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~~~~~~~ WITandWISDOM™ - April 12, 1999 ~~~~~~~ THOUGHTS: Oh, the comfort, the inexpressible comfort of feeling safe with a person: having neither to weigh thoughts nor measure words, but to pour them out. - George Eliot (E- zine: THIS AND THAT Mailto:milady@mediaone.net) ~~~~~~~ SPECIAL THOUGHTS: Half a century ago [this was written in 1931] a man was to walk a wire across Niagara Falls with another man on his shoulders. After weeks of preliminary practice, as the final moment for the event drew near, the rope walker cautioned his young colleague in words like these: "We are about to risk our lives. I am to walk the wire. The whole responsibility is mine. You have nothing to do but match my movements. If I sway to the left, let yourself sway with me. If I sway to the right, do the same. Under no circumstances try to save yourself, for there must be only one will in this adventure, and that will is mine. You must submerge yours to ensure harmony, for without perfect unison we are both lost. There is only one thing for you to do - sway with me." As they drew near the opposite side, the unexpected happened. The long vibration of the wire broke in the center into two waves, and each of these broke again into two, and so on, in accordance with the law of vibration, until the shortened wavelike movements became so violent that the man could scarcely keep his feet where he placed them. It was a perilous moment, but the feat was accomplished, and the spectacular escapade was a success, holding a place on the first page of the newspapers. After this, the young man who had played a secondary part settled down to private life, married, became an active leader in Christian endeavor and an elder in a certain church. And he used to say: "I learned more religion on the wire that day than in all my life. I learned that the only sane and safe way to live is to sway with God." By Frank S. Arnold, Signs of the Times, November 24, 1931 (Dale Galusha ~~~~~~~ THIS & THAT: YOU KNOW YOU ARE SUFFERING FROM EMPTY NEST DENIAL IF. . . You have thrown out the better part of the last several one-gallon jugs of milk, but still can't bring yourself to buy the one-quart cartons. You called the power company and asked them to check your meter, because the hot-water bill has been way too low. You suddenly realize that you no longer need to include video late fees as part of the monthly budget. You are shocked when you notice you can push the buttons on the car radio and KNOW what station you will get. The bottle of shampoo has been in the shower so long you are starting to think it might be a mystical experience - kind of a loaves-and-fishes thing. They've been gone three years and you still cook enough for your husband to have seconds and thirds. . .and fourths. You still walk through the living room in the crouched position with your picking-up hand brushing the floor, even though it encounters no dirty socks. You ask the garage to check why your car is costing so little to run. Your cupboards overflow with uneaten school lunch treats. You still hide your best make-up. (E-zine: TERESA'S JOKERS http://www.eGroups.com/list/jo- jokers/) ~~~~~~~ KEEP SMILING: Shooting the breeze down at the Veteran's hospital, a trio of old timers ran out of tales of their own heroic exploits and started bragging about their ancestors. "My great grandfather, at age 13," one declared proudly, "was a drummer boy at Shiloh." "Mine," boasted another, "went down with Custer at the Battle of Little Big Horn." "I'm the only soldier in my family," confessed vet number three, "but if my great grandfather was living today he'd be the most famous man in the world." "What'd he do?" his friends wanted to know. "Nothing much. But he would be a hundred 165 years old." (E-zine: KEITH'S MOSTLY CLEAN HUMOR Mailto:KSullivan@worldnet.att.net) ~~~~~~~ TRIVIA: HOUSEBREAK A PUPPY: Housebreaking a dog requires more than simply laying down newspaper on the kitchen floor. The trick is to understand the way the canine brain works and harness your dog's doggy nature to work for you. Excellent ideas on this subject can be found at: http://www.learn2.com/08/0827/0827.html The Learn Letter, Copyright 1999, Panmedia Corporation. All rights reserved. |