When Loosing is Winning

    Every summer, The Kentucky Derby takes place in my town.
    This race isn’t the authentic derby—that one happens in Louisville. This Kentucky Derby is a carnival game.
    Contestants rolls balls into holes. Mechanical horses (off camera) move forward whenever a ball enters a hole.
    One person wins. A prize—often a stuffed animal—is awarded.
    Children love this game. Yet most of them lose. They don’t seem to mind. It’s a carnival, after all. There’s rides and other games to enjoy.
    Loosing is good for children. It humbles them. Being humbled strengthens their characters.

From Clear to Clogged

Bushes clutter a trail in my community.

    Brush clogged the trail. I didn’t venture further. Too bad. I was looking forward to a stroll.
    Two years ago, a high school student pruned the bushes encroaching on this walking path. His effort fulfilled a senior project requirement. The Department of Public Works lent their assistance.
    Now the trail is fading. Its demise reveals how fast nature bounces back. And if further reveals the importance of maintenance.
    Heraclitus once wrote that ‘character is destiny.’ His observation pertained to the individual. Behavior and values will affect the quality, or lack of quality, in one’s life.
     With respect to communities, perhaps ‘maintenance is destiny.’

Bubble Buggy

    A youngster—not a toddler—sat in a buggy. The location was a supermarket. Lots of customers moved about, including me. I’ll presume his mother was among us. If so, she was using a separate buggy.
    This boy sat in a corner of the store. Earphones covered his ears. He mind was occupied—if not mesmerized—with the operation of an electronic device. It was like being inside a bubble. He had tuned out his surroundings.
    The boy wasn’t helping his mother choose produce. He wasn’t listening to her chat with the butcher. Impromptu conversations between customers did not include him. All those interactions, as mundane as they are, enriched people’s lives.
    When Buggy Boy grows up he’ll need communication skills, the face to face kind. Those skills will take shape during his youth. The distractions of technology might hamper this social development. If so, he won’t reach his potential. This concern applies to legions of children.
    Social skills are not learned inside a technological bubble.

Drama at the Grotto

A frog relaxes, unaware of danger.

     Most of the time, nothing exciting happens in this grotto. The cave is holy. There’s a statue of Jesus and Mary, candles, and a pool of water. People kneel and pray. Sometimes they toss coins in the water. Quietude prevails. This grotto is located at a shrine near my home.
    I noticed a frog in the pool. Nickels and pennies surrounded him. I leaned over a railing and snapped a photo. My presence didn’t bother him.
    He was content. This cave—his sanctuary—provided all his needs. He had water, bugs to eat, and shade from the sun.
    Life was good!
    Something moved in the corner of my eye. A snake appeared. It swam with lightening speed through the water. It attacked the frog.
    The frog took off with a split second to spare. His attacker pursued him.
    The pool was small. Walls hemmed in the frog. He had nowhere else to go. He swam in circles around the pool. The snake kept chasing. Round and round they went, a hunter and prey.
    The snake grew tired. He broke off his pursuit. The frog survived.
    The frog’s complacency reminded me of a quote from Jesus:
    ‘Keep on the watch, therefore, because you know neither the day nor the hour.’

Statue and pool of water.

Snake on the prowl after hunting the frog.

Luminosity

Stars and Big Dipper photographed a few nights ago.

    Everyone has viewed the Big Dipper. It's an asterism of seven stars. Can you see it?
    Six of the stars are bright. A seventh star, where the handle connects with the ladle, is dull in luminosity. It fades in an out when viewed in real time. If that star wasn’t part of the Big Dipper, nobody would notice it. The star would be insignificant.
    Millions of stars in the sky. Millions of people on Earth. A few stand out. Most do not. Stars have no choice in the matter. People do.

A Step Backwards

Doctor poses for photo as he retires.

    Is this doctor a dying breed? Maybe not.
    He made house calls during his career. His office was located inside his home. He treated me when I was a boy.
    Docs like him provided more than medical care. They enhanced the cohesion of a community. Having the same doctor meant sharing something in common.
    Nowadays, most doctors don’t visit homes. There’s lots of reasons, including technology, specialization, and the prominence of HMO’s.
    Change might be in the works. Apps are being created to summon doctors to a home. That development is encouraging. Will the physician who shows up be someone from the community? Or just a stranger on call? Either way, it’s a step backward in the right direction.

Throw and Talk

A boy in Massachusetts is pictured in his neighborhood.

    Is the decline of baseball hurting boys?
    Years ago, most boys owned baseball mitts. Youngsters played catch with other kids in their neighborhoods. No swinging of bats. No running to bases. No adult supervision. Just boys throwing, catching, and talking to each other.
    They shared idle thoughts between tosses. Shyness gave way to confidence. Friendships were forged.
    Nowadays, few children play catch. They participate in organized sports—often soccer—at  centralized locations. Adults hover nearby. Action on the field inhibits chummy conversations.
   Playing catch builds character.

Not Courting Attention

Brush pruned from sides of court. More work to follow.

    The Ghetto. That nickname describes a basketball court in my town. The conditions are deteriorating.
    Change is afoot. A man is donating money to refurbish the court. He prefers to remain anonymous.
    Donors like him inspire me. They personify selflessness.
    Not all donors remain in shadows. Some of them publicize their generosity. A few years ago, some billionaires in the USA pledged to give away much of their money. The announcement was made with fanfare.
    Jesus once said, “Be careful not to display your righteousness merely to be seen by people. Otherwise you have no reward with your Father in Heaven.”