Winning Words 4/21/11
“A hungry schlemiel dreams of a plate of hot soup and hasn’t a spoon.” (Maurice Samuel) I happened to see this quote in the back of Forbes magazine where the subject was about “luck.” There are several definitions of a “schlemiel,” but in this case it describes someone who is always unlucky. Today, I’m thinking about the poor on our doorstep who have no spoon. Do you have one to share? ;-) Jack

FROM HS IN MICHIGAN: Did you ever see the movie Coming to America with eddie murphy? FROM JACK: I like EM movies, but I haven't seen that one. How does it relate to today"s quote. I suppose I could find out for myself. MORE FROM HS: Google Coming to America - spoon scene. FROM JACK: A Ha; A Ha!

FROM JRC IN MICHIGAN: I saw a good one the other day saying the best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is today. FROM JACK: Of course, that advice applies to more than just planting trees.

FROM JL IN MICHIGAN: I am so glad that I am receiving these. You have a real gift. Ever thought of a compilation in a book?!? FROM JACK: It's good to have you as a new reader. I'd like to get a reader from Montreal, too. Others have suggested working on a book. I've got the material, but not the motivation. Someone in advertising has suggested one of those daily tear-off calendars. I've got the material, but not.....

FROM PL IN MICHIGAN: I thought a schlemiel was a person who tries to eat his soup with a fork in his hand and the spoon is in front of him. Sometimes the answer is right in front of our faces but past practices prevent us from seeing it. So, why do we have the ability to feed the entire world but choose not to do so? How's that for starting an Optimist day! FROM JACK: Yours is a typical "take" on a schemiel, but I think that the Forbes one is good, because of the pathos...sort of the poor soul idea. Optimists start with the recognition of a problem, and then move to the question, "Now, what can I do to help alleviate the problem?"

FROM TS IN MICHIGAN: Schlemiel vs Schlemozel -- Story goes, the difference is, the Schlemiel is the person who spills the soup. The Schlemozel is the person he spills it on. FROM JACK: Not long ago, I heard a story about a Gentile woman who married a Jewish man. She found the Yiddish expressions used by him and his family so interesting that she took it upon herself to study and learn Yiddish. Yiddish has much to teach us, beyond the humor. MORE FROM TS: Unfortunately, it's a dying language. I can speak some, understand a little more. I have a few friends, children of survivors, who, like me, learned it as children and then stopped using it as we became adolescents and lost the tongue as our parents, too, became more fluent in English. "Red nischt," ("don't talk"), my mother would say to me if we were in a situation where she didn't want too much information revealed to whatever Gentile person we were talking to. The older I get, Jack, the more memories I have of my childhood and my parents' involvement in it. And, then the concept, I'm thinking of a time when I was younger than my own children. Always nice "conversing" with you. FROM JACK: A sheynem dank

FROM MOLINER CF: If a schlemiel didn't have bad luck, he wouldn't have any at all. What's a girl schlemiel called? Maybe there aren't any. FROM JACK: As with the rules of grammar, there are exceptions. In the English language, all nouns do not have to have gender. Were you asleep when that was taught in 3rd grade?

FROM OUTHOUSE JUDY: We all have a spoon to share...but do we...will we? It's funny because Lori and I have served at the Salvation Army kitchen in Mt. Clemens. One of the items they need are spoons! We shall provide some! FROM JACK: ....and some have spoons, but no soup. Do you remember this prayer by Robert Burns: “Some have meat, and cannot eat, And some cannot eat that want it; But we have meat, and we can eat - And let the Lord be thanked.”

FROM SH IN MICHIGAN: What a great blog, today's sharing is so, so good for encouraging reflection and thinking. On to Netflix to request "Coming to America". FROM JACK: The Winning Words people are a great and varied group.