Bill Mumy used to buzz past my house very regularly in a
very beat up VW bug. He honked, he
waved, I smiled and waved back. My
sister growled and slammed doors. I
thought Bill was romantic and determined.
Sis thought he was a long-haired, gangly, teenaged pest. Oh well, teenagers do what teenagers do and
apparently Bill and Sis weren't meant for a happily ever after together. He got married in 1986 so I'm pretty sure he
got over his unrequited love, or maybe it was just teenaged lust. It's just one of those episodes of childhood
that invariably makes me laugh. I'm
pretty sure Sis still gets irritated at the thought of it.
Years before this teenaged stalking, Sis sat on the floor with me
in front of the TV and happily watched Bill as Will in "Lost in
Space". It was an admittedly lame
show that was cheaply produced and inexplicably entertaining. There was friendly robot who exclaimed,
"Warning, warning, Will Robinson!" before they were attacked by
aliens and everything got resolved in 20 minutes or so. Wasn't even bad TV better when we were kids?
I think about today's robots taking away people's jobs and
all the current uncertainties and think I could spend the day watching Lost in
Space on youtube. I'm not sure this is
the best use of my life, but it would be a pleasant diversion since nobody has
asked me to a Memorial Day picnic, not that I would go this year even if I were
invited. Whatever you're doing this
year, please do it safely.
I've moved on from my ditch digging and started attacking my
house. I sat back in my easy chair and
noticed the ceiling looked kind of dingy.
I spent a day washing it. It's
sparkly white again and I'm sore again.
I sat back in my easy chair and noticed piles of projects that never got
finished (or started). I moved my
project materials to their proper homes.
On and on and I'm not finished thinking about other labor-intensive
things I could do. I think I'm just
taking out my frustrations on my surroundings, but also getting some exercise. Things look better so I feel better.
I'm never going to go full Marie Kondo or anything, but I
have been asking myself why I have so much stuff. I listened to a radio program this week which posed the
questions, "Are you holding onto things because you're holding onto your
past? Are you ready to make space for
new things to come into your life?"
Hmm... I think I'm ready for
something new. Clearing space sounds
like an excellent idea. Maybe I'll
paint the living room walls too. On and
on and on, there's no end to the stuff I could do.
Of course we haul our past around with us whether or not we
keep reminders of it. The only thing it
took for me to remember Bill Mumy buzzing by my house was the word
"Robot". I don't need to keep
every gift I received from every person I've cared about to remember them. I used to, even gifts I wasn't all that
crazy about in the first place. It felt
disloyal to throw them away. I've
gotten over that. Mostly?
Anyway, I've got to get back to my projects. Now that the ceiling looks great I've
noticed the windows need washed.
 |
| Bill was adorable, wasn't he? He kind of looked like Sis' son. Maybe she should've returned his affections :) |
