Ray's Daily

"Throughout the centuries there were those who took first steps down new roads armed with nothing but their own vision."

Ayn Rand

I think today I’ll share some more from the list of life‘s lessons that a friend sent me a few years ago.

The biggest lie on the planet: "When I get what I want, I will be happy." – It has been proven time and again getting what you want almost always results in wanting more or something else. Far too often we find that when we got to the other side we found that the grass was greener where we were, the problem was that we never took the time to appreciate what we had.

The best way to escape your problem is to solve it. – Of course this is obvious but I often put solving the problem off too long. Problems linger when we procrastinate. It is always better to do it now so you can move on

We often fear the thing we want the most. – I know one thing if we don’t try because of our fear we will never get what we want.

Everyone hears what you say. Friends listen to what you have to say. Best friends listen to what you don’t say! – There are those I know who can see what is going on without me telling them, in fact some see things I can’t see myself, I am fortunate that they care that much.

Yesterday was the deadline for all complaints. – I don’t want to ignore others complaints but it does no good for me to carry mine on to tomorrow, I have too many things to do to waste time complaining.

Look for opportunities…. Not guarantees. – Don’t play it so safe that you never venture out to where action, adventure and reward exists.

Life is what’s coming…. Not what was. – While I do enjoy my memories I enjoy building new ones even more.

~~~

Why not go out on a limb? That’s where the fruit is.

Will Rogers

~~~

"Twas the night before school started,

When all through the town,

The parents were cheering,

It was a riotous sound.

By eight p.m. the kids were washed,

And snugly tucked into bed,

When memories of homework

Filled them with dread.

New pencils, new folders,

New notebooks too,

New teachers, new friends,

Their anxiety grew.

The parents recited comforting words

To ease their children’s fright,

Then calmly instructed the tiny tots,

"Get back to bed now, it’s a school night!"

~~~

"The difference between fiction and reality? Fiction has to make sense."

Tom Clancy

~~~

Little Johnny came into the house with a new harmonica.

"Grandpa, do you mind if I play this in here?"

"Of course not, Johnny. I love music. In fact, when your grandma and I were young, music saved my life."

"What happened?" "Well, it was during the famous Johnstown flood. The dam broke and when the water hit out house it knocked it right off the foundation. Grandma got on the dining room table and floated out safely."

"How about you?"

"Me? I accompanied her on the piano!"

~~~

"Never trust your tongue when your heart is bitter."

Samuel J. Hurwitt

~~~

She said: Midlife is when the growth of the hair on our legs slows down. This gives us plenty of time to care for our newly acquired mustache.

In midlife women no longer have upper arms; we have wingspans. We are no longer women in sleeveless shirts; we are flying squirrels in drag.

Midlife has hit when you stand naked in front of the mirror and can see your rear end without turning around.

Midlife is when you bounce (a lot), but you don’t bounce back. It’s more like splat!

Midlife is when you realize that, if you were a dog, you would need a control top flea collar.

Midlife brings the wisdom that life throws you curves and that you’re now sitting on your biggest ones.

Midlife can bring out your angry, bitter side. You look at your latte-swilling, beeper-wearing know-it-all teenager and think, "For this I have stretch marks?"

Midlife is when your memory really starts to go: the only thing you still retain is water.

~~~

"It’s amazing that the amount of news that happens in the world every day always just exactly fits the newspaper."

Jerry Seinfeld

~~~

A kind-hearted fellow was walking through Central Park in New York and was astonished to see an old man, fishing rod in hand, fishing over a beautiful bed of lilies.

"Tch, Tch!" said the passerby to himself. "What a sad sight. That poor old man is fishing over a bed of flowers. I’ll see if I can help."

So the kind fellow walked up to the old man and asked, "What are you doing, my friend?"

"Fishin’, sir."

"Fishin’, eh. Well how would you like to come have a drink with me?"

The old man stood up, put his rod away and followed the kind stranger to the corner bar. He ordered a large glass of beer and a fine cigar.

