I forget to capture this yesterday: As I got off the bus coming home, the bus driver asked me, “Are you a teacher?” For some silly reason, that delighted me.
Last week I described a “buscapade” about a (presumably) homeless man who, at a bus stop, told the bus driver that he “needed to get to Cary.” It’s short, and it’s here, if you want a refresher or didn’t see it.
I ended that scene with the question: “And I wondered, ‘WWHD’?”
WWHD stands for What Would Hugh Do, where Hugh is a friend of mine who does intense work with the homeless. He is a writer, speaker and urban minister. His ministry is called Love Wins Ministries, and as a gay person I’m not afraid of either Hugh or his ministry, which should tell you something about them both.
Hugh saw that posting of mine, and commented on it through Twitter: hughlh @ nematome LOL. I am gonna start selling t-shirts… WWHD. I will write a blog reply to this tonight.
He has done that very thing. Read his response here: Bridging the Gap. I love his writing, his insights, and his spirit.
Also, as an aside, Hugh is writing a four-part series of how he has gone “From Homophobe to Straight Ally.” It’s well worth the read, as are the comments posted to the article.
I love that there’s a word like:
moirologist
(moy-ROL-uh-jist) 
noun: A hired mourner.
There are some things in life money can’t buy, for everything else, there’s Mastercard. With the right credit card you could even hire mourners for your funeral or find the right sentiment. While researching this word, I came across websites that offer “eulogy packs”. One such site lists a “Mother’s Eulogy pack” that includes “9 speeches, 3 poems, 3 free bonus”. Only $25.95 — have your credit card ready. Fathers go cheaper: $19.97.
Let’s not be too smug and look down upon those who buy these packs. When we go to the neighborhood card store to buy a greeting card or a sympathy card, we’re also hiring someone to package words to help us convey our feelings.
Professional mourners are not a new thing either — there’s a long tradition going back to ancient Greece and beyond. As late as 1908 a New York Times article reported on a professional mourners’ strike in Paris.
Then there is claque, a group of people hired to applaud a performer at a show.
I had a busy work day today, and an early night tonight. After giving some feedback to a friend and colleague about his poetry, I was in the bed by 9:00.
I read some of Made to Stick, until I twitched awake with the book down by my side on the bed. Fade to black…