ASPEN QUOTE #28

Daddy: "How did you're spelling test go today?" Aspen: "Fine, the test was easy." Daddy: "Yeah? Well alright!" Aspen: "Yeah, the test was easy. It was the words that were hard." S.M.A.R.T.A.S.S.

TEN THINGS I WOULD LOVE TO DO IN MY TIME BUT PROBABLY NEVER WILL

1- Find gold 2- Discover a new species (even if it's a new kind of tape worm... whatever) 3- Patent something 4- Have a story published 5- Save somebodies life 6- Parachute (successfully!) 7- Take a picture of a UFO 8- Have a religion named after me 9- Vida Guerra 10- Remember where I left my house keys

A SOUND PHILOSOPHY?

"Always welcome the opportunity to learn from even the most trying of times." Challenging times and events will rise and fall regardless. We can either allow ourselves to benefit from the experiences those times afford us or we can choose to not benefit from them. Which path seems more productive? Which would see us grow as individuals? As a society? As a species? I wrote these words down the other night when reflecting on the state of my nation and the world at large. Having been reading quite a bit lately on the history of civilization it occurred to me that throughout history most 'great' societies have embraced their 'philosophers' and placed them in high regard; right alongside those of the political leaders. Often times they are one and the same. I think most spiritual and philosophical teachers would look at my words in orange text and agree with them. They are not particularly deep nor controversial in and of themselves. But I have to wonder what would today's American mainstream reaction be to these words if they were spoken by The President? I get the impression that today's U.S. citizen doesn't want to hear words such as these from their elected officials. Even though the words and sentiment might be perfectly accurate and appropriate for the day and age. 'We' don't want to feel we have something to learn from someone we elected. Why? We certainly want our leaders to be logical, rational, wise, well read, etc. But we don't want to be 'lectured' or 'taught' by our government. It seems to me that in contemporary American society there is not a warm reception for philosophy. It comes across as hoakie, unproductive, and silly. A philosopher today is not held in the same regard as his equal would have been some 2 - 3 thousand years ago. Throughout history philosophers have run into trouble with 'the establishment', 'the machine' as it were, but the general populace has historically welcomed wise thinkers and mental ground breakers openly. I don't feel that that is the case today. Today, philosophy in the U.S. is confined to the college classroom. It's reasonable and acceptable for one to have studied philosophy for a brief period, to have a few books on the subject... but to engage in it beyond that in adulthood seems to be an almost isolating move when it comes to society at large. It is almost as if to philosophize with others nowadays, it needs to be done in small, private, tucked away circles. Coffee houses, etc. Whispered, way from the public eye. And if a public official were to share the words above to the masses openly (as uncontroversial as they are) s/he would be publicly ridiculed in all forms of media. My concern is why this shift has occurred. What does it say about a society and where it's headed if philosophy is viewed as something less than respectable or even contemptuous? What would your reaction be if your congress person spoke these words openly and publicly?

THE REQUEST LINE IS OPEN (apparently)

For Tart and Melina... Aspen was sick for the last 2 days. Some kind of stomach flu thing. This would normally not be a 'big' deal' but in the past when Aspen is sick she spends time with her mother. She had no job and always enjoyed the nursing aspect of motherhood. I am not as familiar with all the medicines and what needs to be taken when so it's been left up to her. However, now that her mother is off playing house with yet another guy far away from here, it was up to me to dawn the scrubs and say 'Now where does it hurt?" Believe me, nothing will wake you up faster than hearing the person in bed next to you in the middle of the night starting to make the beginning lurching and gurgling sounds that are only ever followed by an onslaught of hurl. Of course, I couldn't reach the trash can fast enough nor could I pull back the comforter and sheets in time. It all got drenched. Chicken noodle soup reappeared everywhere. I spent the next hour getting her cleaned up in the tub, the sheets in the wash, the matress dried (hair dryers have a thousand uses!), and the comforters in the tub. She made it through the night with no further incident but the next morning when she was still ill and with fever I went off the drug store to find a decent anti-nausea medicine. Upon consumption of a child's dosage she promptly threw that up. The day was spent keeping as many saltines and as much gatorade down her as I could. Horse lessons had to be skipped for the afternoon. Fortunately, she felt far better this morning and was able to go off to school. A 48 hour stomach flu is what it appears to have been according to the pharmacist. Dr. Daddy managed to get rid of it in just under 36 hours! And here I was thinking I would get through fatherhood without ever being thrown up on. Oh well.