These pithy sayings are my mind because my wife, Olinda, and I spend a lot of time proving them correct.

Take my first example, the one about good deeds. Olinda is the family's good-deed doer. With her it's reflex behavior. I keep reminding her of the consequences, but she hasn't changed. Recently, she was walking to a neighbor's house to help with some landscaping. On her way she was distracted by the sight of another neighbor who seemed to need help, and when Olinda made an abrupt detour to talk to this second neighbor, she tripped, fell on her face, and badly sprained her left ankle.

Weeks earlier she arrived home after running an errand and summoned me to ride with her to help an elderly neighbor whose scooter had broken down while he was riding in the street, several blocks from his house. I wasn't sure what she thought we could do, but at the very least we could give the man a ride back to his house.

FORGET IT. The man wouldn't leave his scooter, which had a flat tire we couldn't inflate, at least not with the pump we had in our car. The scooter also weighed a ton and could not be pushed, at least not by people in our condition.

Luck seemed on our side when the man's son arrived in an SUV. The man agreed to get into the vehicle, but only if we loaded his scooter in back, which was impossible because we couldn't fit enough of the scooter into the SUV for it to be transported safely ... unless ...

Unless someone walked behind the SUV and supported the part of the scooter dangling from the back of the vehicle. That someone was me, and the walk turned into a jog that turned into a run before we reached the old gentleman's house. All the while I'm anticipating a heart attack, which would have been the ultimate punishment. I was spared, at least that time, but when the Big One finally strikes me, I think I know what I'll be doing.

THEN THERE'S "Be careful what you wish for." A few weeks ago our drought-like condition prompted me to wish aloud for an all-day rain to thoroughly soak our property and provide much-need water for our plants.

Wish granted. It rained the next day – and continued for 72 hours. The wooded area behind our house became a swamp.

What's annoying is the selectivity of the "Be careful what you wish for" curse. Most of my wishes are never granted. For example, after the presidential election I wished I'd never again hear or see the name Sarah Palin. But there she is, still all over the news, or, at least, the tabloid-imitating AOL home page. I've also wished for a curfew on stories about Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt, Jennifer Anniston, Madonna, Jessica Simpson and Miley Cyrus, but obviously to no avail. And if I never see another story about "American Idol," it would help me cling to the hope the world hasn't gone completely crazy.

LIKE ANDY ROONEY, I wonder about weird things at weird times, and a few nights ago I wondered about "What goes around, comes around." Appropriately, this happened while Andy Rooney was talking. Actually, it was because Andy Rooney was talking. The clock on my cable box said 8:33. Why hadn't "The Amazing Race" started?

I knew the answer, of course. The stupid Masters Golf Tournament had run long. (Trying to figure out why anyone watches golf on television is one of life's great mysteries.)

The "goes around, comes around" reflection involves a former Providence Journal editor James Sunshine, who retired in 1995. Jim and I had several heated discussions over the years, partly because he lived in a news-centered world, while my world was sports-and-entertainment-centered.

During football season I could depend on a Monday morning visit from Jim, who invariably asked: "What happened to '60 Minutes' last night? Your TV magazine said it would begin at 7; it didn't come on until after 7:30."

And I'd give him the same answer: "The NFL game ran long. CBS had to stick with football until the game was over."

THE DELAY, sometimes a half-hour, occasionally an hour, upset Jim. He couldn't understand how a mere football game could be more important than "60 Minutes."

Of course, it wasn't more important. But my explanation didn't make sense to Jim because it involved another football reference – the 1968 "Heidi" fiasco, when NBC pulled the plug on a New York Jets-Oakland Raiders game that was still in progress in order to begin the network's production of "Heidi" precisely at 7 p.m. The Jets were ahead, 32-29, with 65 seconds to play, when "Heidi" began. Football fans were outraged, especially when they learned the Raiders had scored 14 points in the last 65 seconds to win, 43-32.

That was the day television executives found out how wildly popular pro football had become. It was a valuable lesson, for CBS as well as NBC.

SOON THEREAFTER CBS experienced a tremendous benefit from that lesson. It seemed "60 Minutes" fans, such as Jim Sunshine, waited around to watch the program, no matter when it started. And if "60 Minutes" were delayed, so were the rest of CBS's Sunday night programs. On the other hand, other networks started their programs on time. So when "60 Minutes" ended, the 8 p.m. NBC program was usually more than half-finished, so a high percentage of viewers remained tuned to CBS for the rest of the evening rather than come in at the middle of another program. I believe CBS continues to benefit from a delayed start for "60 Minutes."

During all those years of explaining this to Jim, I personally had nothing at stake because (1) I was a huge football fan and (2) I didn't care if I watched "60 Minutes" or not.

Now, however, I seldom watch football and obviously have no interest in golf. I want my programs to start on time. And on that Sunday night after the damned Masters delay, I realized the truth of "what goes around, comes around."

I wish I could have talked to Jim Sunshine the next day. I believe he's living in Oberlin, Ohio, home of his alma mater, Oberlin College. I tried calling him a few times, but didn't connect. I hope he's enjoying retirement and if I don't get in touch with him, I hope he somehow stumbles onto this page because I'd like him to know he can call me anytime to ask what happened to "60 Minutes." This time around I'll be much more sympathetic.

Olinda? Her ankle is not nearly as good as new yet, but it is getting there. But while she was recovering both of us were whacked by a flu-like illness that had us sneezing and coughing for almost a month. However, in a few days she'll be out looking for more good deeds to do. I'll keep my fingers crossed.