Well, There's That!

 BOO! It is October now, and along with the cooler weather, colorful fall foliage, and pumpkin spice, there does seem to be a lot of fear in the air. Many of my friends know that not much really bothers me, and I'm fairly laid back — but dang. It is unsettling to see so many affected by so much in such a small span of our time here on this rock.

Now, I get it — there's a pandemic, there's an election, and there's social disruption. If you've spent time with me, you've heard me say, "Well, there's that!" in response to something obvious. So, to hopefully add some perspective, I found a long quote from C.S. Lewis that was written at the start of the Atomic Age and made this "Mad Lib." Fill in the blanks as you wish:
"We think a great deal too much of the (noun)__________. 'How are we to live in a/an
(adjective)__________ age?' I am tempted to reply, 'Why, as you would have lived in the sixteenth
century when the plague visited London almost every year, or as you would have lived in a Viking Age when raiders from Scandinavia might land and (verb)__________ your (noun)__________ any night; or indeed, as you are already living in an age of cancer, an age of (noun)_________,…an age of terrorism, an age of addiction, an age of motor accidents.'

"In other words, do not let us begin by exaggerating the novelty of our situation. Believe me, dear sir or madam, you and all whom you love were already sentenced to (noun)__________…and quite a high percentage of us were going to die in unpleasant ways….It is perfectly ridiculous to go about (verb)__________ and drawing long faces because (noun)__________ has/have added one more chance of a (adjective)__________ and premature death to a world which already bristled with such chances and in which death itself was not a chance at all, but a certainty.

"This is the first point to be made: and the first action to be taken is to pull ourselves together. If we are all going to be (verb)_________ by a/an (noun)_________, let that (noun)_________ when it comes find us doing sensible and human things — praying, working, teaching, reading, listening to music, (adverb)_________,…chatting to our friends over a pint and a game of (noun)_________ — not huddled together like frightened sheep and thinking about (noun)_________.
They may break our bodies…but they need not dominate our minds."

We've all made it around the sun a few times now, and I might add, at a very high rate of speed while spinning. Let's now make this the age of caring, appreciating, and praying for each other. We all need more prayer and understanding. Be safe out there.