Thoreau's Toothbrush

A first posting to a blog should be like Genesis, God's first posting to the Bible. It should have that same dynamic, of describing the purpose of the creation of the world/blog.

This blog should be as useful as the Yellow Pages, as radical as Thoreau's "Walden," as popular as the television shows ER or Entourage, as sacrosanct as the New York Times, and as easily accessible as McDonald's.

Either that, or it should just be fun.

What if Thoreau got to Walden Pond, unpacked his rucksack in the little cabin, and found he forgot his toothbrush? What would Thoreau do? Would he leave the sanctuary and run down to town to buy a toothbrush? Would he let his teeth collect plaque for the duration of his stay? Or would be hike into the woods, gather some stiff grasses, and fashion himself a natural toothbrush?

My friends, Thoreau would have done none of these. He would have laid out a small treat of bread, caught a tiny bird, and trained it to pick the food debris from his teeth. The toothbrush/ bird would become his companion, feasting in Thoreau's mouth after every meal. The tiny bird would delight in the morsels available between molars.

That little bird, known as Thoreau's Toothbrush, is the one to whom this blog is dedicated. Thoreau's toothbrush is not only useful, he is ornamental also. He is pretty to behold and sings nicely, too.

We should all strive to as much -- to have a useful skill, a nice appearance, and to know a few good tunes.