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A4 THE BERTIE LEDGER-ADVANCE,THURSDAY, DECEMBER 16,2021 Opinion MARK RUTLEDGE Overcome home office captivity... M any years ago when our daughters were small, Sharon and I took them to the North Carolina Zoo. We arrived at the observation area for the bear exhibit just in time to see one emerge from behind a big rock. A few people eloped, and the bear turned and di^peared again behind the rock. A few seconds later, the bear came back. We clapped again, and he turned and disj^peared again. Everyone soonrealiz^ that the bear was pacing back and forth from bore dom. Captive animals will do that. Office work can feel like being confined to a small space. Sometimes one needs to just get up and walk aroimd for a few minutes. That feeling has not come as often since the pandemic changed my work routine. I’m fortunate to have a job with work I can complete from anywhere the internet can reach. At my workplace, the week has been divided for the last year and a half between home and office so fewer people are in the office at any given time. It was recently annoimced that we will go back to the office full time starting in mid-January but that anyone who would like to go back sooner could do so. Guess what? I’m back. According to the news, the pandemic has changed attitudes toward work. Many people have gone so far as to quit their jobs. They’ve come to ffie realization that work is too confining and tjij^jt^s pimply not worth it anjmiore.' I’m not sure how you do that ' and pay the bills, but more power to those who ^parently have figured that one out. Then there are the people who don’t want to quit their jobs, but they don’t want to go back to the office either. 'That I do not imderstand. Working from home seems cool at first. You don’t have to put on clothes or deal with traffic. And you never have to share the break room with that slob from accounting. But there is a dark side. For me, working from home has become like an episode of “The Twilight Zone.” I’m at home, but not really. I might be in a staff meeting via video conferencing, but not totally. I use a l^top computer, and it’s as though the thing is constantly sending subliminal messages. It wants me to take a minute here or there to answer some emails or catch up on some work. If I’m up at 6 am. with no need to shower, dress or make the morning commute, why not go ahead and get started? WeU, those days are gone. Un less the pandemic situation again mandates otherwise, my work computer lives at work — and I live at home. It feels good, but sometimes I do need to get out and walk arovmd a bit. I like a short jog during lunch. On rainy days, I’ve taken to walking up and down stairs for 30 minutes in a mostly abandoned stairwell down the hall from my office. The top floor dead-ends at a big window looking out onto the roof. Every time I reach the landing at that window, I imagine there’s a group of ^ectators on the other side. They always cl£q) just before I turn and start back down. Contact Mark Rutledge at mnttledge@reJlector. com. 5HENEMAN«“« 'I ^ Mfl IIJJ LIfflflll 1^0 l^p mKfIT UU WW AX ^ LL RISING COVIP RATES TIMES MY LOW SALARY PIVIPEP BY SCREAMING PARENTS EQUALS ME FILLING OUT THIS AMAZON JOB APPLICATION/ A child’s excitement... T he amount of joy that fills your heart when your child is just-as excited about something as you are is heartwarming. As you may know by now, I am sure, my family is a family that eryoys hunting and most things outdoors. My husband and I tend to spend our Saturdays with our son hxmting with our hunting dogs and, every now and then, we spend anoffier afternoon during the week stiU hunting and eryoying the peace of it together. This year my husband has really been after me to kill my first buck. Mth that being said, we have two different spots that we still himt. He has been watching them hard and doing the maintenance to keep the deer coming to those spots. We have a camera that he has been alternating between the two spots that sends pictures to our phones of what may be there. 