Life As We Know It with Tom Walton

Most of us at one time or another have pondered what sits on exactly the opposite side of the earth from our own location. Dig down into the ground and keep on going until you emerge on the other side and what would you find?

Remember as a kid practicing your signature when you were supposed to be listening to the teacher? For reasons I can’t explain, the vertical stroke of my T bends like the left half of a clock dial. I actually had a clerk ask me once, “Your name is Chomas?”

This week, few Americans will even be aware of the 47th anniversary of the flight of Apollo 11 to the moon. Some may take note of it but there will be no fanfare, and very little attention will be paid to it by most of us. It’s not a milestone anniversary, and most of us don’t spend much time pondering anniversaries that don’t end in a zero or a five.

Most Veteran politicians share a common skill that serves them, if not necessarily the rest of us, well. They can say a lot while saying nothing. It’s political doublespeak.

The oldest of our six grandchildren graduated from high school a few weeks ago, and her proud grandparents were delighted to make the trip from Ohio down to Alabama to see it. But we assumed that this child of the South would stay close to home and attend college just an hour away from Birmingham.

Somebody sent me a battered magazine clipping offering a number of helpful tips for living a good life. The magazine isn’t identified and there’s no byline attached. It’s just a list. I think it’s worth sharing excerpts of it because these are excellent suggestions

The news is pretty crummy these days. Wars rage on. So does the presidential campaign. Tension in the Middle East never goes away. tornados, earthquakes, and floods remind us of the fragile nature of life. If my e-mails are any indication, people are suffering from illness and fatigue. They are sick and tired of it. They look for anything that will cheer them up.

Someone once noted that journalists are like blackbirds on a utility wire. When one takes off, they all take off. When one lands, they all land. Point being, of course, that we tend to travel in a pack and swoop and circle around an issue or topic and peck away at it until there’s nothing left. There is some truth to the notion, especially among those who make a living as commentators.

Mass Marketing fascinates and irritates me. I’m amazed how often I'm sucked in by it, even though I know what's coming and even though I realize its sole purpose is to separate me from what limited financial resources I have.