Trina Machacek         The Quick Brown Fox…

 

 

Being fast isn’t as important as showing up.  The fastest cannot be the fastest unless they show up. Of course just because you show up doesn’t mean you will be the fastest either. And being the fastest doesn’t make you the best.  What does all this mean?  Let’s just say that—well here is the story.

 

We somehow ended up with two of the most un-dog like dogs of our dog filled lives.  These mutts don’t even know what a tennis ball is or that they, as dogs, are expected to get excited and run and jump and play at the mere sight of a tennis ball and be equally excited to see me, the willing thrower of said ball. They just watch me throw the ball and—nothing. I’ve never seen anything like it.  Oh they like to run. They run out into to the field out back of our house, to the neighbors, to the neighbor’s neighbors and the neighbors as far away as 3 or 4 miles.  But to fetch a ball with tails wagging and that slobbering “Do it again” look in their eyes—well it just isn’t there. So even though these two dogs show up, look good, are cute and are fast, they are definitely not the best dogs.

 

The same can be of course said of the human species.  My home page on my computer, or confuser as I sometimes refer to this demonic monster, is a page that has news, sports, weather, money tips, happy home tips and of course all the rage that is considered entertainment. That section is actually just a chance for all the beautiful people to be in front of me flaunting their latest air brushed look, fast car, movie… But in all the time I have had this page I have not seen what I would call the best of anything that us normal, regular people would consider the best.  So I would like to take this opportunity to compare whatthey call the best to what should be the best.

 

Starting with news.  World news to me and maybe to you is the news of our world. The thing I can see in person, hear about on my street or touch in my neck of the woods. I care, of course I care, that the head guy of Israel was in the USA, but it doesn’t impact my world as much as the news that in our town we might be getting a war memorial park.  That’s news.  But for some reason it is all hush, hush for now. So keep it under your hat!

 

Sports is a big thing.  But is it not a kick in the head when you hear of yet another ten million dollar contracted player getting in trouble because all of a sudden the money just wasn’t enough to keep them happy? Come on its ten million dollars!  A pile large enough that if it was all ones, piled like a giant pile of snow you could ski down, break your leg and lay around for 6 weeks just counting those  Washingtons.  In our house we talk of how much fun it would be to give away ten million dollars to help people.  Now that would be a cool sport story, money tip and news story all rolled up into one.  To me it is so much more inspiring to read of your local school kids’ exceling in track and basket, volley, soft or baseball.

 

Which brings us to the entrainment section. Which is never good reading.  Have you ever noticed that it seems you can’t be famous unless you have some terrible past you can talk about?  Revel in the unmentionable that they just can’t wait to mention. Have they not heard of the word unmentionables? But my train is crossing over to an unmentionable track…

 

All that being said about my home page, I must admit that much more to my liking to read about the events of the day, is a hold in your hand home town newspaper.  That crackle of the paper, the dust and sneeze when you turn the page.  The discoloration from the ink on your hands if you touch it when your hands are wet.  You miss a lot when you don’t hold a newspaper.  Besides, how am I ever going to teach my dogs to be their best if I don’t have a newspaper to tap them on the nose with?  I just can’t see me running after them like a quick brown fox to tap them on the nose with my laptop.  Not only would I consider that a bit harsh, my power cord just isn’t long enough!

 

Trina Machacek lives in Eureka, Nevada.  Her book ITY BITS can be found on Kindle.  Share your thoughts with her at itybytrina@yahoo.com