AMEND CORNER: Focusing on small things is rewarding

Posted 6/7/16

I didn’t drop out in the same sense the so-called hippies did back in the ’60s. Their mantra, “Tune in, turn on, drop out,” called for the complete rejection of the society of the day, preferably with the help of chemistry — that is, drugs …

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AMEND CORNER: Focusing on small things is rewarding

Posted

Last week I decided it might be a good time to drop out for a few days. So I did.

I didn’t drop out in the same sense the so-called hippies did back in the ’60s. Their mantra, “Tune in, turn on, drop out,” called for the complete rejection of the society of the day, preferably with the help of chemistry — that is, drugs that would raise your consciousness — or, as most of us would say, cause hallucinations.

I’m not into that sort of dropping out, though. For one thing, my drug of choice is caffeine, which not only doesn’t cause hallucinations, it doesn’t even keep me awake at night, at least most of the time.

So, my dropping out simply meant ignoring big issues to concentrate on small things. For a few days I avoided thinking about the presidential campaign, the Middle East troubles and global warming. I even kept my mind off cancer for the most part, except to remember to take my vitamins and the pills that ward off viruses, especially shingles.

In their place, I focused on small things. For example, I listened to some balalaika music, re-watched a couple of old movies, read a story called “Balzac and the little Chinese Seamstress,” and listened to some educational lectures. In addition I took several relaxing walks and meditated on a variety of topics, none of which involved national issues, major events or personal crises.

I’d list some of the subjects I meditated on, but I don’t remember them — which isn’t surprising — because they were all unimportant.

The happiest result of my mental vacation was prompted by a visit to Homesteader Museum. While attending the opening of the museum’s new exhibit, I wandered past the exhibit celebrating Powell High School sports. Among the items in the exhibit is a poster advertising the 1960 Wyoming State Wrestling Tournament. It lists the pairings for the opening round of competition, and in the 95-pound weight, I saw the name Jim Gordon of Worland.

I knew Jim during my early teens when his father was the pastor of the church I grew up in. For three years, our mutual faith and our common age led to our sharing many activities and friends both in and out of school, so we spent a lot of time together during those years.

His family left Worland the summer after that wrestling tournament for a church in Iowa, and while Jim and I stayed in contact for several years, eventually, the demands of careers and families led inevitably to an end to our contact with each other. Every so often we would reconnect and exchange a few letters but it never lasted more than a few months. Our last contact followed a gap of almost two decades, when he and his wife stopped to see us in Greybull on their way to Yellowstone. It was a short visit, and it was followed by 20 more years without contact.

These days, my health problems often turn my thoughts toward events and people in my past, and I often think about Jim and his family. The address he gave me when he stopped in Greybull was lost, though, and internet searches hadn’t produced a replacement. Seeing his name at the museum, though, prompted me to try again, and this time Google revealed the phone number of a source that might provide a way to contact him. When I dialed it, though, the man on the other end called Jim to the phone, and within minutes I was on the phone with my old friend.

It turns out that, like me, Jim has been recalling those long ago years of eighth-grade lessons and the perils of being a freshman in high school, so he was eager to visit with me about people we had known and things we had done together. I was able to provide him with phone numbers and email addresses so he can contact others. It was an enjoyable visit and I’m hoping we will have more.

For now, my drop-out period is done. I’m back to looking at Hillary vs. Bernie and The Donald’s latest pronouncement that there has been no drought in California. We learned today that Niger’s military defeated an attempt by Boko Haram to cross their border with Nigeria. Those developments are rather depressing, but they are what the real world gives us, and we can’t ignore them forever.

However, I don’t have to think about them all the time, and it’s better for my health if I don’t. So I will take a break from time to time for rest and relaxation. Who knows what dropping out for a few days will do for me next time?

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