Wednesday's Child
Despite no "lifesaving" jabs, I make another complete trip around the Sun!
Monday's child is fair of face
Tuesday's child is full of grace
Wednesday's child is full of woe
Thursday's child has far to go
Friday's child is loving and giving
Saturday's child works hard for his living
And the child that is born on the Sabbath day
Is bonny and blithe, and good and gay
Sixty-seven years ago on Wednesday afternoon at 1:40, I was delivered out of the knocked-out Shirley Miller, in Inglewood California. Despite the fact that Shirley was an unrepentant smoker, I weighed in at 8lbs and 14oz (imagine how large I would have been if she didn’t smoke?)
I learned the above poem when I was quite young, and along with being a Cancer, I didn’t like the fact that I was “full of woe,” even though I was quite a deep-thinking, melancholy child. Little did I know, when my own child was killed in war many years later, that I would really know the meaning of the word, “woe.”
Being closer to the end, than the beginning, I can’t help but reflect upon my life. Even though my childhood was far from idyllic, we did have fun. My sister (who passed from the effects of breast cancer treatment at aged 58) and I described ourselves as free-range children. Along with the other Baby Boomers, we lived the adventurous lives of Tom and Huck in the 1960’s—from after breakfast (usually cereal with a couple of teaspoons of sugar on top), we’d take off into the neighborhood until dinnertime. After wolfing down our food, we’d take off again until dark.
There were some very important events during our free-range lives: JFK was assassinated; Vietnam escalated out of all proportions; RFK and MLK were killed; the US “landed on the moon;” the Manson Family murders; great music; Watergate; Reagan; the Challenger exploded; 9/11, Covid, and, so on, and, so on….
So, here we are on Wednesday again. While there will always be a sadness that permeates my being, I do have a lot to be grateful for: My surviving children are three humans that I am very proud of and they have gifted me with six-perfect grandchildren.
I am grateful that I survived the disgusting Covid debacle and am healthy as hell and looking forward to the adventures that await me/us.
I am also very grateful for my subscribers and the thoughtful engagement in this community that you give me.
I am very nosy, what “child” are you?
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Happy Birthday! - Keep questioning all the baloney! I just checked - and was born on Friday, August 21, 1953 - "loving and giving" - and feel deeply grateful for all the love and generosity I've received in life, and like you, was a really "free range" kid back in the wonderful days before seat belts, bicycle helmets, computers, and was always outside, playing.... Luckily my parents didn't trust doctors, and I haven't been to a pharmacy or a doctor in 50 years - and have been vegan now for 44 of those years - what a beautiful gift to not cause animals (and people) to be killed and terrorized for food!!!
Smoking back then was not so bad because they didn't use those crazy toxic additives. Tobacco doesn't cause lung cancer, the pesticides and additives do. That's why lung cancer rates are lower in Asia and Europe where they smoke as much as we do...
As for what child I am... I am an immigrant and came to the US at a young age raised in this strange land where my family was skeptical of officials while the families that always were here were naive and too trusting of authority.
Hopefully more Americans question authority. The reason why we have this ridiculous upside down economy that screws workers is because of that naivete. Heck, they didn't seem to notice that when housing and health care prices skyrocketed back in the 00s it was inflation!
Nope, they think it's new?! WTF... It's decades in the making but at least they see it now.
I hate how I tried to warn people about this crap back then and they acted like it was a good thing.
One thing people are stupid about is basic economics. Instead they look to these so called experts that talk big words but say bullshit.
"The evolutionary psychologist William von Hippel found that humans use large parts of thinking power to navigate social world rather than perform independent analysis and decision making. For most people it is the mechanism that, in case of doubt, will prevent one from thinking what is right if, in return, it endangers one’s social status. This phenomenon occurs more strongly the higher a person’s social status. Another factor is that the more educated and more theoretically intelligent a person is, the more their brain is adept at selling them the biggest nonsense as a reasonable idea, as long as it elevates their social status. The upper educated class tends to be more inclined than ordinary people to chase some intellectual boondoggle. "
-Sasha Latypova