Somewhere in the past fifteen years I discovered Blogger, and things have never really been the same. I took a look at life through the lens of the famous Laurel and Hardy bit referred to in the title of this piece. Recently, it occurred to me that I am approaching a transition in my life. Peering at life through the lens of "Who's on 1st, etc.," I can see my life in these three phases--Who's on 1st, What's on 2nd and I Don't Know's on 3rd.
Who's on 1st--my younger adult years were lived in a sort of whirlwind. We married, had two children and I pursued the ups and downs and caroming around that was my life. We caromed from South Bend to St. Louis, to Chicago, to Atlanta, to Savannah, finally coming to rest in Hilton Head. Careerwise, I moved from liquor store clerk to Personnel Trainee to Assistant Director of HR and to Director of HR (the latter in a company that ceased to exist some six or seven years after I moved on). I ended up as a Senior Labor Relations Consultant in a Fortune 100 Company (Big Deal!). It was a career I enjoyed and one that took care of me and my family as well as we needed. Throughout this period, I did little reflection, and never sat down to write about it unless I was preparing a resume. ]
Somewhere in my 50's I began to think about what was coming next. This has taken shape as the period of What's on 2nd, or what else does life have in store for me. I thought about what was on 2nd and some of those musings found their way here as entries in my Whatison2nd.blog post. Tonight, as sleep eluded me once again, I thought about an article I saw but skimmed very lightly in my email today. All I get in my email these days are publications, magazines, newspapers, commentaries, ads, and more ads from every organization I've had the pleasure of doing even the smallest transaction with... Is that the same for you? or do you actually receive a personal email on occasion? Anyway, the topic of the article I'll be searching for after I finish this piece had to do with ending well. Hence, "I Don't Know's on 3rd" comes to mind.
Now, let me be clear about this--it's not about where we will go next. I have a strong Faith that answers that question for me to a great degree (although I do wonder sometimes about what this afterlife I'm hoping to head for if I live the way I should actually looks like? Is it a single unified center of being that we are all returning to? Is it a replica of all that is/was good on Earth--and does that include my Golden Retriever Walter?
OH, but back to the subject at hand--ending well. I don't know how to do this, but I want to try. Let me be clear on another point--the author of the piece I skimmed earlier today suggests that regular doses of LSD would be a good approach. While that is a novel approach, I really don't think it is any good for me. I am, after all, working hard to stay in my right mind through the end of my life.
I just created my newest blog, entitled "I Dom't Know's on 3rd." I have barely begun a layout, etc., but it's there--and this entry will appear in both What Is on 2nd (this blog) and "I Don't Know's on 3rd. If you'll excuse me, I need to go look for that article I skimmed before I forget. I'll probably return after I have read it through....
