Ray's musings and humor

Archive for November, 2009

Go ahead, I’ll catch up later!

“When you are in the valley, keep your goal firmly in view and you will get the renewed energy to continue the climb.”

Denis Waitley

 

 

 

Here we are the beginning of a new week. I pretty much hibernated last week though I did venture out a couple of times but found that it was more challenging then usual. When I decided to go out to see how fast I could run it took me so long to walk to the door I forgot why I was there but by that time I was so worn-out I took a nap.

Of course it is really not that bad, it is just that I am not recovering as fast as I hoped I would. I was told that it would take awhile so I guess I am progressing well enough. I do feel bad about how many appointments I had to cancel, the events I missed and not spending time with friends. But considering my recent hospital adventure I really have no right to complain. I have enjoyed the many naps, the chance to see some movies watched from my easy chair and catching up on some reading. I still have not got through all the e-mail messages so if I missed something of yours I’m sorry.

There are a couple of important events this week that I really need to try to make so I am going to think positive and concentrate on mending. I will see my doctor in a couple of days and get a follow-up test at the hospital on Thursday morning as part of the normal post hospital procedures. In the meantime I am avoiding making commitments that I might not be able to keep, especially those where my participation would be important.

Whoa, I just read what I wrote and it sounds pretty depressing, trust me I am not that bad off. In fact if I look back only a week or so I am doing great and progressing nicely. So don’t let my impatience mislead, I am on my way back and when I get there watch out as I’ll be making up for lost time.

What I really need is an energy boost, so I did a little research and found what Gretchen Ruben suggests, here is what she wrote:

Feeling energetic is a key to feeling happy. Studies show that when you feel energetic, you feel much better about yourself. On the other hand, when you feel exhausted, tasks that would ordinarily make you happy—like putting up holiday decorations—make you feel overwhelmed and blue. When my energy feels at a low ebb, I try one of these techniques (well, first I drink something with caffeine in it, but if I feel like I need to take further steps, I try these strategies):

1. Exercise—even a quick ten-minute walk will increase your energy and boost your mood. This really works! Try it!

2. Listen to lively music.

3. Get enough sleep. If the alarm blasts you out of a sound sleep every morning, you’re not getting enough—and it matters.

4. For some people, taking a 10-30 minute nap is a big help. I can’t nap, myself, but my father has been known to take three naps in one day.

5. Act energetic. Research shows that when people move faster, their metabolism speeds up. Also, because the way we act influences the way we feel (to an almost uncanny degree), by acting energetic you’ll make you feel more energetic.

6. Talk to friends. I’ve noticed that if I’m feeling low, and then run into a friend on the street, I walk away feeling much more energetic. Reach out if you need a boost. This is true for introverts and extroverts alike.

7. Get something done. Crossing a nagging chore off your to-do list provides a big rush of energy. For a huge surge, clean out a closet. You’ll be amazed at how great you feel afterward.

8. Do NOT use food. It’s tempting to reach for a carton of ice cream when you’re feeling listless, but in the end, all those extra calories will just drag you down. In general, be wary of the urge to treat yourself when you’re feeling low.

Energy (or lack of energy) is contagious. If you feel energetic, you’ll help the people around you feel energetic, too. And that makes them feel happier.

As soon as I get some energy I definitely will take her advice, in the meantime I think I’ll take a short nap.

~~~

“Make it a rule of life never to regret and never to look back. Regret is an appalling waste of energy, you can’t build on it it’s only good for wallowing in.”

Katherine Mansfield

~~~

A lady came to the hospital to visit a friend. She had not been in a hospital for several years and felt uneasy, not knowing about all the new technology. A technician followed her onto the elevator, wheeling a large, intimidating looking machine with tubes and wires and dials. 

"Boy, would I hate to be hooked up to that thing," she said. 

"So would I," replied the technician. "It’s a floor-cleaning machine." 

~~~

Life isn’t about how to survive the storm, but how to dance in the rain.

Unknown

~~~

Lisa was babysitting Cory and Cody. Finding Cody making faces at Cory, Lisa stopped to warn the child.

Smiling Lisa said, "Cody, when I was a child, I was told if I made ugly faces I would stay like that." 

Cody looked up and replied, "Well you can’t say you weren’t warned."

~~~

A fanatic is one who can’t change his mind and won’t change the subject.

~~~

He Said:

  • Women don’t understand the appeal of sports. Men seek entertainment that allows them to escape reality. Women seek entertainment that reminds them of how horrible things *could* be.
  • If a man goes on a seven-day trip, he’ll pack five days worth of clothes and will wear some things twice; if a woman goes on a seven-day trip she’ll pack 21 outfits because she doesn’t know what she’ll feel like wearing each day.
  • Women brush their hair before bed.
  • Women do not know anything about cars. "Oil-stick, oil doesn’t stick?"
  • Women have better restrooms. Ladies receive the royal treatment in the ladies room. Gents just get a large bowl to share.
  • The average number of items in a typical woman’s bathroom is 437. A man would not be able to identify most of these items.
  • Women love to talk on the phone. A woman can visit her girlfriend for two weeks, and upon returning home, she will call the same friend and they will talk for three hours.
  • A woman will dress up to go shopping, water the plants, empty the garbage, answer the phone, read a book, or get the mail.
  • Women will drive miles out of their way to avoid the possibility of getting lost using a shortcut.
  • Women do NOT want an honest answer to the question, ‘How do I look?’
  • PMS stands for: Permissible Man-Slaughter.

~~~

Everybody lies, but it doesn’t matter, since nobody listens.

~~~

A city slicker stopped his large, expensive car on a country road and looked about in confusion. He noticed a young farm hand leaning on a fence and called to him, "Hey, you know how far it is to Shrewsbury?"

The farm hand thought about it and said, "Don’t know."

"Well then, do you know the best way to get there?"

Again, the farm hand thought a bit and said, "Don’t know."

"Look, can you just tell me where the nearest gas station is so I can pick up a map?"

"’Fraid I don’t know that either."

Frustrated, the man in the car snapped, "You don’t know much do you?"

To which the farm hand replied, "I’m not lost."

~~~

“Feeling sorry for yourself, and you present condition, is not only a waste of energy but the worst habit you could possibly have.”

Dale Carnegie

~~~

Stay well, do good work, and have fun.

 

Ray Mitchell

Indianapolis, Indiana

Management is not responsible for duplicates from previous dailies.

The editor is somewhat senile.

 

This daily is sent only to special people who want to start their day on an upbeat. If you have system overload because of our daily clutter, let me know and I will send you the information via mental telepathy. If you have not been getting our daily you can join at http://groups.google.com/group/Rays-Daily. Back issues are posted at http://raykiwsp.multiply.com/journal currently there are about 1500 readers from all over the world.

Category:

Uncategorized

Thank You!

I awoke this morning with devout thanksgiving for my friends, the old and the new.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

 

 

I hope your Thanksgiving (if you live in the U.S.) yesterday went at least as well as mine did. I added a pretty hefty cold to my blood loss recovery which took my mind off how slow I was getting back to normal. My lowered energy level also resulted in my wife taking over the kitchen and making a great dinner with all the traditional trimmings and all from scratch. As some of you know my wife gave up cooking after what at the time she thought was the half way point in our marriage, it actually was less than half but that’s good. I normally do all the cooking and grocery shopping in our house as we work share. The family was fortunate that she has not lost her touch and I benefitted by moping around feeling tired and woozy as I went through box after box of tissues, while they helped do the work. So besides everything else to be thankful for I also was grateful for a super meal that required no work on my part.

So thankfulness and gratitude is part of my healing process and as you can see from the article I edited below it has proven therapeutic value.

Creating Better Health from the Inside Out with Gratitude

Katherine Scherer and Eileen Bodoh.

