Inktober2021 Sour, Stuck Plus Life Update

Finally, done with the things like my walk, winter clothes out, and summer put away. Hey, did I tell you I’ve managed another 36+ hour fast? I’m pretty jazzed about that. It has taken me a LONG time to get to this point. I decided Sunday is best for the day to skip food. It gets more of a spiritual feeling as I try to find which things to focus my thoughts on. And just like the fast I did with my husband for his procedure last week, I find the hours 24 and 25 the most difficult. After that, it is a piece of cake. I broke that fast with two slices of bread with butter and one egg. And I didn’t get sick from it! Yay!

The fall progress picture was taken after my walk.

The trees and mesquite bushes are shedding quite a lot.

So on to my #Inktober submission and a continuation of the story.

“Crystal, wake up!” Her fan was shaking her.

“Go away. Let me sleep!” Crystal groaned. Then she rolled over. She was cold. She pulled on her hood and stuck her hands in her pockets. “Oh, it’s over?”

The fan was surprised. “Yeah. What was all that? Was it real?” The fan held out her hand. “Cindy, by the way. My name is Cindy.”

Crystal took Cindy’s hand and allowed Cindy to help Crystal to her feet. “Hi, Cindy! What happened?” Crystal knew. But each of her helpers experienced these things far differently from what Crystal knew as the truth.

“Were you a lizard? Who killed the guard? And should we go help that guy?” Cindy asked and pointed to another corner where a barrel seemed to be calling out with a hand waving. “And what is that sour smell?”

Crystal sniffed the air and wrinkled her nose. “Ew! Yeah. What is that?”

Crystal and Cindy walked toward the barrel. As they got closer, the word ‘Pickles’ gave them the odor’s origin. “They must be rotten pickles.” Crystal stated. She reached into the barrel and pulled out a man in a soggy green uniform. A puffy sopping hat was in his other hand.

“William! How did you get in here?” Crystal asked.

“There was a huge wind. It blew off my hat. The hat fell into the barrel. I had to go in and get it. But that was when I got stuck. I’m so glad you found me before I was pickled.”

Crystal laughed. She understood how all this happened. She wanted to hug her friend, but, ick! “Let’s go back to my trailer, and I’ll explain it all to both of you.
After you shower and change into clean clothes, that is. You’re quite the guard, Will! And you were put into quite the pickle!” She laughed again.

The secret to success

Love this! I hope you don’t mind me sharing.

Wibble

I was brought up to believe in the value of a meritocracy (my school’s motto was ‘Virtus non stemma’ – ‘Worth, not Birth’). It took me a very long time to recognise that the world doesn’t work that way. Far too many believe that our society is a meritocracy, and that rewards accrue to those most worthy; but the reality is an inversion, and a perversion: ‘Birth, not Worth’.

I chanced upon ‘The Pencilsword #TEN: On a Plate’ by Toby Morris not long ago. While looking for a way to contact Toby to ask for permission to reproduce it, I discovered that he says that ‘#TEN’ is widely stolen, widely shared. It’s all good.

Toby’s insightful cartoon reminded me of a video by Veritasium on ‘the success paradox’, which questions whether success is luck or hard work. I’ve included that below, too (together with a transcription).

I think that…

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