2.13.2016

Journal, March 31, 1976 PM

Busy day, I did a lot of little chores around El Maizal, including tattooing 17 rabbits. We’ll see how they turn out! They killed a rabbit for the students, & were going to chuck the liver & kidneys, so I had a feast at noon: Rice & vegetable soup, & fried red beans with my “bargain of the week”. Rabbits have big livers too!

Would you believe I sewed again tonight - some pants I need to wear in to San Salvador tomorrow. I’m looking forward to seeing all the guys tomorrow, especially Russell {Soules}. They say he’s getting married, but hasn’t decided when (or maybe she hasn’t told him yet!).

Something Jaime said to me is still stuck in my mind. I guess it offended me a little. He said (extremely matter-of-factly, as he does most things), "You’re smart, Dino, but you’re not a genius." Now that seems harmless enough, but actually I still hold some hope of doing something worthy of genius yet in my life. Although Einstein proved himself a genius at 24, Walt Whitman was over 30 at the first publication of "Leaves of Grass", and Carl Sandburg was past 65 when he began to show his "genius". Jaime will never do anything worthy of genius because he’s already resigned himself to the fact that it’s not possible for him, but he doesn’t have to make it his business to shoot down the rest of us dreamers!

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