Limited Range

Essay by: Bill Rayburn

Tags

frank, football, opera, paul, steak, vegetables, gilbert, newman, sinatra, tupac, gottfried

Summary

An open mind can lead anywhere. A closed mind is a hurdle.

Content

Submitted: December 12, 2012

A A A | A A A

Content

Submitted: December 12, 2012

A A A

Limited Range

Bill Rayburn

Interests, “types”, passions even, are probably very good things to establish, but not to the exclusion of all else, even the polar opposites of those passions.

It’s about a couple of things. One, not unnecessarily closing off options. Two, a closed mind is, first and foremost, limiting. Why limit yourself”

I sure did when I was younger. I would BBQ the steak and chuckle and wave dismissively at the prospect of vegetables. Unless cheesy garlic bread is a vegetable.

Steak and vegetables?

Opera and football?

Blondes and brunettes?

Soccer and basketball?

Tupac and Frank?

Eminem and Ray Charles?

Jordan and Bird?

Denzel and Clooney?

George Carlin and Chris Rock?

Billie Holliday and Yo-Yo Ma?

The PGA and the UFC?

Tiger and Chuck Liddell?

Kim Kardashian and Michele Obama?

Clint Eastwood and (ech!) Johnny Depp?

Amy Winehouse and Lindsay Lohan?

(Oh wait, they ARE (were) the same…..LOLLOOLLOOOLLOOOOLL!)

Elvis and Nat King Cole?

Rolling Stones and The Jackson Five?

Itzhak Perlman and MC Hammer?

‘Cheers’ and ‘M*A*S*H’?

‘All in the Family’ and ‘The Cosby Show’?

Margaret Thatcher and Hillary Clinton?

Babe Ruth and Barry Bonds?

Anthony Hopkins and Jim Carrey?

Paul Newman and Gilbert Gottfried?

London and Belfast?

Rome and San Francisco?

Gordon Lightfoot and Sister Sledge?

Norm on ‘Cheers’ and Tony Soprano?

Jerry West and Magic Johnson?

Bill O’Reilly and Rachel Maddow?

Steel Magnolias and The Godfather?

Pat Conroy and Elizabeth Gilbert?

Dick Gregory and Robin Williams?

Barry Manilow and Muddy Waters?

Tony Bennett and the 2012 Tony Bennett?

John Lee Hooker and John Mellencamp?

Van Morrison and….sorry…no comparison, not even a composite opposable thumb….he rules…

Barry White and Jimmy Buffett?

English Stilton Blue Cheese and American provolone?

Willie Mays and Derek Jeter?

Hope Solo and Billie Jean King?

Bob Hayes and Wes Welker?

Cam Newton and John Unitas?

Your first great dog and your last one?

Toby Keith and Barack Obama?

Bob Seger’s “Comin’ Home” and Simon & Garfunkel’s “Homeward Bound”?

The Way We Were and Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid?

Bruce Springsteen and Andy Williams?

Bon Jovi and Barbra Streisand?

Dogs and cats?

Birds and fish?

Of course, we are often compelled to make tough choices. It’s not always possible to enjoy both ends of every spectrum. We sometimes don’t have the luxury of “and” and must settle for “or”.

Married or single?

Four wheels or two wheels?

Friends afar, or friends near?

Paris or New York?

Raiders or 49ers?

Love or hate?

God or the Devil?

Go(o)d or (D)evil?

Happy or sad?

Midnight ramblings from chilly and icy North London.