Quote of the Day # 2

~Success~

To laugh often and much;

to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children;

Grave of Ralph Waldo Emerson at Sleepy Hollow Cemetery in Concord, Massachusetts (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends;

to appreciate beauty; to find the best in others; to leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch, or redeemed social condition;

to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived.

This is to have succeeded. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

English: Signature of U.S. author Ralph Waldo Emerson. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Day 20 ~ 200 Words Or: Getting Desperate

City Hall (Photo credit: Will Ellis)

Part of my job at the newspaper I freelance for is attending Municipal Council meetings. On Monday night I had the pleasure of partaking in a bimonthly meeting and the topics du jour were, if not scintillating, a window into what is important to us.

People were upset that their yards were not landscaped after some roadwork had been completed on their streets. Waist high weeds and grass seed that refused to grow were their major complaints. Then the always crucial issue of drainage was addressed ad nauseam—and while I understand that the issue is important, it is during these discussions that I catch up on my doodling. After about 40 minutes of hearing arguments about whose property drains where and why, I have generally produced a number of works of art. It almost goes without saying, that reporting on drainage is not a high priority for me unless a new lake has been produced by an errant engineer.

As much as I complain about attending Council meetings, I do enjoy knowing what is going on in my little corner of the world.