Tuesdays with Muerte

Winning after a clutch penalty kick, Adobe Stock I love the word clutch , especially when it describes a person winning a game or accomplishing a difficult activity (such as being the only remaining player on one's team against several opponents). When I hear the word "clutch," multiple meanings come to mind simultaneously: Etymologically, clutch  comes from the Middle English clitch , which means to "close the hand," or "grasp something tightly" which reminds me of cinching the win (like a horse saddle strap), leaving no room for escape. In Old English, clyccan  means "crook" or "bend," which adds a new dimension to the word's meaning. A clutch play can be illustrated by a shepherd's crook, illustrating a sudden 180-degree change in the momentum of the game. In the vernacular, I imagine a bird of prey's clawed clutch , unexpectedly (or luckily) swooping in and snatching victory away from one's opponents. Clutch migh...

Nixon predicted the current state of U.S.-Russian politics back in 1992. Say what you will about Nixon's involvement in the Watergate coverup, he was one smart guy and a heck of a statesman. Despite his shortcomings, when Nixon was right, he nailed it. After the U.S. "won" the Cold War with Russia in 1991 , the ideals of freedom (free-market capitalism and educated democracy) have stood trial on the world stage. The Cold War isn't over. The opponents of liberty and justice for all are lying in wait. As the Great Experiment of democracy has succumbed to the consequences of pride (e.g., a false sense of security ) and constant subversive influences (e.g., Russian imperialism ) over the years , free nations (including the U.S.) have begun to revert to (not communism, which has failed) but a new despotism or authoritarian demagogism . The Book of Mormon demonstrates this same dynamic in the book of 3rd Nephi. In Chapter 1, we read that though signs and wonders abound,...

Lyrics Sheet music Song Review Few hymns bring me greater peace than  My Shepherd Will Supply My Need . And no one sings it better than the Tabernacle Choir. Here are some of the couplets I find most meaningful: In pastures fresh He makes me feed, Beside the living stream. For me, this imagery reminds me that wherever I am, I am partaking of God's creations for me. He is my constant source of nourishment, whether I recognize His hand or not. ( Mosiah 2:20-24 ) He is the living stream. But it is up to me to come to him to receive His life-giving water. A word of Thy supporting breath, Drives all my fears away. "Peace." ( Mark 4:35-41 ) This lyric reminds me of the many times God's Spirit has banished my fear.   Thy hand, in sight of all my foes, Doth still my table spread; When my senses are trained on the surrounding threats, this verse reminds me to keep my attention on the Savior. He will provide. In fact, these perceived threats may just be opportunities to become ...

The Itsy Bitsy Spider: A Fan Theory I just learned about water sprouts . These bad boys love to grow on fruit trees. They provide the perfect structural support for spiderwebs. Fruit farmers are all too familiar with them because they qualify as "deranged wood" and need to be regularly pruned. However, as we will explore later, they can also serve as powerful metaphors. It reminded me of the familiar nursery rhythm "The Itsy Bitsy Spider" (based on the original 1910 folksong, "Spider Song"). I wondered if the song included the lyric water spout at some point in its evolution . The first publication of the song involved a spider climbing and being washed from a web . "Oh, the blooming, bloody spider went up the spider web , The blooming, bloody rain came down and washed the spider out, The blooming, bloody sun came out and dried up all the rain, And the blooming, bloody spider came up the web again." Originating in Southern California during the...

Have you seen the 1965 film The Sound of Music starring Julie Andrews ? There's a song lyric from "Sixteen Going on Seventeen" that I've misheard my entire life. I thought Rolf sang, "Timid and shy and scared are you of things beyond your kin (as in family)." But I recently learned while reading How To Know A Person by the wordsmith David Brooks that the lyric is not kin, but ken . I had to look up the full lyrics to confirm. Sure enough, ken . So what does ken mean? Turns out, it's a nautical term.  Merriam-Webster has this to say: Ken appeared on the English horizon in the 16th century as a term of measurement of the distance bounding the range of ordinary vision at sea—about 20 miles. British author John Lyly used that sense in 1580 when he wrote, "They are safely come within a ken of Dover." Other 16th-century writers used ken to mean " range of vision " ("Out of ken we were ere the Countesse came from the feast....

Preface This preface is both a "thank you" and an apology. I'm excited you are interested enough to engage with the topic. I'm sorry this isn't a conversation. This is a bit heavier than most of my stuff. Please only read on if this interests you.  Where Did This Question Come From? I was exploring the topic of Campbell's The Hero's Journey when I came across a Disney ad that clearly suggested that  Jiminy Cricket  was  Pinocchio's mentor, but I wasn't so sure. The video's title was  Pinocchio | Sidekicks And Mentors | Disney+ . According to Campbell, sidekicks and mentors are two very different roles. I wondered why Disney couldn't commit to a single label for Jiminy .  "Is he a sidekick or mentor?" To be fair, they probably intended for Jiminy to serve both roles, like Timothy the Mouse from  Dumbo  (1941), but the question still got my wheels turning. "What about the Blue Fairy?" Meeting Pinocchio, the Blue Fairy, and...

Introduction I listened to the lyrics to the AJR song,  BANG!  for the first time today and immediately noticed its connection to suicide. Curious why this wasn't obvious to more people, I googled it and discovered that I may be  one of the few people who think this way. I'm not crazy, right? Pexels.com Song Analysis Listen to the chorus: "Everybody come hang (come hang). Let's go out with a bang. Bang! Bang! Bang!" These repeated words brought to my mind a couple of terrifying statistics:  Suicide is the SECOND leading cause of death for college-age youth and youth ages 12-18 ( CDC WISQARS ) The two leading methods of suicide (in high-income countries) are hanging and firearms ( The Parent Resource Program ). As I continued to examine the song lyrics, I realized EVERYTHING about the song supported my interpretation. This radio hit doesn't necessarily glorify suicide. It's more of a social commentary on the frustrating plight of American youngsters. It ...