A Joyous Perspective on the Great Pothole Plague of 2014....

Tonight at Henderson's Friday Night Thought-tale hour, we consider a menace that has plagued us mightily this winter season: The Pothole Population.  It is a community that is growing in numbers daily throughout our region.  They actually resemble families as they emerge in our streets and interstates.  Giant Momma Potholes joined by smaller Baby Potholes that make a normal commute or journey more like slalom through moguls down a ski course.  Growing up in California, I experienced potholes on dirt roads along a ditch bank or country intersection.  They could do some damage if you were going fast enough, but they were nothing like the gnarling and vicious asphalt lined monsters we have out east.  In my nearly 14 years here, I've never seen anything like it. The weather coupled with a poorly supported road surface makes for a perfect pothole breeding ground.  So this led me to begin thinking on how a Pothole is sort of a symbol of the aftermath of a trauma in our life. This can be a trauma that might be beyond our control or perhaps one that we brought upon ourselves.  It is a weak part in our foundation that when stressed or pressured gives way and just gets bigger.  Now we just don't have a crack or scar - we have ourselves a pothole.  A place where at the very least there will be a shocking disruption, and at the most, it can swallow up our progression.

I've watched along some regularly traveled roads as the City Maintenance folks have attempted to fill and repair some of the worst of the pothole population.  Without fail, within a week or two, you begin to see the depression of the hole forming again, and soon enough, the jagged edges of the hole are there again, with their sharp black teeth.  You see, there is just no way can they do a proper and long lasting repair job while the weather is so terrible.  Potholes in our life are very much like this too.  If we attempt to cover them up before we are in a state of being to address them, they will just emerge again.  They'll keep us from speeding on down life's highway toward our desired destinations.  And often, not only does the pothole need to be addressed, but also the entire section surrounding it.  That takes a lot of digging, upheaval and clearing to create a new more solid foundation that won't let the seepage back in.  It requires time and hard work, and sometimes, we'd rather just deal with the potential damage or put up a warning pylon to help others avoid that pothole in our life.  But one thing stands certain, people will become aware of our potholes, and it can keep others away from us. It can also attract the wrong kinds of people who are just crazy enough to see if they can withstand the pain our potholes can inflict.  But the worst reality is when the completely innocent fall victim to our potholes and we have to watch them suffer for our lack of attention to repair.

In my life, I've had to patch up many a pothole that emerged in my foundation.  Some of them are still evident and I'm working on keeping them filled while I wait for better weather.  I can also say that I'm one of those people who like to find ways to help others demolish their potholes and assist them with making their roads smoother.  Like all roads that have any use and have been weathered by time, every human has cracks and bumps that give us our unique character. They tell our story. We just have to be sure that we don't let the wrong elements invade the recesses of our existence, because there will be stresses and repeat pressures in our lives, and therein lies the right recipe for a pothole.  A lesson we take from The Great Pothole Plague of 2014.

So here's to the complete repair of Potholes, those literal and allegorical, in our lives.  May we soon have the right conditions to tackle even the worst and deepest of them, and then never take for granted the preparations required to prevent their resurgence.  We are drinking something I call "Tightly Sealed" to help us heal up the cracks and glide over the bumps.  CHEERS FRIENDS!

Joy's Tightly Sealed Cocktail

1 oz Luxardo Amaro Abano
1oz Effen Cherry Vodka

1 oz Cherry Juice

1/2 oz simple sugar

Whipped cream

Place all liquor and sugar in a martini glass.  Smooth cream across the top.  Place a drop of cherry juice on the outer rim and drag a spoon through it to form a design.