what day is it again?

 I'd like to be a lion tamer

Sequins and tights and silk top hats

I know I could be a lion tamer

I've always gotten along with cats

This poster makes me think about raising a family, about being a mother. 

I'd have a whip but never use it

I'd simply hold it in my hand

I'd like to be a lion tamer

If I could be a lion tamer

I would be someone grand

As a matter of fact, so do most of the circus posters - the jugglers, the ringmaster, the overcrowded car driving the same route over and over while little clowns pour out of it, the impossibly balanced acrobats....

I'm not a proponent of holidays that were invented to sell cards and flowers and put stress on restaurants, but it's always nice to be appreciated, and to express appreciation.

Ev'ryone has a special calling

Something that only she can do

so here's to all of us who spend our days and nights 

juggling and balancing, pulling rabbits out of hats 

and keeping the globe spinning.

Which is not to say I don't love the cards and the flowers, of course I do.

Not because it's any special day

Only because they come from you.

The Lion Tamer lyric is from The Magic Show

by Stephen Schwartz. The only version to 

hear is Kristin  Chenoweth's, which you can 

find on YouTube.

mom's rules for life - a Mothers' Day memory

I daydreamed through high school physics, but I do remember hearing that "For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction."

This is true of proverbs: compare Many hands make light work with Too many cooks spoil the broth. On Mother's Day, I happened to remember my mom fearlessly bending proverbs and sayings to serve whatever parental purpose needed emphasis. 

Thus you will not be surprised to learn that the same lady who insisted that you should never judge people by appearances, because you can't judge a book by its cover told my sister I don't need to get to know that guy, he looks like a bum and he's up to no good. And when Sister Dear persisted, Mom brought the discussion to a close: don't tell me I'll like him when I get to know him, I can read him like a book.

Mom's approach to proverbs and sayings was my introduction to situational ethics.

After all, if both things weren't true at least some of the time, there wouldn't be two proverbs.

The sun just came out, so that's enough critical thinking for one Mother's Day. I hope all of you have some enjoyable memories to share, and Happy Mother's Day to all.