unprecedented times

I have been reading my friend Charles Templeton's new first novel based on his actual experience as a crew chief on a CH46 tandem lift helicopter in Vietnam. Boot-A Sorta Novel of Vietnam is now available on Amazon https://www.amazon.com/Boot-Sorta-Vietnam-Charles-Templeton-ebook/dp/B085DCYQM8/ His is an amazing story about the incredible idiocy of war and the young men thrown into Vietnam. Post war, Charles became a lifelong teacher and educator, who has become a beloved member of our own community. His novel has been in the works for years, and is a very good read. He and I feel towards each other that we're brothers, so to read his book is a very good thing.

I'm also led to compare those days when our nation was torn apart by war, with these days when we are at war with a deadly virus and led by an administration that for weeks bent over backwards to assure us that all was OK and everything is under control as the deadly virus spread undetected and undetectable through every state. In the meantime the invasion of the Covid-19 virus is nearly complete. Unlike a nation torn apart by war, this is actually worse. It's a war that we don't send young folks off to fight. It's here and it's a war we are left to fight ourselves.

In war young innocent men and women are sent away into battles, returning with scars that are often unseen but that have deep effects on their lives and their families and communities. In this case, we have the opportunity to rise up and stand of defense of each other, and the oddest thing at this point is that we protect each other by hiding out until test kits are actually delivered and we are assisted with tools to fight the deadly disease.

One of the challenges in all this is to keep our heads on straight and our spirits up. One of the tools that's proven to be successful for that is to engage our hands and hearts in meaningful creative work. Yesterday I spent some time cleaning my office and sanding boxes. Today I hope to continue in the same vein. Reading is another good thing, as I proven to myself through my enjoyment of Charles Templeton's book.

Make, fix, create, and assist others in learning lifewise.