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Notes from a Garage

With John Gardiner

Holes in my life; taking ourselves too seriously; and developing a plan…..

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

I have lost a couple of friends over the past two weeks and it has really knocked the wind out of my sails. It has again reminded me of the fragility of life. And I know I should try not to feel sad when someone close to me dies – that I should celebrate their life and be happy that I had the chance to know them for a while. But it still knocks you for a loop. Each day, I see the incredible beauty and wonder in life and it’s what makes me get crazy. There are people dying every day who so cherish life and who want so badly to be part of it and to make a positive difference with their lives. And, then, there are lots of people who don’t even really seem to deserve life – who are miserable and nasty to the people around them – and they just keep living and living. No, there’s no way to really figure it out. In fact, it kind of gives me a headache even trying to figure out what makes life tick. But I know that every time someone close to me passes, it leaves a hole in the fabric of my life. And it seems those holes can’t be mended. I would give anything to be able to somehow protect all of the people I care about in life, but I can’t even really protect myself. It has sobered me greatly these days. It has made me value life all the more.

This time of year is hard for Canadians. We have been cooped up all winter and the good weather is just starting to appear…….we want to get outside and get doing stuff. But the weather isn’t quite there yet, so there’s a high level of frustration. I’ve been watching retro TV these days to help pass the time. We get a station on the aeriel that plays only really old TV shows and, so, I’ve waded right in and am really enjoying myself. I’ve watched shows like The Virginian, McHale’s Navy, Operation Petticoat, the Incredible Hulk and The Rifleman. And you know what? It’s better than most of the stuff that’s on these days. At least that’s my humble opinion. Most of the old TV shows were produced with only one thing in mind – entertainment. There is no moral lesson in the story – there’s just the story. Somewhere along the line, over the last 40-50 years, we’re started to take our TV ‘way too seriously. In the old days, when you watched the Beverly Hillbillies or Green Acres, you weren’t trying to learn anything about life – except to laugh at yourself. Don’t get me wrong – there are still some shows like that, but mostly we take the whole TV thing too seriously. We need some places in life where we do nothing but relax and enjoy ourselves. And you likely didn’t read that here first!

It’s interesting just examining the sheer complexity of life. Whenever I’m driving to Toronto in the evening, it really strikes me. You drive into the incredible maze of highways and buildings along highway 401 and you can’t help but be in awe of what we’ve created – to remember where we’ve come from and to understand how complex life has become on the planet. But the scary thing is that there’s no plan. We’re just sort of stumbling along, lurching from crisis to crisis, from tsunami to terrorist attack, and we’ve got no idea where this is all headed. And while we may not have been capable of working out a plan in the past – mainly because we weren’t able to communicate with each other very effectively – we certainly have the tools at our disposal these days to get things working together better. And that’s really what we need to do – take a big step back from the edge and study the situation – develop some type of plan – then go forward from there. It is clear from the amount of turmoil on the planet that we need to get organized. Before it’s too late….and that time will come.

Sorry, not writing with my usual zing these days…..feeling kind of flat and tired….worn out…..Hope to be back in step next week. Take care and remember, “Hew to the line; let the chips fall where they may.”



John Gardiner is a 25-year-veteran of the community newspaper business, but he is also a prolific writer of moralistic short fiction he refers to as "emotional thoughtscapes" or "adult fables". Samples of his fiction can be found at:

He has also produced a noteworthy piece of humanist philosophy which can be found at: http://www.xs4all.nl/~aboiten/ad502.htm He welcomes comments on his work.