Chinese Fortune Cookies

Dear Readers:  This is getting to you a bit late.  We had an almost eight-hour power outage.

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I really like Chinese food.  Thai food.  Any kind of food that ends with a cookie – a fortune cookie.  What fun it is to crack open the cookie to pull out the little paper with your “fortune” on it.  Sometimes, the words make sense, but even if they don’t you usually pretend that they do

I’ve always wondered who it is that writes those little pieces of philosophy.  Yes, some are very philosophical.  So who writes them?  Someone at home in front of a computer?  Or, someone in a dark basement, thinking all day long about what can be written that makes sense when it is pulled out of the cookie.  I decided to share some of their philosophy with you.  You can see just how much food that I eat ending with a Chinese fortune cookie.

“Character is much easier kept than recovered.”  This is a truism.  I think this should read, “Good character…”  Once lost, I’m not really sure that good character can ever be found, again.  It seems to me that we work diligently to have “good character,” and we may not have enough time to earn it back is we lose it.

“Broke is only temporary.  Poor is a state of mind.”  I’ve been broke, and I’ve been poor, and neither is a pleasant state of life.  It is true that “broke” may be temporary – until the next paycheck, or dividend, or whatever dump of funding – large or small – makes it into the coffers.  “Poor” on the other hand (for me) does tend to be a state of mind.  I’ve known family after family that had a very slim cash flow, but were filled with love and successful caring.  They were poor in only dollars, not in life and love.

“Cooking is easy.  Doing the dishes is the hard part.”  Now, this bit of philosophy is one with which I disagree.  Although I cook very little, now, I really do love to cook.  And, because I do the “washing up” as I go, doing the dishes is not hard.  Of course, if your family decides that when someone cooks, someone else does the dishes, that’s an even better plan.

“Be tactful; do not overlook your own opportunity.”  With this one, I find some serious questions.  What does being tactful have to do with not overlooking your own opportunity.  When I read it for the first time (some time ago), I wondered if that person in the basement was drinking a little too much sauce – soy sauce, that is.

“Follow your instincts when making decisions.”  Is this akin to “follow your gut?”  Instincts are often good gauges for making a decision.  Of course, people like me would usually have done some research, fact finding, etc.  But, there are times when intuition is at the basis of my decision making.  There are times when I will find myself somewhere that I actually didn’t plan on being.  And, I ask myself – why am I here?  Apparently, an instinct (my gut) brought me to that place.  Then, in a relatively short time, I learn the reason why I was there and what I had to learn by being there.  Instinct proved to be a good thing.

“He that gives should not remember;; he that receives should never forget.”  Boy!  Is this another truism!  We should not harbor the giving and bring it up after the giving is done.  But, the remembering is so important, and thanks need to be brought up time after time.  Remembering the kindness of others keeps us grounded.

“Traveling at this time would be a good investment of time and money.”  All I can say about this one is that it must have been written in some other time.  It cannot possibly relate to now!

“Fortunate is the guard and support of the other virtues.”  I really, really have no idea what this could possibly refer to.  Anybody got an idea?  It reminds me of some poets’ poetry.  Ted Kooser (twice the United States Poet Laureate, and my favorite poet) says that if the reader of the poetry must take a long time to figure out what the poet is saying, the reader won’t be a reader of that poet’s work for very long.

And, those of you who know that I am a poet, here is my most recent, written today.  I do think you will be able to understand it.  It will be published in the rock club’s newsletter in May.  By May, there may be some revisions, but here is today’s version.

Hugs

by

Marj Becker

How do you know

When to hug someone?

Arms around shoulders

Or back.

Chest to chest.

 

With little ones,

It’s easy.  Just

Pick them up

And give them

A smooch.

 

Who do I

Know I can hug?

Relatives?

Neighbors?

Old Friends?

New Friends?

 

Hugging needed

By all of us

Gets harder

And harder

In today’s world.

 

Be Safe and Be Well.

The Cranky Crone

Thoughtful comments are appreciated.