Jonathots Daily Blog
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Jonathots Daily Blog
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There are matters that are too important to ignore or leave to chance. These are salient moments.
I have never been quite certain what the purpose is for a disclaimer. If you’re going to disavow a claim, why make it in the first place? Yet since I have the tendency to pursue hypocrisy, I shall make the following disclaimer:
I am fully aware that the toys I am about to mention are archaic, old-fashioned and certainly not in the lexicon of anyone under the age of thirty-five. Yet attempting to substitute modern toys would remove much of the charm, and still make me irrelevant within five years.
So let me say that when Eddie came to my house for a play date, I was fully expecting him to show up with marbles.
(Marbles are little circular glass toys of all sorts of colors. You pinched them with your fingers, rolling them across the floor and striking your friend’s marble, and in so doing, you won control of his prize. It was very popular back when you were able to play outside because the dinosaurs had gone to their watering hole.)
But when Eddie arrived, he did not have his marble sack. Instead he was carrying four brand new cans of Play-Doh. For those unacquainted with Play-Doh, it is best explained as a molding clay in various colors with which you could use to form objects and declare yourself artistic.
Eddie’s parents had just purchased the Play-Doh and he was obsessed with the stuff. I was offended because he had not warned me, and I was prepared to play marbles.
We struck a bargain: he would work with his Play-Doh and I would pursue marbles. This lasted half an hour.
We were miserable.
I kept looking over at his Play-Doh and he kept peering at my marbles, each of us insisting that we were happy–while secretly aggravated because we weren’t playing with each other.
Finally I interrupted the process and suggested we take the Play-Doh, roll it into tiny circles resembling marbles and mingle the games, instituting a new format called “Play-Doh Marbles.”
It seemed ingenious, but the Play-Doh would not roll, so we tried throwing the little clay circles at the actual marbles, and it came off as stupid.
It was a play day from hell–so frustrating that we cut it short, growled at each other a bit and separated to our households of security.
Now, as I rose and listened to the news this morning, I realized that we have much the same situation in our world.
Everybody is showing up with their favorite toys. Because we insist that nothing matches, nothing is the same, nothing is culturally equivalent, we are playing side-by-side with our own rendition of fun, privately pissed off.
No one seems to have the sense to look for common toys, mutual ground or general excitement. We have become convinced that “marble people” are better than “Play-Doh people,” and because of that “Play-Dough people” should not be allowed near “marble people.” We even make up rumors about “Play-Doh people” and diminish their character. Sometimes we even say that “Play-Doh people” smell. Or is it the “marble people?”
Earth does not work unless we agree on the toys. I can think of three right away:
Without this trio, the Trinity look like three bums who came into town to hold a revival and nobody showed up.
It is time for your salient moment:
If you can play with your dough, you won’t mind losing your marbles.
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Jonathots Daily Blog
(2836)
Dear Woman: So what did you think?
Dear Man: About what?
Dear Woman: Dinner.
Dear Man: It was good.
Dear Woman: What did you eat?
Dear Man: What do you mean?
Dear Woman: I mean, what did you eat? What was it?
Dear Man: Chicken. Am I right?
Dear Woman: You see, this is my problem. Yes, it was chicken, but I made a special sauce to go with it, added some cheese. I spent a little time.
Dear Man: And so do I. You know our routine. Monday, Wednesday and Friday, I work on dinner when I get home. Tuesday and Thursday you do it. Saturday is pizza day and Sunday is clean out the refrigerator.
Dear Woman: I know. But you see, my point is, because you don’t have any part in my dinner-making tonight, we don’t have any connection.
Dear Man: We have conversation over dinner.
Dear Woman: Somewhat. But conversation about your day and conversation about my day is not conversation about our day.
Dear Man: What do you mean?
Dear Woman: What I mean is, you spent most of your day at work with people putting together projects, getting close to them in a mutual effort, and then we come here and we’re married, but the only thing we ever really do together is pay bills.
