1489 Small Surprises and Little Treats

It doesn’t take much to amuse and delight us these days.  That may be because so much is wrong with so much that shouldn’t be, we elevate minor relief to the status of cure.

Here’s one example of a “little treat.”  There’s no ad on a webpage that says “click to skip this ad.” It’s like getting away with something.

Or you find a $20 bill on the street.  You look but can’t see someone nearby who might have dropped it.  Pennies from heaven.

Here’s an example of a small surprise:  the optometrist says you don’t need new glasses. That’s almost as good as finding the pregnancy test turned out the way you wanted it to.

We focus on the small picture because we don’t know what to do with the big picture.

When you find the 20, you know what to do: search for its owner and be pleased when you can’t find him or her.

If you were to hear that Rush Limbaugh’s cochlear implants attracted a fatal lightning strike on the golf course… then, what? A momentary jolt of electricity may bring a momentary jolt of happiness, but then no matter how you dislike the guy, you feel sorry for him.

When Hillary withdraws from the presidential primary you’re glad for a moment but then you miss her.  Something’s not right.  (Don’t say it.  Your “I won’t miss her” thought waves already have reached here.)

Little surprises for the customer is what drove you to a Japanese or Korean car brand.  It wasn’t just the birth of cupholders that Detroit had ignored; not even the heated seat.  It was things like the way the rainwater is directed off the roof so it doesn’t leak into the poorly sealed trunk.

The next auto company that wants to make a splash will find a way to easily disassemble the headlight fixture, easily remove and replace the bulb at something less than today’s prices… which are high enough to have paid for you first car back in 19xx.

Some surprises are absences.  You vote for the candidate who does not knock on your door and talk your ear off and he wins.

The deposit clears early and none of your checks bounce.

Long life guitar strings don’t die young.

Small surprises and little treats.  Like finding you hadn’t actually finished the ice cream in the freezer and you can do that now.

Shrapnel:

--Bank robbers can also mean banks that rob. Like the five families of banking now in the hot seat for manipulating the currency market.  But you have to give them credit for actually figuring out how the currency market works well enough to game it.

I’m Wes Richards. My opinions are my own but you’re welcome to them. ®

Please address comments to wesrichards@gmail.com

© WJR 2015