Insidious Adaptation

Cartoon depictions of worldly desires tend to make a situation more acceptable, more tolerable, less critical. The depictions of a friendly Santa, the cartoon ghouls, the jokey turkey with a personality fighting with a can of whipped cream. The comfort of child-like nostalgia, we are trying to recapture what we once had, innocence. Not innocence in what the the world has shown you through years of experience, but in knowing God as well. Ouch, see, that is the harsh stuff we don't want to hear. However, once one looks at what nostalgia in this world is, once one pieces apart why we feel a certain way, even a good way, we tend to see through the smoke of it all. Why do this? Why look into even the good emotions and see what causes them? Why would I stare at a box of Pop-Tarts, looking into why they provide comfort, a sense of slight warmth that all is right in the world, despite knowing it isn't? Because we cannot have one side of a coin without the other. We must understan...

Standing at an intersection at some residential part of Chicago. A quiet, three-way intersection where my brother and I resided to post-up and look for a ride to our hotel. Him holding his phone, and I, a shopping bag, we walked here, to save a total of $6 on the Uber trip back. Personally, I wanted to walk off a little bit of the pizza we just ate, but my brother is a little more frugal with his calories, likes to save em up I guess. “How old do you think that sign is.” My brother asks, pointing to a moving truck.  There is a woman, and a child, the woman is hugging the child over the top of him. “MMM… adults at least.” I respond. “Yea, adults, she’s probably dead now.” My brother says referring to the woman. “Honestly, if it was the 90s she would be smoking, she’s probably not that old.” I enjoy these types of conversations. Our jokes proceed. We make insightful instances up in our head, about the kid being on drugs, mom being remarried, how the sign they posed ...