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WITandWISDOM(tm) - January 5, 2006 ISSN 1538-8794 ~~~~~~~ THOUGHTS: I get up before anyone else in my household, not because sleep has deserted me in my advancing years, but because an intense eagerness to live draws me from my bed. Submitted by Maggie ~~~~~~~ SPECIAL THOUGHTS: The Situation Looked Familiar Even If The Faces Didn’t. A father and his 6- or 7-year-old son were sitting in their parked car outside a convenience store I had just patronized, engaged in a serious conversation. Well, actually, the father was talking – the boy was listening. I didn’t know them, but I knew what was going on. One look at the little boy’s face told me everything I needed to know. I had seen the look before – heck, I had WORN that look before – and I just couldn’t help smiling. Not that there was anything funny about the situation. Actually, something like what was going on can be pretty dangerous if it isn’t handled correctly. But this boy’s father clearly was doing the right thing. He was talking earnestly, but no angrily, to his son. There were no tears, although it looked as though it wouldn’t take much to push a few out of the lad. I couldn’t hear their conversation, but I could follow it almost word-for-word, and I knew what was coming. I slid into my car, but instead of driving off, I sort of hung around to watch a lesson in honesty. My guess was that they were waiting for a moment when the store would be free of customers. Sure enough, when that moment came the boy and his dad got out of their car and walked into the store. The boy walked slowly, his head bowed, his eyes cast downward. In his hands was a small box or something – I couldn’t see it clearly, but I imagined it was candy or gum. Inside the store, the father said something to the woman behind the counter. She nodded, then turned her attention to the boy as the father stepped back and gently nudged him forward. The child hesitated. His father bent and whispered something in his ear, and then stood beside him with a hand on his shoulder. The boy spoke, his head still bowed and his eyes still focused on the counter in front of him. Then he held out the box to the clerk. The woman behind the counter played her part beautifully. It was a stellar performance in the category of Salesperson Trying to Help a Parent Teach His Kid Something Important. She looked at the boy sternly, but not too sternly. She took the box and spoke to him for a moment, but not too long. Then she smiled kindly, but not too kindly, and the boy and his dad turned and left the store together. Relief was clearly etched on the boy’s face as he hustled around the car to get in on the passenger side. For the first time, I could detect a trace of a smile curling the corners of his lips. The dad’s face wasn’t quite as easy to read, but it didn’t matter. I knew what he was feeling – disappointment and pride, discouragement and peace, anger and love, fear and hope. The man pulled his door closed, hesitated, and then started the car. He was about to slip it into gear when I saw him look across the front seat at his son. He smiled, and through the light fog that was gathering on the back window of his car I could see his mouth form the words: “I’m proud of you, Son. You did the right thing.” The boy launched himself across the seat and threw his arms around his father’s neck, and the father wrapped his arms around his son. By Joseph Walker © For more ValueSpeak, please visit http://www.sfpnn.com/joseph_walker1.htm E-mail Joseph at: mailto:valuespeak@msn.com Look for Joe's book, "How Can You Mend a Broken Spleen? Home Remedies for an Ailing World. http://isbn.nu/1573453005 Source: Sir Froggie's Positive News Network - Daily Good News Letter, http://www.sfpnn.com/subscribe_to_pnn1.htm ~~~~~~~ THIS & THAT: "Reasons To Have a Happy New Year" 10. No more TV Holiday specials. 9. Okay to wear funny hats. 8. All visiting relatives go home! 7. Mall Santas are history. 6. Finally get to dump the dried up Christmas tree. 5. Only three more months till Spring. 4. Get to return bad Christmas gifts. 3. Leftover turkey finally gone. 2. Football season almost over. And the number one reason to have a Happy New Year... 1. You're still here! Submitted by B. B. ~~~~~~~ KEEP SMILING: I was always taught to respect my elders. But it's getting harder and harder to find one. Submitted by Gerry ~~~~~~~ TRIVIA: Power-Generating Car Ramp Dorset inventor Peter Hughes has developed a road ramp that uses passing cars to generate power. Called Electro-Kinetic Road Ramp, it has plates that move up and down as vehicles pass over them, driving a generator. Depending on the weight of the vehicle passing overhead, between five and 50kW can be generated. The generated electricity can be used to power traffic lights and road signs. According to Mr. Hughes, the ramp is silent, comfortable and safe for vehicles. Mr. Hughes developed the concept over the past 12 years, and recently approached councils across UK with the final patented project. The prototype was created and tested at Hughes Research unit at the Westland Helicopter base in Somerset, at a cost of £1m. More than 200 local authorities had expressed an interest in ordering the £25,000 ramps. Around 300 jobs are due to be created in Somerset for a production run of 2,000 ramps next year. Can't they just build a new expressway will these ramps placed every few meters? Will definitely generate lots of power. For a picture of the ramp visit: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/somerset/4535408.stm Source: Nybble Bi-Weekly Newsletter, http://groups.yahoo.com/group/nybble