On your mark, get set — no, wait

Ever feel like life wants to get going but there is always something that crops up to delay?You go to the airport all ready for a flight, but then you need to wait around for at least an hour for your personal inspection (luggage, hand luggage and your body), the stress of lines, heat, surly ground staff (themselves over worked), pile into the aluminum tube and sit, seat belt holding you in, while that last greedy passenger with three bags tries to stuff his into the space you were using in the overhead, or the stewardess tells you they need to use your footwell for someone else’s luggage. Will they never shut the plane door and get going? The delays pile up, the captain’s voice has an edge to it because the cockpit is ready and wanting to go, get off, fly high, make time. By the time you land, it doesn’t matter if you are on time or not, you feel done in, late, exhausted.You are packing the car for a trip to friends for the Fourth. Your bag is in the car already but you know, ahead of time, it’s hurry up and wait for the family. No point in asking anyone else to give a darn about your nerves, they will be late, they will have three times as much luggage as they need, the traffic is building, the kids will be squabbling already, you’ve been ready to go for days, mentally, and for at least an hour physically. You fight the urge to shut the car doors and speed off without them or, better yet, smile, nod, load them all in, throw in the keys, shut the driver’s door, sprint for the front door and wave goodbye, locking the front door behind you.You watch the evening news, waiting for some sense to prevail, you are hoping for ... well, not always good news, just news that reflects what everyone wants — peace and common sense. There are meetings of the leaders. You get mentally on the mark. Discussions seem to be progressing. You get set ... no, wait, things have fallen apart. The stock market has its best day in three years and, yes, you already know it will plummet again, voiced with serious, brow-frowning zeal by the newsreader. It’s like the old game of red light, green light — get ready, set, stop again. The media loves the tension, it sells cornflakes and beer.The Supreme Court is set for a discussion on health care and the Constitutionality of making everyone get medical insurance and not freeload. Like car insurance, where everyone should and is made to have insurance to have a car license plate — there are those who freeload, break the law. They hide behind a slew of reasons, you listen to the same patter of rights of personal freedom, the claims of anti-big government all the while you remember the wonderful local man who was struck and killed on his wedding day as he stopped to help a stranded motorist by a freeloading non-insured driver. That selfish driver’s demand for freedom and anti-government cost another family their livelihood and destiny. And then you listen to the news and hear that Justice Clarence Thomas will not recuse himself even though his wife is a chief lobbyist for the anti-healthcare people, you shake your head. No doubt she’ll get a bonus for the Thomas family coffers when he makes a pretend “unbiased” decision.In this election year, there will be days and days of “on your mark, get ready ... no, wait.” You will be forced to listen to more blather, you will be inundated with lies paid for by unaccountable groups without scruples hiding behind so-called fairness of campaign fund raising. You, a person “of the people,” have a smaller and smaller voice. You know that. The race you are being forced to run is stacked against you at every turn. The urge is to simply sit down, do nothing and wait: On your mark, get ready ... oh, heck, let’s not bother.And that’s what America is coming down to and what the people with more energy are expecting, so that they can claim, afterwards, that it was a free and clean election even if a diminishing turnout. You’ll be told that those airline delays, lack of minimal service onboard and rudeness at the airport were caused by your need for safety or that the late car departure for the Fourth holiday was because you were rushing everyone. Or that the economy is faltering because you, one of the American people, are not spending enough. My solution? No one said you cannot be the master of your own destiny. When the situation begins with “on your mark, get ready ... wait,” say, “hell no, I’m not waiting.” Show up early for the flight, bring a box of donuts on board and hand them out to the crew and smile, get them on your side. Wake your family at 6 a.m. and tell them you’re leaving two hours early — or else they’ll be left behind. Enjoy the drive even if they don’t. Stop watching any news program that jerks your emotions. It’s all the same, on a loop of repeats anyway. When their viewership numbers fade, they’ll stop broadcasting. Angry at crooked politicians and justices? Get to the polls early and vote for the most honest person, regardless of party, tell your family and friends to get off their keesters and vote. You want the politicians to do the right thing? First you have to do the right thing, stand by your morals. On your mark, get ready — go! It’s your life, not anyone else’s.Peter Riva, a former resident of Amenia Union, now lives in New Mexico.