two kinder on an outdoor adventure day break
who became friends by chance when they landed in the same class
—
“you never know who’s going to become your friend. friends are always chance meetings.”
-steve guttenberg
author, brad meltzer, class of ’92, gives the commencement speech at his son’s graduation
“My son hadn’t had a proper graduation since middle school. Here’s my commencement address at the University of Michigan, written for him & Class of 2024, “
And here is the last line: “The world needs more empathy, more humility, and certainly more decency. If you really want to shock the world, unleash your kindness.” – Brad Meltzer
—
*Brad Meltzer is an American novelist, non-fiction writer, TV show creator, and comic book author. His novels touch on the political thriller, legal thriller and conspiracy fiction genres, while he has also written superhero fiction for DC Comics and a series of short biographies of prominent people for young readers.
—
source credit: Alumni Association of the University of Michigan
a couple of grandsons and i
drove to the highest point in the city
snuck onto a golf course
at dusk
on a quest to see the aurora
under a crescent moon
star- sprinkled sky
we waited,
and waited,
and waited
and waited
my photo-wise grandie
set up a long exposure shot
his camera captured the beauty
better than our eyes could
how lucky and lovely
and
we did not get arrested for trespassing.
—
Wake County Bookmobile driver and librarian India White, July 1966.
White drove the Bookmobile all over the county for over 20 years. Her route changed daily but rotated monthly, visiting mostly rural locations in the county and homes of the elderly or disabled. She had dozens of assistants over the years, many either not able to learn the routes or drive a manual transmission (one of the crucial prerequisites for the job). A life-long resident of Raleigh, she devoted her entire career to the Wake County Library. White died in 2000 at the age of 92.
—
“literacy is a bridge from misery to hope. it is a tool for daily life in modern society.
it is a bulwark against poverty, and a building block of development.
for everyone, everywhere, literacy is, along with education in general, a basic human right..
literacy is finally, the road to human progress
and the means through which every man, woman and child can realize his or her full potential.”
-kofi annan
—
credits: vintage america uncovered, state archives of north carolina, news and observer
if you want to smile
possibly even laugh out loud
spend 40 seconds
watching the clip below
i dare you not to guffaw.
https://x.com/buitengebieden/status/1787924727052251191
—
‘everything is funny, as long as it’s happening to someone else.’
-will rogers
just curious
when waking up in the morning
at my friend’s house
why there was a large frying pan
on the bottom shelf of the nightstand
next to where i had been sleeping?
was this a hint that i was expected to chef our breakfast?
was this a self-defense weapon to use as needed?
had someone forgotten where they set down their pan?
had someone gone on a late-night eating in bed food bender?
when i inquired, one answered:
‘oh, is that the one that is usually hanging in the closet?’
what, there’s one usually hanging in the closet?
another answered:
‘what frying pan?’
host woke up and said,
‘ i was going to give that one away.’
oh, of course.
that’s the perfect place to leave it to remember to give it away.
i loved waking up with a surprise, a mystery, and a smile.
(and there really was an even larger frying pan hanging in the hall closet.)
‘
—
“there are almost unlimited possibilities for making discoveries and to uncover the unknown.
it is in the nature of the discovery that it can not be planned or programmed.
-on the contrary, it consists of surprises and appears many times in the most unexpected places.”
-bengt i. samuelsson
“and all the world is glad with may.”
john burroughs
—
art credit: madison safer