LIFE SWITCH: IT’S EITHER ON OR OFF, NO ‘OTHER’

A life switch is not a light switch.

We know what a light switch is, the thing on a wall connected to a light bulb.

One moment it’s dark in the room, then it’s not.

That’s the light switch. Light to dark, or dark to light.

A Life Switch doesn’t work the same way.

If you’re a regular visitor to BoomerPdx, then you know what’s coming.

More important, you know what’s not coming. If you’re new, read a few posts to get adjusted.

The life switch is always on. Feeling down? It’s on. Feeling in a dark mood? Still on.

Best day of your life with every loved one possible joining in? Oh, it’s on.

On that day you want to put a bracket on the switch to keep it right there, but being on is all we get.

No matter what you do, or what you hear, being on is good enough, though you’ll find plenty of advise telling you more than you want to hear.

“Be The Best You.”

It’s not an ad for drinking more beer, but ask the guy five pints in. He’ll fight you.

“Today is the first day of the rest of your life.”

Says the old hippie who took Timothy Leary’s advice to “Turn on and drop out,” but forgot the “tune in” part.

Since the life switch is always on, keep your hand on the tuning dial for best results.

We All Know This Person

Even men and women with the ability to remove emotions from their daily life are on.

You won’t see them as anything but cold fish, but they’ve got something going in other parts of their lives, just not the part you see.

For you they’re all calm and contained and follow established behavior and protocols.

They say things like, “Do you know why I pulled you over?”

Real cool and collected.

“I need you to initial where the X is and sign at the bottom of the page.”

All professional and poised.

“Now turn your head and cough.”

Where do people allow themselves to cut loose and let it all fly?

Sports, that’s where. Check crowd reactions the next time you watch a football game.

Raider Nation is where to start. These mild mannered people dress up like it’s Halloween with costumes and face paint and look like a cross between marauding pirates and a biker gang.

What are the chances they are model citizens away from the stadium, the policeman, the banker, the doctor?

Being a sports fan isn’t the same as leading a double life, a secret life, or the tip of an iceberg of a mad life.

Buying season tickets in the NFL is expensive, so they’ve got cash.

They Just Look Crazy, Or?

Consistent crazy is different than now and then crazy, though both probably need their meds.

Cutting them off is not an answer, but it happens.

Some call it ‘Opting out of friendship.’

Others call it ‘Going dark.’

What do you call it when you feel the drift of friendship moving away from the dock?

It’s usually a little sad, but let’s be honest. If you’re not drifting, haven’t changed, and remain the brightest light you’ve always been, call it a no-fault friendship.

People change. They change attitudes, change addresses, change wives and husbands, and there you are unchanged and boring as ever.

Too often people try to keep up by channeling enthusiasm they don’t feel. But the effort to keep up a solid front is tiring and eventually they wear down to who they are, whatever that might be.

The highs and lows of life create vulnerability, an opening for someone or something new to kickstart them in new directions.

They come to know a new life, they once were lost but now they’re found, were blind but now they see.

In other words, people cut themselves off, not you, and they do it way before you notice.

Another Word For Life Switch

Caring about people you don’t know is hard. But that’s the work of humanity, caring enough.

In spite of doubts, personal doubts, you’re strong enough to care about people you don’t know.

Social media makes it hard with disasters and doom on every scroll.

People drop off when it gets too much. And they should. Otherwise they might start donating uncontrollable to every pitch, every go fund me, every call out.

Balancing Home Shopping Network buys with an open ended contribution to end world hunger, support world peace, and housing the homelessness make it more difficult.

You want to do something and end up doing nothing because you don’t know where your money will end up. But you do know what you get spending money on QVC: Holiday specials.

Do you know what doesn’t cost a thing? Holding a door open for a stranger, asking someone how they’re doing, making a phone call.

Find a new flex with kindness.

There is a heaven on earth with the innocent eyes of baby that ask, “Who are you again?” before the recognition sets in.

It’s in the faces of concerned citizens on TV asking for help.

Where it’s not is on the overly dramatic faces twisted up in practiced anger for a television camera night after night.

The hate and fear from the screen seeps into people who act in anger that is not practiced.

They listened, flexed around, and found out. 

Hit that life switch before it’s too late.