Most of us become anxious when we are not feeling well. Our stability and security are threatened, and we become fearful. “What if I have to take off from work again?” or “How will I manage if I get sick?” are questions we may ask ourselves while feeling our anxiety build. Whether we are dealing with a serious illness or just an off day, it is important to eliminate stress as much as possible. A good way to do this is to tune in to gratitude. Gratitude, like other positive emotions, has an undeniable positive effect on our health and well-being.

“A distinguished emotions researcher recently commented that if a prize were given for the emotion most neglected by psychologists in a recently published book The Psychology of Gratitude. They report that grateful people are more optimistic, more satisfied with life, and have higher levels of vitality and lower levels of depression and stress. Gratitude research is beginning to suggest that feelings of thankfulness have tremendous positive value in helping people cope with daily problems, especially stress. It’s no secret that stress can make us sick, and it has even been suggested that it can kill. Researchers in the field of positive psychology are finding that positive emotions are far more important to mental health and physical well-being than scientists had ever realized.

When we are experiencing illness and discomfort, we do what we believe will help in our healing. We follow our doctors’ advice, take the prescribed medications, eat well, get plenty of rest, and try other nontraditional alternatives that promise to promote good health. But have we ever considered how important our thoughts are? Keeping our thoughts as positive as possible is critical because, generally, our thoughts precede our feelings. Positive emotions come from positive thoughts. When we think about what we are grateful for and it is something we truly value, we feel the positive emotion of gratitude.

Choosing to focus on the blessings in life and being grateful for them will help us stay positive. This doesn’t mean that we won’t ever have negative thoughts to deal with, but choosing to lift our thoughts higher with gratitude will help remove us from our victim status and empower us. Making the practice of gratitude a habit, even before we are under the weather, will help us stay well and get well sooner when we become ill.

There are always good reasons to be thankful, even if we don’t feel like it. At first, we may have to fake it until we make it. By deciding to say thank you enough, we may even find troublesome thoughts occurring less often for an added benefit. Gratitude is an antidote for depression.

There are many simple and enjoyable ways to practice gratitude. Waking up to gratitude by immediately giving thanks before we throw off the covers is a great way. This action alone can set the tone for the entire day. Another way is to begin a gratitude journal. Keeping a gratitude journal is as easy as starting a notebook in which we write down five things a day that we are grateful for. It helps us achieve a grateful state of mind. It shifts our focus away from what we don’t have to what we do have. It takes us from negative thinking to positive thinking in an instant, and we may be surprised at how much we find to be grateful for.

When we stop for a moment, look at our surroundings, and focus on our gifts, we realize how much we have to be grateful for. The gifts of hearing, sight, and clear thinking are invaluable, yet we often take them for granted. Family members and friends, nature and its beauty, and positive actions that improve our world are good examples of things to be grateful for. The list of things we have to be grateful for is endless, and the more we are grateful for, the more we will notice how much we have to be grateful for.

Because we have a natural tendency to focus on the negative, it is important to make a conscious effort to stay positive, and cultivating gratitude is one way to do this. The practice of gratitude has the power to turn our focus from our logical minds to the positive feelings we carry in our hearts. Why not practice gratitude until it becomes a habit?

* Make a commitment to be grateful every day.

* Find at least one person to say thank you to every day.

* Give thanks and praise for your loved ones every day.

* Send thank you notes more often.

* See the beauty in nature and be grateful for it.

* Look for the good in everything.

* Find a gratitude partner and share positive moments of gratitude.

* Take great care of yourself and choose to be grateful for all the gifts in your life.

~~~

Let us be grateful to people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom.

Marcel Proust

~~~

A Sunday school teacher was telling her class the story of the Good Samaritan, in which a man was beaten, robbed and left for dead.

She described the situation in vivid detail so her students would catch the drama. Then she asked the class, "If you saw a person lying on the roadside all wounded and bleeding, what would you do?"

A thoughtful little girl broke the hushed silence, "I think I’d throw up!"

~~~

Happiness is the delicate balance between what one is and what one has.

F. H. Denison

~~~

A woman in her late 80s decides to move to Miami. As part of her preparations, she goes to see her doctor to get all of her charts.

The doctor asks her how she is doing, and she gives him the litany of complaints: "This hurts," "That’s stiff," "I’m tired and slow" and so on.

"You have to expect things to start deteriorating," the doctor says sympathetically. "After all, who wants to live to 100?"

The woman looks him straight in the eye. "Anyone who’s 99."

~~~

Support bacteria – they’re the only culture some people have.

~~~

A lady golfer visits a driving range to tone up before a game. She is about to drive her first ball off the mat when she notices the man next to her.

"Pardon me, sir" she said. "You are aiming in the wrong direction – back towards the golf shop."

"Oy! – tanks for dat. Vitout you, I vouldn’t know. I’m blind."

He then turned around and started hitting out into the range. After a few minutes, he asked the lady how he was doing.

"Not bad." she answered. "Most of your shots are straight and fairly long. Only a few of them are slicing."

"Tanks, again, Miss. " he replied. "Vitout you telling, I vouldn’t know dese tings."

A few shots later, he inquired again. "Do you mind I should ask a poisonal qvestion?"

"Not at all," she replied.

"I don’t do vell vit the ladies. Am I ugly or fett?"

"You’re quite presentable," she replied. "I don’t think that should be a problem."

Smiling now, he exulted, "Vat a relief. I vas always afraid to ask. Again, I got to tank you."

He was about to hit another ball when the girl interrupted him. "Do you mind if I give you a bit of advice?" she asked.

"Vit gladness. All the help you got I vill take." He answered.

"Lose the Jewish accent." she replied. "You’re Chinese."

~~~

Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos into order, confusion into clarity…. It turns problems into gifts, failures into success, the unexpected into perfect timing, and mistakes into important events. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today and creates a vision for tomorrow.

Melodie Beattie

~~~

Stay well, do good work, and have fun.

 

Ray Mitchell

 Indianapolis, Indiana

 Management is not responsible for duplicates from previous dailies.

The editor is somewhat senile.

 

This daily is sent only to special people who want to start their day on an upbeat. If you have system overload because of our daily clutter, let me know and I will send you the information via mental telepathy. If you have not been getting our daily you can join at http://groups.google.com/group/Rays-Daily. Back issues are posted at http://raykiwsp.multiply.com/journal currently there are about 1500 readers from all over the world.

Category:

Life

Thanks for being there

I do not think of all the misery, but of the glory that remains. Go outside into the fields, nature and the sun, go out and seek happiness in yourself and in God. Think of the beauty that again and again discharges itself within and without you and be happy.

Anne Frank

 

 

As most of you know tomorrow is Thanksgiving Day here in the United States. It is a national holiday, a day that provides us the opportunity to review our blessings and good fortune and to be grateful for all we have. It may be difficult for some to look beyond their troubles during these trying times to see that in most cases as difficult that life can be we survive and enjoy the basics everyday. I know in my case my health has been challenging on more than one occasion this year creating lengthy hospital stays with extended periods of recovery, yet they have not resulted in permanent damage and just getting through them is in itself worthy of my gratitude.

We, like so many others don’t have as much as we did a few years ago, but we have enough. As I count my blessings I realize that this year I made even more special friends which is worth more than almost anything else in life. I also have the great good fortune of having healthy, thriving children and grandchildren close by who enrich my life on a regular basis. Yes the challenges have been great but overcoming them has been exhilarating. I have had the good fortune this year to learn more than in most years of my life which has allowed me to see things I missed far too often in the past. While this year has included the loss of some respected friends I know they lived full lives and I am grateful that they were part of my life.

I find that it helps me to recognize all I have been given on a regular basis; just stopping to take inventory of the good things is enough for me to realize just how great my life really is. For me Thanksgiving allows me to store the previous twelve months in my memory as I prepare to start again to play on life’s stage for another year collecting good friends and pleasant memories.

I hope you don’t mind if I applaud your performance once in awhile for each of you adds luster to my day as I send off our Daily. I won’t send you one tomorrow as I’ll be with most of my family enjoying the traditional Thanksgiving feast.