Dear Man: That’s ridiculous. We do lots of things together. We watch movies, we go to the mall, we shop, we go to the park…
Dear Woman: You see, that’s the problem We go to places but we’re not a place. I know you don’t necessarily believe all the Adam and Eve stuff from the Bible…
Dear Man: I believe in the Bible, just not everything…
Dear Woman: Well, I don’t believe in everything, either. But even the things I don’t think are possible, I still try to learn the lessons they have to offer…
Dear Man: So what am I missing?
Dear Woman: Adam and Eve not only had a life together–sex, romance–but they also worked together. They had a Garden to take care of. It made them get up every morning and notice each other. Kind of like, “Thank God you’re here. Otherwise, I’d have to do the Garden by myself.”
Dear Man: I’m glad you’re here…
Dear Woman: Let me finish. And then they became involved. How do we take care of the Garden? How do we produce this together? A statement of, “There’s much to do and I need you.” They weren’t just roommates. They were work-mates.
Dear Man: So how would we work together?
Dear Woman: I don’t know. But it created appreciation. They got to see each other doing their stuff at their best, so they could turn to each other and say, “You did great. We did great.” I just feel like I do my best work on the job and you never get to see it.
Dear Man: Well, you don’t get to see my best work, either.
Dear Woman: Exactly.
Dear Man: So what you’re saying is that maybe rather than doing dinner separately, we do it together, and in the process throw in ideas, laugh at ourselves, and come up with a concoction we both are invested in, and therefore will be more interesting to us.
Dear Woman: Brilliantly said! I just feel like the more we do together, the more we’ll enjoy what we do, and the more we’ll notice each other, get involved with each other and appreciate each other.
Dear Man: Well, it seems like an idea we can do.
Dear Woman: I think so, too. I think if we just take the chores of the house, the cooking and the everyday stuff and try to do some of it together so we can watch each other at work, instead of trying to explain our day over dinner, when the thrill of the moment is long gone…well, I just think it’ll draw us closer.
Dear Man: We can still keep pizza night, right?
Dear Woman: Yeah. Maybe sometimes we’ll make our own pizzas, though.
Dear Man: I think we just crossed a line…
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Jonathots Daily Blog
(2819)
Plain Joe awoke today
Went to earn his pay
Finding what he can
To become a better man
Avoiding the nasty fray.
But others push on Joe
To join the to-and-fro
And believe the common thought
Purchase what they’ve bought
And get inside the flow.
Yet Joe is a me
A creature who is free
To use his blessed brain
To avoid the furious insane
And find who he can be.
But pressure comes to bear
As the bullies never care
What path Joe might choose
Disagree and he will lose
A chance to be treated fair.
So Joe learns his cues
Although he gets the blues
He laughs extra loud
With the crudeness of the crowd
Hoping for better news.
Then one day he’s laid off
With nickels and pennies, he’s paid off
Left without the job
Separated from the mob
Stuck with his meaningless trade-off.
What will it prosper the Common Joe
To gain approval, then lose his dough
Stuck with a soul he didn’t make
Feeling like a stupid fake
With no place left to grow.
So Joseph made a decision
To escape the bigoted division
And join the human race
Allowing the smile upon his face
To
Shine
Yes
To
Shine
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Jonathots Daily Blog
(2748)
A. Sven Losney, a young Norwegian skier who failed to make the Olympics because he broke his left fjord.
B. Manny Cosfulli, an aspiring pizza maker from suburban Chicago, who wanted to start his own pizzeria, but didn’t have the dough.
C. 10 Rospy: The number of Rospys it takes to qualify for the Creole Big Gumbo lottery.
D. Ken Nosey, a television producer who was assigned to locate the gentleman to be the next “Bachelor.” (He chose Pope Francis.)
E. Clem Bogly, a high school running back who was critically injured flirting with his razorback.
The producers of jonathots would humbly request a yearly subscription donation of $10 for this wonderful, inspirational opportunity
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A voice writing in the wilderness
Jonathots Daily Blog 