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WIT & WISDOM - January 14, 1999 ~~~~~~~ THOUGHTS: "A teacher affects eternity, he can never tell, where his influence stops." - Henry B. Adams [1] ~~~~~~~ SPECIAL THOUGHTS: I had flown into Dallas for the sole purpose of calling on one client. Time was of the essence, and my plan included a quick turnaround trip from and back to the airport. A spotless cab pulled up. The driver rushed to open the passenger door for me and made sure I was comfortably seated before he closed it. As he got into the driver's seat, he mentioned that the neatly folded Wall Street Journal next to me was for my use. He then showed me several tapes and asked me what type of music I would enjoy. Well! I looked around to see if I was on Candid Camera. Wouldn't you? I could not believe the service I was receiving. "Obviously you take great pride in your work," I said to the driver. "You must have a story to tell." He did. "I used to be in Corporate America," he began. "But I got tired of thinking my best would never be good enough, fast enough, or appreciated enough. I decided to find my niche in life where I could feel proud of being the best I could be. I knew I would never be a rocket scientist, but I love driving cars, being of service and feeling like I have done a full day's work and done it well." After evaluating his personal assets, he decided to become a cab driver. "Not just a regular taxi hack," he continued, "but a professional cab driver. One thing I know for sure, to be good in my business I could simply just meet the expectations of my passengers. But to be great in my business, I'd have to exceed the customer's expectations. I like the sound of being ‘great' better than just getting by on ‘average.'" Did I tip him big time? You bet. Corporate America's loss is the traveling folks' gain! By Petey Parker from Chicken Soup for the Soul at Work, Copyright 1996 by Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, Maida Rogerson, Martin Rutte & Tim Clauss [2] ~~~~~~~ THIS & THAT: I'M A SENIOR CITIZEN . . . . -Author Unknown I'm the life of the party . . . . even when it last until 8 PM. I'm very good at opening child-proof caps with a hammer. I'm usually interested in going home before I get to where I'm going. I'm good on a trip for at last an hour without my aspirin, beano, antacid. I'm the first one to find the bathroom wherever I go. I'm awake many hours before my body allows me to get up. I'm smiling all the time because I can't hear a word you are saying. I'm very very good at telling stories . . . . over and over and over and over. I'm aware that other people's grandchildren are not as bright as mine. I'm so cared for: long-term care, eye care, private care, dental care .. I'm not grouchy, I just don't like traffic, waiting, crowds, children, politicians. . . . I'm positive I did housework correctly before my mate retired. I'm sure everything I can't find is in a secure place. I'm wrinkled, saggy and lumpy, and that's just my left leg. I'm having trouble remembering simple words like . . . . I'm now spending more time with my pillows than with my mate. I'm realizing that aging is not for sissies. I'm anti-everything now: anti-fat, anti-smoke, anti-noise, anti-inflammatory. . . . I'm walking more (to the bathroom) and enjoying it less. I'm sure they are making adults much younger these days. I'm in the initial stage of my golden years: SS, CDs, IRAs, AARP . . . I'm wondering . . . if you're only as old as you feel, how could I be alive at 150? I'm supporting all movements now . . . by eating bran, prunes and raisins. I'm a walking storeroom of facts . . . I've just lost the storeroom. I'M A SENIOR CITIZEN AND I THINK I AM HAVING THE TIME OF MY LIFE!!!! [3] ~~~~~~~ KEEP SMILING: My father was a Lutheran pastor who worked diligently to prepare a sermon each week. In fact, he would literally work on a sermon each and every day; although much of his work was done at church in the mid-morning, one of his other favorite times was right after the evening news and before prime time TV hit full swing. Many nights, he'd head for the master bedroom with the words, "I'm going to go work on my sermon . . . , " then lay on his bed and read scripture and commentaries. Sometimes, however, after-dinner drowsiness would set in and he'd be asleep within 10 or 15 minutes, snoring loudly, book still open on his chest. This became a running joke in our house, one which my dad accepted in good humor, as well. In fact, to this day family members will observe my Mom's dog fast asleep in a patch of sunlight and say, "Oh, look! Kipper is working on his sermon . . . " [4] ~~~~~~~ TRIVIA: NASA's Deep Space 1 probe is propelled by a new kind of rocket, a solar-powered ion engine. It works by expelling ionized xenon atoms at 30 kilometers (19 miles) per second! The ion engine is extremely efficient because of the high speed at which the xenon ions (atoms that have been stripped of an electron) are ejected from the engine. This makes it possible to carry far less fuel than a traditional chemical rocket, and the spacecraft can reach higher speeds. The ion engine is not good for quick changes of speed, because its total thrust is very small, about the same as the weight of a sheet of paper. However, it runs for a very long time, and the small continuing thrust eventually results in a large change of speed. The Deep Space 1 mission's first target is an asteroid called 1992 KD, after which it may visit several comets. Here's NASA's web site for the Deep Space 1 mission: http://nmp.jpl.nasa.gov/ds1/ A technical article about various electrical spacecraft propulsion methods: http://www.jhu.edu/~cpia/elecprop.html [5] ~~~~~~~ CONTRIBUTORS: [1] (Inspiration a Day! [2] (Chicken Soup for the Soul [3] (Fast Eddie's Funnies [4] (Mark Huth via Teresa's Jokers [5] (The Learning Kingdom |