Wax On, Wax Off?

The Karate Kid... classic story of The Hero's Journey, for those of you familiar with Joseph Campbell. The hero is placed in an unfamiliar setting, is taken under the wing of a master of some skill, and then succeeds in proving his new skill without the help of the master. The story is a metaphor of any rite of passage into adulthood. Where do these archetypes come from?

What marks the physical rite of passage into adulthood? And how do you think the screenwriters came up with "wax on, wax off?" Wax on... wax off? Wax on...... wax off? After he refused to continue doing it, he discovered that he already possessed the desired skill- a skill he had to use responsibly.

Can you figure it out, or do I have to spill the beans?

The Last Place You Look

When people can't find something sometimes they say "It's always in the last place you look." Of course it is. That's because you found it. What kind of maniac would keep looking? Beware if you ever hear someone say, "It was in the third to last place I looked."

The Funniest Thing I Never Said

Sloth and I were at the co-op’s board meeting today with 10 Amish farmers when the subject of bin Laden’s death came up. Someone asked if we'd heard that bin Laden's father had 57 children. I thought of the funniest thing that could be said at that moment- “I had no idea bin Laden was Amish.”

But I couldn't pull the trigger, too busy trying to decide if it was appropriate or not. Just as I realized that although it was probably inappropriate it would still be acceptable, although just barely. I wanted to say it but sadly the moment had passed.

There's no doubt the place would have erupted in laughter. As it died down I could have added, “I should have known by the beard, by why didn’t he wear a straw hat?”

The Dying of the Rage, Rage Against the Dying of the Light

Did you ever realize that Elizabeth Kubler-Ross’s 5 stages of grief, which are generally used to deal with the death of someone close to you, also double as a guide to dealing with our own death? Poor Dylan Thomas only got to the 2nd stage.

Shock- No way will there be a dying of the light!
Anger- I rage, rage against the dying of the light!
Bargaining- Is there anyway I can avoid the dying of the light?
Depression- I’m so sad there will be a dying of the light.
Acceptance- I’ve come to live with the fact that there will indeed be a dying of the light.

I hope your thoughts on death matured after that poem buddy!