Rant #2,368: Do the Duck

We are all suffering right now in one way or another.

I told you about my own family's suffering yesterday.

But in suffering, there is always that point where you just have to laugh.

And I mean really laugh.

But my laughter actually comes with some tears.

Yesterday, during the late afternoon or early evening, completely out of the blue--in particular, in light of the circumstances we are all in right now--I received an email that made me happy, made sad, made me happy, and made me mad all at the same time.

I put up this news on Facebook, and did it while I was laughing and crying at the same time.

Here it is in its entirety:

"OK, I have stuck it out for as long as possible, and now my patience hss borne fruit.

I was hired by the Long Island Ducks baseball team as a part-time seasonal worker.

But wait! We are right in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic, and we might not have this under control for a long time coming.

Major League Baseball has shut down its operations pretty much indefinitely, and minor league baseball has followed suit, so all this message that I received tells me that I have gotten a position that might not ever truly materialize, putting me back right where I started at square one.

On the one hand, I get that the Atlantic League team needs to be ready with a staff at all levels when and if this situation improves to the point that they can even talk of a season.

That is where people like me come in, and as a (presumptive) new retiree, I will be ready, willing and able to be called on when and if the season ever begins.

But on the other hand, I am in a real nebulous situation with this, because this opportunity might not come this year.

I am taking the position that I am happy that they accepted me, I am ready to go when they are, and I will still continue my full-time position job search unabated while I wait for this part-time, seasonal opportunity.

And heck, if the 2020 season goes by the boards, maybe it will allow me a foot in the door for the 2021 season, when I will be fully, 100 percent retired

But who knows what the future holds ... ?"

Now you can see why I was laughing and crying and happy and angry all at the same time.

I was laughing because I saw the utter frustration of the situation, and I guess I was crying because of that too.

I was happy because for the first time literally during the past five-plus months and even five years prior to that, somebody finally showed enough confidence in me to give me a chance.

I was angry because of this dreaded coronavirus, I might not even get that chance to show what I am made of to the nice people who did the hiring at the baseball team.

So, as usual, I am betwixt and between, between a rock and a hard place, and banging my head against the wall.

But yes, I guess I am happy.

We all need some happiness during these depressive times, and I got my shot of happiness yesterday.

Thanks to the Long Island Ducks for showing confidence in me, and I do really, really hope that I can be of service to them when things get back to normal.

I am going to have to cut this Rant a little short today.

Today, soon, in a few minutes, my son and I are going to venture out into the wild blue yonder and try to do some shopping, not just for the two of us and my wife but also for my elderly parents.

It might be a struggle, although I heard yesterday that while things have not gotten back to normal at the supermarkets, things are a little better, now that the markets have instituted their own rationing system on some goods.

However, chicken seems in great scarcity, and let's see if I can get something for my family related to this fowl (no duck, of course, Long Island or otherwise). I don't eat chicken, but I come from a family of prime chicken eaters (my father was a chicken butcher before he was a cab driver), so it is kind of in their blood.

What happened to my blood, as I hate chicken and always have hated chicken, is another story unto itself which I am not getting into today. I guess I simply do not have the chicken DNA, or something to that effect.

But anyway, let's try to laugh as we wait this thing out.

Laughter is truly the best medicine for what ails you, and I have tried to make everyone in my family laugh a bit during this terrible time.

Heck, I am even trying to get through "2 Broke Girls," watching it each weeknight with my wife.

I don't find it funny, but I am trying to keep abreast of the situation anyway (if you know the show, you know exactly what I am talking about, and it ain't about chicken breasts).

Anyway, stay safe, and I will be here tomorrow to tantalize you with my words as we all go through this mother of all messes ... and even though we are told to stay apart--

We are all doing this together.