THE WONDER OF IT ALL
Two men were standing on the corner of 5th Avenue and 57th Street in New York City, observing the Christmas rush. One man complained, “I hate Christmas. I’m sick of this traffic and all these crowds.” The other replied. “I find it astounding. A baby was born to two peasants in an obscure village halfway around the world. The parents had no money, yet two thousand years later, that baby creates a traffic jam on 5th Avenue, one of the most sophisticated streets on earth. This irritates you? It ought to fascinate you!”
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CHRISTMAS IN THE REAL WORLD
Our first exposure comes while walking through a department store. A familiar Christmas song wafts through the air like auditory perfume. Then we find ourselves humming the tune. Without any effort, Christmas spirit seizes our hearts. But that gentle nudge doesn’t last long.
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REMEMBER NOT TO FORGET
The movie Fifty First Dates portrays the story of a woman who falls asleep each night, and forgets everything that happened the previous day. Although a romantic comedy, the film depicts an actual medical condition called Korsakoff Syndrome, in which some patients suffer from total short-term memory loss.
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SHOOTING OURSELVES DOWN
In 1956, a Navy F11 Tiger jet was struck by several rounds of ammunition and crashed. Later the pilot learned he had shot himself down. He was traveling so fast; he outran the ammo he was firing. It’s easy to do. Moving through life at breakneck speed, we can shoot ourselves down.
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THE MESSIAH OF OUR MESS
Imagine you’re stopped at a construction site, and a laborer passes in front of your vehicle. He’s dressed in work clothes, covered in dirt and sweat. His face exhibits a day’s growth of beard, and his hair is messy from toiling for hours. He’s trudging to who-knows-where, hungry and exhausted from a hard day’s work.
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DUMPED FOR A PIG
I once met Goofy—well, actually a man who wore the costume of the character Goofy at Disneyland. He said while working there, he dated the woman who dressed up as Snow White. But sadly, their romance came to a heartbreaking end, when she left him for one of the three pigs. (Seriously, I’m not making this up).
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ACTING UNLIKE YOURSELF
Indiana Jones is the quintessential Halloween hero. The costume requires thirty seconds of prep, and no money. I grab my leather coat, brown fedora, whip, and voila! I’m set to go to our harvest party. He’s basically my alter-ego, but that’s another story.
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THE RACE I'M IN
How could someone accidentally run a marathon? That’s sort of like accidentally going to work. Just ask Georgene Johnson. She signed up to run a 10K race in Cleveland, but unintentionally lined up for the marathon. At the four-mile mark she realized her mistake, and considered quitting, but she pressed on, and finished.
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