So Happy Thanksgiving one and all and let me wish you the very best for tomorrow and beyond.

~~~

"When asked if my cup is half-full or half-empty my only response is that I am thankful I have a cup."

Sam Lefkowitz

~~~

Eleven Step Guide to Being Handy Around the House

1. If you can’t find a screwdriver, use a knife. If you break off the tip, it’s an improved screwdriver.

2. Try to work alone. An audience is rarely any help.

3. Despite what you may have been told by your mother, praying and cursing are both helpful in home repair ……. but only if you are working alone.

4. Work in the kitchen whenever you can …many fine tools are there, its warm and dry, and you are close to the refrigerator.

5. If it’s electronic, get a new one …or consult a ten-year-old.

6. Stay simple minded: Get a new battery; replace the bulb or fuse; see if the tank is empty; try turning it to the ‘on’ switch; or just paint over it.

7. Always take credit for miracles. If you dropped the alarm clock while taking it apart and it suddenly starts working, you have healed it.

8. Regardless of what people say, kicking, pounding, and throwing sometimes DOES help.

9. If something looks level, it is level.

10. If at first you don’t succeed, redefine success.

11. Above all, if what you’ve done is stupid, but it works, then it isn’t stupid.

~~~

If the only prayer you said in your whole life was, "thank you," that would suffice.

Meister Eckhart

~~~

A guy once wandered into a Jewish restaurant and ordered roast chicken. It arrived complete with potatoes and a few sundries, and the diner looked at it without much favor. He said to the waiter, "Don’t I get a green vegetable?"

And the waiter said, "And what color is the pickle? Purple?"

~~~

Good judgment comes from experience, and often experience comes from bad judgment.

Rita Mae Brown

~~~

A Mom and Dad went to a restaurant one evening. Dad was about halfway finishing his meal when took a hard look at the potato.

He called the waitress and said, "This potato is bad."

The waitress picked it up, smacked it, and put it back on the plate, then said,

“If that potato causes any more trouble just let me know.”

~~~

An optimist is a person who starts a new diet on Thanksgiving Day.

Irv Kupcinet

~~~

I have a spelling checker,

It came with my PC;

It plainly marks four my revue,

Mistakes I cannot sea.

I’ve run this poem threw it,

I’m sure your please to no,

Its letter perfect in it’s weigh,

My checker tolled me sew.

~~~

"I like life. It’s something to do."

Ronnie Shakes

~~~

One day, a mechanical engineer, electrical engineer, chemical engineer, and computer engineer were driving down the street in the same car when it broke down.

The mechanical engineer said, "I think a rod broke."

The chemical engineer said, "The way it sputtered at the end, I think it’s not getting enough gas."

The electrical engineer said, "I think there was a spark and something’s wrong with the electrical system."

All three turned to the computer engineer and said, "What do you think?"

The computer engineer said, "I think we should all get out and then get back in."

~~~

We can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures.

Thornton Wilder

~~~

Coming through the door after school one day, Little Johnny hollers out, "Okay, everyone in the house, please be advised that I, Little Johnny, have on this date made a complete fool of myself in sex education class by repeating stories concerning storks as told to me by certain parties residing in this house!"

~~~

As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.

John Fitzgerald Kennedy

~~~

Stay well, do good work, and have fun.

 

Ray Mitchell

 Indianapolis, Indiana

Management is not responsible for duplicates from previous dailies.

The editor is somewhat senile.

 

This daily is sent only to special people who want to start their day on an upbeat. If you have system overload because of our daily clutter, let me know and I will send you the information via mental telepathy. If you have not been getting our daily you can join at http://groups.google.com/group/Rays-Daily. Back issues are posted at http://raykiwsp.multiply.com/journal currently there are about 1500 readers from all over the world.

Category:

Life

I’m restarting!

It does not matter how deep you fall, what matters is how high you bounce back.

Unknown

 

 

One of the things I really enjoy is lunching with my grandchildren. My second oldest grandson and I have been getting together most Mondays lately and it is always a stimulating experience. He is a University student that carries a full load while working lots of hours at a local Target store. Mondays is his day off which he uses for study, other pursuits, and often time with me. Since I am still in recuperation mode he picked me up yesterday and we spent our usual lunch time discussing his latest literary endeavors as well as how he is approaching some of his current assignments. What always impresses me is that he does more than just learn and memorize, he discovers. He is one of the few students I have ever met who gets so into his assignments that he usually has much more than is required and must edit his research and thoughts down to the assigned essay length. He seems to discover more than is required, discovers nuance that triggers analytical thought while discovering a lot about himself. Fortunately he shares some of this with me and lo and behold I discover more about myself in the process.

Yesterday we also talked about my getting my strength and energy back and what I was going to do about my backlog. I got back from the hospital with hundreds of e-mails, about a dozen weekly and monthly magazines and a large number of think tank and informational bulletins. In the past I felt like I had to read them all, distribute key informational pieces to my Public Affairs list subscribers and take action where warranted. After talking with my grandson I decided not to do that this time so some of the weekly magazines have been only briefly skimmed and hundreds of e-mails have been deleted unread. I tried to be careful not to delete anything important but if you sent me something that required action you may want to resend it. In effect I think I have finally learned that coming off an extended hospital stay only to face the burden of a large self imposed backlog is not only non-therapeutic, it is dumb. So I am not going to look at the next few days as burdensome but rather as time to rejoice in returning to wellness and taking a short mental vacation. Yippee!

Our old friend Ralph Marston had this to say about picking yourself up and getting on with life.

Recovery time

Everyone has setbacks. The key to successfully dealing with them is to recover quickly and get back on track. Sure, there’s a tendency to feel sorry for yourself, to complain, and to imagine all the terrible things that can happen. These things may feel good in some strange way, and they’re useful in moderation. But they won’t get you where you’re going.

The longer you take to mentally recover from your setbacks, the worse you make them. You can’t prevent negative things from happening, but you can decide how much power they will have over your life.

When you experience a setback, put it in perspective. It won’t look so bad when viewed in the overall context of your life. Look for ways to turn the problem into an opportunity. Maybe other people experience the same problem. Look for what you can learn from it. There’s almost always some positive aspect to everything. And make adjustments so that it won’t happen again. Take positive action instead of continuing to feel sorry for yourself.

It helps if you have a clear direction and focus, and a plan of action for your life. Then, instead of wallowing in self pity when setbacks come, you can get right back to work and leave them far behind.

~~~

“The hardest thing you can do is smile when you are ill, in pain, or depressed. But this no-cost remedy is a necessary first half-step if you are to start on the road to recovery.”

Allen Klein

~~~

Answers given by 2nd grade school children to the following questions:

Why did God make mothers?

1. She’s the only one who knows where the sticky tape is.

2. Mostly to clean the house.

3. To help us out of there when we were getting born.

How did God make mothers?

1. He used dirt, just like for the rest of us.

2. Magic plus super powers and a lot of stirring.

3. God made my Mum just the same like he made me. He just used bigger parts.

Why did God give you your mother and not some other Mum?

1. We’re related.

2. God knew she likes me a lot more than other people’s Mums like me.

What kind of little girl was your Mum?

1. My Mum has always been my Mum and none of that other stuff

2. I don’t know because I wasn’t there, but my guess would be pretty bossy.

3. They say she used to be nice.

Why did your Mum marry your Dad?

1. My Dad makes the best spaghetti in the world. And my Mum eats a lot.

2. She got too old to do anything else with him.

3. My Grandma says that Mum didn’t have her thinking cap on.

Who’s the boss at your house?

1. Mum doesn’t want to be boss, but she has to because dad’s such a goof ball.

2. Mum. You can tell by room inspection. She sees the stuff under the bed.

3. I guess Mum is, but only because she has a lot more to do than Dad.

What’s the difference between Mums & Dads?

1. Mums work at work and work at home and Dads just go to work at work.

2. Mums know how to talk to teachers without scaring them.

3. Dads are taller & stronger, but Mums have all the real power ’cause that’s who you got to ask if you want to sleep over at your friend’s.

