As a kid, I loved to practice tongue twisters — those difficult to pronounce expressions, supposedly designed to improve one’s speaking elocution.  Frequently, they used two consonants interchangeably to trip your tongue to misspeak, often with amusing results.   In addition to improving pronunciation, they were fun to recite and to listen while others bungled the lines.    

For example, try saying: “Big black bug bled black blood” three times without error.  With concentration, you may get through the first series, but invariably will say: “blig” or “blug,” or “back” or “bed” along the way to offend one’s ear.  After mastering that one, switch to a triple oration of:  “She sells seashells by the seashore,” or “He threw three free throws.”  What’s the matter: Did the cat get your tongue?

The “Sarah” song, always a favorite, sometimes was sung intentionally wrong to say the “forbidden” four letter words for fun.   It went like this:  “Sarah, Sarah, sitting in a Chevrolet.  All day long she sits and shifts.  All day long she shifts and sits.  Shifts and sits; sits and shifts” — difficult not to interchange the “sh” sounds.  But even more precarious:  “Sarah, Sarah, working in a tailor shop.  All day long she tucks and fits.  All day long she fits and tucks.  Tucks and fits; fits and tucks.”  Well, wash my mouth out with soap!

Lastly, I submit three well-known twisters:

“Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.  A peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked.  If Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers, where’s the peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked?”

“Betty Botter bought some butter, but she said the butter’s bitter.  If I put it in my batter, it will make my batter bitter; but a bit of better butter will make my batter better, so ‘twas better Betty Botter bought a bit of better butter.”

“How much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?  He would chuck, he would, as much as he could, and chuck as much wood, as a woodchuck would, if a woodchuck could chuck wood.”

Whoa!  And I thought you were on a roll.  

Every year, the Fourteenth of March brings “National Pi Day,” an annual celebration to fete the mathematical constant, known simply as “PI,” — a decimal equal to 0.314159, ad infinatum.  Its origin is attributed to Archimedes (287 — 212 BC), the leading scientist of classical antiquity. (Wikipedia)   

For those who believe that PI is a dessert, lets explore what it means.  PI comprises the ratio between a circle’s circumference (the outer edge or perimeter) and its diameter (the distance across), which is obtained by dividing the circumference by the diameter.  No matter the size of the circle, PI never changes; but also never ends.  Like the Energizer Bunny, it keeps going and going, on to infinity.  Amazingly, the numbers continue without either dull repetition or recognizable pattern — a source of amusement and memory challenges.  The PI constant is essential to calculating the area inside a circle and the volume within a sphere, as by the following formulae: 

— Area of circle = PI times radius (half of the diameter) squared

— Volume of a sphere = 4/3 PI time radius cubed.  

Sorry to dampen the party mood.  Despite the formulae, I suspect few folks will need much encouragement to find an excuse for a party.  Of course 3/14 is the best date selection, as the date comprises the first three numbers of the long train.  

Surprisingly, even Congress put aside politics and entered the party mood.  In 2009, The US House of Representatives passed a non-binding resolution (111 H. Res 224) recognizing March 14, 2009, as National Pi Day. (Wikipedia, Pi Day)  Wow!  When a vote presents no political risk, politicians will vote and claim progress for the people — another reason to celebrate. 

How is Pi Day observed?  Most aficionados utilize pies, either by eating or throwing them, perhaps at the hapless squares who opposed National PI Day. 

Finally, I will end with some trivia:  (1) PI and pie are homophones, words that sound the same but have different meanings.  (dictionary.com)  (2) Moreover,  Albert Einstein was born on Pi Day; and arguably Einstein’s successor, Steven Hawking, died on Pi Day.  

Expectedly, National PI Day will be with us for some time, Congress notwithstanding. 

Definition of space:  

“1. A continuous area or expanse that is free, available or unoccupied;” 

“2. the dimensions of height, depth, and width within which all things move.” (dictionary.com)   

The word “space” may mean different things to different people.  Some may think: (1) outwardly, as of rocket ships in a Star Wars setting; (2) inwardly, on their personal surroundings; (3) objectively, as the distance between things; or (4) scientifically, the time to choose a response to a stimulus.   

Researchers have studied the human phenomenon of personal space.  “The most consistent results show that personal space extends with anxiety and shrinks with comfort.  If you score high on stress . . . your personal space grows with respect with other people.”  “When tested at finer precision, personal space tends to stick out farther in front than at the sides or behind.”  (Dr M. Graziano, Professor of Neuroscience and Psychology, Princeton University.  (Wall Street Journal, January 6, 2018.) 

We all need a time and place for personal space, the extent of which varies with people, events, and mood.  If we are close to a loved one, our personal space narrows; if close to an enemy or bully, our personal space expands.  A person will stand much closer: to a friend than to a boss; to a teammate than to an umpire.  If our self esteem and confidence is high, our space limitations lower, but anxiety and stress interpose a larger buffer zone.  

Certain cultures bring different personal space attitude.   ” . . . researchers sort the world into ‘contact cultures’; i.e., those in South America, the Middle East, and Southern Europe, and non-contact cultures, i.e., Northern Europe, North America and Asia.  In non-contact cultures, people stand further apart and touch less.” (What ‘Personal Space’ Looks Like Around the World, Amanda Erickson, Washington Post, April 24, 2017.)  For example, a contact culture person looking for a seat in a crowded place may select someone to stand closely next to, making the sitting person uncomfortable enough to give up his seat. 

Freedom may be found within a personal space of a different kind.  “Between stimulus and response there is a space.  In that space is our power to choose our response.  In our response lies our growth and our freedom.”  (Victor E. Frankl (1905—1997), an Austrian neurologist, psychiatrist and survivor of the Holocaust.)  He had written about his horrid experiences, and essentially determined that the Nazis could take everything away, except one’s thoughts.

Lastly, all of us have observed people who have “spaced” out, unaware of their surroundings because of too much alcohol or drugs.  They reside within their own personal space and care nothing about the space between other persons or things.   

We all have experienced an event, which we could describe as “A magic moment” — a time when we experience something special, when things come together in unison, be it a conversation, a relationship, or a result.  They do not happen often, but when they do, we know something special had happened, like magic.

The Macmillan Dictionary defines the word magic threefold:

1. The mysterious power that some people believe can make impossible things happen if you do special actions or say special words called spells
2. Mysterious tricks that an entertainer called a magician performs, for example making things disappear.
3. A special attractive and mysterious quality that someone or something has.

 The latter meaning may be called frequently, “The magic of the moment,” something we know occurred when we experienced it, but we cannot describe what actually happened.    

A famous German author defined the word magic as: 

— “Magic is believing in yourself.  If you can do that, you can make anything happen.”  Johann Von Goethe (1749—1832)

A British author, Roald Dahl (1916—1990) extended the magical moment further:

— “A little magic can take you a long way.”

— “Those who don’t believe in magic will never find it.”

Burt Bacharat and Hal David wrote a song, “Magic Moments,” recorded by Perry Como, which captures the magical moment:

— “Time can’t erase the memory of these magic moments filled with love.”

When visiting the Walt Disney parks, one will hear frequently “Have a magical day,” even in places outside the Magic Kingdom.  Disney’s magic comes in two-forms: one good, like the wonderful feeling of happiness, observing the glee of young children; the other bad, like witnessing the spell of an evil witch, or observing too realistic monsters of ancient times.  A stroll up or down Main Street during a parade evokes a special magic not experienced elsewhere.

In conclusion:  May you experience a magic moment today.