Sounds Familiar?

REWARDING GENIUS

   Someone wondered if I was spreading myself too thin. I'm doing websites, doing illustrations, programming, singing, helping here, helping there, etc. "do you get any business from this?" I had to think about that one.

   Kevin was only 5 years old when he was given the task to cut the weeds in their garden. He wondered if there was an easier tool than the scissors his father gave him. He pondered and developed an idea. He went around the junkyard and got a small motor, a long pipe, and a long electrical extension. He went to a mechanic uncle and gave him a sketch of how he wanted these pieces to be put together. He attached short wires on a circular motor and put this at the tip of the stick. He plugged it to an electric cord. When he tested these rotating wires on the weeds it trimmed beautifully. He asked his father if they could sell his idea. His father thought it was silly. A businessman was driving by and saw what was going on. In a few months there was a new invention in the gardening market --- a "weed cutter!"

   Russ was courting his (then) college sweetheart who rode a bike in the campus late at night. Concerned for her safety, he bought reflectors ordinarily placed at the back and attached them on the spokes of the wheels. At night the spinning reflections would warn a driver that his girlfriend was on the road. Years later, Russ was watching a TV interview with the man who invented the "Bike Wheel Spoke Reflectors" and the man said he was inspired by a woman on a bike at night when he was in college.

   We've all heard about successful innovators. But seldom do we hear about fortunes that slipped away. But lest you feel sorry for Kevin and Russ' lost opportunities remember that money is not the only reward. True genius never stagnates. For the truly gifted, there's a lot more where their ideas come from. My 2 friends are nice people. They've moved on instead of feeling cheated.

    Back to the question. Do I make money when I volunteer? Sometimes I do ... but I think the driving force is the fun. Gifts are meant to be shared. The joy in sharing is the reward. What's your gift? Are you sharing ... or are you counting the cost? Hmmm ...

Wisdom from Tom of Pasadena, CA

Sounds Familiar?
Sent in by Don of Kelowna, B.C.

Detectives are looking at evidence of a crime scene. A surfer's knee is bleeding badly.

A news reporter asks what the detectives think just happened.

Response of the detectives:
"When you're down ...
by the sea ...
and an eel bites your knee ..."

... that's a moray!"

(if you don't get it, you're too young! --- Raoul)

Videos of the week:

Elvis in India?
Contributor: Art of Pasadena, CA

Elvis' influence reached the other side of the world. This impersonator not only gyrates his pelvis like Elvis but he can also flex his neck (how'd ya like that poetry?)

What it's Like to be Deaf
Contributor: Grace of Tempe, Arizona

You can learn a lot from people who are marginalized by society. This video gives us a glimpse of a what goes on in the minds of people who cannot hear.