my careless contagion

Before I begin, let it be known I was into Creedence Clearwater Revival before I saw The Big Lebowski. Anyone who saw that movie knows The Dude loves CCR. With that out of the way, let us begin.  I love John Fogerty's voice. It was a perfect fit for its time, and it still resonates. The songs are actual songs, and not the nonsense on popular radio now. This is beyond oldies (people are calling music from the 2000s oldies now). There is a deep humanity in this music. Okay, so this song came out in 1971, so why does it have a video? No such thing was done at that time. Certainly not by CCR. This is something my mom would have listened to, so why am I discussing it? I read a bit about the meaning of this song from Wikipedia and it struck me how some people aren't happy with everything they've worked for, even if it surpasses their wildest dreams and expectations. It makes no sense, and it brings to mind passages from Proverbs and Ecclesiastes. Anyway, here is what it said.  ...

I never thought I'd be typing these words, but here goes. I was named to the dean's list for the 2018 fall semester of the school I'm taking online classes from.  While this is surely no big deal to the hundreds (thousands?) who found themselves on this list, for me it was no mean feat. Considering I was dealing with a significant amount of personal trauma, and I was working full-time and taking classes full-time, as well as trying to put my life back together, I think that's a significant achievement.  I'm trying not to toot my own horn, but I also need to express gratitude and recognize when something good happens. I give thanks to God for the opportunity to take classes again, so naturally, I give thanks to God for helping me make the dean's list as well.  It feels good to see hard work and perseverance pay off. I hope my education — what little I'm able to attain — will open doors for me and be a blessing to me the rest of my life. Who knows?...