There’s an old question that I ask people sometimes: How far can you run into a forest? The answer is only halfway, because after that you’re running out of the forest. Semantic games don’t get any more annoying than that, do they?
But a few days ago came the equivalent of that for this thing called Twenty-Eleven. Since we have just passed the 183 day mark, we can truly say that we’re now on our way out of this year. And there are many people who would love to put 2011 in their rear view mirror as quickly as possible. The roll call of such people include:
The people of Japan
The people of Tuscaloosa, Alabama
The people of Joplin, Missouri
The people of Memphis, Tennessee, much of Louisiana, Minot, North Dakota, and many other towns lying near flooded rivers.
But even when the calendar turns and this awful year is finally behind us, the devastation it has wrought will live on. The planet is reminding us all of who is really in charge, and it ain’t us.
Here’s hoping that hurricanes, wildfires, and other natural disasters decide that we’ve had enough for a while.
Blue Batting Helmet 