LAUGH, LAUGH...

My mother used to have this thing where she would laugh uncontrollably often at the wrong time.

One time following a surgery I had, she came to visit me in the hospital. I was uncomfortable (to say the least), and when I shifted position, the pain, a tearing sensation in the stitched area, was excruciating. I grimaced, and she started laughing, which started me laughing. Fortunately, I don't remember the pain (life is sometimes good that way).

That said, The Ever-lovely Miss Kim and I recently went into a Five Guys for a quick lunch. Everything was fine until I saw a man come in wearing a black tRump face mask. In all honesty, I didn't read the whole thing. It could have said, "Trump - Keep America Great" (🙄) or it could have said, "Trump Virus 2020" or "Trump for Prison 2020."

I looked around the store - everyone was wearing masks (the new 'normal), there were plastic barriers set up, and tables socially distanced, but at least they were open.

Sudden thoughts washed over me like a tsunami - massive unemployment and related financial issues, small businesses disappearing, loss of health care, over 160,000 fellow Americans dead, loss of sports, food lines, the mess with schools, travel, tourism, etc., etc., etc.

I would love to tell you I started to laugh - harder and harder. Tears came to my eyes, and my laughter grew louder and louder and my voice raised in pitch. I stumbled back against the wall hitting it with my back, and slid to the floor still laughing.

I thought about the unnecessary ridiculousness of the whole thing. I know it is what it is (sorry), but it didn't have to be. Mike Leavitt observed that "There is a time in the life of every problem when it is big enough to see, yet small enough to solve." At least that's how it should be for most normal people. 

Believe and spin what you want, but this is the tRump Pandemic. I hold him and his pertinacious supporters responsible for everything that is going on. Other countries have figured it out, but not the good old U.S. of A. "My rights are more important than yours and the country's." (Think 'The Ugly American.')

Smart people can pretend to be stupid, but stupid people can't pretend to be smart.

(By the way, I really didn't start laughing - I just thought about it. I didn't cry either, which would have been easy to do. In reality, I finished my lunch, and we went on our way back into the tRump Pandemic).)