Atonement

Guilt is the price of behavior for which atonement is impossible.

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Yesterday, a Facebook post sponsored by The Atlantic finally convinced me to subscribe to the magazine. I’ve wanted to subscribe for quite some time, thanks to frequently coming upon articles I have found extremely interesting, well-written, and thought-provoking. Nothing has stopped me from subscribing, except for the cost: $79 per year for an online subscription. But yesterday, I began to read an article that Facebook promised would reveal details about the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH 370…details I had not read before. By the time the article had me firmly in its clutches, it permitted me to go no further without subscribing. I could find a copy of the July 2019 issue (where the piece was published) in the library, I am sure, but I feel a need for unfettered access, 24/7. Though I dislike the tactic that was used to prompt me to subscribe, I have to admit it can work very well. I’ve talked about subscribing for far too long; now, it’s time for action.

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My chemotherapy will resume next week. Because the doctors think the combination of two new (to me) drugs during the most recent chemo treatment may have been responsible for my two-week stay in the hospital, only one of the two drugs will be administered. If they can schedule it, I will have a PET scan before next Wednesday’s session; its results could change the plan.  During these last few weeks without chemo, I have felt progressively better; especially in the last week or so. Perhaps a less aggressive approach with the upcoming treatments will enable me to hold on to that.  We shall see.

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[REMOVED PARAGRAPH FROM THIS SPACE.]

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The first few episodes of the Danish series on Netflix, Familier som vores (Families like Ours in English) have been quite interesting. Because it is based on the premise that Denmark’s government has ordered a permanent evacuation of its residents in response to rising sea levels, one might assume it is a climate disaster action film. Unless it changes dramatically in upcoming episodes, that premise is important but not the driving force behind it. Rather, it is about human emotions—and the ways external circumstances and questionable choices can  put relationships to almost impossible tests.  I look forward to watching the remaining episodes; they might change my perspective completely. Oh, one aspect of what I’ve seen so far that I really like: the evacuation is ordered over a period of months…not just due to climate change, but in reply to countries’ inability to cope, economically, with those inevitable changes.

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I do not remember nursery rhymes. Nor do they remember me.