As One of Those Chosen to Die

Petrified Forest

Let me take this opportunity to express what a huge mistake the old white men of the United States are making. The Millennials cannot even cook their own breakfasts. Or cut their own hair. But that is a cheap line.

I participated in a web conference yesterday about developing plans to open up the economy. First just because we open the doors does not mean they will come. Sixty-six days of staying to ourselves has taught us things. Gray hair is not such a bad thing for one. And it is possible to assemble your own Reuben sandwich.

But the people in a row at the top of the webinar page were not young. And it occurs to me the same can be said for those of us on the board of an arts organization or the library board. In point of fact us long term volunteers have long realized that the young are not moving up into vacated positions on the village committees to support events and organizations which depend on volunteers.

As as we cancel one event after another which the tourists come to this area to participate in the phrase "...but you have too" echos down the vacated streets. No, we don't. In fact, our Governor's guidelines for opening back up the state repeatedly say that the old and those with compromised health issues are to continue to self-isolate. Fine.

We are the artists, and the organizers, and the long term residents who know how things are run. We can fill out 501C3 grants. Know exactly when requests for funds have to be in. Understand that in December the Calendars for the coming year have to be submitted. No Balloons over Angel Fire or the International Balloon Fiesta, no holiday markets, no art fairs,no studio tours anywhere in the state. Nobody who knows how things get done.

For years we tried to get the young involved and all they wanted was to run the races and collect the t-shirts. They did not even want to work the jobs at restaurants and the resort, and the businesses in town. Increasingly those jobs went begging because of higher rents and lower wages and no work ethic. The clerks at the grocery, and the retail stores, even the maids that cleaned the condos were the retired looking for ways to afford to live on Social Security and busted pension plans.

Well, we have been ordered by our Governor to stay home. And I plan to do just that.

I will paint and take photographs and garden. I will have more time because I am not needed any longer to contribute to a broken world.

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