Woody’s new book STRAWBERRIES IN WINTERTIME: Essays on Life, Love, and Laughter is available for Pre-Order HERE NOW!

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This and That on a Lovely Morning

A smorgasbord served up in 700 words . . .

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Jennifer Niven, author of the award-winning Young Adult novel “All The Bright Places,” believes “lovely” is a much-underused word.

I agree with my lovely friend.

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In exchange for sharing some stories about John Wooden, which is always my great pleasure, I was recently treated to lunch by the Ventura MC Chapter of the P.E.O. Sisterhood, a service group that helps young women further their educations.

What made the afternoon especially lovely was the sisterhood itself, including three of my charming and vibrant tablemates who are ages 90, 92 and 93 – and make being a nonagenarian look like the new octogenarian.

All three still have their drivers licenses – one proudly shared she got a 100-percent on her most recent test – and can drive, although only the 92-year-old actually still does.

Arlys Tuttle, matriarch of the community treasure Tuttle family, gave me as kind an introduction as I think I have ever received, the loveliest part being when she said she saves my column each Saturday morning as her “breakfast dessert.”

I hope seeing her name here this morning is a lovely dollop of whipped cream for Arlys.

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Speaking of Coach Wooden, his “7-Point Creed” is always worthy of sharing:

Be true to yourself.

Make each day your masterpiece.

Help others.

Drink deeply from good books.

Make friendship a fine art.

Build a shelter against a rainy day.

Pray for guidance and give thanks for your blessings every day.

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I saw a post on Facebook that I think merits adding as an eighth point, echoing “Be true to yourself”:

“Always be yourself. Unless you can be Batman – then always be Batman!”

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Why do crunchy foods go stale and become soft while soft foods get stale and become crunchy?

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Oh, boy, did I get out-haggled at a local farmers market the other day buying a bouquet of gorgeous sunflowers for my lovely wife.

I gave the lady, who I get flowers from fairly often, a $20-bill and she gave me back $15. However, I really did not think five bucks was a very fair price . . .

. . . so I handed her a $5-bill back. She looked confused. I smiled and said, “Keep it.”

She shook her head no: “They only cost five dollars.”

“Yes, but they’re so beautiful I want you to keep it,” I explained.

“That’s too much,” she replied and pushed the $5-bill back at me.

“OK,” I finally relented, but requested five singles as change.

This she did and I handed four of them back to her.

She smiled, kept one, and gave three of them back to me.

I gave her two back and tried to leave, but she forced one more back. And then, for my meager $2 tip total, she gave me a $10 hug.

Thinking about it as I write this, even after those sunflowers have lost their bloom, still brings a smile to my face.

I vow to redouble my haggling efforts with her next time!

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This recently occurred to me: A good friend surprises you with a nice deed. A great and lovely friend does a nice deed that surprises you – until you think for a moment and realize you are not really surprised at all.

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Like John Wooden’s “7-Point Creed,” this masterpiece quote from Albert Einstein seems worthy of sharing any day:

“Strange is our situation here upon earth. Each of us comes for a short visit, not knowing why, yet sometimes seeming to divine a purpose. From the standpoint of daily life, however, there is one thing we do know: That we are here for the sake of others . . . for the countless unknown souls with whose fate we are connected by a bond of sympathy. Many times a day, I realize how much my outer and inner life is built upon the labors of people, both living and dead, and how earnestly I must exert myself in order to give in return as much as I have received.”

E=MC² has been called elegant, but this wisdom is lovely.

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