Twenty-four is all

It is a given that the day has no more than twenty-four neatly packaged time slots.
Twenty-four hours to fill for each and every one. Time knows no difference between rich and poor, smart and not-quite-that smart, old or young. It is up to everyone of us to choose how to spend their day, or at least part of it.

And sometimes there are simply too many choices.

With high speed internet, digital this and that, and discount shopping, there is always something that is awaiting us. The temptations are many. And more often than not, we
fall into the one or other trap and rush life to squeeze it all in.

But if you think week days are hell, try a sunny weekend that sits there like a popsicle tray, waiting to be filled.

Life can be just cruel.

Just bad enough

I checked out the online bios of some of my new literary discoveries the other day and it turns out that quite a few of them are (or were) borderline criminal. One of them, G. D. Roberts, thought that with a bit of luck, there was money and fame to be made and he turned his life into a fine piece of literary art. “Shantaram,” is the title, and it’s well worth a day or two in a hammock. I’m off to visit ‘the continent’ but shall return shortly.

homesweethome - part two

When you move around a lot you become an expert in some odd disciplines. Picking dentists for instance. I have become an expert at locating benign dentists around the world. I can point out the psychos almost instantaneously. They usually have TV screens overhead and take x-rays of your bite gear every other visit.

Over the years of moving from place to place, I have also developed a hawk eye for functional communities. They are the ones with sidewalks that lead to places such as parks, playgrounds, community centers, libraries, and shops.

Finding such a place to live in can mean real quality of life. Everything else from making friends and building up networks to finding that gentle dentist is a piece of cake after that.

However, settling into new places and getting used to its wheelings and dealings is not an easy task. You either get really good at it or you end up avoiding it by all means because it is rather time and energy consuming and it can be a killer for relationships.

Whichever way you take it, packing up the belongings of an entire family and moving them only to unwrap them in some unknown and most likely temporary place is not that much fun even when you are good at it.

Transitioning, as the first months are generally called, can be a real drain on everyone. In a way, every day starts again at zero.
It's a seemingly endless process of adjustments like a dog settling down on a flee ridden blanket.

But it is also exciting because all cards are on the table and it's your turn to pick and choose.