4. Mums have magic, they make you feel better without medicine.

If you could change one thing about your Mum, what would it be?

1. She has this weird thing about me keeping my room clean. I’d get rid of that.

2. I’d make my Mum smarter. Then she would know it was my sister who did it and not me.

3. I would like for her to get rid of those invisible eyes on the back of her head.

~~~

The best thing about getting old is that all those things you couldn’t have when you were young you no longer want.

~~~

The other day I saw two dogs walk over to a parking meter.

One of them says to the other, "How do you like that? Pay toilets!"

~~~

I’m not an organ donor, but I once gave an old piano to the Salvation Army.

~~~

It was a stifling hot day and a man fainted in the middle of a busy intersection. Traffic quickly piled up in all directions, and a woman rushed to help him. When she knelt down to loosen his collar, a man emerged from the crowd, pushed her aside, and said, "It’s all right honey, I’ve had a course in first aid."

The woman stood up and watched as he took the ill man’s pulse and prepared to administer artificial respiration. At this point she tapped him on the shoulder and said, "When you get to the part about calling a doctor, I’m already here."

~~~

Some people are always grumbling because roses have thorns. I am thankful that thorns have roses.

Allophones Karr

~~~

The new bride went crying to her mother. "Momma, I can’t get my husband to do anything. I want him to fix up the house, and he keeps putting it off."

"Honey," her mother replied, "after being married to your father for twenty-six years, I’ve found the only way to get him to do anything is to tell him he’s too old."

~~~

Reflect on your present blessings, of which every man has many; not on your past misfortunes, of which all men have some.

Charles Dickens

~~~

Stay well, do good work, and have fun.

 

Ray Mitchell

Indianapolis, Indiana

 Management is not responsible for duplicates from previous dailies.

The editor is somewhat senile.

 

This daily is sent only to special people who want to start their day on an upbeat. If you have system overload because of our daily clutter, let me know and I will send you the information via mental telepathy. If you have not been getting our daily you can join at http://groups.google.com/group/Rays-Daily. Back issues are posted at http://raykiwsp.multiply.com/journal currently there are about 1500 readers from all over the world.

Category:

Life

I have a good excuse, I was in Intensive Care!

Nurses dispense comfort, compassion, and caring without even a prescription.

Val Saintsbury

 

 

 

I am sorry that there were no Dailies after last Monday, I have a good excuse. On November 6th I had minor Colon surgery and then last Monday, ten days later the surgical site opened and I began losing blood. I was taken to the hospital emergency room where they verified that I was having a major problem and admitted me to the hospital. When I arrived my Hemoglobin level was 11 (normal is 13 to 17) and my blood pressure was 153 over 80, a little high for me but not that much. By 3 AM my hemoglobin had dropped to 5 and my blood pressure fell to 85 over 43 leaving me semiconcious. They started blood and plasma transfusions and moved me to intensive care where they continued the transfusions. They had to get my blood thinners neutralized which they did via vitamin K supplements and the coagulation enhancers in the plasma. By Tuesday afternoon they had gotten my blood to where they could go into the colon and repair the wound. In total I think I got about seven pints of blood and five pints of plasma and it seemed like gallons of saline solution, at one time I had IV’s pumping fluids into both arms.

I was able to have chicken broth and Jello on Wednesday and was able to eat a little real food on Friday and Saturday. My hemoglobin got up to 9.9 Saturday afternoon so they let me come home to recuperate. My blood pressure is a little out of whack as they had to take me off my blood pressure medication when it was low and then move me to increased dosages when it swung back to very high but I am to do follow-up with my Cardiologist and primary Physician to solve that problem.

All in all it was a memorable week, one of which I don’t want to repeat. I again benefitted by a great medical team, especially the nurses, both in ICU and in the Hospital med/surg wing. I am fortunate that I have Medicare and supplemental insurance for I know my previous medical problems and this event would have left us penniless, I also don’t know that I would have made it if I didn’t have a well staffed major medical facility nearby.

So my friends I am on the mend and there is no reason to believe that I won’t return to normal soon. They did say it will take a little time to get back up to speed but that it is OK for it is Thanksgiving week and many rest anyway. For me this Thanksgiving will be special for I again realize just how much reason I have to be thankful. For those of you outside of my country Thanksgiving is a national Holiday in the US which gives our citizens the opportunity to take time to reflect on our good fortune.

As you know I often tell folks to stay well, trust me it is much better to do that than the alternative. Please don’t take your good health for granted, appreciate it, nurture it and always fare well.

~~~

By the way I got so much blood I don’t know my nationality anymore. I have had a craving for corned beef so I may be Irish or Jewish or both.

~~~

Nurses are to their patients, as Angels are to God’s work.

They intervene in times of danger, to provide protection.

They guide when darkness clouds the way, to assure safety.

They comfort when life’s difficulties become to great…to instill peace.

Nurses, like Angels, minister unto the one in need.

May we learn to acknowledge their presence.

A special thank you to all nurses for their healing touch on humanity.

They are a gift from above, for the souls of this Earth.

E. V. Stankowski

~~~

The waiter at a Jewish Deli serves his customer a whitefish. As he’s walking away he overhears his customer talking to the fish. Soon the customer is deep in conversation with his lunch. "So what’s the deal here," says the waiter. "You plan on eating it or taking it home and marrying it?

"We’re just schmoozing," says the customer. "Turns out the fish is from Great Neck Bay. I used to live there.  So I was asking him how things are back in Great Neck.

"Sure, so what did he say?" asked the waiter.

"He said, ‘How should I know? I ain’t been there in years!

~~~

"McDonald’s ‘breakfast for under a dollar’ actually costs much more that that. You have to factor in the cost of coronary bypass surgery."

George Carlin

~~~

It’s not my place to run the train

The whistle I cannot blow

It’s not my place to say how far

The train is allowed to go

It’s not my place to shoot off steam

Nor even clang the bell

But let the damn thing

Jump the track

And see who catches hell!!!

~~~

Behind every successful man is a surprised woman.

Maryon Pearson

~~~

Strategies For Making People Fall In Love With You:

 

·       "Tell them that you own a whole bunch of candy stores." — Del, age 6

·       "Shake your hips and hope for the best." — Camille, age 9

·       "Yell out that you love them at the top of your lungs…and don’t worry if their parents are right there." — Manuel, age 8

·       "Don’t do things like have smelly, green sneakers. You might get attention, but attention ain’t the same thing as love." — Alonzo, age 9

·       "One way is to take the girl out to eat. Make sure it’s something she likes to eat. French fries usually works for me." — Bart, age 9

~~~

Husband: Now that we are married, perhaps I can point out a few of your defects.

Wife: Don’t bother, dear, I know all about them.  It’s those defects that kept me from getting a better man than you.

~~~

The severity of the itch is proportional to the reach.

~~~

The boyfriend said, "We’re going to have a GREAT time Saturday. I’ve gotten three tickets for the big game." "Why do we need three ?" asked the girl. "They’re for your Father, Mother, and kid sister." he replied.

~~~

The great man is he who has not lost the heart of a child.

Mencius

~~~

Farmer McCarthy lived for many years with only his dog for a companion. One sad day he found his dog dead from old age. He went to his parish priest and asked if services could be said for his dog.

The good father said "oh no, we can’t have services for a dog here, but there’s a new church down the street that might be wiling."

"Father do you think $50,000 might be enough of a donation?" asked farmer McCarthy.

"Well man, why didn’t me your dog was a catholic!!!?"

~~~

"Start living now. Stop saving the good china for that special occasion. Stop withholding your love until that special person materializes. Every day you are alive is a special occasion. Every minute, every breath, is a gift from God."

Mary Manin Morrissey

~~~

Stay well, do good work, and have fun.

 

Ray Mitchell

Indianapolis, Indiana

Management is not responsible for duplicates from previous dailies.

