Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse

Question:   “WHAT DO YOU THINK IS THE PURPOSE OF LIFE?”Answer:   “I believe that man was climbing to some high destiny that he had struggled from his ape-like existence to his present state of civilization, and that he was gradually climbing and that it was the duty of EVERY ONE OF US to help man onwards in his ascent.”  He added, “This does NOT necessarily mean we have to be goody goody.”--as read in the book by Ben Macintyre, AGENT ZIGZAG
April 12th…Alan and I went to see an interesting film called THE OBJECT OF BEAUTY today.  It opened today.  It featured actor, John Malkovich and actress, Andie MacDowell (who I absolutely adore).  It was a good example of ‘spending money you don’t have’ and ‘living an extravagant lifestyle when it is above your means’.   
In a nutshell the story revolved around a tiny sculpture.    Jake (John Malkovich) and Tina (Andie MacDowell) take up residence in a London hotel, living way beyond their means.  He is a commodities broker whose shipment of cocoa beans is tied up by a Third World country's revolution. She is a woman with extravagant tastes who is still technically married to Larry, her first husband.
The two of them are so broke that when it comes time to pay for a dinner at the hotel, Jake hands a credit card to the waiter and prays that it won't be canceled.  A pair of hotel executives, Mercer and Swayle, repeatedly make attempts to confront Jake and Tina about their growing unpaid bill.Only one object stands between the couple and total insolvency (that explains the title THE OBJECT OF BEAUTY).   The object is a tiny sculpture by Henry Moore that was given to Tina by her husband as a gift. But just as she and Jake hatch a scheme to pretend the object is stolen and collect the insurance on it, a deaf housekeeper, Jenny, decides to steal it for herself.
After she steals it Tina and Jake get upset.  Then Jenny's brother decides to take it and sell it, but nobody will buy it and he ends up losing it.  Jenny searches with her brother and find it in a heap of rubble. Jenny returns it then steals it again and when the insurance company comes she hands it over.  Jake and Tina auction it off later and are able to pay for everything and go on vacation…such is life.

I continue to call mom on a frequent basis.  I had the opportunity to speak to my six year old niece, Ashley, on several occasions.   I asked Ashley, “Why don’t you write me a story?   You can write now so I’m sure you can write me a short book, right?”I guess my prompt got her mind going.   To my pleasant surprise a few days later I found a colorful story from her in book format (stapled together).   The story was titled MICKEY MOUSE AND MINNIE MOUSE.
Page 1:Minnie said to Mickey let’s go to the Birthday Party today, so they did.
Page 2: ...and one day a little girl said to one of her friends, “Mickey and Minnie are coming to my Birthday!”
Page 3:…and when it was time for the Birthday…Mickey and Minniecame to her house.THE END
Isn’t that the cutest mailbox surprise…ever!  It made my day.  Isn’t it amazing how something so simple can make you feel so loved?   I hope my inspiration on Ashley will inspire her to ascend beautifully in life.  I feel I have succeeded in the beginning steps of having her to think about and learn to actually WRITE.
Learning how to read or learning a musical instrument induces a restructuring in the brain at both the functional and structural levels.   This is also what happens when one trains in developing altruistic love and compassion. --Matthieu Ricard, ALTRUISM