In the background

You live your life. You go to work. You come home to your family. You watch television. You sleep then rinse and repeat.

It may seem mundane but it is how we spend our days.

All along there are all these wondrous workings going on in the background.

People who have been elected or assigned or chosen to affect our daily lives without our conscious knowledge and yet, we obey their commands.

New stop sign or an additional line on our taxes or mysterious fee that wasn’t on the bill last year appears and we just accept it as a change in life.

We are too bothered by how many channels we can surf through and comment on our friends’ selfies.

In our meaningless lives, we forget what goes on in the background. Who swept up the mess from last night and washed the glasses so you can enjoy your company in the latest fern bar? Who changed the sheets in your room? It wasn’t mother. How many hours did those guys have to practice to sound that bad? How did your stuffed trashcan become empty the next morning? Who tells you that your money isn’t, as much as you thought because there is another fee you did not agree to?

It all goes on in the background and we just don’t pay attention. Don’t worry who cooks that hamburger or what’s the meat’s expiration date is. Complain that your favorite coffee is out-of-stock to an immigrant who doesn’t make minimum wage. Tell your neighbor what a great deal you got on Black Friday while their mother had just died. Forget the off color humor at the Christmas party to a #MeToo survivor. Make a heritage reference while a person whose family lived in chains clears the table.

We are not aware. We are not paying attention. Did you know that your wife is friendlier with Uncle Jack than you thought? Did you know your soccer star son likes to wear silk underwear? Did you know your little princess is learning how to suck cock?

Oh and what is this about the seawater getting so close to your beach house?