The editor is somewhat senile.

 

This daily is sent only to special people who want to start their day on an upbeat. If you have system overload because of our daily clutter, let me know and I will send you the information via mental telepathy. If you have not been getting our daily you can join at http://groups.google.com/group/Rays-Daily. Back issues are posted at http://raykiwsp.multiply.com/journal currently there are about 1500 readers from all over the world.

Category:

Life

Confucius said….

To be able under all circumstances to practice five things constitutes perfect virtue; these five things are gravity, generosity of soul, sincerity, earnestness and kindness.

Confucius

 

 

 

I had the good fortune to attend a lecture and discussion last week on Confucianism. It was an excellent program and reminded me of the wisdom imparted by Confucius over the centuries. It was also helpful for the attendees to be reminded that Confucianism is not a traditional religion but a guide for living. In fact it is not mutually exclusive with organized religion; you can be a Christian, Jew or Muslim and benefit from the precepts of Confucius.

For me it is its belief that cooperation and harmony are worthwhile goals and that adversarial relationships result in non-productive conflict. I think that in today’s highly partisan society we would benefit with more cooperative problem solving than we ever will by battling against each other.

A few things from the Analects which were communicated via the writings of Confucius’ disciples that hit home for me are:

“The Master said, A gentleman who never goes on eating until he is sated, who does not demand comfort in his home, who is diligent in business and cautious in speech, who associates with those that possess the Way and thereby corrects his own faults – such a one may indeed be said to have a taste for learning.”

To me this reminds us that if we spend all our time in material pursuits we will have little time to enrich our lives and benefit from the wisdom of others. It also reminds me that having the biggest house or biggest TV does not make me a better person.

 

“The Master said, (the good man) does not grieve that other people do not recognize his merits. His only anxiety is lest he should fail to recognize theirs.”

I can think of few things in life more important than “to thine own self be true.” I believe that it is I who must establish my values and then live up to them. We should strive to be able to end each day and look back and say “I did the best I could and I did it well.” It is when I strive for the approval of others, feeling that their values are superior to my own that I can stray from what I might become. I also believe that each of us has a duty to recognize the good works of others, learn from them and make sure that they know we appreciate what they do.

Of course there is much more of the wisdom of Confucius that is worth our time. I know I’ll again revisit his teachings for I can use all the help I can get.

Ray

~~~

Before you embark on a journey of revenge, dig two graves.

Confucius

~~~

Q: What is it when a man talks nasty to a woman?

A: Sexual harassment.

Q: What is it when a woman talks nasty to a man?

A: $3.99 a minute.

~~~

Better a diamond with a flaw than a pebble without.

Confucius

~~~

Lefkowitz was a very pious old man, who had lived his life according to the Commandments, never asking anything, always giving to others. Finally, wanting to have something for himself, and to experience the other side of life, he began to pray to God.

"Lord", he said, "All my life I have tried to be good, to follow all your Laws and Commandments, and to always help others, never asking anything for myself when I have prayed to you.  Now that I am old, I am finally asking for something for myself. All that I want is to win the Lottery, so I can have a comfortable old age."

For year after year, he repeated this prayer, and nothing would happen.  Finally, in despair, he again prayed to God, saying  "Why have you abandoned me?  Is this all I am to have in life?  All I have ever asked you for is to just once to win the Lottery. What have I done wrong that you punish me this way?"

And an aggravated voice boomed down from the heavens, saying, in exasperation,   "Lefkowitz, BUY A TICKET ALREADY!!!"

~~~

If I am walking with two other men, each of them will serve as my teacher. I will pick out the good points of the one and imitate them, and the bad points of the other and correct them in myself.

Confucius

~~~

Signs That You Live In 2009

1. You just tried to enter your password on the microwave.

2. You call your son’s beeper to let him know it’s time to eat, he emails you back from his bedroom.

3. Your daughter sells Girl Scout cookies via her web site.

4. You chat several times a day with a stranger from South Africa, but you haven’t spoken with your next door neighbor yet this year.

5. Your grandmother asks you to send her a JPEG file of your newborn so she can create a screen saver.

6. You pull up in your own driveway and use your cell phone to see if anyone is home.

7. Leaving the house without your cell phone, which you didn’t have the first 20-50 years of your life, is cause for panic and turning around to go get it.

8. Cleaning up the dining room means getting the fast food bags out of the back seat of your car.

9. You hear most of your jokes via e-mail instead of in person.

10. You’re reading this.

~~~

It is more shameful to distrust our friends than to be deceived by them.

Confucius

~~~

An old Jewish man and a young Jewish man are traveling on the train. The young man asks: "Excuse me, what time is it?" The old man does not answer. "Excuse me, sir, what time is it?"

The old man keeps silent.

"Sir, I’m asking you what time is it. Why don’t you answer?!"

The old man says: "Son, the next stop is the last on this route. I don’t know you, so you must be a stranger. If I answer you now, I’ll have to invite you to my home. You’re handsome, and I have a beautiful daughter. You will both fall in love and you will want to get married. So tell me, why would I need a son-in-law who can’t even afford a watch?"

~~~

Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.

Confucius

~~~

"I think a really funny joke would be for NASA to send up rockets and push a bunch of planets out of alignment. Then they could sit back and laugh when everyone realizes that their horoscopes aren’t coming true."

Eric Presbrey

~~~

It is better to light one small candle than to curse the darkness.

Confucius

~~~

Stay well, do good work, and have fun.

 

Ray Mitchell

 Indianapolis, Indiana

 Management is not responsible for duplicates from previous dailies.

The editor is somewhat senile.

 

This daily is sent only to special people who want to start their day on an upbeat. If you have system overload because of our daily clutter, let me know and I will send you the information via mental telepathy. If you have not been getting our daily you can join at http://groups.google.com/group/Rays-Daily. Back issues are posted at http://raykiwsp.multiply.com/journal currently there are about 1500 readers from all over the world.

Category:

Life

I’d rather be a helpful consultant than a critic

In each family a story is playing itself out, and each family’s story embodies its hope and despair.

Auguste Napier:

 

 

 

This is a big weekend for me as I will spend much of it with three of my older grandsons. One will be arriving by bus from his college in another state this afternoon and he has asked me to join him for lunch and a movie tomorrow that he thinks we will both enjoy. I’ll be taking him back to the bus station for his return to school early Sunday morning. His cousin, another of my grandsons who is a recent University graduate will join me to pick him up today and we will all dine together this evening. Tomorrow still another grandson, who is also a college student, will join us for lunch and conversation.

Each of these young men is facing the adjustments that come from leaving childhood behind just as we did years ago. For many it is not easy, the pain from breakups is real, the challenges that come from making academic choices and planning for a career is often difficult. Many times it is hard for us who are older to understand the world in which our children live these days. It is hard for them, but it is also hard for those of us who care for them. We love them so much that we want nothing but the best for them so we sometimes provide too much advice and even insist that they see the world through our eyes. In my experience that does not work very well, I know it never worked when my mother tried to set me straight more than a half century ago. Unfortunately I even find that we sometimes treat them with less courtesy than we treat a stranger.

I have yet to find a situation where my judgmental criticism that resulted in my telling others what to do works very well. I do much better if I listen to what they say and how they feel with sincere interest. All I can offer on occasion is one or more things that might be helpful if considered. Each of my grandsons has issues and challenges and I feel truly blessed that they are willing to share them with me and that we can occasionally brainstorm as we search together for answers.

You know it is really not easy growing up but it is also hard for us who are older to realize that children become adults and like the bird on its maiden flight they may stumble a few times but they learn. I want to be there to hold out a hand if they need help up, I want to be there to cheer as they move on and I want to continue to appreciate that they care enough about me to let me into their lives.

I just wish I had been a better father to my own kids when they were growing up but unfortunately I thought I was a lot wiser than I really was and that I was obligated to try to impose my solutions on their problems. Sadly I also often let my job take priority which left me little time to listen.

