Happy Charlie Bravo Day!
The Casa del Whackos is somewhat of a conundrum; we strive to be a chaotic retreat from the barrage of negativity that constantly assaults us all daily. And it is chaotic; the addition of the Jude Bear and Woodrow F. MacDuff to the mix make Friday posts an almost impossibility, as they demand constant attention and will NOT be denied.
Then there’s Oba. For many weeks Mom and I were convinced that any given night would be her last night, and even called upon hospice to ease her passing. But life is what happens when you’re making other plans, and she had made an inexplicable turn for the better. While we are thankful for the extra time this has allowed Mom and Oba to spend together, the whipsawing of emotions during this time has been a bit draining.
And of course, a recovering Oba is an active Oba who doesn’t understand why she’s not able to resume her passion, which is cooking. The last time that happened, the eruption of Vesuvius was re-enacted, except this time on her stove top, complete with smoke and cascading lava. I had to pull the breaker after that one…
The ancient Chinese had a curse: “May you live in interesting times”, and surely that’s where we now find ourselves. I was talking to Zach last night who said that he’ll be glad when things return to normal. I was reminded of when I had my motorcycle incident that left me with a colostomy bag for a time. To say that I did NOT handle the situation well is an understatement; I found myself imagining smells and judgemental looks everywhere I went. When I whined about this on one of my follow up visits to the surgeon, he told me in no uncertain terms “this is the new normal; deal with it”. Granted, his bedside manner could have used some massaging, but I got the message anyway: get busy living, or get busy dying.
And it has been busy ever since. There are two types of crises that constantly confront us all. First there’s those seemingly insurmountable problems that are manufactured by others to distract and divide us. But then there’s those small crises that are placed in our paths daily, the ones that we CAN positively affect. “Service every need as it arises and you will find your ministry”. The real trick is to not let the large problems that we can do nothing about obscure those small opportunities where we can make a massive difference.
Saving one raggedy dog from a stinking, confining crate may not have seemed like much of a life-changing action at the time, but I assure you that it changed at least two: mine and hers.
And hopefully yours, as that has been the goal of this page from the beginning. The adventures, the funny stories, the pictures and so on are merely to remind others as well as ourselves that there is a better way. There is always hope, even in the most trying situations, and always a reason to laugh when it seems that all humor is gone.
I can assure you that it is not, at least as long as Charlie has anything to say about it.
We be of one blood, ye and I.
…and check out the new items added to Charlie’s store and help keep the story alive! The new shirts, coffee mugs, and blankets were designed to be a reminder of what life can be, whether we realize it or not. CHARKE DIEM!
Happy Charlie Bravo Day!
