Reflection on Labor Day

On May 1 I wrote an essay based on my encounter with death in the Tenderloin district in San Francisco. Spring, the season of new life, revealed death to me in a very personal way. Now as we approach autumn, the time when life slows and we reap the bounty of summer, life displays its abundance. It seems appropriate to pause and look back even as I anticipate the future.

Looking back, I have lived through a tumultuous summer. My professional world had all the excitement of a newfangled roller coaster. Whether standing or sitting, you are sent on a madcap journey of twists, turns, inversions, and upside down flings all designed to disrupt your balance and leave you breathlessly confused as you step off. A ride on an amusement park coaster seldom lasts more than a few minutes. My ride has lasted well over a year and, while the end is in sight, it is a certainty that the twists and loops will be more pronounced as we approach the final hill. I will tighten my seatbelt just a tad more.

My personal life has taken unusual paths as well. An unexpected opportunity to encounter truth has left me with more questions than ever, and a certainty that truth remains hidden from my view. Justice is equally obscured. The truth is out there, or so I believe. In time it will be revealed. Some family members have encountered new stresses due to the upending of the economy. Others have made progress in improving their lives. Time will tell how the stresses end and whether the progress continues.

Looking forward, I note that two of my friends are moving forward in their lives. Jobs have been acquired and new residences are in the offing. A third is still struggling with health issues, and now job issues. She will need my support. The return of the school year has brought an end to summer dreams and a resumption of homework. The holiday season is beckoning and will be here sooner than we think. Christmas has already usurped Halloween in some stores, even as I write this. Nieces and nephews anxiously await my annual holiday tour to their family residences. My film-viewing schedule already includes Lord of the Rings – Part II and Star Trek-Nemesis. No doubt Harry Potter will be added, assuming a new film is available at Christmas.

My personal and professional lives are about to intertwine and while not an unexpected development, I would have preferred it to be otherwise. It will make for an exciting (if I can use that word) autumn. Hopefully all will be resolved before the Advent season.

As I walked along the beach today I was struck by the westward horizon. Offshore winds had blown off the fog and the weather was hot and beautiful. The City stood out clearly, unhidden by Nature. Along the shoreline numerous families were enjoying California’s brilliant sunshine. As I strolled in the water, barefoot and pants rolled up, I noted the children and the adults in their lives. All were playing, sunning, swimming, eating, building sand castles and moats, or just splashing in the water. On such a gorgeous day it is hard to imagine that any shadows would ever enter their lives, or have entered their lives. Life is good and perhaps today it is best to believe that the shadows are on holiday too.