His host, the kind fellow, felt good about helping the old man, and he asked, "Tell me, old friend, how many did you catch this morning?"

The old fellow took a long drag on the cigar, blew a careful smoke ring and replied, "You are the 6th today, sir!"

~~~

"Artificial intelligence is no match for natural stupidity."

~~~

An unmarried girl who worked in a busy office arrived one morning and began passing out big cigars and candy, both tied with blue ribbons.

When asked what the occasion was, she proudly displayed a new diamond solitaire ring on her third finger, left hand, and announced…

"It’s a boy, six feet tall and 190 pounds!"

~~~

Life is made up, not of great sacrifices or duties, but of little things, in which smiles and kindness, and small obligations win and preserve the heart.

Humphrey Davy

~~~

Stay well, do good work, and have fun.

“An ounce of performance is worth pounds of promises.”

Mae West

I have gotten a lot of advice and feedback from caring friends this year. In the main they expressed concern about my extending myself beyond my capability to reliably serve. In truth their council has real value. I, like so many of you often have a hard time saying no, not only to those who ask me to do something but also to myself when the desire is so strong that I commit to something I probably should not have. We do no favors when we say yes and then are unable to perform at our best.

We are judged in the main by our reliability, dependability and the quality of our effort. Of even greater importance is avoiding the possibility of letting others down which sometimes results in the failure of a project. That is why I have tried in recent years to avoid committing to anything where my participation was important or critical since my health sometimes intervenes limiting my ability to do my part. That does not mean that I won’t continue to stay active and do all I can. As I said in the Daily the other day, I may not be able to march in the parade but I can follow it up with a broom and shovel and feel grateful for being allowed to do so. My life has been filled with amazing experiences and wonderful friends, the mix may change but the fun goes on.

Ralph Marston wrote a piece a few months ago about the importance of commitment that makes a lot of sense, my only caveat is that we don’t take on more than we might be able to do. But we must stay open to stretching ourselves and taking on all that we can do. Here is what Marston wrote:

When you must, you will. When there is nothing to fall back on, you can only move forward. It’s frightening when everything is on the line. It’s also exhilarating and motivating and compelling and empowering.

Commitment is not a halfway thing. Either you’re all the way in or you’re simply not going to be very effective.

Choose your priorities thoughtfully, carefully, and sincerely. Then commit yourself fully to them.

Real, solid, unwavering commitment brings the power of purpose to what you’re doing. Be truly committed, and it happens.

You can achieve whatever you imagine. Do it by jumping all the way in.

~~~

“Follow your heart, but be quiet for a while first. Ask questions, then feel the answer. Learn to trust your heart.”

~~~

One woman was bragging to her next-door neighbor about her son, a college student. "Why, our son is so brilliant, every time we get a letter from him we have to go to the dictionary."

"You’re lucky," the neighbor said. "Every time we get a letter from ours, we have to go to the bank!"

~~~

Adam and Eve had an ideal marriage. He didn’t have to hear about all the men she could have married, and she didn’t have to hear about the way his mother cooked.

~~~

Catching her in the act, I confronted my 3-year-old granddaughter, "Are you eating your little sister’s grapes?" I demanded.

"No," she innocently replied, "I’m helping her share."

~~~

“Character is the total of thousands of small daily strivings to live up to the best that is in us.”

A. G. Trudeau

~~~

The tiresome jury selection process continued, each side hotly contesting and dismissing potential jurors. Don O’Brian was called for his question session.

"Property holder?"

"Yes, I am, Your Honor."

"Married or single?"

"Married for twenty years, Your Honor."

"Formed or expressed an opinion?"

"Not in twenty years, Your Honor."

~~~

Why is it called a T.V. set when you only get one? Same thing for a pair of jeans. What’s one jean?

