J. Davy Crockett III

A power outage, however brief, causes a lot of consternation. Lights go out, computers are down, refrigeration ceases and life as we know it with all our modern conveniences grinds to a halt. This happened in our city recently during a busy lunchtime, disrupting the schedules of thousands of people who were having their noon break. Restaurants and other enterprises lost business and customers went hungry. Happily, the power outage lasted only a short time, but long enough to remind everyone how dependent we are upon the power grid that supplies our communities.

Just imagine winning a prize of hundreds of millions of dollars with the only investment being a tiny piece of paper no larger than a book of stamps. This prospect of winning great wealth for just a few bucks, as pathetically remote as it is, often results in a frenzy of activity when the lottery shoots up—a frenzy that fuels itself. Especially huge numbers, such as the 2012 lottery of $640,000,000, grab headlines as wishful thinkers endure lines to purchase tickets hoping to get in on “The Poor Man’s Tax,” no matter the infinitesimal odds of winning.

Several years ago, there was a terrible accident on Lake Hamilton near Hot Springs National Park, Arkansas. A popular attraction on the lakes in this tourist area was a land tour and lake cruise in amphibious (operating on land and water) vehicles. These craft were WWII vintage, and were called “Ducks” because of the acronym “DUKW” for the vehicles’ military designation.

Time! Who can explain it? “Use it or lose it,” the experts say. All of us have the same amount of it, and it is never enough. There are many sayings about time, such as “Time marches on,” “Time waits for no man,” “Time is money” and “Time is fleeting.” Especially in today’s stressful, fast paced, high-pressure world, time is at a premium. People are constantly checking the time on their wristwatch or smartphone, or their computer—or on the radio or television.  Whatever time of life we are in, we seem to be pressed for time to accomplish what we need to do each day.

The cool, bright spring morning was nearly perfect for an invigorating walk. As I approached a wooded green belt, the delightful sweet smell of honeysuckle in bloom wafted over me. It added greatly to the enjoyment of the morning. How sad that so many people go rushing through life and do not have time to enjoy the sweet smell of the flowers in springtime.