Magnets

I can remember, back in elementary school, getting to the lesson on magnets. I also remember being lost from the very first mention of poles. I wasn’t then, nor am I now, a sciencey person. But the topic of magnets seemed to give me the most problems. Here is what I take from it. With magnets, likes repel and oppostites attract. Okay. But why? Then throw in the magnetic forces of the earth and something called electromagnets, and I am lost in the wildnerness.

But the thought of magnets intrigue me in a different context. We are drawn to things, like a magnet. Whether it is a lover, a hobby, a sports team, or even a particular food, we are attracted to some and not to others.

Here is another magnet context. Slatington High School, 1970. My beloved school sits on top of a steep hill at the very end of Diamond Street. Every morning it acted like a giant magnet drawing kids from near and far. The power of that magnet brought my classmates from Slatedale, Emerald, Friedens, Walnutport and both uptown and downtown Slatington. The power of that magnet crossed rivers and county lines! That magnet was far reaching in other ways too. The long lasting effects of friendships made, lessons learned, and, and in some cases, lifelong loves begun, started with that magnetic draw of Slatington High School.

Now, back to real magnets for a minute. I like car magnets and I had quite a collection on the back of my Kia Soul, like the ones you pick up in a souvenir shop when you visit someplace new. A little over a year ago, I traded in my Kia Soul for a Subaru Crosstrek. Explain this please, all you sciencey people. Why don’t my magnets stick to the Crosstrek!? Is Schnecksville too close to the Earth’s magnetic pole? I don’t think so, but then again, I don’t understand magnets!