Just a little more than usual
I was read to early on, so it’s likely that we finished a few books, but I can’t remember the first one I finished on my own, until high school. It might have been either of a couple mentioned in other posts– To Kill A Mockingbird, or A Separate Peace.
Come to think of it, I read a few of the Doc Savage series from cover to cover, so it actually might have been one of those.
There have been many pieces of advice along the way, words and actions and such from parents and others. But the one that seems to have drilled the deepest into the memory banks is from a poster in my third grade classroom: “Maturity is the ability to forego the immediate pleasure in favor of the long-term gain.” Or something like that.
Seems pretty deep for a roomful of 8- and 9-year-olds. This pearl has been rattling around in my brain for a long time, though I haven’t always taken it to heart.
I guess it would depend on whether or not I knew in advance that this opportunity would be coming– lots of ducks to get in a row.
Maybe I’d insist on allocating funding for all the departments and programs that have taken a DOGE hit, like NIH and vaccine research; probably donate to many a Democrat’s campaign fund, bolster the funding for after-school lunches, give a shot in the arm to some local municipal budgets so they can fix their roads and bolster healthcare options, try to talk my wife into buying a bigger property, and buy a vehicle that’s more useful and easier to get in and out of.
I can’t recall many, since I haven’t watched many, but I’ll say either M*A*S*H, or Cheers. It turns out Season 3 of Ted Lasso wasn’t the last season after all.
Oh, and the series finale of Newhart— maybe not perfect, since perfection is such a subjective thing, but unexpected and memorable for all the right reasons.
Of the ancient ones, probably Socrates. Of the more recent thinkers, perhaps Hannah Arendt.
Donald Trump, President of the United States. Twice.
I can’t think of one. I know there have probably been a couple over the years that we ended up watching on TV just as something to do, and were pleasantly surprised, but no titles are coming to mind.
If I go to a theater to watch a movie, it’s usually because I’m interested in seeing it and have heard good things about it, and I can’t remember ever being disappointed.
If I expected to hate a movie, I probably wouldn’t make much of an effort to watch it.
A mysterious, evolutionary inevitability. A happy/unhappy accident.
Asking this question, over and over again, and never really settling on an answer. Except that it means different things to different people… ugh.
Maybe it’s about wrestling with a satisfying answer to “Why?”
Or finding love.
Just sayin’… with all due respect… like,… devastated… traumatized. There are probably others.
There’s not much planning involved. On the rare occasion when we do hit the road to a destination other than New England, the extent of the planning consists of entering a starting point and destination on Google Maps or some such app, and deciding which route makes the most sense. Most times we don’t even make lodging reservations ahead of time, though we probably would consider doing that if we happen to be traveling during a holiday period. And we might take note of a few points of interest along the way.
Since we aren’t currently driving an electric vehicle, there’s no plotting when and where to refuel. And road trips are usually when we fall off the wagon of healthy eating, unless we come across a Chipotle.
Our main objective is to get to where we want to go. There might be a bit more leeway for balls of twine and such on the return trip.
3 Cents' 