“Are you okay,” asked a perfect stranger who tracks this space? “You haven’t posted anything in some time; I hope you’re just on hiatus.” One of the things that makes blogging such fun is hearing from perfect strangers – not to mention good friends who also drop in.
Well, no, I’ve not exactly been on hiatus. Life has just been overloaded with national bad news, concern for friends suffering from local bad news like the Wine Country wildfires, and the very good news of an impending event featuring the remarkable Dr. Willie Parker that I’ve been working 24-hours-a-day on for many months. (If you’re anywhere near the San Francisco Bay Area, come! If you’re not, check out his new book Life’s Work: A Moral Argument for Choice.)
But I got to thinking about that hiatus business. What a lovely word. It is defined by Merriam-Webster as “an interruption in time or continuity” – which certainly covers my non-blogging in recent weeks – but also (Cambridge Dictionary) as “a short pause in which nothing happens, or a space where something no longer is” – which also works.
Just a little etymological digging, though, uncovers a few more definitions/applications including this one from the Free Dictionary by Farlex: “A gap or interruption in space, time, or continuity; a break.” If there is anyone following the news of the world, especially the news of the little corner of the world occupied by the USA, who doesn’t need a break, I don’t know who he or she would be.
Dr. Willie Parker is one of my heroes. And I too have had to take the occasional hiatus since November 8, 2016. We need to take care of ourselves so we can get up and fight again.
You’re right, here we are (60 years later, in my case) fighting the same old battle. But today we have Willie Parker at the forefront, thank heavens! Thanks for stopping by.
Hello!
Best from Neil S.
Thanks for dropping by. I so enjoy your posts!
O Fran say it as it is! Thank you for your clear insight.
Xoxoxo