I was going to write a long meaningful post about how, this weekend, Dave and I drove out to Deception Pass in Washington State for the wedding of some close friends. We saw a great many people we loved. The setting was idyllic to the point of absurdity. On the way up, we got rear-ended in such a manner that my father’s car was nearly totaled, so you know. He reaped dividends for his good deed.

(We’re all fine. Everyone involved was fine.)

I was going to talk about how our best times are so rarely un-marred by snags of bitterness or remorse, how something dark creeps into the best of times if you let it, and how we keep happiness pure so much by force of will.

(The mountains were beautiful. The water was clear.)

But I don’t know if I’m in the right frame of mind. Apparently the marriage license for the newlyweds burned down in an apartment fire in the past 24 hours. (Not their apartment – that of a good friend.) My hands are covered in scabs from the bites given by my father’s new puppy. Insurance will pay for the wrecked-up truck. Dave and I came back to our apartment and found the scat of some small animal strewn around the bathroom and storage area. It looked like maybe the rats were trying to learn how to use the toilet.

My frame of mind is in two places at once. (Perhaps this is actually the best time to talk about these matters?)

Everything is good and bad. Some things are more bad. But many things are more good. No good deed goes unpunished, but we have to keep doing good deeds anyway. Ours is a fine, fine world.

That’s all for now.