All Hallows Eve and Other Musings

 In the tiny village where I spent my high school years, Halloween was a time for pseudo-vandalism. I call it that because whatever we did that evening, we undid the next day, restoring the sleepy berg to its original state.  It wasn't a clandestine operation by any means.  The school custodians would load a stack of old tires from the repair shop next to the school and haul them to the middle of the field and set them on fire.  The blaze provided a warming break for the busy teens as they created havoc around town.  Some of the events I remember: building a cabin around the gas pumps at the Esso station, and hauling a manure spreader from the farm equipment sales place and parking it in front of the main doors of the school.  There were more I'm sure, but I can't remember them.  The next morning the perpetrators removed the various impediments to the day.  School started late and the Esso station couldn't operate for an hour or so after opening, but things were back to normal by afternoon.

I bet a bunch of you are horrified at the pollution generated by the burning tires — me too, but back in the fifties we weren't aware of the effects we humans were having on our planet.  Not an excuse, I know but our ignorance of the environmental damage our species was doing was profound.  

Now to the  musings part:

Among the odd things I notice myself doing in the course of my day, perhaps the oddest is this: when slicing a banana or cucumber or the like, I am conscious of counting as I slice — not aloud, at least I don't think so, but definitely aware that I'm doing it.  Anyone else do that?

I'm sure I've mentioned more than once how averse I am to routine.  This is most obvious when I try to maintain an exercise regimen.  I actually enjoy exercise!  I like the way my body feels after a workout.  I like recognizing the progress I'm making and the cleansing effect of sweat.  I even promise myself things: what time of day to set aside, whether to travel to the gym or use our well-equipped gym in the basement.  I even buy workout log books to record my progress.  

But it all breaks down because — ROUTINE.  

Oh I do workout— irregularly — a couple times a week.  I'm hoping that maybe I can sneak into a [R-word] without knowing it.  I'll keep you posted.

Until next time,

Namaste!