Clinton Township Newsletter

1 J u n e 2 0 1 6 June 2016 June 2016 Jie Fly, Edit Jie Fly, Edit Since 1982 I love famous quotes. I find it comforting to hear the sage words of those who walked this earth before us, with the same struggles that we now face. Whether recent or from hundreds of years ago, it's a reminder that people are always trying to figure out their lives, both internal and external. There are famous people whose quotes I use all the time: Winston Churchill, Mark Twain, Dorothy Parker, not to mention a bit of Buddy Hackett, Mae West, Groucho Marx and Mahatma Gandhi. Now wouldn't that be an awesome dinner party? "Desiderata," a prose poem, is one of my favorite group of quotes. (We've run it in its entirety on Page 11 of this month's Newsletter.) According to Wikipedia – so it must be correct – Desiderata is widely known as having been found at Saint Paul's Church of Baltimore, but the date it was written was confused with the date of that church's foundation (1692). I always thought it was a bit too new-age for that time period –"you are a child of the universe" – really? Of course, what do I know about the 1600's? Sure enough, the poem was found to actually have been written in 1927 by Max Ehrmann, a seemingly regular guy who hit the advice-nail on the head. Desiderata is, for me, a sound template, beginning with "Go placidly amid the noise and haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence." Life today seems much more clamorous than that of generations before, but then again, wouldn't you guess that every previous generation probably felt the same way? My great-grandparents regarded Ragtime as I do Kanye West (intrigued, yet annoyed.) "Listen to others, even the dull and ignorant; they too have their story." A good admonition not to pre-judge people. Until I've listened to a person's background and tried to mentally put myself in their shoes, I can't possibly know what that person is going through, thus won't understand their choices. How often have I thought I had someone thoroughly figured out at our first brief introduction, only to find later, upon listening to their life story, that I was flat-out wrong about them? Rinse and repeat. "If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain and bitter; for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself." As a child I once asked my Dad, "Are we rich?" He answered, "Richer than some, poorer than others." Comparison is a game at which we can never win – there will always be those who are faster, smarter, luckier and more fortunate than us and there will always be those who have far less. Like mice on a treadmill, we sometimes get trapped in the chase, not realizing it's a fruitless quest. "Whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should." I truly want to believe that. "Keep peace with your soul. With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be cheerful... Strive to be happy." I will... Thanks Max. CLINTON TOWNSHIP Newsletter ® CLINTON TOWNSHIP Newsletter ® I love you Dad! Some things just don't make sense to me. Why, when I order an item on-line from a company in Delaware, does the tracking information indicate it first goes to a USPO facility in Portland, Oregon? It next travels to a distribution center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and, finally, 10 days later it arrives at our Lebanon post office. It's like going to Flemington by way of Lake George! Why are there conflicting weather reports on CBS and NBC, often differing with New Jersey Channel 62? When they predict the sun will be shining at 8:00 am, how come I have to use the treadmill for a 9:00 am walk because it's pouring rain? I get nervous during heavy rain because you never know when Route 22 West will be flooded in spots and a trip to Bishop's Market is a challenge at best. These are spots that have flooded on a regular basis since I moved here in 1971. (And yet they're able to send guys to the moon!) Why do all my "ologists" shake their heads PATIENT-ly and insinuate all my problems are to be expected at my age? "Take a pill!" Why does it take a crowbar to open a plastic package of Type D batteries or kitchen shears? The energy I expend pushing and turning and lifting and sawing with a knife could jolly well be used for more pleasant pursuits. I risk death from body failure before a wrench is located and my temper calmed. Why do the potholes on Charlotte Drive grow larger every year, following the inevitable trend of my property taxes? Why can't I remember whether the gown opening should be in the front or the back at the doctors' offices? Of course, it's easy when the procedure is a colonoscopy. Why don't people SPEAK UP?!!! Why do calories count when the meal is lousy? Why, as you age, do you grow hair everywhere but on your head? Toenails do quite well,too. Why do I continue to buy a "one-size-fits-all" garment when we all know it will be either too large or too small? And how come they don't make dresses that are size 8 on the top and size 14 on the bottom? Some of us have rather unique proportions. Why can't we have a choice of cable companies to choose from? Finally, where in God's plan does it say my hot water heater, microwave and six slates on the patio will all break in the same week? I have lots of time to explore the "whys". If I were only wise enough to find solutions. – Julie Fl�nn

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