a speech in January of 1838 to Americans alarmed by mob actions.

He begins: “In the great journal of things happening under the sun, we, the American People …

… I hope I am over wary; but … even now something of ill-omen is amongst us. I mean the increasing disregard for law which pervades the country; the growing disposition to substitute the wild and furious passions, in lieu of the sober judgment of Courts; and the worse than savage mobs, for the executive ministers of justice. … Accounts of outrages committed by mobs form the every-day news of the times. They have pervaded the country, from New England to Louisiana;--…. Alike, they spring up among the pleasure hunting masters of Southern slaves, and the order loving citizens of the land of steady habits.--Whatever, then, their cause may be, it is common to the whole country.

The question recurs, "how shall we fortify against it?" The answer is simple.. As the patriots of seventy-six did to the support of the Declaration of Independence, so to the support of the Constitution and Laws, let every American pledge his life, his property, and his sacred honor; …”

This is the whole speech: http://www.abrahamlincolnonline.org/lincoln/speeches/lyceum.htm

Read the backstory here. LINCOLN AND THE "MOBOCRATIC SPIRIT" (theattic.space) This article is from the Attic to which you might like to subscribe. “Sick of the news? Come rummage in The Attic to find a kinder, cooler America.  Here you’ll find common ground, not minefields.  Updated weekly, The Attic features short profiles of American artists, writers, dreamers, inventors, visionaries, and more. … The Attic does not suggest where America should be headed; it only captures the human interest of being American.”

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I didn’t write yesterday for this profound reason. I came upstairs to work but Weijia was asleep on my office chair. She looked so incredibly comfortable that I decided to let her nap a bit more.  I found my book that I was (then, pre-cat) in the middle of. When I finished it 5 ½ hours later the cat was napping elsewhere but I was out of the writing mood.

This is a recent quote by me: “We are not wasting our retirement by being overly productive.”

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Earlier this week (#661) Reader Heather listed a couple things she missed because of quarantine. Then she commented about herself: “WHINE WHINE WHINE.”

Heather, I don’t know you personally, but boy do I know that WHINING feeling.  Gah! I am so tired of being prudent and careful and mostly at home.

I’ve been listing some of my WHINES.

• I want so very, very much to go out to eat at an ethnic restaurant with friends.
• I want to visit my kids without planning ahead, discussing options, doing covid tests and creating plans worthy of military forays.
• I want not to have gotten the text I did last night that one of my kids and her family are suddenly all positive for covid. They have been so careful but how can one avoid it with two jobs and one daycare center? The three-year-old had a runny nose for a week so they suspect he may be the carrier and thus is already past it. (Though they tested him several times and the tests were negative, so who knows?) My WHINE? I want Len and I to be able to go to their house a few days to help take care of them … but we can’t.
• I want to drive away on a road trip.
• I want to Zen out at Goodwill.

I can think of more WHINES but you get the gist. People who are always grateful and who always have perspective and grace – gah, sometimes I personally, just need to whine and complain.  What about you?

What do you want to WHINE?