Heavy Lifting

I've just lost $50 worth of stamps and it isn't even 7 in the morning. Really I guess I lost them yesterday in my excitement at seeing Jon Hamm on TV. (It's not that he's so handsome; it's that as Don Draper he’s so dark this season. With the drinking and passing out and walking around with bits of throw-up on his Brooks brothers shirts you just can't believe how sunny and humble the guy is in real life!)Today I'm driving five hours to give a talk called ‘Surprised by Joy.’ For inspiration, I reread the C.S. Lewis book with the same name but the thing turns out to be mostly about theology and the string of horrid early 20th century English boarding schools where Lewis spent his childhood. To me being surprised by joy happens when you go looking ONE MORE TIME for all the stamps you lost and come instead across a funny old photo like this one. Talk about an unforgiving style for the lady on the left, eh?My mom was so funny always: once when she was talking to my cousin Sheil, she suddenly interrupted herself to shout, “Your teeth look GREAT!” We laughed at her then but now that I've become so much like her I totally get what she was doing. Just the other day I was in conversation with my friend Trish and suddenly I just had to say it: "That bra is really workin’ for you.”Was she offended? Not a bit.  “The Intimacy store!” she cried at once. “Have the fitting! Pay the money!”Well, maybe I will. Maybe tomorrow once I've recovered from dispensing all that joy. :-)