Safety Net

Yesterday began with a 2-hour job of shoveling the snow off the driveway.  Thankfully the weather didn’t prevent me from visiting Ghostwriter Public House Friday night.  It was their re-opening after taking a brief pause to re-imagine certain aspects of their operation.  The menu is now much simpler, and more affordable, but still with the same high quality that we have come to expect from them (don’t worry, the cheese curds are still on it).  The Hawthorne Smashburger that I had was outstanding, accompanied by crispy shoestring fries, seasoned with rosemary imbued salt and parmesan cheese and a crisp dill pickle spear. I think it is a significant upgrade to the burger that was previously on the menu, and look forward to trying other menu items soon.

Visually, the biggest change to the space was the addition of some small billiards tables that are for playing a classic old arcade game called Trifle.  Think of it as a billiards version of cornhole - each player has four balls per round to try and score points, which accumulate.  The first player to reach or exceed 100 points wins.  Ghostwriter v2.0 has moved closer toward what I think of when I think of a “Public House” - a great public venue to spend time with friends.  As always, the cocktail program is full of interesting and well-executed libations.

One last restaurant note: Lori alerted me to a new pizza place that rocked our world Saturday - it is called Dola Jeans, and they serve very well-conceived Detroit-style pies. If you ever had pizza from Pizza Nerds when they were located in Newark, Dola Jeans is similar, but more elevated in sophistication. It’s in Dover (Tuscarawas county), so if you ever find yourself in that part of the world I encourage you to check them out.

The news of the wildfires coming out of southern California this week has meshed with a number of other risk-management issues that I have been mulling over, both directly and indirectly these past few weeks.  One dimension of the story is that many of the homes that have been lost are large, expensive homes that enjoyed ocean views and were owned by many famous people.  Certainly these are people of means who will be able to return to comfortable circumstances relatively soon - but this doesn’t make it less of a tragedy to me.  Lost family heirlooms mean just as much to them as they would to me.

It made me think that I should re-evaluate our home insurance.  I suspect that our coverage is sufficient to satisfy the bank that holds our mortgage, but I doubt that it would fund a full restoration of what I think of as our “home.” Perhaps some policy changes are in order.

Some parts of the country have become really hard to insure.  Whether due to climate change, or regulatory wrinkles that make it harder for insurers to price policies that properly reflect their revised understanding of risk, in some places there are no rational options available.  Maybe this means that we shouldn’t build homes in certain areas - or perhaps one must be wealthy enough to bear the risks of losing such structures solely on one’s own.

The concept of insurance is neatly summed up by the phrase “A burden shared is lightly borne.”  If we all share a similar level of risk, we should be able to pool our resources and mathematically cover the costs of recovery for anyone in the payment pool who suffers a loss.  But it is not feasible to cover every conceivable scenario.  We cannot insure our way out of all possible losses.

Life is a marathon for most of us - and we don’t know where the finish line is.  Nor do we know how we will cross that finish line, limping, crawling, or blazing through the tape with a full head of steam.  How we exit the stage matters greatly in terms of finances.  We have seen loved ones languish, requiring lots of care and attention at the end, while others have gone via an “Irish Exit,” leaving quickly when no one was looking.

If we can’t buy insurance to cover every conceivable scenario, what then?  I think the only safety net is faith.  Faith in our individual ability to adjust to changing circumstances.  Faith in our community to be there for us should we need them.  For some, faith in a higher power offers peace of mind.  The comedian Bill Burr may have nailed it when he said “You’re gonna be fine.  And even if you’re not gonna be fine, isn’t it better to just exist thinking you’re gonna be fine until it’s not fine?  And then when it’s not fine, you can just handle it then.  There’s no sense to ruin right now, right?”

Backpacking (something I look forward to doing in the year ahead) has offered the most tangible evidence to me for how little I actually need.  Some food, clean water, shelter for the elements…I can be quite content with just these things, for quite a while.

It’s perfectly reasonable to scan the horizon for preventable problems.  But once you’ve done your due diligence and taken whatever action you can take to address the issues, live your life and try to enjoy each moment as it arises.

SUNDAY SUPPER

These recipes look like a great way to start the chilly week ahead.  This Kale Soup with Potatoes and Sausage should cure whatever ails you and warm you up tonight.  This vegetarian Mushroom & Sun-dried Tomato Farrotto looks just as comforting.  Or perhaps try this Salmon Bowl concept from Matty Matheson, best known for his role on The Bear (FYI - the video does have some salty language).

SUNDAY MUSIC

This concert by Kamasi Washington at the NPR Tiny Desk swings very hard.  If you’d prefer something a little more chill and smooth on a Sunday morning, multi-instrumentalist Coulou may be right up your alley.  Enjoy!

If you know anyone who might like this essay, please share it with them. 

Have a great week ahead!  Offer support to others.  Make good use of this day.  And let me know how I can help.

Peace & Love,