Keep Your Distance
Distance. To some degree everyone keeps their distance from each other. We live in separate dwellings, much of our time is spent apart. We stay a few feet away from each other even when we are close (well except for sex!).
There are times when distance can seem like a generational thing, between young and old. Occasionally I feel a distance from the culture of young people and they most certainly feel a distance from my culture now and then. Sometimes that feeling is obvious, sometimes it is more vague and it may feel like I am being avoided. But is it a generation thing or could it be something personal?
This week distance takes on a quirky dimension in the form of odor. Lou's bad breath and rotten tooth are made worse because he avoided going to the dentist. It could be because he is older and less on top of it, it could be because his dentist is older and less on top of it, or it could just be. No matter what, it is good to fix the things that cause an uncomfortable distance, even if nothing is used to prevent the pain. Novocaine may be necessary.