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An Unbalanced Force

1/25/2021

If you’ve been reading this blog the past couple of weeks you are aware of me lamenting about lack of motivation, inertia and general weariness. Thank you Covid-19. Last week I used Newton’s first Law of Motion as a metaphor for this situation. “An object at rest stays at rest and an object in motion stays in motion with the same speed and in the same direction unless acted upon by an unbalanced force.”

Let me take a moment to explain what is meant by an “unbalanced force.” Say you are walking across a room while carrying a glass of water . As you walk the water remains as is in the glass. It’s not sloshing around nor does the water level change. Then you bump into something and the water spills. Obviously, the water is no longer “at rest.” Bumping into something while walking was the force that caused the water to spill or move. Hope you get the idea.

Now, here’s what happened. I was having a phone conversation with a friend and colleague. We compared notes on how difficult the pandemic was for everyone, not just us. Then she told me she had signed up for a Coursera course which I might be interested in. She said we could take it together. Although I was not very enthusiastic I agreed to check it out. While browsing the Coursera site, searching for this particular course, I took note of the seemingly infinite course selections. I not only signed up for the course with my friend, but also found another one to dive into.

I must thank my friend. She was the unbalanced force that got this body at rest back into motion. I feel more light-hearted and am enjoying my brain cells dancing around again.

There are two morals to this story:

One: To paraphrase Jimmy Dean, we can’t change the direction of the wind, but we can adjust our sails for a better journey.

Two: Even during uncertainty and when nothing is sure, there is still hope and possibility.

Comments are welcomed.

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Physics And The Pandemic

1/18/2021

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As I was kicking around thoughts of writing a children’s book, I had a mix of story lines and other realizations. Nothing of real substance came up. Although it seemed to be a good idea to consult with my soon to be 14 yr. old granddaughter. She is very imaginative and has written some cool stories of her own throughout her young years. What better resource than conferring with one who is living infinite plot lines in real time? Since a meeting with K is TBD, I am temporarily setting this writing exercise aside.

Back to other notions and understandings. I feel the biggest thing that is plaguing me is flat-lining motivation. I’ve never scored high as a self-starter. I’ve always been at my best when collaborating with one or two others. This has become less viable the longer the pandemic goes on. Consequently, I find myself slogging around in passivity and inertia. Are you, too, feeling weariness from all that has been going on for nearly a year? From what I hear weariness is a very widespread state of being. What do we do? We have two options. We can do something or do nothing.

It seems easier to continue to do nothing, or very little. For our mental health going down that road is not the best choice. This brings to mind Newton’s first Law of Motion, commonly referred to as the Law of Inertia. It is stated as: an object at rest stays at rest and an object in motion stays in motion with the same speed and in the same direction unless acted upon by an unbalanced force. It seems to me that remaining passive, unmotivated, bored is not the better choice. Often we can get jolted back into motion by a negative force.

This brings us to the do something option. This also brings me back to my original dilemma. What force will I seek to get me going again in a positive way? Since I began writing this, I had a chance to talk with my granddaughter about a story. She is taking my request under advisement. I will not hold my breath. In the meantime, I am looking into taking a neuroscience course with a friend. That is, at least the start of doing something. And that’s the important thing – to just begin. Continue to watch this space.

Comments are welcome.

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Lockdown The Sequel

1/11/2021

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In this sequel to Gone with the Wind, many of the rich descriptions that captured the time and place of the first novel were lacking, and Scarlett and Rhett proved to be more irritating than interesting. Scarlett was a sequel better left unwritten.

Here we sit in lockdown part 2. Is lockdown (like love) lovelier the second time around? Hell, no. With sequels there’s often a lot of the same from the original. Other times we get a entire new story line. The Covid sequel is not unlike the original. We definitely need a new script.
Like most, I’m tired of my role. I have to say I played it rather well the first time around. It has now gotten old and tired. I’ve been racking my brain for something new, for a little pizzazz. As I await that inspiration. I reckoned I could revisit my rag bag of attempted hobbies. That, perhaps, was not the most useful idea. My history with hobbies was about abject failure. The crafts I tried I actually did rather well. The problem was lack of sustained interest. I would take on a particular project, complete it and immediately lose interest in it. So much for that idea. Once again one of those “you shoulds” was in my face. For more decades than I care to admit, people have told me I “should” write a children’s book. Once again my immediate reaction was no way. Then I considered our current situation. I allowed myself to play with the possibility. After all I was looking for inspiration a sign, a way to infuse more meaning and joy into each day.
I have nothing definitive to share at this moment. Still, as Rachel Maddow says, “Watch this space."

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A Good Beginning

1/3/2021

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We did it. We passed through that wrinkle in time and find ourselves in the year 2021. I’d love to let those days of auld lang syne be forgot and never brought to mind. Sadly, it doesn’t quite work that way. So let’s move on with hope and possibility in our hearts and a little Irish blessing to begin better times.

“ALWAYS REMEMBER TO FORGET THE TROUBLES THAT PASS AWAY.
BUT NEVER FORGET TO REMEMBER THE BLESSINGS THAT COME EACH DAY.”

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An Unbalanced Force

Physics And The Pandemic

Lockdown The Sequel

A Good Beginning

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