Golden moments

Are you like me? Do you have Olympic Fever? Not even a rash? Or a cough?

For whatever reason I've been camping out in front of the television at night and watching intently as athletes from all over the world swim like dolphins wearing those nifty swimsuits that look like unitards or something. I think it'd be fun to just own clothing like that-all aerodynamic and shiny.

It'd be more comfortable and moisture absorbent too.

Some pitfalls would of course be the lack of modesty-or where to put your wallet, your keys and your cell phone.

But if I was Michael Phelps I'd wear that suit and my medals everywhere. I can't believe how dominant he is. Performance enhancing drugs? Who knows?

But if he DID wear his unitard suit everywhere instead of an Olympic hero he'd be treated more like Radio from the movie of the same title where Cuba Gooding plays a developmentally disabled dude who loves football-wait isn't that ALL of us football fans? Well maybe just those who root for Philadelphia and Washington.

In Radio Gooding Junior had such memorable lines as "Where my pie?" and "Dere your ball." God it was amazing. How the academy overlooked him I'll never know.

But I still think aerodynamic unitards are the future of clothing-much better than the fifties movies that portrayed all future people wearing that shiny silver lamay material that was also a one piece suit with some boots or something.

The U.S. women's gymnastic team fell short in their quest for the gold-but it was good television.

I couldn't understand the controversy over the age of the Chinese girls competing. Wouldn't being twelve instead of sixteen give the advantage to the older gymnasts? Some of the Chinese girls looked like they were about six years old. Nothing new for gymnasts to look young-but if they were sixteen-then I'm a petite model for aerodynamic swimsuits. Still it looks like the older gymnasts would be at a mental advantage.

Of course if you're not watching the Olympics none of this means anything to you. I then invite you to get a radio, carry it around close to your ear, and ask people "Where my pie?" That would create for you-your own golden moment.

Later,
D

Laughing in cars

I was just listening to This American Life on NPR today. This week's program was about fear of sleeping-the program listed all of the different difficulties people have while sleeping. Check it out at http://www.thislife.org/

One of my favorite comics (because he's clean, and self-conscious and honest) is Mike Birbiglia. (http://www.birbigs.com/) He sleepwalks and told a story of his having jumped out of a second story window while sleepwalking-he makes it funny-the fact that he survived helps.


It occurred to me as I sat in my car-parked in the lot of a Speedway in Springfield Ohio that I was laughing hysterically at his story. I became self conscious about it. I noticed several people look at me and wondered if they thought I was some sort of madman.


What do you do when you see someone laughing deep belly laughs and nearly crying from laughing so hard when they're in their car? What's the first thought that pops into your mind? Granted it might not happen often-but I've wondered about it before.

Once one of my parishioners told me they were trying to wave at me as I was driving by and they saw me just laughing it up like crazy and asked what was so funny. I couldn't remember. I listen to comics all the time in my car-and to comedy channels on radio.

I've also noticed when people walk by and I'm laughing until it hurts-it makes THEM appear self conscious-so in THAT moment-I'M self conscious about laughing alone in my car, and THEY'RE self conscious because they think I'm laughing at them. Or do they perhaps think I'm about to lose it and go into the gas station and throw candy bars at passers by while I perch myself on the sandwich counter. It's just one of those things that made me think-"I wish it wasn't such a rare sight to see someone laughing out loud for real instead of the ubiquitous text speak we have beaten to death 'lol'."


There's so LITTLE joy in this world-I invite you to join me in seeking out that which is absurd and raucous to bring a grin to our own face, someone we love, or the face of someone we don't even know. Have fun and don't be afraid to laugh. It makes us close to the heart of God in my humble opinion.

Grace,
Dwight