The most beautiful people we have known are those who have known suffering, know struggle, known loss, and have found their way out of the depths. These person have an appreciation, a sensitivity, and an understanding of life that fill them with compassion, gentleness and a deep loving concern. Beautiful do not just happen.
453. Know Your Grammar.
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A man sat at a metro station in Washington DC and started to play the violin; it was a cold January morning. He played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time, since it was rush hour, it was calculated that 1,100 people went through the station, most of them on their way to work.
Three minutes went by, and a middle aged man noticed there was musician playing. He slowed his pace, and stopped for a few seconds, and then hurried up to meet his schedule.
A minute later, the violinist received his first dollar tip: a woman threw the money in the till and without stopping, and continued to walk.
A few minutes later, someone leaned against the wall to listen to him, but the man looked at his watch and started to walk again. Clearly he was late for work.
The one who paid the most attention was a 3 year old boy. His mother tagged him along, hurried, but the kid stopped to look at the violinist. Finally, the mother pushed hard, and the child continued to walk, turning his head all the time. This action was repeated by several other children. All the parents, without exception, forced them to move on.
In the 45 minutes the musician played, only 6 people stopped and stayed for a while. About 20 gave him money, but continued to walk their normal pace. He collected $32. When he finished playing and silence took over, no one noticed it. No one applauded, nor was there any recognition.
No one knew this, but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the most talented musicians in the world. He had just played one of the most intricate pieces ever written, on a violin worth $3.5 million dollars.
Two days before his playing in the subway, Joshua Bell sold out at a theater in Boston where the seats averaged $100.
This is a real story. Joshua Bell playing incognito in the metro station was organized by the Washington Post as part of a social experiment about perception, taste, and priorities of people. The outlines were: in a commonplace environment at an inappropriate hour: Do we perceive beauty? Do we stop to appreciate it? Do we recognize the talent in an unexpected context?
If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world playing the best music ever written, how many other things are we missing?
Originally posted by Guillo Puig
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You can tell a lot about the character of a man by the contents of his drinks cabinet.
The way people store and offer drinks to their guests can tell you all you need to know about their inner workings.
Here are the 5 types:
The Cheapskate may well have plenty of booze in his house, but it is rarely on display and is never any good. He eschews well-known spirits in favor of off-brand versions found at Costco and beverage wholesalers, which he thinks are “just as good” (in truth, some are and most are not). He keeps them hidden from view so none of his house guests know he is as tight as the backside of a new arrival to San Quentin.
In the unlikely event you do catch a glimpse of his stash, you will see unfamiliar labels that read something like “Cheapasski Vodka” or “Ochthenoo Scotch Whisky” and in the even more unlikely event he actually offers you a drink, it is likely to be in small enough amounts to evaporate away as you hold the glass.
The Show-Off is more or less the direct opposite of the Cheapskate. His liquor cabinet is ostentatious, and the bottles are arranged with the labels facing outward for maximum status augmentation. He wants you to know that not only is he wealthy enough to keep lots of hooch in the house, but he is also an expert on all matters booze-related. He tries to achieve this by buying the most well-known brands, not because they are any good but because, well, they are the most well-known brands. It’s guys like this who keep Grey Goose in the black year after year.
The Show-Off’s liquor cabinet is an extension of the rest of his lifestyle, and just as he drives a flash car and wears designer clothing with the labels on show, the booze he keeps at home makes a statement about his life. Unfortunately for him, that statement is “I am a complete tool.”
The Man-Child is the sort of guy who still believes that his years in college were the best of his life. The shame is that he’s probably right. This is a man who believes it is still acceptable to wear a commemorative sports jersey even though he is well into his 30s. His liquor cabinet will consist of one bottle of cheap tequila and an assortment of mismatched shot glasses resting on top of the mini fridge full of the cold gassy beer he still prefers. And, of course, if you’d care to sample said tequila, you’d have to descend down a flight of stairs into his mother’s basement, where he still lives.
The Geek’s glazed expression demonstrates that he spends as much time researching fine wines and spirits on the Internet as he does actually drinking the stuff. For him, the range of drinks he has on offer matters a great deal, and he will shake his head in disbelief when you say you have never tried Hungarian Unicum or the Balkan vodka he had privately imported at great cost. He will also want to prove he has the most rare expressions of every spirit he purchases, and can often be found cradling a bottle of Scotch made by a distillery that only releases its product every time the national team reaches the World Cup finals (for the record, that’s not very often) or a rare brandy distilled along with tears shed by Napoleon as he headed off to exile one final time.
All this is harmless enough until you realize that you will never persuade the Geek to actually pour you a drink, as he is afraid that opening the bottles will ruin their value as collectibles.
The Would-Be Mixologist doesn’t have a drinks cabinet. He has a bar. For him, the offering of a drink to guests is a serious business that requires all the right tools. Alongside his vast array of spirits, bitters and syrups (which, of course, he makes himself) will be a selection of fruits for garnishing the cocktails he makes, a variety of strainers and a small library of books about the origins of cocktails and their importance in social history. He probably makes a mean drink but will also spend so long telling you how badly everybody else makes the same drink that you will long for death before it’s even served.
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15The first to apologize is the bravest.
The first to forgive is the strongest.
And the first to forget is the happiest.
16 Martin Luther King Jr.
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