Luck and Timing

 

(My writing career never got off the ground.)

I woke up this morning at 9 a.m. and checked my email. I got a message from the online blogging platform named Medium explaining why they deleted one of my stories. The men in charge found it hateful and violent. They warned me that I will face more sanctions if I refuse to change my evil ways. I became a tad depressed. Medium features millions of writers and readers from all over the planet. Hence, succeeding on that platform could lead to a nice paycheck. My writing career has always been a kick in the balls. I feel like I have talent, yet I can never bust through the ceiling. Oh well. What’s a boy to do?

I walked to the bathroom to take a shit. Then I read the headlines on my smartphone while sitting dejectedly on the throne. According to The Korea Times, the peninsula is facing a pediatric healthcare crisis. Not a lot of people are having babies these days, so many med-school students have opted to focus on other specialties. This means that the rugrats don’t have a ton of options on whom to visit when they get sick. Therefore, the wait times are often atrocious which is driving all the mothers crazy.

I called my mom using Facebook Messenger.

I said, “How’s Nurse Ken doing?”

She said, “He’s OK. He had to visit the dentist the other day.”

“And how did that work out?”

“Well, he thought that he had chipped his bottom tooth. But he was wrong. It was nothing more than a buildup of plaque, and the doctor scraped it away.”

“That’s good news.”

“Yes and no. She discovered that your son has two cavities. His wisdom teeth need to come out.”

“So when will this happen?”

Mom frowned. “That’s the thing. Ken is a stubborn son of a bitch. He wants to keep them.”

I shrugged and sighed heavily. “Even though they’re rotting away in his head? Where’s the logic in that?”

She took a sip of her coffee. “You know how he is. That boy could argue with a possum. So I just let him do his thing.”

I nodded. “It’s the wise policy.”

I switched on Fox News and watched Dan Bongino. Mark Levin was one of his guests. I’m not a huge fan of Mr. Levin. He’s just another dirty neocon promoting this sick war in the Ukraine. I really can’t understand his thinking. We lost in Vietnam. We lost in Afghanistan. We lost in Iraq. And now he wishes to get America embroiled in another overseas conflict. How many times can Lucy pull the football away until we all finally wake up?

I drove to church with Rice-Boy Larry in the afternoon. Our pastor is still teaching us about the prophesies of Isaiah. My preacher believes that Jesus will return any time now. He says that modern-day Israel is another sign indicating that the end is near. Maybe he’s right. Jerusalem was completely destroyed by the Romans in 70 AD, and the Jews were subsequently dispersed around every nook and cranny of the world. It’s kind of amazing that God has finally brought them back to their home country after all these years.

In the evening, I viewed the game between the Celtics and the 76ers. Boston won on a last-second shot by Jayson Tatum. The team looks fantastic. They have a real chance to win it all if they can stay healthy. But that’s easier said than done. Luck and timing are always on the side of winners. That’s been my experience, anyway.