From The Storyteller
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Hello All: Sometimes I surprise myself with the discoveries I stumble across. Smile and enjoy. Doug
The Painting My first rule of people watching is “You Can Never Ask!” My reason is simple, if you ask, your observation becomes an investigation with “cotton candy” results (e.g., You can eat a ton and all you get is a sugar high and sticky). I bring this up because I own a painting. The story behind the painting begins with a Saturday afternoon drive in the country, and a barber shop going out of business. It’s a small town, and we’re on our way home when Elaine noticed the barbershop “sidewalk garage sale” with a painting resting on an old chair. Watching people includes paying attention to your spouse, and from the look on her face and the tone in her voice, I knew this had instantly become a “don’t ask” event. The painting punched her “must have” button, and ten minutes and ten dollars later we owned the painting. Since then, it has moved with us at least 8 times, and it is currently hanging in our bedroom. When it comes to a spouse, the “don’t ask” rule does not last forever. So, when the time was right, I asked her what about the painting caused her “must have” button to be punched. To this day she has no reason she can think of. Watching Antique Road Show and seeing garage sale paintings bought for pennies appraised for thousands, is not my story. My story is better, because an unexpected stop, and ten dollars, has given my bride (and by extension me) years of pleasure. Pondering this naturally brought me to the idea that this kind of impulse might be built into our human DNA. I’m not talking about a Hershey Kisses impulse buy at the checkout. I’m thinking of that big, unexplained, root canal strength motivator that precedes a “must have” buy. This of course caused me to begin thinking about my own “must have” buttons, and both power hand tools and hats quickly came to mind. I’ve known about them for years, and they are both still active. As a defense, I’ve learned to avoid certain sections of Home Depot. Unfortunately avoiding hats is not that simple, and while thankfully not every hat punches that button, when the right one catches my eye… I’m smiling as I consider my new DNA discovery and wonder which science journal would contact me first. Then I realized two confirmed examples would not be enough data to convince a journal review board. Thus, I turn to you, because I need more observations from reliable sources. Think about those “must have” buttons in your life. After you’ve identified a few, e-mail me a “YES” – details not required. Note: The “can’t ask” rule does not apply here, because you are asking yourself and not someone else. I will let you know which science journal your input can be found in. Moral: Smiling with excitement as my DNA science discovery is being established. |