Sunday, 1 February
Good Morning
Justin…
What Super
Bowl? The Chargers aren't in it. I don’t
know a thing about it. Who’s playing?
We've got
both George Washington and Abe Lincoln with birthdays this month. Everyone’s favorite event for February,
though, is Valentine’s Day. The women
in our life get a box of chocolates and a gift certificate to Weight Watchers. All that chocolaty adoration finds a home
somewhere. My guess is the hips.
Where are
you anyway? My guess is it’s someplace
that grows strawberries this time of year.
Argentina. Who’d a thought?
The actor
John Barrymore said in the movie Twentieth
Century: If I’m a genius it’s
because of my failure. It was something
to that effect. All genius must end with
failure. The question is how impressive will
your ultimate failure be? Here is the
true key to genius. What does it take to
bring you down? Of course, you don’t
have to be a genius for this to apply. We all reach the point of bafflement. It’s not like a switch though. We’re not completely in command until the
point arrives when it’s all incomprehensible.
Our successes never required complete understanding. We push forward from the start with myopic
vision. Our confusion is merely
contained. We make decisions and they
somehow work for us. We continue to
explore new areas. The problems become
increasingly challenging. Uncertainties
build and our confidence in making choices becomes increasingly hesitant. Finally we stall out. Here is our outermost boundary – the limit of
our frontier. It’s a moment to
ponder. Here is the sight of my penultimate
failure… the magnificence of my foundering human quest. The grand ship tilts itself stern up, then
slides beneath the waves with all horns blowing. Sounds romantic.
Love,
Dad
© Tom Taylor
