Thoughts, Quips, & Comments

• My dad was the eternal optimist, and one of his favorite stories was about two brothers - a pessimist and an optimist -- who were tasked with cleaning up a huge pile of horse manure. As the pessimist whined and complained about the work and the mess, the other brother just started digging through the pile. When the first brother asked what he was doing, the optimist looked up to say, “With all this horse s--t around, there has to be a pony in here somewhere.” Look for the pony, my friends. Always look for the pony.

• Years ago during a moment of ennui and melancholy, I voiced a worry that I had perhaps lost my faith. A young but wise and spiritual man told me that, on the contrary, faith is what remains when all else seems hopeless. Faith is not something you lose -- it’s what you turn to when feeling lost.

• From a physiological standpoint, it should be impossible to hit a 95 mph fastball from 60 feet 6 inches away, and according to the laws of physics and aerodynamics, bees should not be able to fly. Neither professional baseball players nor bees know this.