Small is Beautiful

Chapter 35 (cont'd)
"So what do you think about the 'Fair Trade Gold Standard' that is now being implemented that will allow artisanal miners to get a bigger piece of the pie?" Sam recalled a reporting by National Geographic.
"I think, anything that slows environmental destruction is going to have to be addressed and acted on. Not in the future, but now!" J.P. was up to date on current issues.
"And... paying a fair price for metals so small artisanal miners can earn a living is human and humane," Simmy stated. "I have always believed in the honest labour of hands that create without harming others. It has been an uphill battle to try to influence those around me, though. There is still a 'if you've earned it, you deserve it' attitude. And, let's not forget the cookies. We would give away the work of one person for what in trade? I ask you! What is the motivation to sell a person too much for too little? What does this produce?" Simmy was getting her frustration out. Eventually, what does a generation or two or three look like that gets too much?"
J.P. looked at his hands and breathed a deep sigh, "Like Hollywood, maybe. I have seen great wealth there. The movie era really did create a strange opportunity for a chosen few."
E.F. Schumacher, in the book 'Small is Beautiful' offers up the four Cardinal virtues as a conscience tweaking entreaty," Simmy chimed in.
"Cardinal?" J.P. was showing his Jewish roots.
"The Roman Catholic church has employed these, yes, I believe so. The funeral we were at was in a Roman Catholic church but the term 'cardinal' comes from the Latin 'cardo' or hinge. Wikipedia reports that the cardinal virtues are so called because they are hinges upon which the door of the moral life swings. If you read all the essays that Schumacher writes, it is a natural book ender to introduce these virtues."
"What are the virtues?" J.P. asked.
"Temperance, fortitude, justice and prudence," Simmy punctuated each word with a hand movement.

Gold Standard

Chapter 35 (cont'd)
"Very complicated," Simmy said. "Everyone sees life from their own perspective and it makes perfect sense to them but rarely do any two people see eye to eye."
J.P. looked at Sam and Simmy with the depth of one who must re-produce emotions and content for others to engage in.
"We attract what we are or what others want to become. I could see a depth in you two that first day we met. Solid instincts have won me many a prize as my movies soar into box office hits. You two are the gold standard." J.P. spoke with a forceful authority.
"What is 'the gold standard?'" Simmy asked. "A neighbor of ours once said, that, as far as he could see, our sons were the 'gold standard' in the whole neighborhood."
"That's a huge compliment. That, basically, means... your sons were measured against all the other kids and found, in his estimation, to be superior and solidly backed."
"Well, let us hope that his own standards have refined value," Simmy remarked.
"Ah, yes, the question of 'who,' ultimately, determines the meaning of value and, consequently, power. Wars have been fought for that right," J.P. murmured.
"Is it 'a right' to decide the definition of value. Value is an elusive, indeterminable word," Simmy stated.
"Explain," J.P. leaned forward concentratively.
"I volunteered to bake for a sale. It was for my church, a 'not for profit' organization."
"Ha," the scorn of disbelief emitted immediately from J.P., "not too many of those."
Simmy continued, "I was abandoned in the kitchen to do the whole job. The person who had originally roped me into doing this got sick and we couldn't have a flu virus in the kitchen."
"Good thing you protected the purchaser from that," J.P. added another commerce thinker statement.
"Yes, we do want responsible people in the kitchen, do we not?" Simmy laid the foundation. She continued.
"I work all day, baking. Then, I have to package these 300 cookies and many pies. One of the people in charge of this organization comes by as I'm pricing the cookies at' '3 for a dollar.' He blows out a bellow of steam and says, 'You should be selling those '7 for a dollar.' That would be good value.'" Simmy pontificated, acting out the part of the Overseer.
J.P. coughs, "Where has this bloke been living? In the land of plenty, I'd say."
"I say to him," Simmy continued, 'If you want to sell them for that, then you bake them.'"
Sam interjects. "I'm not baking them for '3 for a dollar.'"
J.P. laughs and says, "Me neither!" He can relate to this man.
"So," I ask you, "why does this man devalue the price of the cookies?"
"He hasn't done the work," J.P. says perfunctorily.
"And what happens when we teach people, through this type of action, that they can have whatever they want without paying a reasonable price for it?"
"You get,... my Crew, with a blank checkbook, spending someone else's money without regard for the sacrifices of the silent partners. That's when I end up stressed because these financial backers demand a 'reconciliation' to see how the time was spent, if the schedule was adhered to, and where did all the money go?"
"I'll bet it's hard to shoulder all that responsibility," Simmy suggested.
"Damn hard," J.P. grunted.

