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Volume 8 #52
Random Thoughts, Partie Duex
Well, Parish, most of us are still feeling a lot of uncertainty in our futures because of Covid-19. One of the challenges that people are having is that the state is asking us to 'socially distance' ourselves and that can make life a little bit difficult because one of the great ways to cope with fear and uncertainty is to lean on people that you care about and to communicate with others and to have a strong social support network.
I’m starting to look a little shaggy but visiting the barber may not yet be a good idea. So, I had a less-than-good idea: checked on a Flowbee from EBay but then began to wonder what kind of genius designed this. With this product you can have a quick and easy haircut in the comfort of your own home. Now, seriously—at $199.00 when I currently only pay $12.00 for a haircut (+$2.00 tip) I can have 14.21 haircuts before it pays for itself. I will stay with Beggs.
Netflix and Amazon were lifesavers while they lasted and I have watched all the episodes of Maine Cabin Masters twice. I’m not a big fan of Zoom, but am known to use Facetime. I’ve texted so many people that they are now blocking me. What to do? Pacing doesn’t seem to help—what to do, what to do? I found some note-cards and penned a few handwritten lines to some far distant people. Won’t know if they receive it unless they can find some note-cards or my phone number or email address.  
The late comedian Milton Berle said that laughter is an instant vacation. We could all certainly use one right now.
People are mentioning to me about regaining the importance of family meals. If you do that on a regular basis, there will be a change in your relationships to both cooking and your family. This shift to family meals can become one of the precious, good things that come from this pandemic. (Hint: If the recipe calls for chicken, use chicken. Subbing sardines will make stomachs turn. Even Mikey won’t eat it.)
Cooking 101: Nothing reminds me of how tenuous my understanding of time is like forgetting to set a kitchen timer. Has this been cooking for 20 minutes? 4 hours? There’s no way to tell. (Actually there is: if the soup is crusty and black on the bottom, it’s (over) done.)
This might be a suggestion for all of us. I learned a new word today (yes I have a hard copy Dictionary AND Thesaurus).  Pleonasm – [PLEE-ə-naz-əm] – noun. Definition: The use of more words than those necessary; redundancy. Example: Wanna know what pleonasms drive me crazy? “Past history” and “personal friend.” Maybe it’s time to stop writing.
These are some of my ways to make chaos a little more bearable. How are things with you?

Blessings,
Fr. John Nolan
Pastor
St. Joseph the Worker
700 E Spruce St
Chatham, IL 62629
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