Recapturing Joy

    An otter swam back and forth, back and forth, across its pool. My parents and I watched from behind a railing. So did other people. A happy vibe filled the air.
   When I was growing up, sometimes Mom and Dad would us kids somewhere fun. We'd swim at Nantasket Beach. Visit a zoo. Eat popcorn inside a movie theater.
   Those were simple pleasures. Yet they felt special. Why? Because they broke up the routine of home.
   Mom and Dad can't drive anymore. Their health is shaky. Now I take them on outings.
   Last Sunday we visited a nature center. That otter entertained us. Admission was free.
   It's easy and cheap to recapture the simple joys of childhood. All that's required is a willingness to go somewhere different. Not a far away place, or an expensive place, just a different place.

Bittersweet Lemonade

   Twenty-five cents per cup.
   Girls were selling lemonade on a front lawn. I wasn't thirsty but wanted to give them business. I pulled over my car.
   Two cups were ordered, for myself and a companion. The girls passed the drinks through a window. I handed them a one dollar bill.
   "Do you want change?" a girl asked me.
   The question threw me for a loop. It suggested that my accepting change was irregular. Worse, it implied that accepting change was miserly--the denial of a tip.
   Beforehand, I had considered paying them one dollar and not requesting change. Now, as the target of guilt trip, I wasn't sure what to do.
    Lemonade stands are a tradition of summer. When I was a boy, the first dime I earned came from selling lemonade. I didn't ask customers if they wanted change. Doing so was presumptuous.  
   I informed the girls that I wanted my change. They gave me fifty cents. I handed them back twenty-five cents, an accommodation between generosity and umbrage.
   The lemonade tasted sweet with a touch of bitterness.

Shining Lights

   To my surprise, a classmate presented me with a SpongeBob flashlight. It happened during a writing workshop. Why SpongeBob? The cartoon character is mentioned in a novel that I am writing.

   After returning home, I aimed the flashlight at the head of Sir Thomas More. He's depicted in a painting inside my office.

   More's face reveals a man of conviction. He refused to swear an oath of supremacy to King Henry VIII. Because of More's steadfastness, the king ordered Moore's death.
    Some people make lasting and positive impressions. Thomas More reminded me about the importance of following one's conscience. My classmate demonstrated the impact of thoughtfulness.
   Spongebob will occupy a spot on my bookshelf.

  

Pondering Heat

 
   Day two of a heat wave.
   Venetian blinds darken my bedroom. Fans whirl in a window. A breeze caresses my bare feet. 
   I should be editing photos in my office. Instead I'm laying around.
   My eyes focus on the wall. A peel of paint has expanded. Why haven't I gotten rid of that eyesore? Other priorities are taking up my time.
   Elsewhere on the wall, a crucifix catches my attention. What about those priorities? Are they pleasing to God? 
   I wonder if God uses extremes of weather to encourage contemplation? Resting in the shade provides a respite from our toils. It's an ideal time to ponder the purpose and direction of our life.  
   Consider these words by Mother Teresa:  'We need to find God and He can not be found in noise and restlessness.'

Where Trust is Practiced

    How can you determine if a town is a happy place? Look for trust. 
   A man bought a dozen eggs at a farm stand in Massachusetts. A cash payment was dropped inside an honor box.
   On Sundays in Salt Lake City, conductors don't ride on local trains. Nobody collects fares. A passenger could board a train without paying. Yet people still buy tickets at a self serve kiosk. An honor system prevails.
   At a self service gas station in my town, customers fill their tanks without paying in advance.
   Where people are trusted, it's safe to assume that most people are happy.

Checking Out Early

   While driving in Florida, I happened upon a gruesome scene. Buzzards were devouring the remains of a deer. Road kill no doubt.
   Earlier in the day, everything was normal in the deer's life. Little did it know that hours later, it would lay on the ground with a buzzard pecking out its eye.

 

    One month later I photographed a media personality delivering a speech in Michigan. His glibness  wowed the audience. If I recall correctly, a standing ovation followed.
   Four days later he passed away from natural causes. He was middle aged. He never saw it coming. 
   Some people check out early. It can happen without warning. It's not dying early that should worry us. What's ominous is dying without having accomplished anything to earn God's approval.

Huddled Masses

   Men gather every morning outside a Home Depot hardware in Salt Lake City. Most of them are immigrants from Mexico and elsewhere in Central America. Some are legal with green cards. Some are illegal and wary.
  Seeking shade, three of them huddle under the eave of a nearby gas station. A sign states that only customers are allowed on the premises. Nobody bothers these men, at least during my visits.
   These Latinos are seeking work for the day.
   Contractors buy supplies at the hardware, then hire immigrants. So do everyday people seeking assistance with home projects. No background checks. No paperwork. Just negotiations and trust.
   Other Americans look down on immigrants. They claim immigrants take jobs and drive down wages.
   I respect immigrants. Most of them work hard and value freedom. With persevere, they achieve the American Dream.
   Those immigrants in Salt Lake City remind me of the words etched inside the Statue of Liberty:

   'Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breath free….'

Bastions of Freedom

Volunteers move books from old public library (in background) to a new library.

    People in my town lined a downtown sidewalk. Books passed from hand to hand. No, the public library wasn't on fire, it was moving. This book brigade stretched from an old library to a new library.
   One book caught my attention. The cover illustration depicted Benjamin Franklin.
   As a founding father of this nation, Franklin signed the Declaration of Independence. Doing so was risky. He said, "We must indeed all hang together, or most assuredly, we shall all hang separately."
   On July 4th, we celebrate the anniversary of that declaration. This time around, disquiet tempers my enthusiasm. News stories are reporting that our government is keeping tabs on emails and phone calls sent by ordinary citizens. I can't imagine that Ben Franklin would condone such abuse of power.

A children's book about Benjamin Franklin.

   Franklin established the first book lending library in America. Thanks to his vision, any citizen can walk into a library and obtain books, videos, and get online. Citizens can access rooms for meetings.
   This kind of public assembly checks--or at least slows--abuses of governmental authority. So does public access to information.
   Libraries are bastions of freedom.