I am proud of each of my seven grandchildren; each one is special in their own way. I also know their parents are pretty good people so I am optimistic that they will all grow up well so they can help make our world a better place for us all.

~~~

Govern a family as you would cook a small fish – very gently.

Chinese Proverb

~~~

A few helpful rules:

While playing a round of golf, never shout out your score in a loud voice to your partner – especially if you happen to get a four.

If you are on the road trying to get somewhere in a hurry, do not get behind a minivan or ANY vehicle that sports Kentucky license plates. Especially do not get behind any minivan from Kentucky.

Never make up pet names for your lover which cannot be repeated on an airport’s public address system. "Would Mr. Snookeybear Blair please report to the reservations desk … Mr. Snookeybear Blair!"

~~~

Just when I was getting used to yesterday, along came today.

~~~

Being an Evil Overlord seems to be a good career choice. It pays well, there are all sorts of perks and you can set your own hours. However, every Evil Overlord I’ve read about in books or seen in movies invariably gets overthrown and destroyed in the end. I’ve noticed that no matter whether they are barbarian lords, deranged wizards, mad scientists or alien invaders, they always seem to make the same basic mistakes every single time. Therefore, if I ever happen to become an Evil Overlord:

1.  My Legions of Terror will have helmets with clear Plexiglas visors, not face-concealing ones.

2.  My ventilation ducts will be too small to crawl through.

3.  My noble half-brother whose throne I usurped will be killed, not kept anonymously imprisoned in a forgotten cell of my dungeon.

4.  Shooting is not too good for my enemies.

5.  The artifact which is the source of my power will not be kept on the Mountain of Despair beyond the River of Fire guarded by the Dragons of Eternity. It will be in my safe-deposit box. The same applies to the object which is my one weakness.

6.  I will not gloat over my enemies’ predicament before killing them.

7.  When I’ve captured my adversary and he says, "Look, before you kill me, will you at least tell me what this is all about?" I’ll say, "No." and shoot him. No, on second thought I’ll shoot him then say "No."

8.  After I kidnap the beautiful princess, we will be married immediately in a quiet civil ceremony, not a lavish spectacle in three weeks’ time during which the final phase of my plan will be carried out.

9.  I will not include a self-destruct mechanism unless absolutely necessary. If it is necessary, it will not be a large red button labeled "Danger: Do Not Push". The big red button marked "Do Not Push" will instead trigger a spray of bullets on anyone stupid enough to disregard it. Similarly, the ON/OFF switch will not clearly be labeled as such.

10. I will not interrogate my enemies in the inner sanctum — a small hotel well outside my borders will work just as well.

~~~

A little ignorance can go a long way.

~~~

He said:

Women love to shop. It is the one area of the world where they feel like they’re actually in control.

Women especially love a bargain. The question of "need" is irrelevant, so don’t bother pointing it out. Anything on sale is fair game.

Women never have anything to wear. Don’t question the racks of clothes in the closet; you "just don’t understand".

Women need to cry. And they won’t do it alone unless they know you can hear them.

Women will always ask questions that have no right answer, in an effort to trap you into feeling guilty.

~~~

If nobody measures up, check your yardstick.

~~~

Unaware that Indianapolis is on Eastern Standard Time and Chicago on Central Standard Time, Bob inquired at the Indianapolis airport about a plane to Chicago.

"The next flight leaves at 1:00 p.m.," a ticket agent said, "and arrives in Chicago at 1:01 p.m."

"Would you repeat that, please?"  Bob asked.

The agent did so and then inquired, "Do you want a ticket?"

"No," said Bob, "But I think I’ll hang around and watch that thing take off."

~~~

Never take life seriously. Nobody gets out alive, anyway.

~~~

When the new patient was settled comfortably on the couch, the psychiatrist began his therapy session.  "I’m not aware of your problem," the doctor said.  "So perhaps, you should start at the very beginning."

"Of course," replied the patient.  "In the beginning, I created the Heavens and the Earth…"

~~~

I have found the best way to give advice to your children is to find out what they want and then advise them to do it.

Harry S Truman

~~~

Stay well, do good work, and have fun.

 

Ray Mitchell

 Indianapolis, Indiana

 Management is not responsible for duplicates from previous dailies.

The editor is somewhat senile.

 

This daily is sent only to special people who want to start their day on an upbeat. If you have system overload because of our daily clutter, let me know and I will send you the information via mental telepathy. If you have not been getting our daily you can join at http://groups.google.com/group/Rays-Daily. Back issues are posted at http://raykiwsp.multiply.com/journal currently there are about 1500 readers from all over the world.

Category:

Life

HELP!!!

To do anything truly worth doing, I must not stand back shivering and thinking of the cold and danger, but jump in with gusto and scramble through as well as I can.

Og Mandino

 

 

 

Yesterday I heard the head of our Central Indiana United Way share her concerns about our community in the months and even years ahead. The headlines that morning said the State was going to have to cut significant support of programs helping the poor, unemployed, sick and elderly. This is happening at a time when philanthropic organizations have seen their endowments shrink by an average of over 25% and philanthropic donations fall because of the economy. What makes things even more frightening is that our ability to provide support to those in needs generally lag a return to normal employment levels by as much as two years. This is especially worrisome when many predict we will see high level unemployment for at least two more years. There is also great concern for what will happen when the stimulus money that is supporting social services dries up in the next year or so.

The bottom line is that our support systems are going to fall far short of the need. We can no longer rationalize our lack of involvement because we think those in need are undeserving of our help. We all know good folks have always paid their bills, worked hard and where good citizens and who have now have lost much and in some cases everything. It is a time when we are all needed; it is a time when we must help address the needs of our fellow man, for if we don’t there we be no one else there to do so. We just can’t afford to wait for another family to lose everything and then have no place to go for food, shelter and sustenance. The price we will pay for procrastination is just too high.

Here is a favorite piece written by Og Mandino offers us the opportunity to add luster to our lives through what we do for others, not tomorrow but today.

 

Live this Day

"Live this day as if it will be your last. Remember that you will only find "tomorrow" on the calendars of fools. Forget yesterday’s defeats and ignore the problems of tomorrow. This is it. Doomsday. All you have. Make it the best day of your year.

The saddest words you can ever utter are, "If I had my life to live over again." Take the baton, now. Run with it! This is your day!

Beginning today, treat everyone you meet, friend or foe, loved one or stranger, as if they were going to be dead at midnight. Extend to each person, no matter how trivial the contact, all the care and kindness and understanding and love that you can muster, and do it with no thought of any reward. Your life will never be the same again."

Og Mandino (1923 – 1996)

After being a U.S. pilot during World War II, Og Mandino worked as a magazine editor. After publishing The Greatest Salesman in the World in 1968, he became one of the most popular motivational speakers in the United States.

~~~

Act now. For now is all you have.

~~~

A man lay sprawled across three entire seats in the posh theater.

When the usher came by and noticed this, he whispered to the man, "Sorry, sir, but you’re only allowed one seat."

The man groaned but didn’t budge.

The usher became impatient.  "Sir, if you don’t get up from there I’m going to have to call the manager."

Again, the man just groaned, which infuriated the usher who turned and marched briskly back up the aisle in search of his manager.

In a few moments, both the usher and the manager returned and stood over the man.  The two of them tried repeatedly to move him, but with no success.  Finally, they summoned the police.  The cop surveyed the situation briefly then asked," All right buddy, what’s your name?"

"Sam," the man moaned "Where ya from, Sam?"

With pain in his voice Sam replied "the balcony."

~~~

"I’ve been on so many blind dates, I should get a free dog."

Wendy Liebman

~~~

"What’s the usual tip?" a man growled when, Jason, a college boy delivered his pizza.

"Well," Jason replied, "this is my first delivery, but the other guys said that if I got a quarter out of you, I’d be doing great."

"Is that so?" grunted the man. "In that case, here’s five dollars."

"Thanks," Jason said, "I’ll put it in my college fund."

