From a brilliant and fun art exhibit at the Nelson-Atkins Art Museum. It was by the British ceramics (and conceptual) artist, Clare Twomey, and its purpose was to prompt viewers to consider perpetuity, and perpetual responsibility. I signed up to take home one of the cups (for forever) but, alas, it was given away to some unworthy--to some person who probably never gave eternity more than a moment's thought in his/her life.
http://www.nelson-atkins.org/art/Exhibitions/twomey/index.cfm
Well it was bound to happen. Lydia has found my blog. Lydia was at the laptop and I was on the desktop computer. Out of the blue (or so I thought) she said, "Dad, you are a profound writer." Wow. That's really nice to hear from anyone and especially from one's daughters, especially given that that daughter will be entering teenagerdom less than a couple of months from now and that may be the last compliment I hear for some good long while. So I asked her, "Why do you say that? What are you reading? "Oh, your blog." "Oh....what are you reading in particular?" "It's your post about pleasure. You say you like the feel of washing your hands." "Alrighty then! Umm....why don't you stop reading there, honey, and read something else?!" ("Something," I was tempted to add, "that's more family-friendly." D'oh!!!)
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7 comments:
Lydia, if you are reading this and have any awkward questions, I will totally answer them!
Welcome Lydia, and children of all ages!
Your father is an amazing writer. While his entries may not be equally, uh, profound, they are certainly all well, uh, inciteful. Errr, insightful. You know, thought provoking. That's different from profound, but I think nearly as complimentary.
Getting back to the simple pleases in life, for example, in hand washing. One important insight there is, and it applies to all of us, really, is "bathing is so important.". Sometimes people forget that. Like this guy in the Starbucks yesterday. So carve that one into your top ten, please, that bathing is vital in our society.
Handwashing is also important to people with OCD. I'll let google (or shinigami-sidhe) explain that one. It can also lead to hoarding, which can also be pleasurable but in more of a nutty, antisocial kind of way than handwashing.
Another insight flowing from the thought that handwashing is pleasurable is, what was on the hands that is relatively more pleasurable to get off, than was the relative happiness of getting it on there in the first place? I won't give examples, but I'm sure we can all think of some things where that is most surely the case. But, we also here can blur the line between pleasure, and guilt. But let's not get the blog here going about guilt, not today.
Mr. Andy
PS - my blog word for the day, "hobooni.". I propose a game to define it - I've got a few but bet other people's are better!
PS - The handwashing post came from a period in the author's life that we blog readers refer to as "the pleasure period." Many things bring pleasure, it was explained. Many, in fact, were chronicled. A great many. But I think we're all feeling grateful at the author's insight to discuss the handwashing among them. Not only is handwashing the greatest of the pleasures, but it is certainly the one that bears the most focus on this blog, not only in the past but also from here forward. That, I do know.
Also, remember that if you ever kill someone you should be so wracked with guilt that you have to wash your hands constantly and finally leap fabulously off a balcony because classic drama is cool like that.
I just happened to be drinking a cup of hot tea when I came by the Eye for a visit. This may be the reason I was instantly concerned if a restroom was near by this exhibit.
...and, Hello Lydia!
(so beautiful, so intelligent...just like your mom.)
Love the second photo -- gives a whole new meaning to cup a joe.
Thankfully my blogging on politics appears to interest my children not one iota, so I can avoid awkward conversations.
Granted, I haven't blogged about, um, "hand washing" so the risk is lessened, one guesses.
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