4
May 2002
Subject:
Tolerable
Dear
Ones,
I
guess I don't need to remind you it's time to take another marble out of the
jar. I say that for this reason. Recently, I received a message from a friend
who had gone to visit her family in another state and she informed me that she
didn't receive my Saturday morning message that week. She said,
however, she went ahead and took another marble out anyway. I assume it has now
become part of her Saturday morning ritual.
That
reminds me of a ritual of sorts which goes on in my life, almost daily. When
folks ask me how I am doing, my reply normally is, "Tolerable". Then I
invariably add, "Well, that's what my old grandpa used to say when I was
young... And, I didn't have a cue what he meant. But now, as I reach my
grandfather's age, I'm beginning to understand what he was saying."
As
I got older, I assumed that when my grandpa said "tolerable" he meant,
"fair to middling"... meaning, "OK but not great," or
"so-so."
Well,
I went to my Thesaurus and dictionary to find where my grandpa was getting those
big words, like "tolerable", to throw around. My trusty old
"Webster" defined tolerable as being "capable of being
endured" or "moderately good".
I
smiled when I realized that "tolerable" defined me to a tee. At
least, that is what my wife, Leavon, has been saying for some time now. She
tells others, publicly, that I am (barely) "capable of being
endured".... and tells me, in private, that I am "moderately
good." Hey, at my age, I'll take both of those as a compliment!!
I
guess grandpa had it about right, didn't he?
Have
a GREAT Saturday and may all your days be "tolerable".
Don
