Wednesday, September 17, 2025
The illusion of stoppage is a scary tale – “This is it, folks!” “We’re done for.” And then, we bite our nails and pace the floor. Then, we sweat and stew, hoarding supplies and fearing. Then, someone gets hungry and says, “While we wait for doomsday, I’ve got Little Debbies here.”
“Swiss Rolls, Star Crunch, Zebra Cakes, you name it!” And now, we’re back to “in the meantime.” In the meantime, we’ll talk about pleasant memories of Fudge Rounds and summer camp. In the meantime, we’ll reminisce about the “good old days.” In the meantime, we’ll huddle together, sharing and communing.
So what’s the meantime? Meantime is all there is. End times are old wives’ tales that fade. Doomsday is spoken, while under it, meantime hums, like Old Man River. For 13.8 billion years, the universe has waited to see its fate. Mr. Google says, “scientists don’t have a definitive answer about whether the universe had a true beginning or if it existed eternally.” If we’re not certain of its beginning, why are we so certain of its end?
In the meantime, what are we fighting about? What are we predicting? After our predictions fail, what do we do? We live in the meantime. We pet the dog, go for a walk, have an Oatmeal Creme Pie, or write 300 words on our favorite blog. We love this day. We do something nice, or we take a nap. We do something more productive than bother ourselves about the end times. We’re in the meantime.
What about that phone message from the doctor? What about that bill collector? We’ve heard it before. In the meantime, what about a snack? Besides, Swiss Rolls are better than the end times. Zebra Cakes, even better. Star Crunch? Why not? I won’t say no in the meantime. Let’s eat.