My latest fun book to read in my special living room chair is a copy of Gregg Shorthand from 1891.
It’s a treasure, providing a narrow slice of life from many years ago. It made me think of the Perry Mason show that aired starting in 1957. There were many court scenes where a young, prim and proper lady recorded every word spoken. But how was that possible? Not even my talented mother could write that fast.
The answer was the use of Gregg Shorthand, where words are reduced to little squiggles and slashes. If I were younger, smarter and more dexterous, it would be a magnificent accomplishment for me to master a proficiency in shorthand. The chances for me achieving that feat are similar to my becoming the next Michael Jordan.
However, some of the fascinating facts provided in this book are astounding to me. For example, 10 words (the, be, of, and, to, a, in, that, I, have) make up one-fourth of the entire written and spoken language.
Based on that fact, I need only focus on 75% of my word choices to be creatively appreciated.
The bottom line is, as an old guy, I don’t want to limit my choice of books to those on the New York Times best sellers list.
My message to you is this:
(“Explore”)