One Pic, Two Quotes, And Hopefully A Better Me

William Southold, The Southold Report

My sister sent me this picture when it was “hot off the wires”, well before it hit the attention of most, and became fodder for late night comedians. She knew it would interest me.

It produced an almost immediate reaction in me, which I will not go into other than to say I have never suffered hives, but momentarily feared I was coming down with them. I put the image out of my mind as best I could and continued with my day.

Later on, when fragments of the image floated up into my consciousness like unsinkable flotsam, I had a more adult response to it, I am happy to report. It prompted me to wonder if there had ever been “days like these” (as Momma said) and it turns out there may have been. At least one politician’s comments from just short of a century ago lead me to believe this.

Here’s what my research turned up, a quote from Harry S. Truman, which sounds suspiciously apropos for today’s political climate:

From “The Political Will” by Harry S. Truman:

“There is honor to be found on the battlefield of ideas, for both winners and losers, but only if the battle is joined honorably. For those who choose otherwise, for those who wield contrived lies in place of true tempered truths, who seek to manipulate fears and prejudices with weakly winnowed falsehoods, those, I’m afraid, will find themselves overrun by the stampede of history, a lone, dusty, decaying carcass, lying abandoned, deserving of pity from no one.”

Any particular person come to mind?

But I also came across another quote, that I immediately took a liking to. I felt it quite befitted me. Here’s that one:

From “One Way To Live”, by Margaret Truman:

“Impatience in the face of frustration is a disaster in the making.”

I really like this one. I think I can safely say I am known around the office as a fairly mild mannered guy, able to take a blow and keep on going, without much fuss and feathers.

OK. There I was with two new quotes, at least to me. I really liked them both, so I decided to share them with my wife and get her take.

“Oh,” she said, after reading them both. “I like them too. And I can see why the first one would appeal to you, you’re a political junkie. It’s right up your alley. But what is it you like about the second? I wouldn’t think you would hang that one on a Christmas tree.”

Her expression about the Christmas tree caught me up short. It’s one of her favorites. It’s what she says when I ask her about which shirt I should buy, or something I might order in a restaurant, not that you would hang either on a Christmas tree. It means, whatever I have asked about is so unlike me that she doesn’t even know why I would bother to ask. She decorates the tree at our house.

I gave some thought of asking her why she said that about the second quote, but then I realized she had just spent the last two days listening to me holler profanities from the garage while trying to fix the damn garage door lifter. That answered that.

So, now I have something else to think about. A “home improvement project” that doesn’t involve a screw driver or drill. I tell you, I’m gonna give it a shot. Thanks, Sis.

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(This post contains totally made up quotes. The feeling of hives was not.)

(Image from People)