― Marcus Aurelius
As I sort through the desk drawer looking for new batteries for the TV remote, I am reminded of "Marcus" as I call him. Once while on a trip to the Mediterranean I discovered his diary and while riding to my next destination, I would circle passages from his Meditations which awakened parts of my soul that I had not known were sleeping. Stoicism always seemed to me to be an ideal to strive for in life, even though the pull of hedonism is so much easier to follow. Cursing at the batteries for not easily snapping into place, I smile thinking on virtue and self-determination...and lying. The truth is a powerful weapon once recognized, but in today's world being a master of lies, now that will get you places.
I fall back into my favorite La Z Boy chair with a mechanical crank sound I pull the side arm lever that raises the footrest to a comfortable level. BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!!!! Damn hunters!! They are way too close to the house again! Whether its duck, pheasant or deer season they shouldn't be firing weapons with that kind of firepower so close to where people live.
My house has twenty-six windows which bathe each room in the beautiful sunshine of the day...when we have sunshine. I chose to keep the original lead glass which has a charming distortion effect on the images outside. I've always felt that the view through them transported me through history to a time when adventurers settled this region in hopes of a new beginning. Since I boarded up most of those windows, the voices of those settlers drifts distant like people trying to talk from passing vessels while the tide and surf pull them further away from each other. Peeking through a crack in the boards, I am unable to detect the source of the gunfire, and so settle again in my favorite chair.
I Switching the set on. Surfing through the guide, looking for sports, weather, music videos or pro-wrestling, but inevitably settling on the News since it was the only thing on.