She held no quarter as she blasted me. She was in my face, shoving me. It didn’t mater how fast I ran or walked, I couldn’t get away. The wind threatened to lift me off my feet. I cursed audibly in response. As if taunting, a howl could be heard at times, others a whistle. I ran down my hill at a speed cautious of falling, but it didn’t matter how fast you went. You had to leave on time, as the French proverb went. And I did not. I endured this natural assault with an iron grip on my katan’s hilt. I bent and swayed into the wind keeping my balance. The poor umbrella as deadly as it looked could only menace back at the elements, as I held my tongue in bitter, wet silence. Admittedly, without this particular item, I may not have left the house; the deluge that buffeted me this morning still weeping on.
Was impatience appropriate at this time? My fortunes only grew today, with lunch from the kind people at work. In truth, my tardiness to the train and subsequent soaking were symptomatic of one affliction in particular. It leaves me unwell, heart pacing as I run to catch up or brainstorm a solution under stress and gray clouds. Preparedness, or rather, a lack thereof is a coin flip. You win or lose in my eyes. What I didn’t appreciate is that fact that it’s not so clichéd. Really, the two options were win-win, since like an umbrella on a forecasted rainy day, you’re either ready or staying ready. The reward is convenience, an immeasurable value. We pay a premium for this- in ride sharing, takeout deliveries, or next day shipping. Analog isn’t ancient, we still read and understand language, accept and meet deliveries. The conflation is that analog is obsolete. This was a false statement. I reckon audiobooks are harder, listening, rewinding, and replaying to hear the wording again. You couldn’t learn new words easily- without seeing its spelling or reviewing the context. Digital cameras let you take pictures endlessly, but what of the endless editing and selection process? An umbrella prepares you to combat the rain. Convenience, in some cases, might burden more than it benefits.
I’ve grown dependent on convenience, picking at every single thing in sight to have a good time and survive. But the mission is more: to thrive. Then I choose to prepare. Rather than pick at leftover options out of pressure, I have a choice. Almost 300 a month on lunch alone could feed me for every meal, prepped well enough. Plan with the end in mind. Half-assed attempts make you a hack.