Forgiving Judas

Chapter 35 (cont'd)
J.P. came up to Sam and Simmy and shook their hands with a welcoming squeeze.
"Jayne mentioned that you two went to a funeral today. It's great that you came out to enjoy something more lighthearted tonight. It is a beautiful evening."
"Thanks for honouring us, J.P.," Sam gave him a manly shoulder hug-slap as only men know how to do!
"What was the key gist of the funeral?" J.P. probed for real information to expand his new interests.
Sam looked at J.P. to test his words to see if this was an opportune time to share deeply. Seeing genuine desire, he stated, "Out-doing one another in honour bringing about humility."
J.P. sat down on a rattan chair on this painted floor veranda and pointed to seats opposite his and said, "Sit!" His words were authoritarian and yet... he was already in his mental, gears within gears, grinding of thoughts.
Sam and Simmy sank down onto the seats with a sigh of relaxation. They tuned into the spiritual within themselves to fully enjoy the hospitality.
J.P. had formulated his thoughts and was ready to ask the next question. "The funeral was for one of your mentors, right, Sam?"
"A work related mentor, yes," Sam agreed.
"Did you learn humility from him or did he example humility?"
"Well," Sam laughed a harsh sound of self-recrimination. "He demoted me on the job and I was angry with him for years, many years. He had the courage to do it, though, and that, along with another scene I remember of him, required that I take the whole man and puzzle these actions together to reach a character conclusion."
"What was the other scene?" J.P. was leaning forward, listening for his own nugget of truth.
"Well, I only have some of that story but I'll tell you what amazed me... My mentor had invested in a business deal along with a partner... when $40,000 dollars had been spent to spruce up this fishery, the bank decided to pull the loan on this business venture saying it didn't show a promise of financial return. After my mentor was left, holding the bag, so to speak, his partner somehow managed to secure a loan on the renovated fishery and my mentor had to walk away and start a business on his own."
"Unforgivable!" J.P. exploded. "A Judas! Jacked by your friends!" J.P. clenched his jaw.
Sam's eyebrows shot up into the air and he laughed in irony.
"What's so funny?" J.P. asked.
"The partners' name was Jack somebody." Sam spoke, remembering how the man had used the company many times, for quotes, but never given them any business.
"What part of this story amazed you?"
Sam recalled the memory like it was yesterday. "One day, at work, I saw the partner sitting in my boss' office and the look on my boss' face wasn't bitter or angry or vindictive. He was able to look his ex-partner in the eye and have a conversation with him. I couldn't imagine being able to do that!" Sam shook his head with many emotions washing across his face.
"Is your boss and your mentor the same man?" J.P. needed clarification.
"Yes, he was my boss for many years," Sam sat back to digest his thoughts.
J.P. looked up at the moths trying to warm themselves on the party light bulbs. "Life is complicated, yes? It is such a combination of emotional experiences. Thank you for sharing that story. Every movie I've ever produced has germinated in the hub of real conversations, woven together like a spider web." J.P. used a mans' analogy.

