The Proverbial Crack

Ever think about those silly-seeming proverbial

sayings, then getting these weird images trying

to explain what they mean? Something I was

reading today made reference to, “slipping through

the cracks.” Most of us know what that means—

someone or something of which we should have

been aware mysteriously disappears into thin air,

and escapes us somehow. The pertinent or relevant

goes unnoticed. I have known superstitious folks

who go out of their way to avoid stepping on sidewalk

cracks, fearful they will somehow break their mother’s

back. And for others it becomes a convenient excuse

who will insist that through no fault of their own they

have failed to attend to their responsibility. Don’t blame

me, they’ll claim, it must have inadvertently slipped

through the cracks. There are astrophysicists who

theorize that there are cracks in the universe which

lead to parallel dimensions beyond our understanding.

Over a lifetime, many claim to have lost possessions and

opportunities which most assuredly slipped through the

cracks. One thing is for certain, the elephant in the room

looms so large it’s hard to see how something that humon-

gous could possibly slip through the cracks. Yet still, there

are those who’ll refuse to acknowledge its presence.

Careful where you step, my friend, there’s a huge pile of

dung right in front of you. There isn’t a crack wide enough

to accommodate that.

Chris Hanch 12-19-18