Brene Brown quoted a passage from the children’s book “The Velveteen Rabbit”:
“What is Real?” asked the Rabbit one day. “Does it mean having things that buzz inside you, and a stick out handle?”
“Real isn’t how you were made”, said the Skin Horse. “It’s a thing that happens to you. When a child loves you for a long, long time, not just to play with, but really loves you - then you become real.”
“Does it hurt?” asked the Rabbit.
“Sometimes”, said the Skin Horse, for he was always truthful “When you are Real you don’t mind being hurt.“
“Does it happen all at once, like being wound up?” he asked, “or bit by bit?”
“It doesn’t happen all at once”, said the Skin Horse. “You become. It takes a long time. That’s why it doesn’t often happen to people who break easily, or have sharp edges, or who have to be carefully kept. Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in the joints and very shabby. But these things don’t matter at all, because once you are Real you can’t be ugly, except to people who don’t understand…once you are Real you can’t become unreal again. It lasts for always.”
In a somewhat related note, I have a coworker who is like Buzz Lightyear to my Cowboy Woody, at least in my mind. Numerous similarities.
Watched an episode of Elsbeth with guest star Alan Ruck, who played Ferris Bueller’s friend Cameron in the classic movie (wearing Gordie Howe’s actual Red Wings jersey). Then in the next episode of Elsbeth, the guest star was Ferris himself, Matthew Broderick. Broderick’s son also guest starred. I think famous NYC actors enjoy playing the bad guy on Elsbeth, as there’s usually a big name guest starring every week.
Denison: Ruth Graham profiled evangelical author Aaron Renn in the New York Times. Renn is known for his historical taxonomy that has become conventional wisdom: (1) American Christians experienced a “positive world” between 1964 & 1994, when being a Christian enhanced social status and “Christian social norms” were the norms of the broader American culture. (2) in the “neutral world” from 1994-2014, Christianity no longer held a privileged status, but was viewed as one option in a pluralistic public square. (3) then the US became a “negative world” for Christians. Following Christ and holding traditional Christian moral views, particularly related to sex and gender, is now seen as “a threat to the public good and new public moral order.”
Millie is ready for the Masters - and St. Patrick's Day. Supposed to be a lot of coworkers wearing of the green on Monday, so I’ll dig out my green Ronald Acuna spring training Braves jersey, green Gwinnett Braves cap, and green striped Stance St Patrick’s compression socks.