These Times

“Common sense and a sense of humor are the same thing, moving at different speeds. A sense of humor is just common sense, dancing.”

— Clive James, author

When I was a youngster growing up among the sticks and hicks of Eastern Washington, an adult volunteered some of his precious time to tell me I didn’t have any common sense. I can’t remember what behavior prompted the comment, but I do remember wondering what “common sense” could mean.

I wondered for so long that I finally decided that spending time wondering what constitutes common sense indicates a lack of common sense. Because I didn’t hav...