Temper Tantrum

 

Maybe it was always happening, but somewhere along the line people seem to have lost their sense of Good Manners.

I understand when we get tired we can become grouchy and throw a tantrum over nothing.

A tantrum, temper tantrum, meltdown, fit or hissy fit is an emotional outburst, usually associated with those in emotional distress, that is typically characterized by stubbornness, crying, screaming, violence, defiance, angry ranting, a resistance to attempts at pacification, and, in some cases, hitting and other physically violent behavior. Physical control may be lost; the person may be unable to remain still; and even if the "goal" of the person is met, they may not be calmed. Throwing a temper tantrum can lead to a child getting detention or being suspended from school for older school age children. A tantrum may be expressed in a tirade: a protracted, angry speech.

I don’t remember having a tantrum but if I did I’d be pulled aside and patiently request to not misbehave in public. If I became squeamish or bored, I’d be given a piece of paper and a pencil to distract me. I don’t remember any physical abuse but I respected authority (aka parents).

If kids got made at one another the results might end up in a bit of fist-a-cuffs or some nasty gossip but none of the tantrums I see on videos today.

Everyone wants to be the star of their on movie captured and uploaded on their phone. If you are too busy having a temper tantrum, someone else will record the screen to share with the world.

School brawls, road rage, fast food freak-outs, box store bullies; there seems to be temper tantrums happening everywhere. If you get angry with your neighbor’s grass clipping on your driveway, do you get angry and become hostile or point it out to see if your annoyance can be settled in a neighborly way?

Whether you are playing it for the camera just can’t handle your emotions, tantrums can escalate from potty mouth and throwing things to police detention. Unfortunately there are too many weapons out there when a fussy fit can become deadly.

Don’t know when the scale shifted from conformity to entitlement?

Boost

 

The latest thing at the Tummy Temple is called ‘Boost’. They already have the grab-scan-go self-checkout and then the order and pick-up and now ‘Boost’.

From what I see on the website, for a yearly fee (like an Amazon membership) one can phone in or Internet in a grocery order (after logging on to your account) and have it delivered the next day.

The produce will be fresh, the meat will be chilled, the frozen stuff will be cold (hopefully) and if you at home at the point of delivery everything can be swiftly slipped into the frig and the bill will be put on your credit card.

Sounds too good to be true?

Now the porch pirates can be having lunch on your stoop when you come home.

I travel to the Tummy Temple everyday, not so much I’m hungry, but to get me out of the house and get some exercise. If I used ‘Boost’ I could just stay home and wait for the announcement that my dinner was on the doorstep.

Lazy convenience?

Now if you leave them the keys, they can put everything away in your kitchen and have the coffee started in the morning. Maybe they can cook all the meals and even eat them for you (diet plan)?

Since the Tummy Temple is only a warehouse that we search and put products in our cart (just like searching online). The difference is we have to pack up everything and lug it home.

The days of window-shopping at the mall with impulse purchases to feed our dopamine are over. Instead of signage pointing out the latest bargains or sales people persuading an additional purchase.

I was wondering about ‘adult beverages’ since that is the slo-down point for the grab and go scanners that have to be checked for an ID of proper age to consume under the laws of the commonwealth.

“Virginia

No more than four cases of wine nor more than four cases of beer may be delivered at one time to any person in Virginia to whom alcoholic beverages may be lawfully sold; except that the permittee may deliver more than four cases of wine or more that four cases of beer if he/she notifies the Department in writing at least one business day in advance of any such delivery, which notice contains the name and address of the intended recipient.”

 

 I have sent messages to headquarters about using the normal store scan card which has your name and address and keeps track of your purchases also know your age. I’m sure they will work out the details.

For now that is all the excitement at the Tummy Temple. Someone(s) likes Texas Pete as much as me so the cupboard is bare. Two police cars with light flashing but no shots fired as I could see as I scurried inside. The usual leftovers from yesterday at the deli but more fresh fruit are available. No excitement or interesting visions but the restock of yard treats now cost twice as much.

I won’t complain because if these big box stores close forcing ordering consumption online to get our daily bread, I’ll have no excuse to go out on the road. I’ve already declined fast food and convenience stores and rarely go to the mom-and-pop stores for special purchases not available online.

