Surfing my own brain waves
Contributing writer
Being extremely long-winded, I rarely have space to address more than one topic in this column. However, I have been visited by so many vagrant thoughts lately that you're getting the variety pack this month.
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To promote mental health I recommend seizing every opportunity for innocent playful pleasures, even at the expense of your dignity. Dressing as a giant leprechaun for several occasions around Saint Patrick's Day gave my spirits a big lift, although onlookers may have questioned my sanity.
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I hope all the Hillsboro people got a similar kind of kick out of their recent hat day. Since my usual day in town is Thursday rather than Friday, I missed out on the bargains offered to hat wearers. However, I celebrated a day early by wearing my leprechaun cap to attend Learning in Retirement and do errands around town.
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Semi loads of bricks have been hauled away from the old school building across from my house. Every time I look out I can see at least a dozen more pallets of cleaned bricks ready for shipping. Yet the pile of rubble never seems much diminished. It reminds me of my occasional futile attempts at housecleaning.
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It seems strange that many of my friends who used to search for the most scurrilous possible epithets for our previous President now regard any criticism of George W. Bush as shockingly unpatriotic. Although I won't miss the so-called music of the Dixie Chicks, it seems ironic that people wanting to go to war to win freedom of speech in Iraq are dead set on curtailing it here.
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Hats off to two high school freshmen in my school district who attended the last school board meeting. They voiced their concern about an increasing drug problem in their school and asked the board for stiffer penalties for students caught using illegal drugs or alcohol. Sometimes tough love is needed from peers as well as parents and teachers. Their action showed a lot of moral courage.
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Another tip of the hat to a large group of neighbors who are involved in the "Walk across Kansas" project. Having volunteered last year and letting the side down by not fulfilling my pledge of a mile a day, I decided not to make the effort this year. Since I was recently diagnosed with lupus, I was particularly unsure of my ability to keep up. However, I have accompanied one of the walkers a few times and found it good for me. They are setting a good example for us all.
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Recently I read one of the best novels to come my way in some time, The Christmas Quilt by Thomas Davis. Set in the Georgia mountains, it is a warm and touching story of life, death and growing up. I'm not quite sure why it gripped me as it did. I suppose it was because the characters immediately seized my imagination as if they were people I knew — and liked, in spite of, or perhaps because of, their imperfections. It also has some beautiful bits of description.
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Another pleasant reading experience was Chicken Soup for the Golden Soul. I am sentimental enough to love all the chicken soup series. As the title suggests, this one is aimed for the sixty-plus demographic, but I'm sure younger readers are allowed to check it out of the library. I think almost anyone would find something in it to enjoy. I was particularly struck by some of the quotations at the beginning of the chapters, such as the following by Luciano deCrescenzo: "We are all like one-winged angels. It's only when we help each other that we can fly."
