We think of thumb sucking as a baby’s behavior, one which may slide into toddler years. From birth a child will reflexively suck on any object put into its tiny, gummy mouth. Most agree this is a natural reflex evolved over many millennia (or 6,000 years if you are a strict creationist) to facilitate breast-feeding. You see it was difficult for a toothless child to eat fresh kill, be it rabbit or Stegosaurus. Sustenance had to come from somewhere lest the species wither away, so nature provided mother’s milk. What a beautiful thing, nature and nurture working together before the versus jumped in and ruined everything.
The sucking reflex associated with survival disappears early, generally after four months. Yet the pleasurable sensations associated with it don’t just evaporate like a barista when you absolutely cannot get through the next 30 seconds without a triple mocha Frappuccino. The cravings it satisfies – comfort, security, contentment – remain powerful. Substitutes are needed to fill the gap, both in your mouth and psyche. People who study these things call post-infant thumb sucking a non-nutritive sucking habit. The fastest and most readily available understudy is your thumb. It is literally (more…)
Trask Avenue 
common threads #17: risk-taking
Posted: March 18, 2025 in Humorous Bits, Observations and CommentaryTags: Common Threads, humor, humour, risk
Risk? What risk?
We are all risk-takers simply by being alive. Every decision we make, every action we take, is fraught with risk and consequence. You assume getting out of bed is risk-free? That’s your first mistake, bucko. Your second is stepping on the cat when your feet expected the floor. Your third is reflexively jerking your leg up and ramming your knee into the night table. Your fourth is screaming an expletive-filled expletive which prompts the cat to screech and attack. Here it is, 6:00 a.m. and you have been awake all of 15 seconds. Already you have a throbbing knee, an angry cat, and deep vertical scratches on your thigh. Don’t be fooled, my friend. Risk is omnipresent.
Risk implies a potential for threat. Risk mitigation can help, but this requires thoughtful planning to help manage, limit, or eliminate conceivable setbacks as much as possible. It demands awareness. Forethought and a reasonable understanding (more…)