Maybe as the legs wear out, I’ll need a ‘Boost’?

No Cars

 

There is lots of talk of cutting back on fossil fuel to save the planet from climate change and next there are reports of how many drivers are on the road. This debate will continue until we turn the planet into a cinder for we have constructed this method of transportation that is so convenient and popular, how could we stop. Even if Detroit is not belching out the metal mobile machines by the thousands, they can be constructed overseas and shipped to our local dealership. Whatever you want. Everyone has one (or two or three).

The government built ribbons of highways for the cars to journey to places once forbidden by transportation restriction. America took the challenge and rolled out clogging the concrete slabs with gas guzzling mobile machines to explore the land of the free. Now you can go to the mountains or go to the beach refueling along the way at whatever the price is. You have no choice (unless you have your own supply).

To go to work, climb into the car. To go to the mall, climb into the car. To pick up your kids, climb into the car. To go out to eat, climb into the car. To attend church services, climb into the car. To go to the movies, climb into the car.

So with all the talk of ‘Saving The Planet’ to go to the protest climb into the car.

People are fearful of authorities taking away their guns or restricting their sexual practices, but what about taking away your car?

What would happen is the well went dry? What would happen if there was gasoline but the price was beyond reach? Pay the rent, buy some food OR fill up the tank?

It is unimaginable that there was not a daily clogged commute or miles of flattops with idle mobile machines rotting in the sunshine. It is impossible to imagine not having the immediate available depreciating investment sitting in your garage?

It would be a global culture change. People would leave the suburbs to move back to high-rise cities where foot traffic would increase and public transportation (maybe electric trolley cars?) would be the only mode of getting around. Empty parking lots could be used as solar or wind farms or converted to parks with trees and babbling brooks.

I hear you’re “What about…?” arguments. We can all sit in our automobiles and trucks as the atmosphere is destroyed and we will all die OR we can do away with our metal mobile machines.

Without cars, we may have to walk to the corner store to get our milk (don’t buy those sugar drinks – they are heavy). We might become healthier with a bit of exercise and fresh air. We might meet some of the neighbors who are now selling homemade sweaters or canning from their gardens.

Unfortunately, these vehicles are not readily recyclable or ecological decomposing so junkyards will replace filling stations.  

Whatever

 

 

As I migrate further into age I transition my wants and likes turn to simple needs. I don’t know if everyone does this or if, with age, the wants and likes grow, as there is more time to indulge. 

Are there enough socks in the sock drawer? How full is the closet? How many shoes can you wear out? Have you worn that hat in the past year?

Have you been to Africa? Have you ever wanted to go to Africa? What about Antarctica? Are you ready for that cold? You might need more socks.

After some time, the fancy car or the snazzy suit or the latest gizmo doesn’t seem quite as necessary as before. Are we losing our egocentric cultural impression to woe our peers until it fades away with the next cultural necessity?

Whether it is wisdom or realization that there are many things you have no control over…. So why get stressed about it?

If you missed the last episode of the popular television drama, can you avoid the conversation around the water cooler without being shamed? In another week it will all be forgotten. Did you catch that latest hip phrase or don’t understand the reference to the latest best seller or the most unforgettable movie remake? Are you wearing last year’s fashion?

Have you upgraded your electronic gadgets? Have you played the latest game? Is this the latest game?

I try to keep up with the news. I listen if any of the bad things reference to me. Was there a wreck in my neighborhood? Did I hear any gunshots while rocking on my porch? Are their any fights at the grocery?

That may seem to be a very simplistic view of the world, but I don’t need to be entertained by television. I’ve seen plenty of movies. I’ve read some very good books and passed them on for others to enjoy. I’ve met some famous people and found them bland. I’ve heard some of the legends while they were almost in their prime. I’ve explored adventures (inside and outside) and survived the experiences. I’ve partaken of the high life but do not appreciate the cost.

I’ve lived through many presidents with parades and speeches and other than voting…I have no control over. I have written letters and even visited congressional offices to state a case that was ignored. I’ve paid my taxes without having any say for where I wanted that money to go.

