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March 1998
PEP Pioneers
Second Wind
Torrance, California
Dear Friends:
Since we celebrate St. Patrick's day this month, and because of the
kind of day I had yesterday, I thought I would devote this message
to Murphy, mythical philosopher to whom many humorous quotations are
attributed. These are known as Murphy's Laws. Some of my favorite
Murphy's Laws are the following:
- Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong.
- When something goes wrong, it will go wrong at the worst possible
time.
- Anything that can be misunderstood, has been misunderstood.
- Nature always sides with the hidden flaw.
- Attempting to correct a situation that is going bad, will
produce worse results than letting nature take its course.
- Optimism indicates that the situation has not been clearly
understood.
- The probability of something happening is in inverse proportion
to its desirability.
- If everything seems to be going well, you have overlooked
something.
- If it is possible for more than one thing to go wrong, the
thing that will go wrong is the one that will do the most
damage.
- Left to themselves, things always go from bad to worse.
- Nothing is lost until you begin to look for it.
- The chances of a piece of bread landing buttered-side down
increases in direct proportion to the value of the carpeting.
- You can't tell how deep a mud puddle is, until you step in
it.
Well, let me tell you what happened yesterday. My computer went
down and couldn't be fixed. My fax machine broke. And an important
slide set I needed returned, got lost in the Canadian mail. Things
seem to always run in threes. But, in spite of all, I remain an
optimist. I think from now on I will follow my hero, famed pitcher
Satchel Paige's aphorism, "Don't look back. Something might be
gaining on you."
Have a Happy St. Patrick's Day. Ill be in touch next month
Your friend,
Thomas Petty, MD
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