Hey 2020, Can We Get A Break?
Hey 2020, we get it! Can we get a break already?
Ok Ok Ok, we get it! Let me speak for everyone when I say, “UNCLE,” we tap, we surrender, ENOUGH ALREADY. This page is supposed to be about my journey in becoming a writer, but as I type this homes are being burned to the ground less than two hours from where I sit. Family members are being evacuated from their homes and cities due to risk of fires reaching them as well as poor air quality. The year 2020 has been the ultimate middle finger to everyone.
Let’s review.
We started 2020 with Australia on fire. The Australian bushfires burned 47 million acres to the ground. On January 26th we lost Kobe Bryant and others in a helicopter crash. Ever heard of the Coronavirus? Yeah that shit started too. We’ve got the Black Lives Matter movement raging at full speed as lives are taken by police officers. The BLM movement has spawned constant protests (or riots, however you see it) across the United States. Luckily the whispers of murder hornets never evolved into much. Could you imagine the ultimate cherry on top freaking murder hornets would have been!
Covid has taken nearly 900,000 lives worldwide, at least that’s what I’ve read online anyway. I now have to wear a mask everywhere I go, have to wait in a line to get into Costco, and got a 19" Qtip shoved up my nose down to what felt like my bladder. I don’t mean to make light of a global pandemic by saying that I have to wait in a line to go to Costco, BUT SERIOUSLY! I quit my job and sold my home to focus on my baseball writing. Shortly after the normally 162 game season was cut down to a 60 game season, sweet timing right? A little over a month into my journey the season is almost over. I know what you’re thinking, What are you going to do then? I’ll just have to figure that out, won’t I.
The BLM movement has been the hot topic over the last two months or so. There are protests everywhere. Everyday people walk the streets with megaphones shouting black lives matter, children are even writing it on the sidewalk in chalk. Here is my probably controversial opinion. Black lives matter, white lives matter, all lives matter. Any person that would judge or think differently of another human being because their skin is different is a world class piece of shit. These riots that are going on that some people have the nerve to call protests are just adding fuel to the fire. People fighting in the streets, people spraying graffiti everywhere and defacing buildings, people throwing rocks through windows, here’s my message, fuck you. And if you think any of those things are just people protesting, you’re an idiot.
And now fast forward to this morning. Wildfires from California have made their way into Oregon. My girl got out of bed this morning about 8:00 and said to me, “It’s still dark outside.” I had to tell her that it’s dark because we are surrounded by smoke. No joke, there is so much smoke in the air around here. Surrounding cities are being evacuated, and where I live currently we are under a pre evacuation warning. My morning has been spent on the phone coordinating with family our plan if we do in fact have to evacuate, picking up the leaves that fell in the gnarly wind last night, and preparing for worst case scenario, watering extensively the yards and side of the house.
The United States as a whole is going to have to put an asterisk next to 2020. This whole year has been foobared. From fires to Covid, From BLM to freakin murder hornets, it’s all just a mess. Everything that I’ve mentioned in this post has been a serious matter. I’ve vocalized my opinions on rioting and how people that think rioting is the answer to racism should be ashamed of themselves. Don’t pick up the ball and start running away with the crazy idea that I’m against BLM or some POS. Social injustice is wrong, we are all running the same race in life, it’s called the human race, and we are all brothers and sisters.
I think that if people took a second to chill out things could be a lot smoother right now. Again, everything I’ve gone over is serious, but let’s all just chill. Covid-19 is spreading, so wear your mask and shut the fuck up about it already. Refusing to wear a mask makes you look like an idiot, it’s a mask, who cares. Black lives do matter, so don’t get so freakin offended because you’re white. Yeah all lives matter, and I agree with that like mostly everyone else does. You getting offended because people are saying black lives matter is stupid, grow up. Let people stand up for what they believe in, don’t pour gasoline on a fire. If you feel the need to protest for yourselves or someone that you love, protest, you have that right, but know the difference between a peaceful protest and destruction. My surrounding cities are on fire. Be prepared, communicate with your family an exit strategy. Don’t run red lights and push people down at Walmart so you can get the last bag of toilet paper. You going 70 in a 35 makes things worse. Be safe, be smart, and maintain respect.
Originally published at http://dreamchapters.com on September 8, 2020.
