Home  >> Stories  >> The Tale Spinner #2017-36

---

IN THIS ISSUE

• Jennifer Hoeneise of Michigan describes a change of attitude in Heroic Stories
• Shirley Conlon forwards the seniors´ calendar for September
• Catherine Nesbitt sends a synopsis of information about driving in Phoenix
• Irene Harvalias shares six little stories
• Tom Telfer´s story is about the takeover by technology
• Tom also suggests interesting websites

In Heroic Stories, Jennifer Hoeneise of Michigan describes

A CHANGE OF OUTLOOK

I participated in an Alternative Spring Break (ASB) in 2001 through Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan. In ASB, participants travel someplace during spring break to do volunteer work. Education is a primary focus of ASB; before break we learn about the issue we will volunteer with.

I spent that spring break in Atlanta working with AIDS patients. My group helped Project Open Hand prepare and deliver meals to homebound patients. We also helped one day in a daycare for children affected by the virus. (Either they had AIDS, or their caregiver did, or both.)

On the third day, Wednesday, three of my group members and I piled into the van to deliver coolers of food. Several meal recipients lived in high rises, and some had specific instructions for delivery: leave food in cooler next to door, knock loudly, and similar.

One client had no cooler outside because someone had been stealing his food. There was a note next to his name to leave the food with his neighbor. "He must have just stepped out because I just saw him," the neighbor told us.

We wanted to leave a note on his door so he would know his food was waiting next door, but we lacked pen and paper. We went down to the building lobby to find what we needed.

We had just finished writing the note and borrowing a piece of tape when I heard a voice behind me ask, "Have you already been upstairs?" I turned and saw a frail-looking black man, very thin, with hollow cheeks. He gestured to our large red cooler bags.

"Are you Paul?" one of my friends asked. "Yes, that´s me," he answered. We told him we left the food with his neighbor. He thanked us and then said, "Don´t forget to smile, your smiles make the world a better place."

Even now I feel a shiver run down my spine and tears well up in my eyes at the thought of Paul. You could tell by looking at his body that he was sick, but when you looked at his face you saw no fear, anger, or pain. There was a wonderful shine in his eyes and a broad smile on his face.

Paul was sick, sick enough that he needed to have his food prepared and delivered to him, but he didn´t let that get him down. I went down to Atlanta to help people, but I never expected one of them to help me. Now whenever I face a tough situation, I think of Paul and his undefeatable attitude. If he can look death in the eye and smile - then surely I can get through less difficult situations.

I knew that my ASB experience was going to change my outlook on life, but I am surprised that I can sum it all up in one sentence: Don´t forget to smile; your smiles make the world a better place.

ED. NOTE: To comment on this story, or to get your free subscription, click on

http://www.heroicstories.org

Do you remember Shirley Conlon´s forwarding a story about senior citizens in a retirement home creating nostalgic photos for a calendar of the the months? Here is the one for September:

"GIANT," starring Joanna Trachenberg, 81, and Horst Krischat, 78.

Catherine Nesbitt forwards an article probably written by a disgruntled Phoenix driver:

DRIVING IN PHOENIX

1. "Phoenix" actually consists of Scottsdale, Chandler, Tempe, New River, Anthem, Mesa, Gilbert, Glendale, Peoria, Tolleson, Avondale, Goodyear, Litchfield Park, Buckeye, Sun City, Sun City West, Sun City Grand, Sun Lakes, Surprise, Laveen, Youngtown, Apache Junction, Gold Canyon, and half of the Arizona desert.

2. The morning rush hour is from 4:00 a.m. to noon.The evening rush hour is from noon to 9:00 p.m. Friday´s rush hour starts on Thursday morning.

3. The maximum acceptable speed on most freeways during rush hour is 10 miles an hour. If you are going any faster, you are NOT in Phoenix.

4. Forget the traffic rules you learned elsewhere. We can still talk and text on our cell phones while driving at dangerous speeds. Anyone with a cell phone in their hands has the right of way.

5. If you actually stop at a yellow light, you will be rear ended.

6. Never honk at anyone. Ever. Seriously. It´s an offense that can get you shot.

7. Road construction is permanent in Phoenix. Detour barrels are moved around for your entertainment during the night to make the next day´s driving a bit more exciting. Road closures always occur over the weekend, so you are unable to drive anywhere from Friday night until Monday morning.

8. Watch carefully for road hazards such as drunks, dogs, barrels, cones, cats, mattresses, shredded tires, rabbits, vultures, javelinas, roadrunners, and the coyotes feeding on any of these items.

9. If you drive in Phoenix, you need to know directions not necessarily available from your GPS. For instance, Maricopa Freeway, Papago Freeway, and the "I-10" are the same road.

* SR 202 is the same road as The Red Mountain Freeway. We are still looking for THE Red Mountain.

* Dunlap and Olive are the same street too. One stops and the other starts, magically.

* Northern and Shea are the same street.

* Also Glendale Avenue becomes Lincoln Drive

* Jefferson becomes Washington, but they are not the same street.

