The Holocrons of Darth Grampus

A conversation I had today reminded me of an adage: people don't care how much you know until they know how much you care. Though I can read through my posts, my subjective view isn't solid-enough proof that I've tried to articulate how much I care over so much of what I think I know. So, and in effort to create that proof, I thought I'd write about the reasons I care. Perhaps knowing that is worth much more than knowing how much I (think I) know. My first grand baby came into the world almost a year ago. Such an easy one, right? Of COURSE I care about my grand baby, all his future cousins, and my kids! But intricately woven into the sincerity of my caring for them is care for all of you and yours, too.  Why? Darth Grampus Cares Because... Because your good is potentially their good. If more good comes to more of you, the impact will undoubtedly affect those I love most. I can't claim to have all this hope, or that I care so much for their futures if I don't hav...

Life Movies What if we set out to make a life movie? What kind of story would you want it to tell? How would you describe your leading actor? What kind of person are they? What are the challenges they face? What are their goals and motivations? What are their pluses and shortcomings? What endears this character to you?  Ok, good. Good. Now our protagonist needs a challenge to face and a compelling antagonist. Perhaps a rival. Perhaps a nemesis.  The antagonist in my life movie is me. The rival and nemesis in my life movie is me. Self As Nemesis Your nemesis may be similar to my own. Mine has a kind of multiple personality disorder, and three are often front and center. Procrastination entices me with some random thought meant to pull me off focus. He flashes memories of relaxation before my open eyes and presents the memory of the relaxed feeling for comparison to whatever I'm doing at the time. He might use noble concepts to explain or justify what he's doing to me. Learning ...

My paternal grandmother lived for 90 years. She was an exceptional lady in many ways, but one thing that stood out to me was her complexion. Her skin was beautiful and radiant any and every time I saw her, and that didn't happen by accident.  One evening I saw her peering with great focus into this two-sided mirror. I used to get a kick out of playing with it because one side showed a normal image, and the other showed a greatly magnified image. It also had lights all around the edges that lit up every nook and cranny revealed by that magnified image.  My grandmother rarely looked at the normal mirror. She would look at herself carefully before applying her astringent or emollient cream or whatever. When she was finished applying all that stuff to her face, then she would flip it over and look at the non-magnified image. She would turn her head to each side and, once satisfied, flashed a bright smile. That night I asked her about the two mirrors and why her skin care routine w...