Solitude & Time

See how much solitude can change men?

Take me to the basement and turn off the lights. Lock me in your cellar and leave me be. You know the one. The one with stones and mortar from the floor to the ceiling that rests only 5 feet above. The one that floods every April and stinks until June. The one that we wanted but didn’t know we needed. Fear not the dark or the depths for this space creates, it does not destroy. Give me the solitude and give me the time. That’s what kraut needs, and we should all flow like the brine. Send me in as me, and what comes out we’ll see. Solitude to think. And time to know. Down to the deep I now go.

- KrautHammer

This ol’ Puss used to think he was a genuine introvert, bewildered and bedraggled by situations social. But time heals all misconceptions of self and I realized long ago that I do in fact crave society, it just don’t crave me back. Such a pickle would make anyone sour - and ol’ Puss is no exception. Modern life might lead one to believe that they are more connected than ever, with many networks of friends, a seemingly endless web that suspends us all and forms the framework of what the world is to us. But find yourself maskless, face to face with one of these so-called friends in a post-covid party corner and soon you’ll find that there is no simple heart emoji to touch and full up with your blanket praise, instead there is a complex human, with quirks and defenses and off-putting ideas on race and society. I recently watched an old favorite of mine “The Big Chill” and a line by the old-fashioned boring heal character stuck out to me. In talking about life in adulthood he said: “Nobody said it was going to be fun. At least nobody said it to me.” The Puss of twenty-five certainly thought this was a losing attitude, but oh what a difference a decade can make. Eat Kraut and be merry.

- SauerPuss