My Little Pony...and the rest of the story

My Little Pony...and the rest of the story...

Memes are interesting. They are dynamic, unexpected, perhaps brief, but they seem to touch some instinct within, and so they become pervasive, at least for a time. The My Little Pony meme is one that's been around for a while, long enough that it might almost qualify as an archetype, which is (from what I understand) basically just a long-lasting meme.

If My Little Pony is in the process of becoming an archetype, I'd like to suggest one possible place where that archetype may have previously broken through the surface of our global consciousness. But like all good memes (or archetypes), this starts with a personal story.

When I was growing up, I (and my six brothers and sisters) often heard from my parents a story (joke or fable) that ended with the moral: "There's got to be a pony in there somewhere." I've often repeated that adage when things look dark: "There's got to be a pony in there somewhere." Of course, I'm met with blank stares or that particular look that says "Do I need to take you to a doctor?" So now I'll tell you the rest of the story.

My childhood fable went like this:

"Once, there were two children who were the subject of an experiment. One child was put into a room for an hour. In the room, he had every toy imaginable. Big, small, common or rare; he could play with anything he wanted. If he broke something, no worries; the toys were his to do with as he wanted.

"The other child was put into a room for an hour. The room was filled to the ceilings with...well...horse manure. Side to side, top to bottom, anywhere you looked there was horse manure.

"After an hour, the researchers returned to the first room filled with toys....and found the child crying inconsolably in the center. They asked 'Why are you crying?' To which the boy replied, 'Well I knew any time now someone would be along to take this all away....'

"Then the researchers entered the second room, and found the boy running happily, jumping here and there, jumping from one pile of horse manure to the other, clearly full of joy.

"'Why are you so happy?' they asked the boy. 'Don't you realize this room is filled only with horse manure?'

"'Oh, I know that,' said the boy. 'But you see, with all this horse s**t, I figure there's got to be a pony in here somewhere.'"

And now you know the rest of the story.

I expect the My Little Pony meme/archetype will survive a long time.  

Progress...little baby steps

I know it's been too long since I published an update, but we've been really busy. So here's a quick summary of what's been happening and where we are now: - Thaddeus has gotten back on Medicaid. This is a huge thing, because without Medicaid, he was not able to afford the medications he needs in order to regulate his moods and sleeping patterns. Of course, Medicaid also is security in that, if he does get sick with something like strep throat, the flu, or has a mild sprain, whatever, that needs medical attention, he will be able to go to a doctor and get treatment. It also means that the medical bills (but not the dental bills) that were incurred when he had the episode with his teeth have been covered by Medicaid, so the emergency room is paid. It's nice to make sure that people are paid for their services. Meanwhile, talking to Thaddeus' lawyer, getting back on his medications is a big step toward possibly getting back on disability. This is because, until a person can demonstrate that they cannot work even with the currently available medication, then disability is very hesitant to declare them disabled. This makes sense in some ways, of course. I realize I'm legally blind without my glasses (it's true!), but then, there's an easy fix for that. On the other hand, it's disappointing to know that it will likely be another 6-8 months under medical care before Thaddeus can demonstrate that he really does need help to get by. Ok, I'll hold open the possibility that they've since come up with a miracle cure, but in reality, knowing Thaddeus for several months now, I really doubt he could hold down a job for long, especially in this economy. Meanwhile, we have forged ahead making plans for the garden and shop. We made some contacts this last week with some wonderful people running the "Jubilee House" here in Elkhart. They have been working on community gardens for the past couple of years and have some extended plans for this year to come. What we are planning is to put in some gardens and also create some garden ornaments such as stepping stone and bird houses. We are also looking at more sustainable garden plans such as incorporating worm gardens and perhaps fish farming. We are still down at the Elkhart Civic Plaza Saturdays at 2, bringing awareness to the world. And we hold our GAs Sunday at 2 at the downtown Martins deli and coffee shop. So please join us. And if you'd like to contribute to our success, please contribute at https://www.wepay.com/donations/the_new_elkhart_project