The Baltimore Writer

On Friday of last week – September 4 – I realized rather quickly in my daily doom scroll of social media posts, reels, and stories that I needed to make the conscious decision to hide the Apps for at least 10 days. At first, I saw the usual videos of September 11, 2001, that usually fill my feed this time each year. That, alone, was a bit overwhelming to me. The memories will always be refreshed in my brain and in my heart when I see them. 

But then I started seeing video angles that I had never seen before. Unbelievable footage that made the nightmare moments from that day nearly 25 years ago shocking in a new and very disturbing way. I could not believe that I had never seen them before. You would think that after 25 years of anniversaries, documentaries, and memorials, we would have seen it all. 

And that’s when I realized why I had never seen them. These were AI-generated videos to make the event more shocking (as if that were possible), and “freshen” the dramatic trauma for a new generation that was not yet alive to experience it in real time. 

The only thing that was happening in real time was that the story – the history – was being changed artificially, and everyone under the age of 30 might consider it to be factually accurate. 

I was disgusted. It was at that moment that I decided to hide my Apps and return to my Daybook for more serious, reflective writing to replace my doom scrolling. 

Five days later, it has moved my thinking, my wellness, and my writing to a much better place. 

Which is why I am returning to my blog, The Baltimore Writer. 

Now, for those of you who have followed me over the years (and that has surpassed 20 years for some of you), you well know that I have been down this road before. A pattern most definitely exists. Post a few entries, starting with one similar to what you are reading now, and then go dry for months. 

Return. Repeat. Retreat. 

Is this time any different? I would like to think so. I’m simplifying a few things and setting up a more disciplined habit of writing and sharing, so maybe that will be the difference I am seeking. 

And, I have abandoned goals of branding, building an audience, and reaching beyond my bubble of faithful readers. I am doing this for me first. To share my story with the world, one entry at a time, that I was here, and this is what I witnessed. Experienced. Pondered. Professed. 

So here’s what I pondered today.

We had a school evacuation today – the second in two weeks – due to an internal failure within our HVAC system (you can read the school’s coverage of the event HERE). On the surface, it seems like an ongoing annoyance that is hindering the continuity of the learning process. Today, we spent 70 minutes outside while they isolated the problem and set up fans to clear the air in the classrooms. For the rest of the day, students and teachers had to live with the odors of something burning inside the building. By period 6, the last class of the day, four classes had to be relocated because the odor was so overwhelming. 

But if I think about it just a little more deeply, I realize that there is so much we don’t know about the air we are breathing on a daily basis inside that school. They’ve got a temporary “chiller” set up in the parking lot since June, and many of us – since that time – have experienced respiratory issues that seem like they are more than the typical back-to-school sniffles. 

We’ve had problems with our HVAC system for years, but within the past year, it seems to be getting progressively worse. 

Does that mean that the air we are breathing is getting more dangerous as well? 

I ponder this because, at 61 years old, I am working overtime to be as healthy and as fit as I possibly can to enjoy my time here on this Earth. Am I really working this hard to only find myself in an environment that is unhealthy and detrimental to my well being? 

I have no proof that any of this is actually happening, and I am not accusing anyone of knowingly allowing any such thing to happen in a school with 1,500 individuals. I’m simply pondering the unknowns of problems with an HVAC system that, despite many efforts over the years, they cannot fix. 

But this is life. We are constantly doing our best in a world of variables that we cannot control. This is why I live in the present. I embrace the moment in the moment. With this mindset, there are no expectations, no regrets. Just peace of mind and joy in all that is. 

As always………….rvw