Shame on Me

Just now I was thinking,  “What the fuck do I know?  that is, WTFDIK?”

A quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson “…may your reach exceed your grasp” had flown into my mind as I looked at the pictures of Rob and Wilder.

What does that mean?  Does that mean always be reaching beyond what you can grasp?  Does grasp mean grab, so it’s a statement against materialism, i.e.,  greediness.  Does it mean reach for the stars?  Is that silly?  I think that is silly.

I read a lot of Emerson when I was getting my degree in Literature.  I did a paper on the transcendentalists and was just mad about them for a while.

Then they got tiresome.  They didn’t seem to have much of a sense of humor.  They seemed rather grim for a bunch who were reaching for the stars.  Folks who reach should also jive it seems to me or they are just going to overextend themselves.

Be on the earth.  Be grounded, and then reach.

Here he is, looking his transcendental best.  I just started reading some of his essays and decided that he’s pretty darn good.

Listen to this :  “It is one of the blessings of old friends that you can afford to be stupid with them.”

Another:  “The earth laughs in flowers.”

And another:  “The age of a woman doesn’t mean a thing.  The best tunes are played on the oldest fiddles.”

 

 

So you see what happens.  I get locked into his quotes and they go on and on.  It’s like hanging out with my grandmother.  He’s good, he’s wise, but he’s an addiction.  After a while I find myself thinking with quotation marks in my head.  STOP.  STOP.

Under that stiff collar and tight cravat, beat the heart of a good man, a wise man.

But, I’m sorry, Ralph,  I can’t pick you up again.  You may have jived, but I can’t live with air quotes.  One piece of your mind candy and I need to walk away.