Hard to believe it was 19 years ago today I started this blog. I didn’t realize how good I had it. I had a job with an office, we were in pretty good health, the world hadn’t gone to Hell, neither had my family (really), social media as we know it didn’t exist…those were the days. Not that there haven’t been improvements along the way, I like having an EV. I like this neighborhood (even if a light rail would not be amiss). It’s nice making the money we make now, although the expenses have grown to match.
But the world has gone to shit. We saw it coming years ago, decades even. We allowed the old norms to go away. Equality, noblesse oblige, mind your own damn business – all shot to hell. Billionaires were allowed to accumulate and use unlimited wealth however they liked, shame ceased to be a reason to withdraw from public life, consequences ceased to exist. We are where we are because of a steady drumbeat of press in thrall to Murc’s Law and a 21st century in which we were taught to treat politics as a reality show rather than the decision making process for society.
And the problem is, every time we started to pull back from the abyss, we didn’t hold anyone to account. Pointless war in the Middle East? Ehhh. Failure to meet the challenges of a pandemic? Whatever. Actual insurrection to attempt to overthrow the result of a democratic election followed by criminal misconduct after? It would be political to prosecute. Zero accountability. Zero contrition. And now, matters are worse.
I could almost deal with it, if I had the ability to keep working from home and the assurance we could stay in this house…or alternately, the ability to retire and call it a day. But neither is on the cards for the foreseeable future. When I hit this Powerball tonight, it’s over for you heaux. In the meantime, it’s just a question of win the day, make it to the weekend, live in the moment and cherish the simple and affordable things. The extent to which a pint in the shed has become more desirable than a trip to the pub is remarkable, but also welcome. If i can’t go back to pre-tirement full time, I’m going to be retired every second I can spare.
One more. May we have better things to blog about going forward.