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DAVID BENTLEY'S WEEKLY COLUMN |
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THWARTED PLANS
A rainy, foggy weekend did not fit with the plans I had made. There were places to go, people to meet and things to do. While sunshine was not required for any of these activities, rain and fog were unacceptable. Of course had I been planning a weekend of leisure, perhaps reading novels and taking naps between sandwiches and bowls of soup, the weather would have been perfect. That was not the case, however. My friend phoned and asked, "So what are we going to do, now?" My pregnant pause revealed that I was clueless. I could have suggested that we put off our plans until another weekend when the weather was more suitable. I could have come up with a compromise that excluded some of our plans while leaving others intact. I could have even suggested a new plan altogether. Instead, I said nothing. That's when the tirade began. The complicated conspiracy theory created by my friend, with God and Mother Nature plotting to spoil our weekend, was astounding. At first I thought it was a sarcastic joke, but then I began to feel my phone receiver heat up. I realized that neither of us was laughing For some minutes I listened to my friend rant and rave about how our weekend was totally ruined despite our careful planning. Every attempt at suggesting another plan on my part was met with anger and blame. Finally, in an explosive exclamation, he said, "We're screwed!" and hung up. Several seconds passed before the silence turned into a dial tone. It was a few more seconds before I came out of my stupor and hung up the receiver. I rose from my chair, walked over to the open window, and inhaled the smell of rain. Then I heated a can of soup, made a sandwich, and took them to the sofa where my library book lay from the night before. It was a weekend, and I planned on enjoying it.
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SAN JUAN ISLANDER © 2008 |
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