For Volume 11 of Singles and Doubles, I’m going to try something a little different. For each inning, I’m going to pick a song title off of my iPod and just riff on it. I do not intend to explain the meaning of each song, rather, I hope to use the words of the title to express . . . ah, well . . . whatever comes to mind, I guess, while somehow connecting it to the one that follows. I know it sounds kind of convoluted, so why don’t I just get on with it and see what happens, okay? Here we go!
1st INNING - Won’t Get Fooled Again, by The Who.
As the recent election approached, I thought, “We’ve seen this horror movie before, so we won’t get fooled again. The American electorate could not possibly fall for this same old con being run by Putin’s Pinocchio another time.” Shows what I know.
“Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me” is the old saying. Well, shame on those who voted for a convicted felon to be President of the United States. And, shame on me, too. Because I fooled myself into believing the voters were smart enough to not let this happen. Again. “Won’t get fooled again”? More like “Meet the new boss, same as the old boss”. It sucks, however we have no choice but to accept it because - That’s the Way That It Is.
2nd INNING - That’s the Way That It Is, by Uriah Heep.
However, I am not suggesting we give up and roll over. I do believe it is important to accept whatever our current reality is, so that we can choose the correct path to positively affect a different outcome in the future.
Nearly everyday we face unpleasant situations we wish were different and cannot change because the past is set in stone. That’s the way that it is, whether we like it or not.
Sometimes, though, a period of quiet reflection is useful. A slice of time dedicated to checking out for a bit, to allow one’s synapses to rest and recover. I call this being - Comfortably Numb.
3rd INNING - Comfortably Numb, by Pink Floyd.
Is being comfortably numb a bad thing? Perhaps it is, if it is one’s usual state of being. Being numb all the time sounds rather joyless. But, after a period of intense brain activity dealing with life, it is kind of nice to allow the brain to calm down and not obsess over anything for a while.
At least, that is what I’ve heard. Being the obsessive type, the times when I am not obsessing over something are few and far between, I am sorry to say. Often, I wind up being a - Man in the Box.
4th INNING - Man in the Box, by Alice In Chains.
And, almost always, it is a box of my own making. I box myself in emotionally and have a heck of a time getting out. Sometimes, instead of thinking before I speak, I’ll blurt out something stupid. Other times, I am non-responsive because of the fear of saying the wrong thing. And, that can be a problem, too.
I cannot decide if I want to be who I actually am, or who I wish I was. One thing is for certain, though. I can be my own worst enemy, and I begin to question everything. When I’m feeling particularly confused, I ask myself deep, unanswerable, existential questions, such as -What is Life?
5th INNING - What is Life?, by George Harrison.
And, the answer is - How the heck do I know? I have a life, and I try to honor that life by living it as best I can. I hope that my presence somehow improves the lives of those for whom I care, but, if I’m being honest, I have to admit I often fall way short of that goal.
Sometimes we forget that life is full of ups and downs. It is so easy to get stuck in the downs that we miss out on the ups. Especially in - Times Like These.
6th INNING - Times Like These, by Foo Fighters.
Going through times like these isn’t easy. But, what are you going to do? No use whining or crying about it. The only option is to suck it up and keep going.
For some of us, one of the toughest things about life is figuring out what we want from it. That is something I have struggled with throughout my time here on this Earth. I am pretty sure about one thing - being the center of the universe is not for me. I do not want to spend my existence in the - Limelight.
7th INNING - Limelight, by Rush.
I have tried to avoid the limelight for, gosh, ever since I was a young child. It may go back to the time when I brought home my first grade pictures. In the picture, I was flashing a big smile and I had my head cocked to one side. I was a cute, happy little fella. When I showed the picture to my grandfather, he drunkenly slurred, “What the hell you grinnin’ at, boy? The mooooooonnn?” He drew out the word “moon” like a mooing cow. I did not understand his ridicule, but if his goal was to humiliate me, he succeeded. I just wanted to hide.
I overcame being made fun of by my drunken grandfather. I never forgot it, though. To this day, I believe that incident contributed to my being a reluctant smiler, and someone who shies away from the limelight. I am fine with being anonymous while still - Rockin’ In the Free World.
8th INNING - Rockin’ In the Free World, by Neil Young.
I’ve been concerned about how the next four years are going to go, but, looking on the bright side, at least I won’t be stuck in a cult. I will continue to live in the free world. Unlike the MAGA moron cult members. Many, if not most of them, are trapped in the cult by their own ignorance. Call me crazy, but despite the election results, I still believe it will all come crashing down someday.
Meanwhile, I will be taking Neil Young’s advice. I’m going to keep on rockin’ in the free world. I was on the losing side of the election disaster, but I will still be rocking my opinions of the lying scumbag who, in a horrible twist of fate, will once again be fucking up this country from inside the White House. There will be tough times ahead, but I’m going to continue to rock out, and be - The Real Me.
9th INNING - The Real Me, by The Who.
And, just who might that be? The real me? Who am I kidding? Honestly, I don’t think I am ready to reveal that. I doubt the world is ready for that, either.
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Something to say about Singles and Doubles Vol 11? Well, then . . .
Comfortably numb was as far as I could get. I think I can try to veg out and deal with the moment...but when I do, I'm hurting the person I'm vegging out on and it hurts me even more because I'm so sorry I hurt both of us. I think you and I have the same answer, "guilt" for being who we are. How the heck do we fix that?? For me, love is most complicated. It is always just out of reach. To me, love is most painful....when it doesn't exist. For without it, we are nothing. (Please, people, Norm is not either guilty party in this private message.)