Vignettes from the Ever-Lasting Now

BNormal, Illinois May 1, 2020 I met a cool guy named Caesar at the bus stop, and he told me about his workouts and other activity. I have been talking with a bunch of black people who have moved from Chicago to Bloomington, and that’s what this guy did: He said he moved here because he was afraid for his kids getting harmed in the neighborhood where they lived. He had a .45 and a pump shotgun for security from the gang activity a block away, and he was a peaceful man except when it came to his kids – then he was a warrior! What a cool guy! He said he’s not a real big weight lifter so much as he uses weights as part of his workout, and he also walks everywhere and rides his bike and sometimes the bus. I asked how old he was, and he said, “I will be 70 in November, the Lord willing!” I asked if he was disabled in any way and he said no, but he * has * smoked since he was thirteen. I thought about saying, “Well, you oughta quit right now,” but I said, “Well, you’re not dead yet,” and w

BNormal, Illinois May 1, 2020 The other day I was admiring some flowers just north of a busy intersection when there was a big CRASH! behind me and I looked to see the aftermath of a collision between a new-looking big black SUV and a small definitely used white car. The small car continued across the intersection and pulled over, while the black car backed up over its own almost-torn-off bumper and turned to pull over near the other car. I saw a youngish gal get out of the SUV and immediately look under her car to find where the bumper went. I thought it might have been of more immediate concern to see if the driver of the other vehicle was O.K. before figuring out where the bumper got to, but I was probably already judging and assigning blame, although I didn't witness the crash. An older guy, about my age (68) got out of the small car and I immediately felt for him. For all I know, the guy had been whacked out of his gourd on medical marijuana and just ran thr