~~~

A young man was pulled over by the Mississippi State Police for speeding. The officer stepped out of his patrol car, adjusted his sunglasses, and swaggered up to the young man’s window. "What chew driving so fast for boy? You going to a fahhr? Let me see your license, boy." The young man handed over his license. Then the officer noticed that the back seat of the car was full of large knives. The officer said, "Tell me boy, why you got them knives on that there back seat?"

The young man replied, "Well sir, I’m a juggler."

The officer spat some tobacco juice and then he said, "A juggler; well you don’t say. Boy, put cha hands on the trunk of yer car; you going to jail!"

The young man pleaded with the officer not to take him to jail. He offered to prove to the officer that he was a juggler by way of demonstration. He said, "You can even hold me at gunpoint while I juggle for you." The officer reluctantly allowed him to prove his point while he held him at gunpoint.

Two miles down the road at Joe’s Tavern, Billy Bub was drinking it up with Jerry Lee Jones. Billy Bub soon left and got into his old, rusty pickup truck. He proceeded down the road trying his best to stay on the right side. All of a sudden Billy Bub spotted the most unbelievable sight of his life! He drove to the nearest phone booth and dialed the number for Joe’s Tavern and asked for his buddy, Jerry Lee. When Jerry Lee got on the phone, Billy Bub said, "Whatever you do when you leave that tavern, don’t go north on route 109. The state police are giving a sobriety test that nobody can pass!"

~~~

"The man who says he is willing to meet you halfway is usually a poor judge of distance."

Laurence J. Peter

~~~

A plane was taking off from Kennedy Airport. After it reached a comfortable cruising altitude, the captain made an announcement over the intercom, "Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. Welcome to Flight Number 293, non-stop from New York to Los Angeles. The weather ahead is good and therefore we should have a smooth and uneventful flight. Now sit back and relax………. OH MY GOD!"

Deadly silence………..

Then, the captain came back on the intercom and said, "Ladies and Gentlemen, I am so sorry if I scared you earlier, but while I was talking, the flight attendant brought me a cup of coffee and spilled the hot coffee in my lap. You should see the front of my pants!"

A passenger in Coach said, "That’s nothing. He should see the back of mine!"

~~~

A good time to keep you mouth shut is when you’re in deep water.

~~~

I didn’t know if my granddaughter had learned her colors yet, so I decided to test her. I would point out something and ask what color it was. She would tell me and was always correct. It was fun for me, so I continued.

At last, she headed for the door, saying sagely, "GrandPa, I think you should try to figure out some of these yourself!"

~~~

I know God will not give me anything I can’t handle.

I just wish that He didn’t trust me so much.

Mother Teresa

~~~

Stay well, do good work, and have fun.

"It ain’t over till it’s over."

Yogi Berra

As the years go by the game goes on and "it ain’t over until it’s over" is as true as it ever was. Some however decide to forfeit and walk away even though there is plenty of time left to play on. What’s even worse are those folks who never even sign up to play.

As the game plays on situations change, incomes rise and fall and some skills wane as new ones develop. The one thing sure is that time marches on and the game continues. Sadly some of us just give up and stop playing, others sit on the bench and just watch while those who stay in the game reap the rewards that come from playing. We may not be as fast as we were but often we are smarter. Sometimes we leave one game to play in another with different demands.

Whatever the case there is always a game and always a place in it for us to play. It is those who do not get defeated by a loss or two and those who hang in there that get there second wind and reap the rewards that come from the thrill of play.

Yep, life is the big game. Each of us is offered the opportunity to play in it, some of us jump at the chance while others need to be dragged unto the field and some just sit down and refuse to play. What is tragic are those that hang back so long that the game ends before they decide to play in it.

What is really neat is that you never have to wait to start. A new game always starts tomorrow and your play does not depend on your past for it was what you do after they shout play ball that counts. Yes life "ain’t never over until it’s over," that is unless you quit before it ends.

Start Where You Stand

By Berton Braley

Start where you stand and never mind the past,

The past won’t help you in beginning new,

If you have left it all behind at last

Why, that’s enough, you’re done with it, you’re through;

This is another chapter in the book,

This is another race that you have planned,

Don’t give the vanished days a backward look,

Start where you stand.

