Mailbox brings good news, as well as bad

Yesterday when I heard the mailman's truck pause at my mailbox, I recalled a former neighbor's definition of the difference between a pessimist and an optimist: the optimist expects good news or money in the mail, the pessimist expects bad news and bills, bills, bills.

Well, let's see, here's my mail. I guess it is sort of a mixed bag of good and bad. Probably just like your own.

First is a reminder for the upcoming election for the Garden Club. I guess it is dues renewal time just about everywhere. Here are two coupons for pizzas, which I never buy, and a reminder that is it time to renew my Pensacola Little Theatre subscription for the coming year.

There's the telephone bill. How do they manage to have so many excise taxes on every one? And here is the church newsletter. (My pledge must be due.)

Here's a letter from my granddaughter, I've been wondering how my grandchildren are doing. Haven't seen them in a long time. They live in the wilds of Pennsylvania, and I live here in sunny Florida.

Well, it's time to get on with my life, I guess. Now let's see - where's my checkbook? Oh, I guess I'll read my granddaughter's letter first, and find out what the boys are doing. Maybe they'll be down later this summer. I can always look at the bills later. I know those are always too high, and so boring!

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I recently spoke with a man who belongs to one of the many groups I also belong to, and I was surprised because he usually grumpy an rarely went out of his way to speak to anyone.

He was full of news about the new band he had joined at the Bayview Senior Center. It seems he had played with several groups over the years, but had given up playing his favorite instrument (guitar) for the reason that he was always, at 72, the oldest member of any group.

He said he missed playing, and as we chatted I realized how much the lack of interaction between him and his fellow musicians had affected his personality. Then he heard about the Hurricane Alleycats Community Band at the Bayview Senior Center and he was "back in the swing" again.

If you want to be part of it, call 850 456 7359. It may be your chance to meet the kind of guys and gals who lay the music you love and miss so much. Hey, it might a even get a smile on your face to sweeten your own personality. Remember, there's always something doing at Bayview!

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Compromise : The art of dividing a cake in such a way that everybody believes he got the biggest piece.

Conference Room : A place where everybody talks, nobody listens and everybody disagrees later on.

See you next week!