"By the way, what are you studying?"  questioned the man.

Jason replied, "Reverse psychology…"

~~~

"A keen sense of humor helps us to overlook the unbecoming, understand the unconventional, tolerate the unpleasant, overcome the unexpected, and outlast the unbearable."

Billy Graham

~~~

A golfer who was well into his golden years had a lifelong ambition to play one hole at Pebble Beach, California, the way the pros do it. The pros drive the ball out over the water onto the green that is on a spit of land that juts out off the coast.

It was something he had tried hundreds of times without success. His ball always fell short, into the water. Because of this he never used a new ball on this particular hole. He always picked out one that had a cut or a nick.

One year he went out to Pebble Beach to try again. When he came to the fateful hole, he teed up an old cut ball and said a silent prayer. Before he hit it, however, a powerful voice from above said: WAIT … REPLACE THAT OLD BALL WITH A BRAND-NEW BALL. He complied, with  some slight misgiving, despite the fact that the Lord seemed to be implying that He was going to let him finally achieve his lifelong ambition.

As he stepped up to the tee once more, the voice came down again: WAIT … STEP BACK … TAKE A PRACTICE SWING. So he stepped back and took a practice swing. The voice boomed out again: TAKE ANOTHER PRACTICE SWING. He did. Silence followed. Then the voice spoke out again: PUT BACK THE OLD BALL.

~~~

A husband said to his wife, "No, I don’t hate your relatives.  In fact, I like your mother-in-law better than I like mine."

~~~

An old man goes to his doctor, complaining about a pain in his leg that doesn’t heal and wants a diagnosis and explanation.  The doctor checks out his leg, but can’t find anything wrong.  So he gives the old guy a full physical exam, and still can’t come up with any possible explanation for the pain.

The doctor hands the patient his bill and says, "I’m sorry but the pain in your leg is simply caused by old age, there’s nothing I can do about it."

The old man replies with a look of disbelief, "That’s impossible! That can’t be!

"The Doctor says, "What do you mean? I’m the expert here; if you know so much, how can you say it’s NOT old age?"

The patient answers, "I’m no doctor but it doesn’t take a medical degree to tell that your diagnosis is wrong.  Clearly you’re mistaken.  After all my other leg feels just fine."

"So what?" says the doctor "What difference does that make?"

"Well it doesn’t hurt a bit, and it’s the SAME AGE!"

~~~

I can accomplish far more than I have, and I will, for why would the miracle which produced me end with my birth? Why can I not extend that miracle to my deeds of today?

Og Mandino

~~~

Stay well, do good work, and have fun.

 

Ray Mitchell

 Indianapolis, Indiana

 Management is not responsible for duplicates from previous dailies.

The editor is somewhat senile.

 

This daily is sent only to special people who want to start their day on an upbeat. If you have system overload because of our daily clutter, let me know and I will send you the information via mental telepathy. If you have not been getting our daily you can join at http://groups.google.com/group/Rays-Daily. Back issues are posted at http://raykiwsp.multiply.com/journal currently there are about 1500 readers from all over the world.

Category:

Life

Peace be with you

I dream of giving birth to a child who will ask, "Mother, what was war?"

Eve Merriam

 

 

 

I am off early this morning to a full day of activities so I’ll be using another reprint. I will not be joining in any Veteran’s Day activities; my Navy uniform from my Korean War days does not fit since I am almost 100 pounds heavier than I was then.

~~~

First published on November 11, 2004

World War One ended on this day, it was the 11th hour on the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918 when the Great War ended. World War I was known as the "war to end all wars" because of the great slaughter and destruction it caused. Unfortunately, the peace treaty that officially ended the conflict–the Treaty of Versailles of 1919–forced punitive terms on Germany that destabilized Europe and laid the groundwork for World War II.

When I was young the day was not called Veterans Day, it was called Armistice Day. I remember being in grammar school at 11:00 AM when we had a moment of silence, more in celebration of the peace than to remember the dead. Since then we have seen the Second World War, the Korean War (I was in the Navy for that one), the Vietnam War, and lately two wars in the Middle-East. Personally I find little glory in war, my memories of the wars I have known are filled with the deaths of friends and those innocents caught in the middle of conflicts. I guess what I am saying is that while I hold my fellow veterans in high regard, I do long for the peacemakers who bring wars to their end. So today at 11 AM I plan on remembering for a minute the days when we all celebrated an armistice that brought peace, versus celebrating those of us who were called to war.

~~~

The peace makers shall be called the children of God.

Bible

~~~

She asks who understands men!

The nice men are ugly.

The handsome men are not nice.

The handsome and nice men are gay.

The handsome, nice and heterosexual men are married.

The men who are not so handsome, but are nice men, have no money.

The men who are not so handsome, but are nice men with money think we are only after their money.

The handsome men without money are after our money.

The handsome men, who are not so nice and somewhat heterosexual don’t think we are beautiful enough.

The men who think we are beautiful, that are heterosexual, somewhat nice and have money, are cowards.

The men who are somewhat handsome, somewhat nice and have some money and thank God are heterosexual, are shy and NEVER MAKE THE FIRST MOVE!

The men who never make the first move, automatically lose interest in us when we take the initiative.

NOW ….WHO IN THE HELL UNDERSTANDS MEN?

~~~

Unhappiness is best defined as the difference between our talents and our expectations.

Edward de Bono

~~~

An elderly couple would constantly argue about everything. The woman often ended the arguments by stating vociferously, "I’ll dance on your grave!  I’ll dance on your grave!"

Well, sure enough, the old geezer died first. His last request was that he be buried at sea.

~~~

This is also how I feel about Wagner’s music.

"I love Wagner, but the music I prefer is that of a cat hung up by its tail outside a window and trying to stick to the panes of glass with its claws."

Charles Baudelaire

~~~

A married couple was watching volleyball game at a beach when the wife spotted a couple in the bleachers. They were being very affectionate. The girl was running her hands all over the boyfriend and nibbling on his ear. He had his hands on her chest. Looking at them, the wife said to her husband "I don’t know whether to watch them or the game."

Husband said, "Better watch them! You already know how to play volleyball."

~~~

How many weeks are there in a light year?

~~~

She said, if men got pregnant:

* Maternity leave would last two years….with full pay.

* There would be a cure for stretch marks.

* Natural childbirth would become obsolete.

* Morning sickness would rank as the nation’s #1 health problem.

* All methods of birth control would be 100% effective.

* Children would be kept in the hospital until toilet trained.

* Men would be eager to talk about commitment.

* They wouldn’t think twins were so cute.

* Sons would have to be home from dates by 10:00pm.

* Briefcases would be used as diaper bags.

* Paternity suits would be a fashion line of clothes.

* They would stay in bed during the entire pregnancy.

* Restaurants would include ice cream and pickles as main entrees.

* Women would rule the world.

~~~

Those who can not remember the past are condemned to repeat it.

George Santayana

~~~

A store manager overheard a clerk saying to a customer, "No, ma’am, we haven’t had any for some weeks now, and it doesn’t look as if we’ll be getting any again."

Alarmed by what was being said, the manager rushed over to the customer who was walking out the door and said, "That isn’t true, ma’am. Of course, we’ll have some soon. In fact, we placed an order for it a couple of weeks ago."

Then the manager drew the clerk aside and growled, "Never, never, never, never say we don’t have something.  If we don’t have it, say we ordered it and it’s on its way.  Now, what was it she asked about?"

And the clerk said, "Muggings in the parking lot."

~~~

Experience teaches us that there is a small but important difference between keeping your chin up and sticking your neck out.

~~~

A blonde is taking the driving portion of her driver’s license exam.

She handles most of the maneuvers quite well.  However, she has a little trouble parallel parking, and winds up a about a foot from the curb.

"Could you get a little closer?" the examiner asks.

The blonde then unbuckles her seat belt and slides over toward the examiner and asks, "OK, sir. Now what?"