The world won’t care about your old defeats

If you can start anew and win success;

The future is your time, and time is fleet

And there is much of work and strain and stress;

Forget the buried woes and dead despairs,

Here is a brand-new trial right at hand,

The future is for him who does and dares,

Start where you stand.

~~~

The best way to prepare for life is to begin to live.

Elbert Hubbard

~~~

Two older women, Judy and Monica, who were rivals in a social circle met at a party.

"My dear," said Monica, "Are those real pearls?"

"They are," replied Judy.

"Of course, the only way I could tell would be for me to bite them," smiled Monica.

Judy responded, "Yes, but for that you would need real teeth."

~~~

Stop asking if the glass is half full or half empty.

Instead, ask "What’s in it? How did it get there? What can I do with it?"

David Kaufman

~~~~~~

The Association of Southern Schools has decided to pursue some of the seemingly endless taxpayer dollar pipeline through Washington designating Southern slang, or y’allbonics, as a language to be taught in all Southern schools. The following are xamples excerpts from the Y’allbonics/English dictionary:

RETARD – (verb) – To stop working.

Usage "My grampaw retard at age 65."

FAT – (noun), (verb) – a battle or combat; to engage in battle or combat.

Usage "You younguns keep fat’n, n’ ah’m gonna whup y’uh."

RATS – (noun) – Entitled power or privilege.

Usage "We Southerners are willin’ to fat for are rats."

~~~

"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

~~~

There was a business man driving down this country road when he spotted a little boy that had a lemonade stand– it being hot and him being thirsty– he decided to stop. once he got up to the little boy’s stand, he noticed a sign that said "All you can drink 10 cents", well, he thought that it was an awful small glass, but since it was only 10 cents for all you can drink, he decided to get some anyway. Well, he gave the boy a dime, and shot down the whole glass in one swig. so he slapped it back onto the table and says, "fill ‘er up." and the kid says, "sure thing, that’ll be 10 cents." To this the business man says, "but your sign says all you can drink for a dime." "It is," the little boy replies, "that’s all you can drink for a dime.

~~~

Life is a sexually transmitted terminal disease.

Colin Greene

~~~

SIGNS OF MENOPAUSE

1. You sell your home heating system at a yard sale.

2. Your husband jokes that instead of buying a wood stove, he is using you heat the family room this winter. Rather than just saying you are not amused, you shoot him.

3. You have to write post-it notes with your kids’ names on them.

4. You change your underwear after a sneeze.

5. You’re on so much estrogen that you take your Brownie troop on a field trip to Chippendales.

~~~

Give me ambiguity or give me something else.

~~~

"It’s no good, sir," said the hopeless pupil to his English teacher. "I try to learn, but everything you say goes in both ears and out the other."

"Goes in both ears and out the other?" asked the puzzled teacher. "But you only have two ears, boy."

"You see, sir? I’m no good at math, either!"

~~~

Most people would like to be delivered from temptation, but would like it to keep in touch.

Robert Orben

~~~

When a grandmother was in her late eighties, she decided to move to Israel.  As part of the preparations, she went to see her doctor and get all her charts.  The doctor asked her how she was doing, so she gave him the litany of complaints – this hurts, that’s stiff, I’m tired and slower, etc.

He responded with, "Mrs. Siegel, you have to expect things to start deteriorating.  After all, who wants to live to 100?"

The grandmother looked him straight in the eye and replied, "Anyone who’s 99."

~~~

To find what you seek in the road of life, the best proverb of all is that which says:

"Leave no stone unturned."

Edward Bulwer Lytton

~~~

Stay well, do good work, and have fun.

Things turn out best for those who make the best of the way things turn out.

Jack Buck

Over the last month or so I have revisited people’s lists of what they have learned out of life and then shared a few with you. Today I have a few more for you to think about.