'Two afternoons passed and we both got a notification that a decent size buck was there around dusk both days. After those two days passed we both decided maybe we should go sit in the blind and see if we can. It was about 5 p.m. and I see him walking in. I got aU ex cited. Nick goes, “What? What is it?” I turned and whispered “It’s him, it’s the buck!” He then told me to get ready BRANDICE HOGGARD LUCKY SEVEN so that when he got in close enough I could get a good shot After about five minutes of trying to get the gun up and get a good shot on him I was able to get situated and get a good shot on him. I pulled the trig ger and he fell. When I turned around my husband was grinning just as big as I was. Well the next thing I know, the buck gets up and takes off, we listen and we hear him crash in the woods not far away. The search began about five minutes or so of walking I hear Nick yell out, “I got him, he’s dead, he is right in front of me.” The relief I felt when I heard him say that. Now, I am sure you are won dering why I stated at the top that the amormt of joy that fiUs your heart when yoirr child is just as excited as you are over something. WeU, my Utile boy was at Nick’s parents house whUe we went hrmting. I caUed my mother in law with so much ex citement to teU her that I finaUy kUled a buck. My Uttle boy heard me teU her and heard her taUdng to me. She said that he would ask every five nrinutes if mommy is here with the deer. She would have to teU him no. When Nick and I puUed dowii the driveway and he saw the headUghts to the truck he inrmediately took off, sUpped his shoes on and out the door he ran. I had not even made it out of the truck yet and I could hear him at the back of the truck just yelling “deer Nanny, look it’s mommy’s deer”. I got out of the truck and he was jirmping around just yeUing in pure excitement. To see that Uttie boy so excited over the fact that mommy had kUled a deer just absolutely melted my heart. So as I am sure you can imagine he is next on the list to kUl a deer even though he is only three. He has asked his daddy cormtless amormts of time to go hunting and now his daddy has no choice but to take him. So with aU of that said, I am sirre my Uttle boy has gone to school today and informed everybody that mommy kiUed a deer. His excitement for me just simply melted my heart. Brandice Hoggard is a Staff Writer for the Bertie Led ger-Advance, Chowan Hearld, Perquimans Weekly and The Enterprise. She can be reached via email at bhoggard@ ncweeklies.com. Denied may just be a delay... O ne of the hardest percep tions to interpret is deni al. We often feel, or come to the conclusion^ that if we are denied, well it’s over with. Whether we are trying to get a job, accepted to a school or trying to buy a car, if we are derried a request or turned down for an occupation we’ve appUed for doesn’t mean it’s a done deal. Sometimes denial is “delay” in disguise. The derrial may not be your fault. It may be that the person interviewing you is jirst going through the motions just so they can hire their friend. If you are turned down for a loan... that can be a delay imtil you can repair yorrr credit. I try not to get into reUglon or doctrine in my columns for the reason that I would Uke to touch aU walks of life across the board. I’m not denying my beUefs, just delaying them rmtil I complete this colrrmn (did you like that pun). With that said, there’s a saying that I thirrk a majority of people use. “If it’s for you, then you wiU get it.” I fuUy support this saying even though some may consider it a bit of a cliche. I can image that thousands of people have ffled for disability and thoirsands of people have been denied. But those that ANDRE ALFRED PICTURE THAT felt compelled to reapply be cause they felt they had a legit case. A lot of times the initial denial turned into a delay once their case was approved. Let’s bring this a little closer to home. We as parents have applied denial pretty frequently in our kid’s Me. “No, you can’t go to the party” and “No, you’re not getting a car.” Those sentences are straight out denial. But... those denials were just delays until the parents felt their child was responsible enough. Not allowing the child to go to a party was a protective device. The denials were just delays. I’ve learned that Me is full of lessons, and the lessons are to re-qualify us from denial to de lay status. We may have made a mess at that job if selected for it You may have crashed that Mustang and killed someone if you were allowed to get it Denial, if looked at different ly, can and should bring us joy (in the long run). Our quality of Me may