February 2023
EDITOR'S NOTE 
Dear Community,
In strength training, it is through opposition (resistance) that muscle mass and power are increased. In the non-physical realm, ideas, opinions, beliefs, and attitudes can be made stronger by encounters with opposition. There is an ancient fable that goes something like this:
The Wind and the Sun were having a discussion about which was more powerful. The Wind says "See that traveler? Let's make a simple wager. Whichever of us can make him take off his coat first will be acknowledged as the strongest." Having said that, the Wind began blowing hard and cold on the traveler, who simply pulled his coat tighter and tighter around him. After a bit the Sun asks "May I give it a try now?" The Wind sullenly agrees and the Sun gets down to business. He smiles a radiant and very warm smile on the traveler, who doesn't take long to loosen his coat and then remove it. I'm not Aesop, so I leave it to you to furnish the moral for the story.
My life, like many, has been a long story of opposition — seldom of my own choosing. From that I have developed some personal strength (little of it physical) that serves me well when things get tough. But with the opposition, I have also had sun and warmth from friends and loved ones who have given me much needed rest from life's tornadoes. I wish you each the same - may you find places of shelter when life rages around you.
SUBMISSIONS for March are open from February 1 — 10. Please review the guidelines and follow them if you want your poems considered for publication. There is no theme for March.
Jim
In strength training, it is through opposition (resistance) that muscle mass and power are increased. In the non-physical realm, ideas, opinions, beliefs, and attitudes can be made stronger by encounters with opposition. There is an ancient fable that goes something like this:
The Wind and the Sun were having a discussion about which was more powerful. The Wind says "See that traveler? Let's make a simple wager. Whichever of us can make him take off his coat first will be acknowledged as the strongest." Having said that, the Wind began blowing hard and cold on the traveler, who simply pulled his coat tighter and tighter around him. After a bit the Sun asks "May I give it a try now?" The Wind sullenly agrees and the Sun gets down to business. He smiles a radiant and very warm smile on the traveler, who doesn't take long to loosen his coat and then remove it. I'm not Aesop, so I leave it to you to furnish the moral for the story.
My life, like many, has been a long story of opposition — seldom of my own choosing. From that I have developed some personal strength (little of it physical) that serves me well when things get tough. But with the opposition, I have also had sun and warmth from friends and loved ones who have given me much needed rest from life's tornadoes. I wish you each the same - may you find places of shelter when life rages around you.
SUBMISSIONS for March are open from February 1 — 10. Please review the guidelines and follow them if you want your poems considered for publication. There is no theme for March.
Jim