Vicissiciss—Viscisis—Life's Ups and Downs

Naturally we find it pleasant and instructive to consider that life is a matter of ups and downs when the ups and downs are happening to other people. You can prove this for yourself at any supermarket checkout line. But when your own life is in a down phase, as mine is a little bit lately, it can make you broody and that will show up in your blog if you have one and friends have remarked on this. One remark made to me was "Cheer up!"

So I decided it would be pleasant and instructive to read about Mark Twain's ups and downs as recorded in his less-celebrated but wonderful book, Roughing It.He loses his job as a reporter:

For two months my sole occupation was avoiding acquaintances; for during that time I did not earn a penny, or buy an article of any kind, or pay my board. I became a very adept at "slinking." I slunk from back street to back street, I slunk away from approaching faces that looked familiar, I slunk to my meals, ate them humbly and with a mute apology for every mouthful I robbed my generous landlady of, and at midnight, after wanderings that were but slinkings away from cheerfulness and light, I slunk to my bed.

But eventually he meets a fellow tramp, they get to talking, and Twain discovers that not only is his companion in misery a fellow out-of-work reporter, he's a fine person nevertheless:

This mendicant Blucher -- I call him that for convenience -- was a splendid creature. He was full of hope, pluck and philosophy; he was well read and a man of cultivated taste; he had a bright wit and was a master of satire; his kindliness and his generous spirit made him royal in my eyes and changed his curb-stone seat to a throne and his damaged hat to a crown.

Isn't that nice? Blucher had problems, but Blucher was still Blucher. So although I've lately caught a bouquet of setbacks, although I've on occasion slunk away from cheerfulness and light, I still have my own portion of hope, pluck and philosophy, and I'm sure that a few ups will come my way before long. The medieval folks called this "Fortune's Wheel;" statisticians call it regression toward the mean; me, I just call it life. Thanks for visiting, gotta do some stuff now. And come back; I've got some wonderful newspaper stuff Twain did that's not widely published but that you'll love, swear to God. Later!