have been improved due to the “denials” we have had that may have “delayed” cutting our Me short. Delayed doesn’t mean denial. Denied may just be a slight delay. Andfe’ Alfred is a Staff/ Sports Writer for the B^ie Ledger-Advance, Chowan Her ald, Perquimans Weekly and The Enterprise. If the truth be known. WILLIAM ROWELL ■ ■ H ow often have you heard someone start a sentence with “If the truth be known?” To me, that translates to “I probably shouldn’t say this; but. I’m going to anyway.” The truth is important but it’s like fire. Both are essential but both can also be harmful. There is a classic line in the movie, “A Few Good Men.” The Tom Cruise character shouts at Jack Nicholson, “I want the truth.” Nicholson quieWy responds, “You can’t handle the truth.” It is so profound that it has found ft ■ il-s place in the annals of movie lines. Justice can best be served at times without knowing the truth. That is not saying that lying is better than being truthful. It simply means there are times when something should not be said at all. Silent can truly be golden. Abra ham Lincoln once said, “Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt.” That sounds like something a person nicknamed “Honest Abe” would say. Let’s say that Mary is now a senior citizen that was raised by two loving parents. The last one has just passed and, in a deathbed confession, teUs her that they are not her biological parents. Is Mary’s Me better now that she now knows this secret? There is Tom. He has been a good neighbor, community volunteer and church leader for over forty years. Should the truth be told that Tom once did time for a stupid act he committed as a teenager? I always had a close relation ship with my father. It got even closer the last couple of years of his Me. He had cancer and knew the end was near. I spent a lot of time taking care of him. Daddy and I had a lot of time to talk with the trips to hospitals, doctors, etc. He shared a lot of lus war ex periences. I appreciated that, but not so much the hidden skeletons in our family closet. The people involved have long since pas^ and he was the only one left with that information. I don’t know why; but he felt it necessary to pass it on. I think I will take a Harry TYuman approach and let the buck stop here. There is no reason to pass something like that down. Though those involved are long gone, they left family that can only be hurt. There is also the other side of the coin in which what is said is not the truth. It gets told enough and becomes accepted as the truth. Ask anyone who said, “Play it again, Sam” and the majority will say Humphrey Bogart. He never said thM line in the movies. It’s now claimed that Julius Caesar’s last words were not “Et tu, Brutus.” That’s what Shake speare said he said. I find it hard to believe a man stabbed 20 to 30 times could make a sensible conunent anyhow. I remember, as a kid, the joy and excitement of waiting up Christmas morning and seeing what Santa Claus brought. Later some of the older kids on the school playgroimd shared what they believed about Santa I bought into it; and, it was never the same until I haid children of my own. It was then, and through them, I finally realized the real truth about St. Nick. ‘Yes Virginia, there really is a Santa Claus.” God bless and have a great day. William Rowell is a Perqui mans County resident and can be reached at blroweU@embarq- mail.com. Bertie Ledger-Advance WOVEN INTO THE FABRIC OF BERTIE COUNTY SINCE 1832 ■T«Beiwtic®-A)mEWB5«t6MOHl928w(fflW . M MK O'The Wmk« tjoaa «e T« Aujwia Aw«. T« I*® Its HBTOm T01832 WHEN IT W FFBT PWUSMED AS M Wmjsor HefttB «« Bbtte Qxwv REastm Kyle Stephens Publldter kstephens@ncweeklies.com Leslie Beachboan) Managing Editor t)eachtx)ard@ncwe^lies.com Anc^ Alfred Spor^lStaffMer aalfr6d@ncweeklies.com Thadd White Gmp Editor lwhite@ncw8eklies.com BevAimnder Advertising Mana^ balexander@ncweeklies.com Brandice Hoggard ■ Stiiff Writer bhoggard@ncw8ekiies.com The Bam (ISSN 051-700) B.HJSJSHEB 6W THUf&W TO $37.00 {rus t«) ebt 'ibw {in Bbthe COKCdEK- Bjbushng (Stop 1098a/wKN!aST., VteBCR, NC279B3. Paroots K&r/m ms at Wnosos. NC BTIBRED AT AHWON% MAIUISO CffC®. Postmasiht: TOfiBSS CWNQES TO H-l Bbtib Larsar-taiisteE, RO. Bo* 69, Wwsor.NC 27983. Contact Us: BEmElBTSB-ADVANCE RO.Boxee, WmjscRiNC 27983. 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