A No-News Day?

A

Still dark and frozen when I padded in my slippers down the driveway to retrieve my New York Times this morning. I haven’t opened it yet. I’ve watched the Australian Open. I’ve read about my lowly Buffalo Sabres. But the real news is getting me upset. I can’t read it. I don’t want to see it.

I wish the Times wasn’t delivered in a plastic bag. I had a paper route, in the 1970s in Buffalo, when there were no individual bags. We delivered to a sheltered spot on the porch or inside a storm door or milk box. I don’t remember looking much at the headlines.

A Short While Later . . .

Of course, I looked at the Times. I told myself it was my duty to be informed and to understand the state of my country and the world. The current state sucks.

The first front-page item I focus on is a photo of Mitch McConnell. The awful corruption of his Merrick Garland block makes me sick. I turn the page, already anxious and angry, but I pull back from the cliff. In the “Here to Help” section, the Times offers ways to make smart donations to combat climate change. I can really use these suggestions. Here’s the online version.

In the paper version, the mini-crossword puzzle is right next to the climate change tip. I zip through the puzzle, daring to use a pen. The first clue is so easy, about maple syrup. Reminds me that soon I’ll be tapping my tree. Could be something sweet in my future.

By David Klein

David Klein

Published novelist, creative writer, journalist, avid reader, discriminating screen watcher.

Novels

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