With apologies to Nathanael West, who famously said
"Life is a club where they won’t stand for squawks, where they deal you only one hand, and you must sit in. So even if the cards are cold and marked by the hand of fate, play up, play up like a gentleman and a sport.”
--Miss Lonelyhearts, 1933
I keep this quote on a Stickie on my desktop, as a reminder of a time, not so long ago, that health problems frequently drove me to despair and self-pity. I needed to be reminded not to squawk, and to accept the cards that had been dealt to me.
Today's eruption of diaries from Kossacks and from The Management sent me rushing back for a refresher course in Nathanael West's wisdom.
The Management has made it clear that discussions surrounding impending departures are not welcome. The door will be locked behind anyone who creates a stir around their
departure. This is a club that doesn't stand for "squawks."
As for myself, I appreciated the diary that caused this flurry. When a longtime contributor finds it necessary to step aside, I prefer to know about it rather than wonder, six months later, why they are MIA. But that's just me, and I'm only a bit player at this poker table and I must play with cards that have been dealt.
When I start my own blog and have umpty thousand members, then I'll make my own rules. In the meantime, deal me in.