Thunder and silence . . .

It's Thor's day . . . The thunder god, is the archetype of a loyal and honorable warrior. Fittingly:

On this day in 1066 William the Conqueror of Normandy arrived on British soil initiating “The battle of Hastings.” It was a big deal for you and me, as William eventually had more influence on the evolution of the English language than anyone before or since.

Were it not for William I, likely there would not have been the Siege of Yorktown, which began on this date, virtually ending military operations leading to the end of the American Revolution.

Today is the 3,574th ( not a typo ;-] ) anniversary of Confucius' birth. The teacher, philosopher, and political theorist was born near what is now Qufu, in Shandong Province, China, in 551 BCE.

Ed Sullivan was born on this date in 1901 Manhattan, New York City. He shaped both television and popular culture. After 60+ years The Beatles’ debut appearances on the Ed Sullivan show remain among the most-watched programs in US history. Several Superbowls and the farewell episode of M*A*S*H replaced the Liverpudlians on the charts.

Platitude, like sentimentality, is turning away from reality.

Enough with the bee-keeping.

“One of the most important discriminations we can make … is the difference between things that beckon to us and things that call from our souls.” — Clarissa Pinkola Estes

For the first time, on board a ship seething with people crowded upon one another, I seemed to understand the desert. Even one silence is unlike another silence. – Antoine de Saint-Exupéry