You say eether and I say eyether
You say neether and I say nyther
Eether, eyether, neether, nyther
Let’s call the whole thing off!
You like potato and I like potahto
You like tomato and I like tomahto
Potato, potahto, tomato, tomahto!
Let’s call the whole thing off!
I’ll tell you what. I never get tired of that song. For those who don’t know it, the title is “Let’s Call the Whole Thing Off.” I guess now, the song is approaching its 100th birthday. God, that just made me feel old. It is a song written by George Gershwin and Ira Gershwin for the 1937 film Shall We Dance.
In the movie, the bright song was introduced by none other than Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, who moved like two pieces of swirling silk when they were on the stage together. In the movie, they performed this number as part of a dance duet on roller skates. They were lauded for their maneuvers. Of course, these days, some people quote the song with the old “You like tomato /təˈmeɪtə/ / And I like to-mah-to /təˈmɑːtə/” and they don’t even know the movie, the song.
But.
But, these days. The chorus sure is ringing true, isn’t it? They are calling the whole thing off. Some people still aren’t buying into this. I bet that changes when one of their parents die, or a friend passes away. Other people are indignant about the social distancing, thinking they are somehow “above” the virus. It doesn’t care who you are, or how you say tomato, though.
So we are supposed to be in our own homes and distancing ourselves from non-essential gatherings. This pretty much means everything. Even family and friends. Again, the virus knows no boundaries.
Regardless, it is scary, no matter how it comes.
But. There are things that we can do, to make it more bearable. We can take this time to learn something new, or try something different. Hopefully, your internet isn’t broken. If it is, you are not reading this, and I guess I am not talking to you. I’m talking to everyone else, and they are growing frustrated with me for wasting an entire paragraph on the broke-internet-people who aren’t here.
Sorry. Anyway.
For the rest of us. There are a lot of online classes available, free classes, or very low cost. Dive into something you’ve always been curious about. Electrical wiring. Computer programming. Cooking with butter. Pipe cleaner animals.
Pull out the ungodly 10,000 piece jigsaw puzzle Aunt Becky gave you for Christmas three years ago. The one that you haven’t been able to make yourself put in the Goodwill bin.
Follow an exercise video. I REALLY recommend self-quarantining for this one. But go ahead, put it on. Follow along, within your limits. Do it slowly, but have some fun. Make chicken noises, or say “Doh” like Homer Simpson when something is too hard. Fix a cold glass of lemonade when you are done and congratulate yourself. Put a shot of whiskey in the glass if you are so inclined. Then do the video again, just for laughs.
Pull out some crayons, and draw some pictures. Hang them on your fridge. Do one a day, you’ll get better. Watch your progression.
Walk around your yard and look for some cool rocks. Bring them inside, and clean them up with soap, water, and an old toothbrush. Dry them off with a nice little soft cloth. Start a little rock collection that you love. Find one every day.
Say the alphabet backward. Say words backward. Try a sentence. Record it on your phone. Put in on YouTube. Be a backward Kcor-Rats.
They may be calling the whole thing off, and for good reason.
But we don’t have to.
We are people with creative minds. Spend some time with yourself.
And find out, how completely lovely you are.
Because. You really are.
==========
I love being busy.
— Dolly Parton
============
Of all virtues and dignities of the mind, goodness is the greatest, being the character of the Deity; and without it, man is a busy, mischievous, wretched thing.
— Francis Bacon
===========
There are only the pursued, the pursuing, the busy and the tired.
— F. Scott Fitzgerald
==========
