Sound travels more slowly than light. This is because it’s lazy. Sound isn’t in a hurry because it doesn’t have to go far. On the other hand, light is in a hurry because it has to go far. Physics people have this all figured out. Physics people have their own language, and as well, formulas in which they verify what I just wrote.

There have been attempts to dumb down quantum physics so that lay people like me can understand complex ideas. I distrust the dumbed down versions because I know better. It’s all way more complicated than the simple versions suggest.

I often wish that I’d studied physics, calculus, and fourth level Latin in high school. The other day it occurred to me that one reason why I never got there was because my home environment wasn’t conducive to studying. At the time, my mother, sister, and I lived in a one-bedroom apartment – my mother slept on the couch. I didn’t have a desk – I must have studied on my bed.

Bugge Park Tiny Library

The other reason why I didn’t take upper-level courses was because I was not adept at learning the languages and discourse conventions of science and math. English, I could understand and write narratives. This, then, became my forte.

A good thing, otherwise I would have ended up like the fellow who now cleans the Sunset grill, which is located in the historic Eagle Hotel. The twenty something fellow told me that he has no interest in reading. He also has bounced around from job to job. No wonder. Twice he’s come by to talk to me. Today he asked about the books and what we had. I now realize that I missed my chance. I should have given him a book and said, “Read this and tell me what you think.” Well, it’s probably not too late.

This business of getting books into the hands of appreciative readers – it can be challenging. Today Pam and I went to the Moose Hall Lodge where there were many garage sale vendors. I was looking for books. I found a Ziploc bag with a half-dozen books. I knew where it came from because aside from being in a Ziploc bag, it had a blue piece of tape on it. We got several boxes of like bags of books last spring – they were remnants at a kid’s consignment sale.

I was told the books were free. Pam then gave the vendor one of our brochures. She mentioned volunteering and then said to Pam, “I didn’t think of that!”

We just have to keep getting the word as to what we do, out there. Doing this will free me up mentally and better enable me to identify and find those like the above-mentioned fellow, individuals who might, with a gentle shove, become readers.

Hmm, maybe I could get a class going in which I simply read to people.

So many ideas. And so much time to explore these ideas. When push comes to shove, shove will push back.

Next: 211. 8/4/24: Time and Time Again