Magazine in hand, a son came to his father and quizzically said:
“There is an article here concerning the so-called, ‘Mind/Body question’
which says research has conclusively shown, for instance, that optimism reduces stress,
a strong belief in God strengthens the immune system, and so on,
but stuck at the end (with no addition comment) is this tidbit:
‘It was also found that people with the most objective grasp of their abilities
display a much greater tendency for depression than the general population.’”
The two of them then silently stared at one another blankly  –
until the elder finally broke into laughter.

This morning a man was suddenly stopped in the midst of his activities
with this thought:
“What if I died in my sleep last night and I am just dreaming that I am still alive?
If it were true, how would I ever know? I could ask my wife and kids, or even a doctor: ‘Am I alive?’ but even if they said yes, they could just be doing as the dream directs them to, so how could I ever realize for sure that this had occurred?”
   (This turned out to be the most mental fun he had had in months.)

Today’s electronic correspondence contained this email:
“Sir: Your stories and news items often start off all right, but then frequently end up  some place I have a devil of a time following, which moves me to several questions and observations:
Is this normal?
I love it!
I hate it!
Why do you do it?
Stop it!
Have other readers ever mentioned this?
Sometimes it makes me think in a new way.
Do you personally answer your mail?
Sometimes I find the trick endings more meaningful than the straightforward beginnings.
Has anyone ever used the term, ‘straightforward’ before in reference to your writings?
What do you think of my letter so far?
Sincerely,
A Loyal Reader.”

A chap named Frank says that when he reached the age he likes to call
his “pivotal middle-years,” his understanding greatly increased, particularly so when he realized that his name and the word “fate” both started with the same letter.

This email also arrived today:
“If I were to ever send you an email, and you were to use it on your daily web page, would you do as I strongly suspect you do (that is): make it seem as though you actually wrote it?
(P.S. Please do not do that with this one.)
Yours,” etc.

A Curio From Rebel Territory.
In the unconventional mental world of the certain-man,
the simplest is always the most comprehensive.

One grouse you never hear from the Dead People’s Lobby is:
“We don’t have to take this crap lying down!”
Unrelated Note: Clucks which make no sense to ducks
may sound entirely different to the chicken who made them.

More City Lore.
Ceremonies are to institutions as fear is to the individual.

Yet another communiqué from a follower of the Daily News:
“My Dear Sir: More and more am I convinced that everything you say is symbolic,
if not downright metaphorical. ( I of course do not mean this literally).
Respectfully Yours,” etc.

Says a guy: “If I didn’t myself have a computer with an email Send capacity –
I'd never get any email.”  He scratched his head for a bit, then added:
“Same thing I guess, regarding my mind and ideas.”  He then scratched some more, spelling out on his scalp: “Something about that is just not right?!?”

During his early years, when the kid would come home from school,
the ole man would check his brain for blisters.

A chap well read in both history and metaphysics was once struck:
“No group on this planet has ever awaited & watched for an intellectual savior.”

The Titular Vs The The Teeming.
Names are merely destinations  –  only journeys are alive.

Kyroot’s Notion For The Day.
Conversing with a moron is child’s play (also moron’s).

More City Curios.
Civilized men fear failure most in their second-reality activities
while it is only in the first-reality that all can be lost.
One Eternal City Sport: Keeping your eye on a hologram of giants being shown
in the sky, as dwarfs pick your pocket.

In rebel land, humor yet has a subtle, serious punctuation.
(Aka: You can take the boy out of the metaphor, but you can't take the metaphor out of the boy.)

When properly prompted, storm clouds will turn inside out  –
which is how the certain-man stays internally dry.