#263 Musings Beyond the Bunker (Tuesday February 1)
Good morning,
Today, two contributions from friends. First, an inspirational letter that Mandy Lowell sent to me (names have been edited out). It’s from a father who wanted to help one Girl Scout troop and ended up helping another.
THE LETTER
“I have long thought that most of the problems in the world are caused by my generation. The next generation, that of my children, is much less bigoted and tribal and more proactive. And the next generation, that of their kids, is even more open minded and inclusive. I don’t think many of them are even that much aware of race. They just see people as people and interact with everyone pretty much equally.
I just got another powerful reaffirmation of the proclivities and values of this young generation. A few days ago, neighbor posted a note about her daughter selling Girl Scout Cookies. I have usually bought a few boxes to support the program and my lack of will power regarding sweets. This year, I thought I would go a step further. I sent this girl a reply asking if the troop would be interested in my buying a large order to donate to a local charity, perhaps one serving kids. I was completely unprepared for her reply.
Her daughter responded by thanking me for the offer, but suggesting that my donation would make more of a difference to Girl Scout Troop 6000, in New York City. She went on to say that Troop 6000 is made up primarily of girls in homeless shelters and the proceeds would help them provide educational and enrichment opportunities for those girls.
I was blown away by this selflessness and by her even knowing about Troop 6000 3,000 miles away. At her age, I doubt that I knew much about anything outside my neighborhood. She provided me with a link to their website. I sent them an email explaining what Tara had suggested. About an hour later, I got a call from their manager of individual donations. She said that reading my email brought tears to her eyes and she could not wait to tell the girls in Troop 6000 about this kind gesture from a sister scout clear across the country.”
THE INSPIRING TALE OF THE TROOP
Here is a New York Times review of a book on this amazing troop: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/19/books/review/troop-6000-nikita-stewart.html
And here they are with Jimmy Fallon: https://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/national-international/tonight-girl-scout-troop-cookie-purchase/2121757/
The anonymous father concludes his letter “In these times with so much that seems so divisive, so crazy, and even so hopeless at times, I found the instincts of this little girl scout refreshing and moving. She is more mature and more rational than many of our so-called leaders today. I think we are going to be OK if my generation doesn’t screw it up beyond repair before these kids can take over.”
SONG LYRICS
From Howard Kroll: “I have another subject that has long bothered me – lyrics I just don’t understand. For example, in “The Lady is a Tramp,” being a tramp seems to be a good thing. She never goes late to the theater, she doesn’t bother with people she hates, she won’t dish the dirt with the rest of the girls. Sounds good to me. But then she hates California because its cold and its damp. Huh?”
Howard goes on to ask, “What is a moon river and what is a huckleberry friend?” First, Howard is enough of a nerd that he should know that a “huckleberry” is a friend that can be depended upon to act. It was common in 19th century parlance. It doesn’t only appear in this classic song, but it is in the movie Tombstone, when Doc Holliday says that he is the “huckleberry” for Wyatt Earp, ready to fight Johnny Ringo. And then of course there is the book Huckleberry Finn. Remember that Huck Finn first appears in Tom Sawyer, as Tom’s dependable friend and sidekick (i.e., his “huckleberry”).
Have a great day,
Glenn