~~~

I have found that the sure cure for insomnia is sleep.

~~~

She said: Working as a court reporter, I hear to a lot of testimony that you won’t hear on LAW AND ORDER, including the following give-and-take between the judge and a mother during a paternity suit.

Judge: "Was this child born out of wedlock?"

Mother: "No, sir, just outside of Louisville."

~~~

I almost had a psychic girlfriend but she left me before we met.

~~~

"Beauty is not in the face;

Beauty is a light in the heart."

~~  Kahlil Gibran  ~~

~~~

Stay well, do good work, and have fun.

 

Ray Mitchell

 Indianapolis, Indiana

 Management is not responsible for duplicates from previous dailies.

The editor is somewhat senile.

 

This daily is sent only to special people who want to start their day on an upbeat. If you have system overload because of our daily clutter, let me know and I will send you the information via mental telepathy. If you have not been getting our daily you can join at http://groups.google.com/group/Rays-Daily. Back issues are posted at http://raykiwsp.multiply.com/journal currently there are about 1500 readers from all over the world.

Category:

Life

Lead with your heart

“The greatest treasures are those invisible to the eye but found by the heart.”

 

 

I have had a number of occasions lately to hear about how the exuberance of youth fades as the years go by. Some of us have never recovered from the pain of a lost love and limit ourselves for fear of being hurt. Most of us however just get too busy to truly follow our hearts. Over coffee this morning a friend and I discussed how youthful dreams and enjoyment fade as our lives are taken over by convention and unimportant busyness. Few of us as we age appreciate a shared experience, a moonlit night, a fresh flower, a walk in a warm rain, nor do we find much opportunity to discover what might bring us joy. I also grieve for those of us that are so busy trying to prove our worth to others through the things we buy that we have lost our ability to prove to ourselves that we have the capacity to be truly happy through the appreciation of even the simplest of things.

The following article suggests that we all would benefit if we relearned to follow our hearts and I agree. In my experience it is when we think less and feel more that we discover how good our lives can be.

Do You Truly Follow Your Heart…or Someone Else’s Head?

You know how it feels when you truly follow your heart. Every inch of your body — the very fabric of your soul — feels alive. And even if your head is telling you no, you do it anyway because something bigger, something more primal, is telling you yes. "You know when you are following your heart because it will feel right even if your mind is uncomfortable, you will feel an openness and aliveness as you follow what is true for you."

Now, when’s the last time you followed that feeling? Really threw caution to the wind and went full speed ahead for an opportunity, relationship, or experience that made you tingle with excitement? Been awhile? For most adults, the answer is yes. As kids, though, we did it all the time.

As we grow older, though, our heads often get in the way. They’re filled with "reasons we shouldn’t," "things that could go wrong," or "more important things to do." And, perhaps worst of all, they become very susceptible to the opinions of others, including those of society.

Whose Life Is It Anyway? This is the question you need to ask yourself. Whose life is it that you are living? Think a moment before you answer. Are you working in a job that makes sense or that you love? Do you surround yourself with people who you should associate with, or those that you adore? And are you living your life the way that you want to, or the way that someone else — your parents, your spouse, society — wants you to? If you can’t answer the original question with a heartfelt "MINE!" then you got to this article just in time. What follows is the secret to living YOUR life YOUR way.

Learning to Follow Your Heart

Following your heart is a two-step process. The first step is letting go of your need for approval. This opens the door to things like splashing barefoot through a fountain, giggling at completely inappropriate times, and striking up conversations with total strangers. Because, you see, once you stop caring about what other people think of you, you start caring about what you really want to do.

The second step of the process, then, is learning what it is you truly want. This can be tricky because society conditions us to want certain things (from material possessions to life arrangements). In reality, you may want none of those, or you may want them all. Either way is fine; the key is to notice and realize what your heart is telling you. If you listen, you can do no wrong.

"If you are feeling some doubt it does not mean that the message should not be trusted," "It simply means that it is time to let go. When you are wondering whether or not a message is coming from your heart simply let go."

About the Author:

Hale Dwoskin is the author of the New York Times best seller "The Sedona Method." Hale is the CEO and Director of Training of Sedona Training Associates. He has trained thousands of people worldwide to release limiting and unwanted thoughts and feelings using the powerful Sedona Method techniques.

~~~

“There are many things in life that will catch your eye, but only a few will catch your heart…pursue those.”

Michael Nolan

~~~

In case you needed further proof that the human race is doomed through stupidity, here are some past actual label instructions on consumer goods:

On Sears hairdryer: Do not use while sleeping. (Gee, that’s the only time I have to work on my hair!)

On a bag of Fritos: You could be a winner! No purchase necessary. Details inside. (The shoplifter special!)

On Tesco’s Tiramisu dessert: Do not turn upside down. (printed on bottom of the box) (Too late! You lose!)

On Nytol sleep aid: Warning: may cause drowsiness. (One would hope!)

On a childs superman costume: Wearing of this garment does not enable you to fly. (That’s right, destroy a universal childhood fantasy!)

~~~

“The human heart feels things the eyes cannot see, and knows what the mind cannot understand”

Robert Valett

~~~

Little Johnny had bought Grandma a book for her birthday and wanted to write a suitable inscription.  He racked his brain until suddenly he remembered that his father had a book with an inscription of which he was very proud, so Johnny decided to use it. 

You can imagine Grandma’s surprise when she opened her book, a Bible, and found neatly inscribed the following phrase:  "To Grandma, with the compliments of the author."

~~~

Amazing!  You hang something in your closet for a while and it shrinks two sizes!

~~~

Why do women get married? lack of experience

Why do they get divorced? lack of patience

Why do they get married again? lack of memory

~~~

Men are like economy.

Hair line is in recession, stomach is a victim of inflation, and both of these together causing deep depression

~~~

Three boys are in the schoolyard bragging about their fathers. 

The first boy says, "My Dad scribbles a few words on a piece of paper, he calls it a poem, they give him $50." 

The second boy says, "That’s nothing. My Dad scribbles a few words on a piece of paper, he calls it a song, they give him $100." 

The third boy says, "I got you both beat. My Dad scribbles a few words on a piece of paper, he calls it a sermon. And, it takes eight people to collect all the money!" 

~~~

A woman is never as old as her best friend says she is.

~~~

More real signs:

Plumbing Truck: "We repair what your husband fixed."

Pizza shop slogan: "7 days without pizza makes one Weak."

At a tire shop in Milwaukee: "Invite us to your next blowout."

Door of a plastic surgeons office: "Hello, can we pick your nose?"

Sign at the psychic’s Hotline: "Don’t call us, we’ll call you."

At a Towing Company: "We don’t charge an arm and a leg. We want tows."

~~~

"Procrastination isn’t the problem, it’s the solution. So procrastinate now, don’t put it off." 

Ellen DeGeneres

~~~

After a recent move, I made up a list of companies, agencies and services that needed to know my new address and phoned each one to ask for the change to be made.

Everything went smoothly until I called one of my frequent flier accounts. After I explained to the representative what I wanted to do, the woman told me, "I’m sorry, but we can’t do that over the phone. You’ll have to fill out our change of address form."

"How do I get one of those?" I asked.

"We’d be happy to provide you with one," she said pleasantly. "May I have your new address so that I can mail it to you?"

~~~

If wrinkles must be written upon our brow, let them not be written upon the heart; the spirit should not grow old.

James A. Garfield.

~~~

Stay well, do good work, and have fun.

 

Ray Mitchell

 Indianapolis, Indiana

 Management is not responsible for duplicates from previous dailies.

The editor is somewhat senile.

 

This daily is sent only to special people who want to start their day on an upbeat. If you have system overload because of our daily clutter, let me know and I will send you the information via mental telepathy. If you have not been getting our daily you can join at http://groups.google.com/group/Rays-Daily. Back issues are posted at http://raykiwsp.multiply.com/journal currently there are about 1500 readers from all over the world.

Category:

Life