"They had a world to build..."

Horace: 'Carpe diem, quam minimum credula postero'...or something like that. Splendid stuff, but a little over-quoted.
Posting an advert for anybody who can do a lovely BIG BAMBI EYES impression. I'll buy (a cheap) lunch for the winner...BIG BAMBI EYES. Cutesy...yes, lovely bambi eyes.

Speaking of eyes - have you every wondered at the little miracle of non-verbal communication? Sometimes you can almost 'feel' somebody else's emotion beating with each pounding pulsation of their heart. Every grimace, every glance - it shows.
When you brighten somebody's day take a moment to reflect on how that transient interaction with another human being just affected you... the 'blessing' reflects back and does a double-whammy - hey presto, you've just done yourself a good turn. Gosh, I'm so full of it....you'd think a bore would know when to stop...but a boar doesn't...

Everybody get an ISA. Now. It's good for you. If you don't know what I mean, drop me an email and I'll explain...

The Pope. Bless him. Lovely octagenarian, a polished theologian in his heyday. The general consensus seems to be that he's a poor old man pushing himself through unnecessary suffering; he's hardly 'in charge' anyway. No matter. I can't help but admire the man's utter dedication, senseless though some might think it. DICTUM MEUM PACTUM. His word - his bond. The commitment to the very end, through good and bad, in sickness and health.
Logic dictates that old people who have had joint replacements, gunshot wounds, Parkinson's disease, recurrent chest infections and tracheostomies should be convalescing in a hospice. I'm not a Catholic but there's one thing most human beings seem to agree upon - a promise is a promise. I know that we often absolve ourselves/others of duties and obligations (for medics: see 'Sick Role'). Sure, he could just be a stubborn old man clinging to the faintest vesper of 'dignity' that comes from his official infallibility. Or - it could just be plain old senility. Many of us (most likely myself included) would take 'the sensible way out' - I'm just glad he's there to show 'most of us' that a promise, once made, ought to be kept. Whether 'sto lat' rings true for JPII or he hangs up the zuchetto tomorrow, some applause, admiration and prayers for the health of a courageous, humble and truly doggedly determined person are certainly long overdue.