Simmer Down;Good Advice

In the late 1940's our family would gather in front of the large  Philco  Radio and 'listen' to mystery and comedy shows just as folks do today watching the television programs. Only difference, back in the day one had to use more imagination staring at a console radio. I recall the radio program, The Life of Riley; William Bendix played the lead character role of Chester Riley. He would always work his way into a difficult predicament or circumstance and soon he'd shout out in an exasperating voice, "What a revoltin' development this is!"
During retirement, I am discovering a plethora of 'revolting developments.


If you will follow my thinking, which can be challenging considering my line-repetition in yesterday's blog.
 There is one down side to these retirement years. I now have more time to read the newspapers, pay attention to politicians and observe the activity (or shall I say the 'inactivity) of my government. When I was a young man, I was too busy making a living and dodging crazy-parents who thought their kid was a better athlete than this coach believed.  Yesterday, I found myself on the backyard  swing after cutting the grass. I began allowing my thoughts to meander; I note one area of the Nation is either experiencing devastating mud-slides or wilderness fires while another portion of the country experiences sink-holes swallowing homes. Our elected officials are  either incompetent or unwilling.  They fuss and fight over the Benghazi event and now the release of a POW, who may have deserted his post while on duty. Neither political party wishes to resolve our broken borders problem because in their heart of hearts, the politicians fear re-election backlash.  Our government leaders cannot balance budgets or fund programs. Officials  become consumed  with fund-raising and posturing for re-election  more than addressing the Nation's blight, hunger, obvious global warming or job creation concerns. We debate abortion rights while hundreds of toddlers across the country go to bed alive but hungry.


The late Supreme Court Justice, Byron White once said, "When I get up in the morning I read the sports page to note man's accomplishments the past 12-hours; then I read the front page observing man's failures." That statement will not fly today in light of the steroid abuse, NFL players facing murder charges and the numerous arrests of professional athletes.


I'm telling you it's a mess out there. It causes me that affliction that Mammy Bennett would have when she'd say, "It's making my head swim." Grandpa  E V. Bennett would tell his wife, "Now Mary, you need to sit-a-spell and simmer down." Good advice in these retirement years. Of course, it was my sitting-a-spell that caused my head swimming yesterday.