So the society changes and we all adapt the best we can and then it changes again. Is there a desire for a tattoo? What about buying a tee shirt to show a message or a company brand? Should I join the shouting parade to change a movement? Should I starve to save the farmer in drought or the manufacture of dead animals or kill the climate with the diesel smoking trucks bring us our daily bread? Who needs an atmosphere?

We (earthlings) seem to have good thoughts but bad habits. Some have grown accustomed to running water from the tap, light at a flick of a switch, abundance of snack food and Wi-Fi. Others try to scratch an existence from filthy water, shanty shelter, no education, no healthcare, and no gun control causing constant migration searching for a better land.

My hopes and dreams and prayers won’t change reality, so I have to back off for my own sanity and not worry about it. Even the occasional pain or creak or bump or bruise or ache will increase as long as I can logically understand what is happening around me, is just part of the world I cannot control. There isn’t a shot or a pill for old age (at least yet?) and I probably couldn’t take it anyway.

So when I wake up and rub my eyes and turn on the computer to check the daily news and see what our culture presents via media, how do I react? 

Hindsight

 

In the forth quarter of life, there is not a lot to look forward to. You have already done everything you are made to do and it is all behind you.

Every now and then we think back to what has been and wonder what could have been. By now, it is all history and any reflection can be manipulated to what you want to remember.

You can still learn but most of your formal educations are degrees upon the wall. You’ve been trained and toiled to be the best you can accumulate your accolades for a job well done. You’ve made enough money to find shelter and transportation and sustenance to get you this far. You may have found a partner(s) to spend your time with. You may have decided to build a family together. You may have founded your faith in the unknown.

You have photos and movies of remembrance to live and relive again. As your friends and family pass before you, the ones that are left have different recollections of shared events. On occasion you may meet a long lost and forgotten member of your memory, but you can only relate what was years ago and far, far away.

Understanding where you are now lets you enjoy hindsight. Sometimes a word or a scent or a sound will spark a thought that will bring a smile.

Enjoy your hindsight but you can’t go back and there are no redoes.

An Orphan

 

With all the talk about availability for aborting an unwanted pregnancy, there are those who survive the nine months but forever reason not wanted to be a family and abandoned.

I married an orphan.

I did not know all the details but neither did she? Was she abandoned? Did her parents die in an accident or just walk away from the responsibility they had created? Was she in an orphanage or given away from a faith organization?

When you are little, you have no say in what goes on. Big people tell you where to sit and what to eat and when to sleep. In my case, they were my parents.

My friends had a pair of parents and we all followed the instructions. We wore the same clothing. We ate the same food. We went to the same schools.

At that point in life, we didn’t ask what our parents did or what religion we were or where we shopped or what kind of car we had? We just wanted to fit in.

How do you fit in when everyone is a stranger?

She was given a name of a family she did not know. Why was she adopted? How do you adapt to be a part of this alien family?

My first wife was basically an orphan when I met her. She did have a mother but never talked about her father. She seemed as glad to get away from that family and never asked why.

So my orphan wife appreciated being part of a relationship that did not require judgment. She could do whatever she wanted. She could follow her adventures without restrictions. She could rename herself to who she wanted to be.

It is difficult for me to relate to since I had a mother and a father and an ancestry. She searched for a possible connection to blood relatives but in the end you are who you are.

Abandoned babies, for whatever reason, have to struggle for their own faith.

Activist

 

Are you an activist?

Maybe trying to get new uniforms for the school soccer team or going to the school board meeting to ban books. Going door-to-door getting signatures to get a candidate on the menu or perhaps running for office yourself. Are you creating a pod cast to promote tree hugging or writing a column in the newspaper with advice on making quilts? Is getting the pothole filled in front of your driveway worth your attention or pressing the department of transportation to build a round a bout to reduce speeding? How about sweaters for the elderly or diapers for orphans or volunteering for sex education in elementary schools? Do you want the indigenous people to get their land back or get 5G Internet? Are you spreading electoral opinions or publishing fact-finding? Climate change or high price of gasoline on your distant vacation? Fresh air or tall buildings? Parking spaces or end to violence?

Be active.