Skin in the Game

(Photo by Andreiflorea993)

Many spiritual traditions warn against the illusory thinking that equates body with soul.  Nevertheless, many of us tend to believe that without the body we would completely cease to exist.

Losing even one precious limb can therefore be quite traumatic.  Take the recent case of a woman who’s been facing the amputation of her lower leg.  She couldn’t bear the thought of losing this body part entirely, and so came up with a plan.

There’s an internet platform named Sewport “which pairs designers with manufacturing partners in order to bring their ideas to life.”  The woman therefore requested that the skin from her amputated leg be incorporated into a handbag design. 

She submitted a rough sketch of how the finished product should look, along with the following explanation: “It’s my leg, and I can’t bear the thought of it being left to rot somewhere.  It’s part of me and I want to keep it.”  

Resources

 https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/woman-plans-make-handbag-skin-taken-amputated-leg-120727444.html

  

Tension in the Cosmos

(Chart by Ben Finney)

You’ve heard of the Big Bang theory?  Perhaps it’s more of a theory than was previously suspected. That could be why matter is actually less dense than it’s “supposed” to be.

Eleonora Di Valentino, a senior research fellow at the University of Sheffield, admits, “Measurements of the early universe predict that cosmic structures should have grown more strongly over time than what we observe today.”  There’s been a lingering tension within the standard cosmological model due to a mismatch between early and late pictures of the universe.

Di Valentino was quick to assert that standard cosmological theory is not wrong, but simply “incomplete.”  And what could better fill this knowledge gap than yet another theory?  So here goes: The Sheffield research team currently suggests that neutrinos and dark matter have somehow been engaged in secret trysts.

After all, opposites attract.  Overbearing dark matter is somewhat clumpy, whereas neutrinos “are light and elusive, behave differently and can smooth things out.”  Sounds like a match made in the heavens, or perhaps within Heaven itself…

Resources

https://news.yahoo.com/news/articles/dark-matter-neutrinos-linked-interact-125100506.html.

 

 

In Sickness and In Health: For Real

 

(Photo by Lupus in Saxonia)

Jay Leno is living up to a marital vow that he made more than 45 years ago.  It’s a vow that many take…  and one that many break.“In sickness and in health” doesn’t just apply to the common cold.  Neither does “unto death do us part.”  Such promises may be easy for two young folks to make, but can be challenging for one older spouse to keep, especially when the other is quite ill.

Jay’s wife Mavis has been suffering from pronounced dementia for a number of years. This has necessitated caregiving that includes bathroom matters.  Jay himself gets involved, and recently stated: “Changing somebody is not the most romantic thing you can do, but you realize it doesn’t get more intimate than that.  I just find myself going, ‘OK, this is not that bad.’”

He’s been shocked and offended at the type of “Hollywood” questions that people have asked, questions such as this: “So, are you going to get a girlfriend now?”  Jay then pointed out: “You take a vow when you get married and people are stunned… that you live up to it.  Why?”

Great question, Jay, and one deserving of the loving response that you have so faithfully given.

Resources

https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/other/jay-leno-reveals-the-surprising-question-he-was-asked-about-wife-mavis/ar-AA1UmtCA?ocid=msedgntp