It's knowin' . . . gentle on my mind

Two days in a row, I'm talking about country songs. Well, the other day I heard Glen Campbell's classic "Gentle on My Mind."

That day the song conjured up memories of my weekly radio show at KUID-FM at the University of Idaho where I was taking a course in radio announcing. I also worked at the radio televison station throughout my college years.

Our course requirements included working our own segments as deejays for the station. My show was two hours, 90 minutes of which included recorded programming and 30 minutes of my own music mix. My theme song each Tuesday night at 7:30 p.m. was "Gentle on My Mind." I loved that song, along with anything Glen Campbell sang back in those days.

So, the moments of reminiscing as I listened to the song the other day were sweet.

I thought of the tune again this morning because my mind the past couple of days has been anything but gentle. It's been filled with a little rage tempered by reminders that rage is not good for the soul. I'm learning restraint in my old age, but it's still difficult for an old Irish geezer not to get worked up over some issues.

On Friday a perfectly beautiful, carefree day turned ugly by yet another reminder of how Bill and me and a whole lot of others got screwed by some unscrupulous homo sapiens (it's too nice to use the term "human" in this case). I'm not at liberty to reveal the details, but folks in my circle know. Let's just call it highway robbery and leave it at that.

We thought we'd experienced the worst of it, but Friday the scourge resurfaced, and now we don't know for sure when the irritating nightmare will end.

I spent the day agitated, to put it mildly, but, still, there were reminders of "gentle on my mind," which helped me through it.

I was doing just fine yesterday after a night's sleep and with the strict determination that I'm not allowing these slimeballs to ruin every moment of our lives. So, yesterday was a great day, with projects outside, a nice walk down South Center Valley Road in the afternoon sunshine and a return to the house to watch the ZAGS.

The game had just started. Then, the phone rang and rang and rang. We don't answer the phone during ZAGS games, but hearing Annie's voice on the answering machine, I ran to the kitchen to pick it up.

I walked in just in time to hear her on the answering machine, telling the details of being robbed. Her voice had an urgency which I normally don't hear from my daughter who prides herself on yawning into the phone every time she calls me.

She and a friend had just gone for a walk in a Seattle park. When they returned, they discovered that someone had broken into her car, gone through their purses and stolen their wallets. They learned later that the suspect had done the same to other cars, had been spotted and had run off, leaving behind some of his booty, which included her friend's wallet.

We did not talk long in that initial conversation because Annie could waste no time calling credit card companies to cancel her cards. She called the police, who were very, very helpful, especially helping her deal with her obvious distress. She learned during the police visit that the suspect had tried to use one card twice at an ATM, with no success.

Annie has a lot to deal with over the next few days----protection from identity theft, getting a new driver's license, securing another insurance card, etc. Plus, she gets to deal with the permanent distress of having been violated.

In both our cases, much more that we value has been lost than money or plastic cards. For us, TRUST has taken yet another hit, and that hurts much more than the loss of anything material.

Our economic times often get the blame for such situations. I think this is true to a certain extent, but I also think it's too often a lame excuse.

That said, what the heck does all this have to do with "gentle on my mind"?

We all go through moments when we're mad at the world for being victimized by injustices that we, as rule-following, trusting, honest, good citizens, endure because of the evil lurking out there. Anger is often the by product.

The other day I pounded nails to build something which will house some outdoor beauty later this spring. It felt good to pound those nails, and, for a while, I forgot my anger.

I've also thought a lot about the constants around us which never waver in spite of the economy or the outside forces that send us harm. These constants can be so therapeutic at bringing some gentleness to our minds whenever we have been victimized.

• It's knowing that there's always the beauty of nature like Friday's sighting of a chattering flock of birds sitting atop our poplar trees on a brief stopover in their journey to somewhere else.
• It's knowing that empathetic friends or family members will listen patiently when you're uttering profanities because you're so out of control with justifiable anger.
• It's knowing that, as one of my friends assured me once, "these rapscallions will get theirs."
• It's knowing that when you call your parents with a problem, they will stop watching their basketball game and give you undying support. I know that and Annie knows that. My mother listened to me on Friday and shared my frustration; I listened to Annie yesterday (and wanted so desperately to go snatch that scumbag who stole her wallet).
• It's knowing that there is a general support system all around us who will help us through times like this, simply by remaining constant and understanding.
• So, in spite of the lifelong reminders that "morality often doesn't matter" and "life isn't fair," as one good friend shared with me the other day. . .
• . . . it's knowing that good will always supersede evil---even if it takes a while.

And, that does a lot to maintain a healthy sense of gentleness in my mind.

Nonetheless, watch your step----they're out there, desperate in this economy, and they'll pounce on you in more significant numbers than ever and in ways you never dreamed of.