Jack’s Winning Words 6/8/16
“People with a sense of humor tend to be more humble in moments of success and less defeated in times of travail.”  (Bob Newhart)  The happy/sad masks symbolize that actors hide their true selves.  Comedians especially wear masks to hide their feelings.  Chevy Chase had an abusive childhood; Jim Carrey was once homeless; Gilda Radner had cancer; Charlie Chaplin wrote, “Smile though your heart is breaking.”  Is yours a happy or sad mask today?    ;-)  Jack

FROM FT IN MICHIGAN:  Nicky and I learned yesterday that a recent acquaintance had taken his own life over the weekend. We'd only met him on one occasion a few days prior, but we liked him very much, and hoped to see him again. After hearing about his death, we were immediately struck by how his demeanor had shown no obvious signs of the hopelessness and despair that must have overtaken him in the end. Remember that a warm smile and a broad grin may be merely the facade covering someone's broken heart.

FROM JB AT LSTC:  Did you know that there are laugh therapists who get people together to laugh?  Try it – just start laughing, even if your heart isn’t in it and very soon you will be laughing for real.
Thanks for the good thoughts –====JACK:  Nope!  I haven't heard of that therapy.  I get some laughter by listening to promises made by the presidential candidates.

FROM FACEBOOK LIZ:  not a mask so much as an outlook...====JACK:  I'm somewhat of a guarded person, so people don't always see the real me.  I do let some of my friends take a peek behind the mask.

FROM OUTHOUSE JUDY:  The child's laugh or tears can come and go in a matter of seconds. (I manage to do this a lot with my 21 month old grandson Ethan). But the real laughter...the belly laughs which wipe out all the sadness are the best kind.  If more people belly laughed their tears would subside.  The REAL laughter and the REAL sadness will be wiped away in a twinkling if the eye at the last trumpet call.  That's something to smile about.====JACK:  I'm sure that Sarah had a belly laugh when she was told that she was going to have a baby...in her 90's.====JUDY:  I know I sure would have!!!====JACK:  You're not 90, yet.

FROM RS IN TEXAS:  The happy or sad mask will depend, in part, on what the repair technician tells us about our clothes dryer. I guess either way it will be a happy mask because we HAVE a clothes dryer.  Another actor whose mask hid the demons he was dealing with was Robin Williams.
Hope Summer is off to a great start for y'all and that you both are feeling good.====JACK:   I remember the day when our dryer was a bag of clothespins and a rope line in the backyard stretched from pole to pole.  If the line broke, my dad was the technician to put up a new rope.====RS:  I remember (vaguely) those days as well.  You just hoped for a nice warm breeze to get everything dried as quickly as possible.  Trying to remember what we did in the Winter when it was 20 below.====JACK: In the winter the sheets and clothes were still hung out and became "stiff as a board."  Eventually most of the moisture evaporated.

FROM TAMPA SHIRL:  Happy for all of my blessings of a wonderful family and friends. ====JACK:  ...and the smile is on your face.  You don't need a mask.