The list of all that I accomplished over the holidays is too long to write about, so that’s a bit of luck for you readers. But I can still waste your time giving you some selected highlights. I already wrote about spending some quality time with our dogs. But wait, there’s more!
First thing I did was try not to be such a dick when I was out shopping and running errands. I was inspired by this older pic of Alice Cooper serving others that resurfaced and made the rounds on Twitter recently.
I wasn’t as ambitious as Mr. Cooper, but I tried to hold doors for others and keep a smile on my face. When cars cut me off, I made sure to wave at the drivers with all the fingers on my hand and not just the middle one. I always wonder what the world would be like if each person in the world did those little things every day for a whole year.
I also stayed healthy. I told you about my COVID test. We heard of a friend of the family who got very sick with COVID but is recovering. We also heard of some folks who are friends of friends who have passed away. They predict the omicron variant infection rate in Chicagoland will peak by the end of January. Looks like no indoor public activities for a while still. See you outside in spring!
Professionally, the news I received just before the holidays was bad, and I took some time over the holidays to process it and feel comfortable about my future.
One of the two main product suppliers to my little medical equipment business has decided to pull their product from the human medical market in the USA due to some regulatory issues. Gulp. That will hasten my retirement and entry into what I consider the fifth phase of my life which excites me and scares me to death at the same time. What should comfort my fall from being a captain of industry to someone swabbing the poop deck is that I found some money. Maybe I should say that I rediscovered the money in a 401K money market retirement fund that I thought I had rolled into one of my other retirement IRAs. I had not, and it has been sitting and doubling in value over the past 3 years. Thanks, Trump and Biden! That may tide me over until I can fully sponge off the government on Social Security entitlements as Republicans claim people do. No, wait a second, that’s my money I paid into the system over decades of work. Screw Republican legislators and their claims of entitlements.
As a change of pace, I read a book rather than writing one. My oldest daughter gave me this one for Christmas.
She’s almost as dark as I am. I am enjoying the book, and it has given me an idea about my award-winning book of short stories. No, I don’t want to bind it in human skin (unless it is my own extra skin after losing a large amount of weight), but I do want to actually get it printed. I envision my book being used in homes, libraries, and halls of academia all over the world like this …
as a coaster for hot beverages. In case you don’t recognize that coaster book above, it is also my book, sort of.
It contains one of my short stories which I plan to include in my upcoming book of short stories about friendship.
After I get my award-winning book of short stories printed, I figured I would autograph some. However, I abandoned that idea when I realized that would likely lower the value of the book. I’m also contemplating running some contests. Winner gets a copy of my book. All losers get 2 copies of my book.
Bottom line is that I want to get my award-winning book of short stories printed. In addition, I would love to finish one of the 3 new books I am currently writing. Focus, right? However, there is a 4th book I really want to write, but I have to get up some nerve to ask a person I don’t really know to write their biography. Gulp. And the stars may have aligned for a Mite Be Funny project in 2022 for release in time for Christmas shopping!
Upon review, I may have had just a bit too much time to think over the holidays.
Jim Flanigan Looks at the World 