And even a little of it goes a very long way. It's puzzling that we have to keep learning this lesson over and over. Most of us remember a kindness, little or big, for the rest of our lives.
Someone once told me, "You can be right or you can be happy." There may be a very few things in life worth fussing over, but overall, kindness is much better than righteousness. Thank you for this column, the Pekingese tea party made me smile and has won a special place in my limited memory banks.
I am reminded of a sweetly smiling fundamentalist explaining to me that "defending the weak" was a Christian justification for invading Vietnam, notwithstanding Jesus' words to love our enemies (Matthew 5:44), and a righteously indignant, pistol-strapped political candidate lambasting America's "sloppy" withdrawal from Afghanistan.
Who among us can make sense of our current madness, that is the question.
No one can. So, let's just be there, helping others, whether loved, liked, or lost. Some out there won't want you. Move on, then.
Kindness is an act of caring about someone's sadness in action. Don't just stand there and look at it. Do it.
As for the loony limericks with their Nantucket and Madras innuendos, demeaning others they do...best to move on to our smile and our hands-up. We may need our own help some day. You never know.
I dunno, Tom King! It seems to me that part of the fun of "naughty" Limericks is that they're a way of "pressing the boundaries" in the written word. Many of us who grew up in "rather strict" households got in the habit of "pressing the limits" to see how much "freedom" we could create for ourselves. For me, there was a tree in the back yard that I could just get into by jumping up, catching the horizontal first limb, chinning myself and disappearing in the greenery. Having that "escape mechanism" to enter a world of my own meant a lot to me then!
For all the comments Our Free-Thinking Host has made about being a Brethren child, it seems to me that "semi-naughty" Limericks might have appealed to him for their whiff of freedom! That might be especially true in his youth if unimaginative adults around him often missed the point.
I've got to admit I really enjoy Limericks that go over my head at first. I laugh five times as loud, when I finally get them! I've loved being in the audience for live Prairie Home Companion shows! Sometimes I've heard a joke at a previous gathering, when I was practically the last person in the audience to "Get It ." I've gotten a kick out of being the first one in my section to howl with laughter this time around!
The thing about Our Humorist Ext ordinaire's creations is that they often do force us listeners to THINK. Part of our laughter is based on the relief, finding that our geriatric minds can still function well enough to see that "3+1 = 4" just the same as "2 + 2 = 4". It's the "I GET IT!" response! Thanks, so much, Dear Host, for helping our minds to stay sharp!
kindness, comedy, and music, three angels of our salvation - in any order depending on the situation, and by no means an exclusive group, but still - these three abide
love you Mr K - as you noted, Lilia said it so that none of the rest of us really needs to, but still - love you forever
“I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” attributed to Maya Angelou.
I have to wonder if this is an implicit reference to the SCOTUS news re: Roe v. Wade. Doesn’t matter: the message is sound. America is capable of such kindness- where has it gone?
Bless you, bless you, bless you. Your column on kindness brings tears to my eyes--as I ponder that state of a world growing more vicious each moment. I do wonder--in a world where we can be what we choose to be--why NOT choose kindness?
"Elder John Crandall was arrested in Boston in 1651 for preaching kindness toward the Algonquins" - It sounds as if our Venerable Host comes from excellent stock! "The Natives, by in large, really helped the newcomers adapt to this different continent. Think about a typical "Thanksgiving" meal. Turkey - the natives assured the Europeans that the meat was good. Cranberries - Europeans didn't bring those over on the Mayflower, now, did they? I'm not certain why we don't include corn in our "traditional feast" - the Algonquins introduced maize to the Europeans, too.
And, when it comes to "Thanksgiving traditions" - consult the WPA book on Virginia, and you'll find that the "First Thanksgiving" was actually celebrated in Jamestown, VA, in 1607 (?) with the local tribes. The newcomers would have starved, if it hadn't been for the generosity of the indigenous folks!
I’ve finished Boom Town a few days ago. Received my copy when you came to St. Paul recently for a reading. So many laugh-out-loud moments for me in these pages. And you’re so generous with opportunities! Hardly a page goes by without a limerick, some made up song lyric, a clever/corny name pun, or an outrageous story. Some were bound to strike my funny bone. Even the groaners and eye-rollers were a treat.
And I appreciated that so much of the humor and the stories were about endings and death. While not a preoccupation for me, I can’t easily ignore the reality of my recent 79th birthday. Aging, illness and death are no laughing matters, of course, which is why we absolutely need to make jokes about them. (You made the case for this recently in your column about the saving power of comedy.)
So, quoting from Boom Town, I would say that there was indeed “some authenticity to inhale” in your novel “amid the wordplay and folderol.” Along with Dickens, you obviously believe “in the contagion of good humor and kindness even in the midst of sickness and suffering.”
By sliding between your actual and fictional voice, as well as expressing the divergent views of your characters, you are able to reveal your true opinions about things, without ever disclosing which are actually yours. Maybe you hold them all!
Thanks for this delightful book and your weekly column. So happy to be able to still hear your voice.
And even a little of it goes a very long way. It's puzzling that we have to keep learning this lesson over and over. Most of us remember a kindness, little or big, for the rest of our lives.
Someone once told me, "You can be right or you can be happy." There may be a very few things in life worth fussing over, but overall, kindness is much better than righteousness. Thank you for this column, the Pekingese tea party made me smile and has won a special place in my limited memory banks.
I am reminded of a sweetly smiling fundamentalist explaining to me that "defending the weak" was a Christian justification for invading Vietnam, notwithstanding Jesus' words to love our enemies (Matthew 5:44), and a righteously indignant, pistol-strapped political candidate lambasting America's "sloppy" withdrawal from Afghanistan.
Who among us can make sense of our current madness, that is the question.
