Where did that thought come from?
While my father was still alive, the patio
at the entrance to my parents' house was filled with flowerpots that contained
a wide variety of plants. Visitors to the house would often exclaim how impressive
this display of plants was, and would remark that Dad must have a green thumb,
knowing how to care for so many plants. Dad's honest and straightforward response
was a very simple one. No, he would explain, no green thumb was involved. He gave
the same treatment to all of the plants. Those plants for which that particular
treatment was sufficient were still on the patio. Those that couldn't survive
with that treatment weren't there anymore.
If I still have eight readers (I've permitted them to come and go, so if I meet
someone who tell me he or she reads these columns, I have to take somebody else
off the list) it's because this sort of writing in some way speaks to them. Those
for whom this writing is tedious simply aren't among the eight.
Go to: Actually, they might understand, or
Go to: Yeah, what sort of an association is that!?,
or
Go to: The (ir)relevance of hypertext