Common Sense

Only in the glaring light of day can some nonsensical things be seen as they really are.  In the past couple of days, we've seen a little boy on TV who made the grave mistake of kissing a little girl's hand.  Apparently, he likes her. 

I can remember lots of examples like that from school.  One that sticks in my mind is Jack who liked my sister a lot too.  He didn't kiss her hand.  He was roughhousing and ripped her coat sleeve.  He was never cited for anything and my mother simply got her sewing kit out and fixed the coat.  Good as new.  And my mother, having the wisdom that she did, told my sister that the reason Jack had behaved as he did was because he did like her.

This little boy seems like a nice fellow.  He is six and full of exuberance.  The little girl was uncomfortable that he kissed her hand.  I'm just not sure that making such a big deal of this whole thing does her any favors either, only that anytime she's uncomfortable all heck breaks loose.  There was a day when girls knew full well how to defend themselves against a hand kiss!!  And a much better defense than sexual harassment.

It's nearly Christmas time again.  Maybe the school administrators were a little tired that day and out of patience.  Whatever, the whole mess just reeks of silliness. 

Another boy got into trouble because he made a gesture as though he had a sword or something.  I can't remember the details, but it was again one of those silly things that just did not merit the attention it got. 

In schools that because of a very few individuals don't have prayer, we still have to find ways to teach children to love and care for one another, to be tolerant of one another, to put up with one another because after all this is the greatest lesson that any of us could possibly hope to learn in life.

So I'm off to Westlake today and going out into the frozen tundra.  Do you know what the frozen tundra is?  I didn't really understand until a couple of years ago when we were watching a TV program.  It's the grassy land that covers much of the upper north and in the summer it is wet and spongy, but in the winter when the winds and temperatures go to work, the grassy areas become hard and frozen solid.  Let's be careful out there today!!!