An Ounce of Mother – Mother's Day #3
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Whether it’s confession, absolution, forgiveness or advice, moms pretty much have it over Priests or anyone else for that matter. Father’s can be pretty good at it too!
Quote is a Spanish Proverb
The Busy Man – updated 2017
When I was in the second year of my first marriage, we moved into my in-laws house while we reestablished ourselves in San Jose. Getting a job, applying to grad schools, and other things kept us living there for almost 11 months. I was, and still am, grateful for the openheartedness the Johnson family showed to me during that time.
One thing that I learned from that time was the benefits and drawbacks of being a busy man. My then father-in-law was a busy man. He kept moving and working on something all day, almost every day. He had a full-time job, and on nights and weekends he was in the garage making, testing, fixing, building, evaluating or finding something. He fixed everything himself, he tested everything before and after he fixed it. He had a purpose and a reason behind everything he did. It was in his engineering nature. He is still like that.
He accomplished a lot every day. I learned a lot about repairing cars, appliances and any number of home improvement projects because of it. But I also remember what, to me, were the drawbacks. The inability to enjoy something without trying to figure out how it worked. The freedom to enjoy a TV show without feeling like you were wasting time (unless it was an educational program of course). It was always a source of amusement to see him stand in the doorway of the TV room watching a show, a whole show, but not sitting down. That way he felt he was just stopping briefly while doing projects.
But one thing I do know when I compare him to me (inclined to be busy, inclined to not be). I think I battle a lot more devils than he ever did. Maybe that isn’t true, maybe he had deep dark secrets I don’t know about. But I think it is safe to say his major, if not only, devil was time. Time was on his back always. But it was a scrawny time. It wasn’t enough time.
I on the other hand, I think up plans and ideas and things to do. I actually do some of them. But I do a lot less than I wish, mostly because I am not as filled with the moral drive to be busy all the time. Sometimes I wish I was, other times I am very grateful I am not. My devils over the years have included that same ‘time’, but it has companions of ‘thought’ and ‘waste’ and ‘trouble making’ among the thousands.
Of course, I have only mentioned the time devil and its friends. There is a time angel and friends as well, and I will bring those up…when I have time.
Drawing and commentary © Marty Coleman
“The busy man is troubled with but one devil; the idle man by a thousand.” – Spanish proverb
A Good Listener – updated 2017
Day 3 of vacation. I will return July 5th. Here is another of
the original napkinsI drew for my daughters between 1998
and 2004.
Why do you think this is? How is one flattered by a good
listener? Are you a good listener?
You Can Not Have More Bedbugs Than A Blanket-Full
“You can not have more bedbugs than a blanket-full.” – Spanish proverb
I like how this puts an upper limit on the woes one can collect. It is reassuring to note that many ‘overwhelming’ problems can be broken down to see their finite parts and thus can be managed and worked on more effectively. It gives hope to know they aren’t infinite.
Drawing © 2022 Marty Coleman | napkindad.com
Knowledge Without Sense is Double Folly
“Knowledge without sense is double folly.” – Baltasar Gracian
What is the danger of knowledge without sense, anyway? Why is it double folly as opposed to just folly x 1?
Drawing © 2022 Marty Coleman | napkindad.com