“Curmudge, you look as if you just took a dose of unflavored
Metamucil®. It doesn’t
taste really bad but not very good either. Is your morose expression just for the holidays, or is it
for everyday use?”
“I try to be consistent, Julie; it’s now my default
mien. I used to be the happiest
guy at St. E’s, but events of recent years have cured that.”
“Okay, Ebenezer.
So how can we conjure up any sort of holiday greeting?”
“I’ve been puzzling over that, Mrs. Claus. It’s difficult to be cheery about big
issues. Our nation and the world
certainly appear to be going to pot.
We’ll discuss that in 2014 under the title, Curmudgeonomics. That
leaves us with personal concerns for which to be thankful and possibly even
cheerful.”
“Bravo, Old Guy.
I knew that you would come up with something. Here’s an example: We are both grateful that last summer’s
tornados—only a hundred yards away—didn’t blow in your windows and tear the
roof off your apartment.”
“I agree, and here’s another: At my age, I rejoice that I
can still see and hear—with assistance—and walk up the steps in the 222
Building.”
“These deserve our prayers of thanksgiving: People we love
who have survived melanoma and Burkitt’s lymphoma.”
“And you know, Julie, we are thankful for the advances in
neuroplasticity that we are writing about. Application of that knowledge will give new hope for
autistic kids and seniors with age-induced memory loss.”
“So there we have it, Curmudge. If people take time to think about it, most everyone should
be able to find something about which to rejoice this holiday season.”
“Happy Holidays, Julie.”
Link to posting from blog archives: Physicians and Lean—6/25/09
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