Mercy! Mercy! That Dang Nabed PERCY!

The Vicissitudes of Life,

I awoke this morning to a light dusting of snow on the ground. I need to get up and get the stove going. Then I need to split some more wood. However, before I can do that, some of the logs need to be blocked. That means getting my big Steil Chainsaw gassed, oiled and sharpened.

In church yesterday I talked to Bob and he said he could only cut a couple of gas tanks full at a time. “A Couple!” I can only do one tank-full a week. My shoulders get achy, my forearms numb and my fingers start to tingle. Our body is analogous to a motor vehicle. There are warning lights but instead of gages we feel twinges of pain. I try to take heed but don’t always use my head and get to pay the price later.

I have to be careful who I cut with. If the guys are younger it turns into a game to see who the Alpha-Male is. Everything in Wisconsin seems to become a competition if you let it. Like the winner is going to get choice of the females when they come in heat. It sounds crazy but get real. Then, there's the case where you have a partner who wants to work but has a medical condition that could cause him to drop dead. I suppose there are worse ways to die then splitting wood but I try and avoid facing that outcome with my older buddies.

Anyway, a dusting of snow will tell you what kinds of creatures are skulking around in the dead of night. There's a beauty to winter. The air is fresh and clean but there's also a down side. Below the surface of what we see, a lot of bad shit is going down. The animals begin to suffer from the cold as the available food supplies dwindle. It’s nature’s way but it sucks. Be glad you’re a human. A few days ago Linda remarked out of the blue… “I would hate to be a cow.” It was raining and the heifers from a nearby factory farm were sloshing around in the mud.

We don’t usually suffer like the animals do. I think that suffering is an intended part of the human experience that many don’t come to know until later in life. Regardless of how affluent you become when the body starts to shut down, we get introduced to pain. Where men really get to know suffering is in war. War really sucks and makes a huge impression that a young man doesn’t soon forget. Nobody wants to endure such a terrible and dehumanizing experience but many are better for having had the experience. It makes you appreciate the good things in life we take for granted. Like being painless, warm clothes, shelter, a full stomach, the safety of a home and a warm woman next to you at night.

Definitely, be glad you’re a person. For all the vicissitudes of life, being human beats the hell out of the other alternatives.