Distance

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2109

Abstract

o social <b>distancing</b>. Not me. I’ve realized, thanks to the panic, that social distancing has been a way of life for me in the last fifteen months since I “retired.” I don’t have to make any modifications to my lifestyle at all. To minimize my risk of infection I just have to keep living the way I have been.</p><p id="2179">Aside from my wonderful daughter, her husband, and their beautiful girls, I don’t really socialize with anyone in this godforsaken town. All my friends are far away. <b>Distant</b>. Thank goodness the Covid-19 virus is not transmitted through telephones. The only other humans I come into contact with are store clerks who work at the grocery store, convenience store, thrift stores, and employees who work at the Post Office, restaurants, and librarians at the library.</p><p id="6546">Well, the library is closed down indefinitely as are all the restaurants (I only eat out three or four times a year anyway). So not much has changed except for the fact that it is now glaringly obvious to me that I am socially <b>distant</b>.</p><p id="13e1">Is that some kind of psychological defect? What would the noggin doctors have to say about this? I never experience loneliness. I’m way the heck too happy for that. (Although I do certainly miss my dog.) I don’t feel abnormal. I’m actually happier with my life situation than ever before, even though I am socially <b>distant</b>.</p><p id="7394">Most of my social interactions occur over the internet. Thank goodness viruses don’t spread that way, am I right? But can you imagine if the Covid-19 virus could indeed spread through the internet? The internet would shut down and that would have an even more radical impact on society. What on earth would people do without the internet? If I had any inclinations whatsoever to write science fiction I might explore that idea — but I don’t.</p><p id="64be">With the word, <b><i>distance</i></b>, rattling around in the ole empty noggin I found myself thinking about long <b>distance</b> relationships. I had to think back a few decades but I’ve had three of them. Two of them fizzled

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and burned out. The third one was very exciting. The concept of <i>every other weekend</i> became magical. It was actually rather nice not to be together every single freaking day. But then we eventually ended up in the same town and moved in together. That’s when everything went south. We broke up just a couple of months later.</p><p id="1255">Have you ever tried remote viewing? Have you ever been able to see a place a long <b>distance</b> away? It can be a lot of fun. I encourage everyone to try it.</p><p id="9f50">I can see myself standing on a flagstone patio behind my adobe eco-friendly home. I see a vast field of sagebrush. I can even smell the sage. Beyond the sagebrush the lands rises and is covered with juniper and pinon trees. Beyond that are tall snow-capped mountains, in fact there are mountains in almost every direction.</p><p id="5d8f">I also sense a small intentional art community. My home, of course, is slightly set apart from the community but I can sense a strong connection to it. There is a small river nearby. I have a garden. I have taken up sculpting. There is a dog.</p><p id="18c5">I can see the place plain as day but I have no idea where it is. I can see it and <b>feel</b> it but there is a <b>distance</b> between me and this place. My intention is to dissolve that <b>distance</b>.</p><p id="362d"><i>Copyright by White Feather. All Rights Reserved.</i> <a href="https://readmedium.com/white-feather-archive-index-c95167f7dbaf"><b>White Feather Archive Index</b></a></p><p id="e7dc"><i>Not entirely unrelated…</i></p><div id="ef9e" class="link-block"> <a href="https://readmedium.com/canyon-music-22bab8316997"> <div> <div> <h2>Canyon Music</h2> <div><h3>Soul connections to land</h3></div> <div><p>medium.com</p></div> </div> <div> <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/1*7YFJOc4S8_NrAhIrV1fNUw.jpeg)"></div> </div> </div> </a> </div></article></body>

And ‘de-distancing’

It’s been six years now since I’ve owned an automotive vehicle. I’ve gone longer than that at other times in my life. It was in the month of March that I sold my beloved SUV. I used the money to pay for three months of rent and to catch up on bills. That would allow me to finish the novel I was working on and give me time to find a job.

During the two years I had that delightful vehicle I did some local traveling but regretfully I did no long distance traveling. It would have been perfect for that. Of the many vehicles I’ve owned throughout my life it was my second favorite. My very favorite was a certain Subaru wagon that I shared with my dog (I never drove it without the dog being in the passenger seat).

For the last six years I haven’t gone anywhere that my legs couldn’t take me. The concept of distance was radically redefined. One of my unwritten desires for the year 2020 has been to once again embrace distance. I want to go to where there are mountains in order to explore and search for a new home in which to spend the rest of my days. I have left it up to the Universe to provide the requisite vehicular transportation.

Now that we are in the midst of the Corvid-19 panic long distance travel is extremely discouraged. This, of course, only makes me want to travel even more. I’ve got to see a mountain! I’ve got to feel a mountain!

But there is another type of distance that the panic has brought to our attention. I don’t think I’ve ever even heard the term, social distancing, before this year. I’ve been thinking about it lately.

There has been a lot of talk lately about how difficult it will be for people to get used to social distancing. Not me. I’ve realized, thanks to the panic, that social distancing has been a way of life for me in the last fifteen months since I “retired.” I don’t have to make any modifications to my lifestyle at all. To minimize my risk of infection I just have to keep living the way I have been.

Aside from my wonderful daughter, her husband, and their beautiful girls, I don’t really socialize with anyone in this godforsaken town. All my friends are far away. Distant. Thank goodness the Covid-19 virus is not transmitted through telephones. The only other humans I come into contact with are store clerks who work at the grocery store, convenience store, thrift stores, and employees who work at the Post Office, restaurants, and librarians at the library.

Well, the library is closed down indefinitely as are all the restaurants (I only eat out three or four times a year anyway). So not much has changed except for the fact that it is now glaringly obvious to me that I am socially distant.

Is that some kind of psychological defect? What would the noggin doctors have to say about this? I never experience loneliness. I’m way the heck too happy for that. (Although I do certainly miss my dog.) I don’t feel abnormal. I’m actually happier with my life situation than ever before, even though I am socially distant.

Most of my social interactions occur over the internet. Thank goodness viruses don’t spread that way, am I right? But can you imagine if the Covid-19 virus could indeed spread through the internet? The internet would shut down and that would have an even more radical impact on society. What on earth would people do without the internet? If I had any inclinations whatsoever to write science fiction I might explore that idea — but I don’t.

With the word, distance, rattling around in the ole empty noggin I found myself thinking about long distance relationships. I had to think back a few decades but I’ve had three of them. Two of them fizzled and burned out. The third one was very exciting. The concept of every other weekend became magical. It was actually rather nice not to be together every single freaking day. But then we eventually ended up in the same town and moved in together. That’s when everything went south. We broke up just a couple of months later.

Have you ever tried remote viewing? Have you ever been able to see a place a long distance away? It can be a lot of fun. I encourage everyone to try it.

I can see myself standing on a flagstone patio behind my adobe eco-friendly home. I see a vast field of sagebrush. I can even smell the sage. Beyond the sagebrush the lands rises and is covered with juniper and pinon trees. Beyond that are tall snow-capped mountains, in fact there are mountains in almost every direction.

I also sense a small intentional art community. My home, of course, is slightly set apart from the community but I can sense a strong connection to it. There is a small river nearby. I have a garden. I have taken up sculpting. There is a dog.

I can see the place plain as day but I have no idea where it is. I can see it and feel it but there is a distance between me and this place. My intention is to dissolve that distance.

Not entirely unrelated…