THOUGHTS ABOUT A STORY BOOK QUESTION The Caterpillar in Lewis Carroll’s “Alice in Wonderland” pauses from his high perch to ask the title character, “Who are you?” The question seems simple enough but when the answer doesn’t satisfy, the child is subjected to a lec
HOW TO AVOID ARGUMENTS WITHOUT REALLY TRYING We all know that reasonable minds can differ in spite of the facts. Now science is beginning to understand why. In a recent article that appeared in the May 20 edition of “This Week,” Chris Mooney, a science writer, discusses th
LIVING IN FEAR OF THINGS THAT GO BUMP, DAY OR NIGHT “Waiting to Exhale,” a novel by Terry McMillan, is the story of four women who are “holding their breaths” until they find men to whom they can commit their lives (Wikipedia). I’ve never read the book nor have I s
THOUGHTS ON THE APPROACH OF MY 75TH BIRTHDAY What makes me feel old is when: I see an ad for a Drink Milk campaign and I can’t identify the celebrity with the white mustache; I read Michael Fox has turned 50 and “Back to the Future” is celebrating its 25th anniversary. I
POWER IN CREATIVITY Half way through my reading of Eric Hoffer’s True Believer, I was stunned to come upon the following: “The most incurably frustrated – and therefore, the most vehement – among the permanent misfits are those with an unfulfilled cravin
THE JOY OF CONTRAST The weather may still have occasional gray days but nature is luxuriant in its spring colors. By now the pines whose green boughs have withstood winter’s tempest are joined by the deciduous trees, their pastel greens standing in stark contrast to the conifers.
v:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);} o:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);} w:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);} .shape {behavior:url(#default#VML);} THE SHORTEST DISTANCE BETWEEN TWO POINTS IN NOT ALWAYS A STRAIGHT LINE I continue to work my way through Eric Hoffer’s “The True Believer,”
NEVER JUDGE A BOOK BY ITS COVER As I wade into my 75th year, I admit I’m not doing much complicated cooking. So, on a rainy afternoon, recently, I culled through my recipe books, determined to be rid of most of them. My progress was slow as the collection was encrusted with memories
OUTRAGEOUS THOUGHTS ON SHARING I am revisiting Eric Hoffer’s work of the 1950’s, “The True Believer: Thoughts on the Nature of Mass Movements.” Though it is 60 years old, the ideas are as relevant and fresh as if a paint can had been opened and its contents thrown agai