CURRENTS

CURRENTS "There is a tide in the affairs of man, which taken at the flood, leads on to fortune; omitted, all the voyage of their lives is bound in shallows and in miseries; on such a full sea are we now afloat, and we had best take this current, when it serves, lest we lose our venture." I had, unaccountably (nothing actually required it), memorized this powerful navigational line from Shakespeare's "Julius Caesar" in the 10th grade. Now paraphrased, it may also be from "Romeo and Juliet." For 1966 was 50 years ago. Not only does it reflect the quixotic behavior of a fickle fluorescent bathroom lighting fixture that comes on (or not) whenever it will; but it reminds me of the choice that Barack Obama made to attend the funeral of John McCain instead of that of Aretha Franklin August 31 2018. The bell has tolled. Time will tell how history serves his legacy. I do no more than note the contrast.