EDDY'S PAGE
by Eddy Robey M.A.

As a tiny girl, I was quite sure that my Daddy was the most handsome man on Earth. Never mind that he was 60 when I was born, his little waxed, silver handlebar mustache seemed the epitome of glamour.

Time passed, and I fell for another mustache. This time it was on the television hero Zorro. This time, it was so entrancing that fencing became my sport of choice, and I spent much of the succeeding years plying my foil in the gym.

Sometime during that period, mustaches must have lost some of their appeal. During my early twenties: I put down the sword, took up a spatula, and married a man who did not wear one.

Young women being what they are, however, yet another idol appeared. Ten months after the wedding, a smooth-cheeked young charmer arrived on the scene. I've stayed loyal to the notion of his face being the most pleasing one ever for over thirty years, even when it was time to purchase his first electric razor.

Of course, his beauty could be supplanted at any time. He is married now, and someday an even nicer face will smile and call me Grandma.

Did any of my loves mind these changes? Was I accused of doing a flip-flop or waffling? Of course not. That different thoughts and feelings arose over time was something everyone considered normal. How in the world could a girl who admired a swashbuckling hero, know that a baby's visage would someday be more wonderful than any other?

My changes showed growth, and they were blessed ones. Flexibility in dealing with new information and experiences is the hallmark of a spirit able to enjoy all the wonders of G-d's creation.

How strange that this same sort of growth is deplored when it is exhibited by those who would become our leaders. Rather than appreciating the capacity to process new data, and reformulate an appropriate stance, commentators often denigrate those who admit to seeing things differently than they did at some other time.

Regardless of hirsute adornment or lack thereof, no mouth is attractive if the opinions which issue from it are rigid, despite any and all evidence that rethinking may be in order. For me, Torah is absolute, personal or political stances are not.

An open mind is one capable of dealing with the exigencies of new situations. That will get my vote of confidence.