The Kiss

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  “Ryabovitch pulled the bed-clothes over his head, curled himself up in bed, and tried to gather together the floating images in his mind and to combine them into one whole. But nothing came of it. He soon fell asleep, and his last thought was that someone had caressed him and made him happy—that something extraordinary, foolish, but joyful and delightful, had come into his life. The thought did not leave him even in his sleep. When he woke up the sensations of oil on his neck and the chill of peppermint about his lips had gone, but joy flooded his heart just as the day before.” The Kiss By Anton Chekhov (1860–1904)

10 Things I Just Don’t Understand

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Years ago I worked for a man who modeled an excellent response to frustration. He would return from a meeting or a business errand, go to his office, sit motionless for a few minutes (eyes closed, most likely praying). Then he would stand up and say, “there are some things I just don’t understand,” laugh a little, then go about his day. Here are 10 things “I just don’t understand.”

  1. How forgiveness can be restorationless.
  2. How restoration can be directionless.
  3. How help is available to those who can afford it.
  4. How “we all love ourselves more than other people, but care more about their opinion than our own.” (Marcus Aurelius)
  5. How there are some who think that if they can’t win, it’s ok to change the rules. 
  6. If “that made me mad” or “that made me happy,” then “that” can make anyone do anything. 
  7. How “all roads lead to God,” yet each road has disagreeable distinctives concerning God. 
  8. How people can blatantly do evil while simultaneously deny responsibility for their actions. 
  9. How is it ok to work harder, not smarter?
  10. That evil will increase in days to come.

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