Teagan's Books

Monday, December 9, 2024

Welcome, all.  I prefer to only post twice a week, but I had some heavy “ponderating” on my mind.  I guess I needed to give it voice.  You could also consider this a follow-on to my weekend short story, “It’s My Job.” Or a “PS” to the author note I put at the end of it.

I admit to feeling befuddled.  When I mentioned that one needs to be mindful that not everybody’s life is like one’s own, it seems that nearly everybody concluded that I was talking about loneliness.  How far from the truth… 

Let me digress here and express my gratitude for all of the wonderful heartfelt comments on that post.  I am not saying anything negative about those comments at all.  I loved them! Thank all of you so very much for taking time to leave those terrific comments.  Although it did get me thinking…

Certainly, there are many lonely people in the world. I don’t mean to be dismissive of that in any way.  Also, I realize that loneliness can be devastating, and the holidays make that even worse. 

Although, as I said, I did not mean loneliness when I said, “be mindful that not everything can be seen from the outside, and that not everyone’s life is like yours.  Remember to be kind.”

After “ponderating” on the matter, I realized that loneliness is a state most people can imagine, empathize with, or even dread. Maybe it’s also “easier” to consider.  Now, I understand why that assumption is made.

However, that isn’t the issue to which I meant to call attention, with the short story “It’s My Job,” which was about an encounter with the angel of death. 

Has our world become so classist that even when it’s stated that “we can’t always see the ways someone’s life is different from our own” that we jump to any explanation except the facts of class differences, monetary differences, and the lack of acceptance — regardless of the fact that we know those things exist?

We can easily imagine loneliness. One might be popular and surrounded by friends, and still feel lonely — but we don’t imagine that person as being poor, and certainly not an outsider.

It’s easy to imagine a kindly older person being lonely.  However, does it cross one’s mind that maybe that person can’t find anyone to hire to do repairs?

Or before one asks, “Did you make turkey?” Or before asking what extravagant holiday meal that person prepared, stopping to consider that preparing a fancy meal might cause them physical pain from which it takes days to recover, causing that meal to be something they couldn’t even enjoy?  Or that perhaps it was beyond their financial means?

It seems that we have to shield our minds from the thought that a person might look just like us, do all the right things, but have much less money. 

Or that even if they have plenty of money, the situations within their homelife might be a source of emotional or physical (or both) difficulty.

Or that they are simply an outsider in one way or another. 

I know this was not pleasant ponderating, but I appreciate you joining me in this mindful moment.   Comments are closed this time.  Have a wonderful new week.  Hugs.

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I must include the obligatory shameless self-promotion, so here are links to Lulu’s new story.  It’s approximately a two-hour read

Hullaba Christmas: Lulu and the Snatched Santa

Series Link: 

Kindle: relinks.me/B0D33MN3NJ

Paperback: relinks.me/B0D8WR8T5B

Kindle:  relinks.me/B08JKP1RS4

Paperback:  relinks.me/B08JDYXPZM

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Copyright © 2024 by Teagan Ríordáin Geneviene

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