No one can. So, let's just be there, helping others, whether loved, liked, or lost. Some out there won't want you. Move on, then.
Kindness is an act of caring about someone's sadness in action. Don't just stand there and look at it. Do it.
As for the loony limericks with their Nantucket and Madras innuendos, demeaning others they do...best to move on to our smile and our hands-up. We may need our own help some day. You never know.
I dunno, Tom King! It seems to me that part of the fun of "naughty" Limericks is that they're a way of "pressing the boundaries" in the written word. Many of us who grew up in "rather strict" households got in the habit of "pressing the limits" to see how much "freedom" we could create for ourselves. For me, there was a tree in the back yard that I could just get into by jumping up, catching the horizontal first limb, chinning myself and disappearing in the greenery. Having that "escape mechanism" to enter a world of my own meant a lot to me then!
For all the comments Our Free-Thinking Host has made about being a Brethren child, it seems to me that "semi-naughty" Limericks might have appealed to him for their whiff of freedom! That might be especially true in his youth if unimaginative adults around him often missed the point.
I've got to admit I really enjoy Limericks that go over my head at first. I laugh five times as loud, when I finally get them! I've loved being in the audience for live Prairie Home Companion shows! Sometimes I've heard a joke at a previous gathering, when I was practically the last person in the audience to "Get It ." I've gotten a kick out of being the first one in my section to howl with laughter this time around!
The thing about Our Humorist Ext ordinaire's creations is that they often do force us listeners to THINK. Part of our laughter is based on the relief, finding that our geriatric minds can still function well enough to see that "3+1 = 4" just the same as "2 + 2 = 4". It's the "I GET IT!" response! Thanks, so much, Dear Host, for helping our minds to stay sharp!
Lovely examples.
kindness, comedy, and music, three angels of our salvation - in any order depending on the situation, and by no means an exclusive group, but still - these three abide
love you Mr K - as you noted, Lilia said it so that none of the rest of us really needs to, but still - love you forever
best of luck with your ophthalmologist
“I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” attributed to Maya Angelou.
Please, folks... Choose kindness. 💗
Then there are those who *think* they remember what you said and did...
I have to wonder if this is an implicit reference to the SCOTUS news re: Roe v. Wade. Doesn’t matter: the message is sound. America is capable of such kindness- where has it gone?
Bless you, bless you, bless you. Your column on kindness brings tears to my eyes--as I ponder that state of a world growing more vicious each moment. I do wonder--in a world where we can be what we choose to be--why NOT choose kindness?
"Elder John Crandall was arrested in Boston in 1651 for preaching kindness toward the Algonquins" - It sounds as if our Venerable Host comes from excellent stock! "The Natives, by in large, really helped the newcomers adapt to this different continent. Think about a typical "Thanksgiving" meal. Turkey - the natives assured the Europeans that the meat was good. Cranberries - Europeans didn't bring those over on the Mayflower, now, did they? I'm not certain why we don't include corn in our "traditional feast" - the Algonquins introduced maize to the Europeans, too.
And, when it comes to "Thanksgiving traditions" - consult the WPA book on Virginia, and you'll find that the "First Thanksgiving" was actually celebrated in Jamestown, VA, in 1607 (?) with the local tribes. The newcomers would have starved, if it hadn't been for the generosity of the indigenous folks!
Our family includes cornbread. :)
GK
I’ve finished Boom Town a few days ago. Received my copy when you came to St. Paul recently for a reading. So many laugh-out-loud moments for me in these pages. And you’re so generous with opportunities! Hardly a page goes by without a limerick, some made up song lyric, a clever/corny name pun, or an outrageous story. Some were bound to strike my funny bone. Even the groaners and eye-rollers were a treat.
And I appreciated that so much of the humor and the stories were about endings and death. While not a preoccupation for me, I can’t easily ignore the reality of my recent 79th birthday. Aging, illness and death are no laughing matters, of course, which is why we absolutely need to make jokes about them. (You made the case for this recently in your column about the saving power of comedy.)
So, quoting from Boom Town, I would say that there was indeed “some authenticity to inhale” in your novel “amid the wordplay and folderol.” Along with Dickens, you obviously believe “in the contagion of good humor and kindness even in the midst of sickness and suffering.”
By sliding between your actual and fictional voice, as well as expressing the divergent views of your characters, you are able to reveal your true opinions about things, without ever disclosing which are actually yours. Maybe you hold them all!
Thanks for this delightful book and your weekly column. So happy to be able to still hear your voice.
This column made me think of A little Christmas Sing by David Roth
Here's my little Christmas song
It's new so I might play it wrong
But that's okay, it's not like I could say
Or sing one single thing
That's never been expressed before
Like "peace on earth" and "no more war"
That's easier to say than do
Just read the paper, watch the news
Don't read the paper, walk in nature
That's what we did last Thursday
When six or seven inches fall down from the sky
It's time to play
We slapped our boots on, grabbed the dog
We bought him in some catalog
That's what they send this time of year
How did they get our address here?
We took a stroll around the pond
Of Tricia I am very fond
Last summer she made me a blond
I looked a bit like Eminem
Our nieces' very favorite rapper
Swears a lot, that whippersnapper
Strikes some kind of chord it seems
For certain disaffected teens
Here's my little Christmas song
Might play it wrong, it's kinda newish
Don't expect too much when Christmas songs
Are sung by someone Jewish
Except for maybe Adam Sandler
Nightly lights Menorah candles
Merry Christmas, Hanukkah
Solstice, Ramadan, and Kwanzaa
I know I left some holidays out
So choose that to which you're devout
That's what the Dali Lama does
When asked what his religion was
Replies with just one single word
"Kindness" is what he prefers
And so do I, so now I ask
Is humankind up to the task?