fire in the brain, fire in the belly

Nah, not mine.
I’m thinking about my 3 1/2 year old grandson who’s having chronic digestive problems. Poor kid. They’re testing him to see what’s going on.
On the other hand, his brain is full of that good fire. My daughter tells me this story:
He doesn’t just absorb and retain things, he makes connections and builds bridges in his head — there’s a line in the Polar Express at the end, “The thing about trains is, it doesn’t matter where they are going. What matters is deciding to climb on board.”
Last night we were playing trucks in his room and he suddenly said, “The thing about trucks is, it doesn’t matter where they are going.” After I got over my shock, I said, “what does matter?” He smiled and said, “Climbing over me to the other seat and getting in.”

Everything we are is in our brains, it seems. As I watch my mother’s brain slowly, slowly shut down, I am even more aware of that.
On 20/20 last night, Norah Vincent shared her experience pretending to be a man while she researched her book “Self-made Man: One woman’s journey into manhood and back.” During her interview, she makes the point that “gender is in the brain.”
Our brains, ourselves.

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