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What Jim has learned today

What Jim has learned today

What Jim has learned today … that when you are feeling down in the dumps, scratching a dog behind the ears is good medicine. I wondered about the mechanics of this. I wondered why is it we scratch dogs behind the ears or rub a dog’s belly but not each other’s? Imagine what life would be like. I walk into the bank. The teller asks, “Mr. Wares, how are you today?” I say, “Oh … a bit down in the dumps today.” The teller says, “I know just what you need.” And he lays his head on the counter and shakes his leg while I scratch him behind the ear. And we both feel better about those overdraft charges. I learned there is no way one can be out in the snow and not bring some in with him when he comes back into the house but he still comes back into the house. I learned that no matter how silly a hat looks, if it is warm, it’s a good hat. I learned that both the act of making and the moment of sipping hot cocoa before one goes to bed is quite soothing until the sugar buzz kicks in. I learned that when you write a story and you ask your daughter what she thought of it, and she says, “Well, I wasn’t too embarrassed by it,” this isn’t bad, not exactly good but not exactly bad. I learned that when a bag full of garbage falls from a garbage truck and is lying in the middle of the road outside your window, you can watch people drive around it or you can go outside and pick it up. I learned time passes differently when you are waiting for someone to call. This is all I have learned today.

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James Wares is retired and resides in Marshalltown. He can be reached at whatjimhaslearnedtoday@yahoo.com

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