Hah!
First,
I want to list a few items that, seems to me, are not problems,
at least they don’t feel like problems,
at this moment.
1. I gotta write this diary for this group.
Aside from the option of just not doing it,
I can stop right here,
and declare open thread,
and let you, the commentors, list your problems in the comments.
Right?
2. My family conflicts.
At this moment,
I feel as if I have them wrapped around my little finger.
So, none of it feels like a problem right now.
Besides,
last time I posted about my family here,
none of you made any comment about it.
You just gave me advice about my arthritis,
even after I wrote that my arthritis is the least of my problems.
Here is a problem:
I am emotionally fragile.
When I hear this song, on the overhead speakers, in my workplace, I start to cry a little.
But I must stifle it, so the customers don’t see.
This song reminds me how much I need to see my wife smile at me.
As long as she keeps smiling at me,
I can face the world.
Here is another problem:
I work at a Walmart,
and the holiday items,
ornaments, plush toys,
Christmas trees,
wrapping paper,
tree skirts,
did I mention lights and ornaments?
All these things trigger memories of my first wife, Pam,
who died in 2008,
after 30 years of marriage.
Pam always loved to buy as much of those things as we could possibly afford.
So those things, especially the holiday plush bears,
make me think of Pam, and hurt.
Another problem:
I have been getting depressed,
thinking about Jesus.
You see,
I am an atheist, which means secular humanist,
but, while many atheists dismiss all the Bible stories,
and certainly the story of Jesus,
they dismiss all of it as fiction,
I do not.
As we have been doing Bible study,
and reading the Gospel of John,
I find myself alarmed and saddened.
Jesus, if he did actually live and die,
he was a magician, with tricks to make folks think he did supernatural things,
when he did not, because there are no supernatural events.
All this thinking about Jesus,
truly makes the whole Christmas story depressing.
He tainted his good ideas,
his good advice,
with his delusions of deity.
Another problem:
How can folks spend so much on decorations?
How can they do it?
And nobody should ever give gifts,
except for very prosperous folks maybe giving something
to those less fortunate.
And, it seems to me, rather than just giving a nice donation to your local food bank,
and even more important than volunteering at your local food bank,
or your local holiday giving project,
it seems to me, since you don’t know how many of those you are helping,
the strangers you are helping,
you don’t know how many of them are smoking up a lot of their money,
with tobacco or weed,
it seems to me it would be best if you could,
in addition to helping strangers,
help someone in your extended family.
But does anyone do that?
Such as,
a very well off family,
giving a younger couple who are just starting out in life,
giving them a night out,
an uber ride to an eatery,
another uber ride to a theater,
another uber ride to an all night pancake house,
and another uber ride home.
We have gift cards for sale at Walmart, for:
uber,
eateries,
and theaters.
Does anyone ever do that for anyone?
No one has ever done that for me.
Maybe I will do that for one of my nieces or nephews,
some day.
Thanks for reading.