Sometimes when I've felt chilly in the car, I've reached over and turned on the radio. Not the heater, the radio. As if any knob would do.
Yesterday, with this important election day looming, I had a strong impulse, not to campaign, but to vacuum my car. On deadlline for one project, I've sometimes madly worked on another.
I picture a sort of free-floating urgency that thinks it will be satisfied by any action. But it's not true.
So now I remind myself that I must do as Forster suggests: "Only connect." Not quite the way he meant it. But it works. Connect the urgency with the needed action.
Minutes ago, the postman stepped into our foyer with the mail for these four offices. I wished him a happy election day. He said, "Tomorrow this time we'll have a new president."
"Have you voted?"
He laughed in an embarrassed way. "No, not yet."
"Are you going to?"
"I hope so." (He hopes so?! For one thing, this man is African-American! What is he thinking?! I was tempted to get between him and the bowl of candy we keep on the front table, but then realized that would be probably be illegal.)
I said, "Please do. Please vote."
I'll say it again: Please vote. It won't do any good to just turn on the radio.
(Another good Forster quote from Howard's End via the website Only Connect: "Mature as he was, she might yet be able to help him to the building of the rainbow bridge that should connect the prose in us with the passion."
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