Let the Kids Play: Being a kid really had its moments. Naps and recess were at the top of the list. Apparently recess has been receding from schools. The pressure for test results has us trading time outside for more time inside. But unstructured outdoor play is vital for kids. It isn’t just physical activity. At recess, kids learn social skills: how to follow rules, resolve an argument, play fairly. It is where kids learn how not to be an asshole. Parents are getting mad, and when enough parents get mad, good things usually happen. States are responding with new laws establishing minimum recess requirements, and pediatricians are pushing for recess through high school. Now we just need to start the Recess for Life movement. But that sounds exhausting. Might be time for a nap!
Tornado USA: I knew America led the world in tornado movies, but I didn’t know we lead the world in actual tornadoes! By a huge margin. We get roughly 10 times as many as the next country, Canada. Geography is the reason. Warm, humid air comes north from the Gulf of Whatever We Are Calling It Now. Dry air moves in from the West. Cooler air drops down from Canada. Together, aided by flat terrain and wind shear, they create near-perfect conditions for tornadoes. I now live close to the southeastward-shifting center of American tornado activity. I found all of that interesting, but none of it will keep us safe. That’s what the storm shelters are for!
God Bless Baseball: I will reluctantly admit that instant replay is probably good. You don’t want someone’s hard work stolen by human error. But it has taken away one thing that makes baseball great: manager tantrums. This week, we got a good one. Skip Schumaker, the new manager of the Texas Rangers, went after home-plate umpire Todd Tichenor over a called third strike that ended the inning. They were getting after it when the mid-inning rendition of “God Bless America” kicked off. Both stopped. Hats off. Peace. The song ended. Hats back on. Argument resumed. God bless baseball.
Have You Ever Seen the Rain?: I love rain. And clouds. Which is convenient, since they are connected:) I don’t understand the obsession with avoiding rain. We pay good money to get wet: pools, hot tubs, rivers and lakes. Then nature provides it for free and people run like it’s the plague. And no, you cannot catch a cold because you got wet. No surprise, I’ve always liked CCR’s “Have You Ever Seen the Rain?” But for years, I missed the point. John Fogerty wrote it at the peak of the band’s fame. They were rich, successful and miserable. The central image is rain falling on a sunny day. That was CCR. Tom Fogerty left soon after, and the band broke up the following year. CCR didn’t last. The song did. Maybe it connects because a lot of us have lived through a time when everything looked sunny from the outside.
Proof of Age: I proudly don’t drink anymore. But we had friends coming over, and my wife asked me to pick up a bottle of wine. I grabbed one based entirely on how fancy the label looked. At checkout, the guy asked for a photo ID. “Really? Photo ID. You don’t think I’m 21?” I asked. “How about I show you a photo of my grandson?” That worked.
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Have a great weekend.
Nathan
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