Striped Cover

Chapter 34 (cont'd)
"I really hope I feel like that soon," Jayne mumbled.
"'Don't turn back just because difficulties occur.' That's an important point that is on page 190. Let me go grab the book so I can read you that small section.
Simmy was up and through the cottage door before Jayne could protest. She was back in a flash with the book spine settled and open to the page she was about to recite.
Simmy popped back down the three stairs, moved the book over, closer to Jayne, and pointed at point number 4.
"'Keep moving toward your destination. Sometimes you have to pass slow-moving traffic, just like you might have to pass some of your friends who choose to stay spiritually immature. Outgrowing friends is never easy, but it's going to happen when you choose to grow and they choose to stagnate.' Does that sound like what you've been experiencing lately?"
Jayne nodded. "I think that must be what is happening. It's a really tough process, though. Should it be this hard?" Jayne's face was scrunched in emotional turmoil.
"'You,'" Simmy pointed at Jayne's cross necklace, "'now value the truth- they don't want to hear it. This means that you may have some lonely times on the road to becoming God's Good Woman. It's like when you are driving at night on a crowded highway, and then you slowly pass the pack of cars that surrounds you. Then, before you know it, you are driving in the dark, seemingly alone, with no headlights in your rearview mirror and no taillights up ahead. It's kind of scary to suddenly find yourself alone, but keep your foot on the courage accelerator. There are spiritually mature people up ahead who will become your traveling companions and who will match your spiritual pace.'" Simmy closed the book and looked at Jayne, thankful to see a glimmer of hope in her eyes.
"Whew! For a minute there I was starting to wonder if they would have something encouraging to say," Jayne laughed light-heartedly.
"Don't lose the lesson, sweet pea," Simmy gave her shoulders a quick hug and stood up. "You'd better get back to the set. You may need to try out your new wings."
Jayne jumped up and widened her eyes, "Just call me the Zigzag Darner."
"That's right," Simmy called after her as she whipped her arms from side to side down the gravel path, back to work. "Zig when they send out a bullying comment and take Zag cover until they grow good."

Forgiving Friends

Chapter 34 (cont'd)
Jayne slid her bum down the two steps to the bottom step and leaned back on her elbows.
Simmy followed suit and joined her so they were sitting on the same level.
"The hardest thing for me has been the friends who've been really cruel to me when I thought we believed in all the same things."
"If an enemy were insulting me, I could endure it; if a foe were raising himself against me, I could hide from him/her. But it is you, a (wo)man like myself, my companion, my close friend, with whom I once enjoyed sweet fellowship as we walked with the throng at the house of God." Simmy spoke with dramatic stage quality voice.
Jayne was staring at Simmy with awe, "That was powerful! Is that Shakespeare?"
"No, it was spoken by a man named David. He experienced something called 'treachery.'"
"Treachery? That's a deep word," Jayne spoke.
"One author described it as something worse than violence and injustice," Simmy spoke softly.
"Why is it worse?" Jayne queried.
"Because they were your friend," Simmy stated. "That is a trusted relationship. You have allowed them access to your life and you have given them your best support."
"That's how I feel about Lucy and Ethel, off-set," Jayne sounded bitter. "Their bullying is mean."
"I read a wonderful book by Beverly Flanigan called 'Forgiving the Unforgivable.'"
"I don't feel like forgiving them," Jayne spit.
"You will soon! You will not do it for them, you will want to do it for yourself so you can move on and grow even more lovely than you already are," Simmy smiled knowingly.

Rebuilding Life

Chapter 34 (cont'd)
"Well, you gotta have faith...
do, do,
... you gotta have faith...
Sing it, Jayne,
Well, you gotta have faith...
do, do,
... you gotta have faith...
Sing it again...,
Well, you gotta have faith...,
do, do,
...you gotta have faith..."
Jayne grabbed Simmy's hand and started swinging it and singing the song at the top of her lungs.
"You're breaking out, Jayne," Simmy shouted.
"Who does this song?" Jayne yelled back.
"Europe!"

Royal Nobility

Chapter 33 (cont'd)
Scene at Miss Eliza's house- a.k.a. Ethel's house
Ethel flops onto the sofa, "Wasn't that just divine? I love seeing the Queen and her Prince." Ethel breathes a sigh of pure romance into the air.
Lucy reaches for her coffee as she adds, "Isn't it amazing how unaffectedly poised she is? It can't be easy to stand for all the gifts of honour that the two of them are regaled with."
"No, it is only a lifetime of etiquette training that produces that kind of bearing."
"She's so pretty, isn't she?"
Calvin brings the camera close to capture the dreamy quality on the faces of both actresses.