* All streets west of Central are called Avenues, and all streets east of Central are called Streets. You will spend at least a year learning the difference, and will always be hopelessly lost.

* 17 is also called The Black Canyon Freeway as well as The Veterans Memorial Highway. It is the only direct route from Phoenix to Flagstaff, and closes every weekend due to fiery crashes, oil spills, and overturned U-Haul trailers.

* The Superstition Freeway is also known as US 60, but it is not superstitious to drive on the 60.

* The 101, 202 and 303 freeways are already in existence, and we are still trying to find the 404.

* The SR 51 has recently been renamed to Piestewa Freeway because Squaw Peak Parkway was too easy to pronounce.

* SR101 is also the Pima Freeway except west of I-17, where it is known as the Agua Fria Freeway. Agua Fria is Spanish for "Cold Water." There is NO cold water in Phoenix, anywhere!

10. If someone actually has their turn signal on, it has been "accidentally activated." If you are trying to change lanes on the freeway and have your turn indicator on, you will be flipped off and denied the chance to make the lane change. No one, repeat, no one, ever lets you move in front of them.

11. During monsoon season our Haboobs can stop traffic for hours. Haboobs are not enlarged breasts. They are giant dust storms, and you are advised to pull over to the side of the road and turn off your headlights. Huge semi trucks that do not see you will probably hit you from behind, in which case, you will become road kill. Do not, repeat, do not drive in a dust storm, EVER!

12. For summer driving, just getting into your super hot car, before touching anything, it is advisable to wear potholders on your hands. The inside of your car can reach temperatures as high as 140 degrees. Unless, of course, it´s parked under a shady tree. IMPORTANT: there are NO shady trees in Phoenix.

13. Finally, we average 3-5 accidents on our roadways every day. This is thrilling news since it gives our local news stations something to talk about. Sometimes accidents can stop traffic for hours. This is also great news because it slows all of us down long enough to hold tailgate parties, meet people from other places, and answer all of our e-mails on our cell phones.

Irene Harvalias shares

SIX LITTLE STORIES

Once all villagers decided to pray for rain. On the day of prayer all the people gathered, but only one boy came with an umbrella. That´s FAITH.

When you throw babies in the air, they laugh because they know you will catch them. That´s TRUST.

Every night we go to bed without any assurance of being alive the next morning, but still we set the alarms to wake up. That´s HOPE.

We plan big things for tomorrow in spite of zero knowledge of the future. That´s CONFIDENCE.

We see the world suffering, but still we get married and have children. That´s LOVE.

On an old man´s shirt was written a sentence: "I am not 80 years old; I am sweet 16 with 64 years of experience." That´s ATTITUDE.

Have a happy day and live your life like the six stories.

Tom Telfer shares this

HUMOUR FOR THE DAY

Hello! Is this Gordon´s Pizza?

No sir, it´s Google Pizza.

I must have dialed a wrong number. Sorry.

No sir, Google bought Gordon´s Pizza last month.

OK. I would like to order a pizza.

Do you want your usual, sir?

My usual? You know me?

According to our caller ID data sheet, the last 12 times you called you ordered an extra-large pizza with three cheeses, sausage, pepperoni, mushrooms, and meat balls on a thick crust.

OK! That´s what I want.…

May I suggest that this time you order a pizza with ricotta, arugula, sun-dried tomatoes, and olives on a whole wheat gluten-free thin crust?

What? I detest vegetables.

Your cholesterol is not good, sir.

How the hell do you know?

Well, we cross-referenced your home phone number with your medical records. We have the result of your blood tests for the last seven years.

Okay, but I do not want your rotten vegetable pizza! I already take medication for my cholesterol.

Excuse me, sir, but you have not taken your medication regularly. According to our database, you only purchased a box of 30 cholesterol tablets once, at Drugsale Network, four months ago.

I bought more from another drugstore.

That doesn´t show on your credit card statement.

I paid in cash.

But you did not withdraw enough cash according to your bank statement.

I have other sources of cash.

That doesn´t show on your last tax return unless you bought them using an undeclared income source, which is against the law.

WHAT THE HELL?

I´m sorry, sir, we use such information only with the sole intention of helping you.

Enough already! I´m sick to death of Google, Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp, and all the others. I´m going to an island without internet, cable TV, where there is no cell phone service and no one to watch or spy on me.

I understand, sir, but you need to renew your passport first. It expired six weeks ago.

SUGGESTED SITES

Tom Telfer forwards this link to a video of Darci Lynne, a young ventriloquist, performing in America´s Got Talent semi-finals:

Tom also sends the URL for a video of unlikely animal friendships. If this site shows a selection of videos instead of the animals´ video, click on the circle at the bottom left:

In this TED talk, Jim Yong Kim, president of the World Bank Group, asks, Doesn´t everyone deserve a chance at a good life? I highly recommend this talk:

This video shows a woman who became a friend of lion cubs and continues to be a friend now they are grown. The hope is that these lions can be successfully returned to the wild:

This article about Geoff Dembicki and his new book, "Are We Screwed?: How a New Generation Is Fighting To Survive Climate Change," offers a glimmer of hope when it comes to fighting climate change: