DIMINUENDO

Every so often my “blog” lapses into silence. It’s not because of health problems (I’m still lucky to be in good condition despite ripe old age). I haven’t stopped paying attention to the news and it’s certainly not that I’ve stopped caring.

It is, though, a matter of mood. I begin to look at my blogging with a “so what?” feeling. I’ve said my say for so long that the urge wanes. Do I want to throw more words at problems that never seem to go away? I know that hope and struggle are eternal, but there are always new and younger voices that suit the times.

Life still affords me pleasures that I appreciate: family and friends (those gone far outnumber those around me), more reading than ever (even with old eyes that need a Kindle instead of a book), music still, although most plays now lull me to sleep. I blog now and then, often walk around Lake Merritt with Gail and our friends, and co-lead a weekly Current Events session at the main Oakland Senior Center.

I know I will have the urge to write something from time to time. And I still feel “responsible” to my Friday friends in Current Events. But I think I’d like to give myself permission to stay quiet more often than not, and to miss a Friday session every few weeks.

I’m aware that there aren’t many out there who eagerly await an explanation when my blogs become infrequent. But I feel better explaining it to myself and passing it along.