September 20, 2026

By Arthur H. Gunther III

thecolumnrule.com

Perhaps there is a moment when you don’t want the sun to shine, when you seek no gaiety, when you pull the shade. This need not be somber; in fact, it can lead to optimism, which has a foot in the emerging light of a day spun good and fine with lightheartedness and cheerfulness.

It is the moment of recharge. Done with talking to every Tom, Dick and Harriet. Done greeting every passerby with a nod, a smile. Done answering silly questions.

Off to a retreat, wherever that is – backyard, basement, beneath the bookshelves in the home library. No one with you, not even the best-beloved, who stays that way by not always being in your space. And vice-versa. Maybe the cat is there; it barely tolerates you as it is.

Thinking is not recommended, nothing taxing should occur. No memories. No regrets. No doubts. Don’t dwell in the real world – bills, doctor appointments.

The space has no visible door, but it exists. There is music, heard by you alone. It has rhyme that leads to reason.

The door eventually opens, you leave. You can pull up the shade if you like. Maybe only halfway.

The trip was yours. Reconstituted.

The writer is a retired newspaperman.

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