Most people will be about as happy as they decide to be. – I did not always believe that this was true but as the years go by I have learned that this is one of the greatest secrets to the good life. If you concentrate on what wrong you’ll never be truly happy but if you open your eyes as to what’s right in life happiness will always be in the background.

Others can stop you temporarily, but only you can do it permanently. – Others don’t make us give up we give up when we choose to do so. If you make that choice don’t lay the blame on others, accept the responsibility for what you decided, learn from the experience and move on.

Whatever you are willing to put up with is exactly what you will have. – I recently read that the so called millennium generation is more narcissistic and less empathetic than early generations. Many seem willing to wait for success to come them because they are special, unfortunately they may wait forever. If you don’t like things as they are get up and move on to something better.

When your ship comes in…. Make sure you are willing to unload it. – We need to always be ready to recognize opportunity as it arises and not after it has passed us by.

You will never "have it all together." – And be glad you don’t, just think how boring life would be if you did.

~~~

Fate, is an excuse for why we end up where we do! Our ‘Actions’ predetermine our Destiny, our ‘Reactions’ seal that fate!

Carl Stoynoff

~~~

Mother: "Why are you home from school so early?"

Son: "I was the only one who could answer a question."

Mother: "Oh, really? What was the question?

Son: "Who threw the eraser at the principal?"

~~~

He who angers you conquers you.

Elizabeth Kenny

~~~

I have five siblings, three sisters and two brothers.

One night I was chatting with my Mom about how she had changed as a mother from the first child to the last.

She told me she had mellowed a lot over the years:

"When your oldest sister coughed or sneezed, I called the ambulance."

"When your youngest brother swallowed a dime, I just told him it was coming out of his allowance."

~~~

Q: What did the Jewish Mother ask her daughter when the daughter told her she had an affair?

A: Who catered it?

~~~

An evangelist had a great revival camp going.  One night he was up in front of a large audience, speaking on imperfection.  He asked his audience towards the end, "Has anyone ever known anyone who has come CLOSE to the perfection of our lord, Jesus Christ?"  Nobody, of course raised their hand.  So he issued the question again.  "Anybody! Has ANYONE ever known that kind of perfection?"

Finally a guy in the back raised his hand, so of course he was asked to stand up. "Tell us.  Tell us who you knew who was so close to perfection."

The man responded, "My wife’s first husband."

~~~

If all is not lost, where is it?

~~~

A man joined a big Multi-National Company as a trainee. On his first day, he dialed the pantry and shouted into the phone, "Get me a coffee, quickly!"

The voice from the other side responded, "You fool, you’ve dialed the wrong extension! Do you know who you’re talking to, dumbo?"

"No," replied the trainee.

"It’s the Managing Director of the company, you fool!"

The trainee shouted back, "And do you know who YOU are talking to, you fool?"

"No." replied the Managing Director indignantly.

"Good!" replied the trainee and put down the phone.

~~~

Why do you need an appointment to see a psychic?

~~~

When I was working as a clerk at a sporting-goods store, a woman came up to my register with a package of white athletic socks.  "Will you open this up so I can see how the socks feel?" she asked.

Reluctantly I tore open the package, and she scrutinized the merchandise. She handed me the package, saying, "I’ll take them."

Relieved, I started to ring her up, until she interrupted me. "Can I have another pack?  This one’s been opened."

~~~

An act of goodness surpasses a thousand prayers.

Sa’di

~~~

A mother traveled 2,000 miles to be with her only son on the day he was to receive his Air Force wings and also get married.

"It was wonderful," she said later.  "It isn’t every day that a mother watches her son receive his wings in the morning and have them clipped in the evening."

~~~

I don’t have a big ego; I’m way too cool for that.

~~~

In a recent survey, 60 percent of respondents said the cities where they live is noisier now than they were five years ago.

The other 40 percent didn’t hear the question.

~~~

All of us could take a lesson from the weather. It pays no attention to criticism.

~~~

My wife doesn’t complain often, but once she was having an old-fashioned "heart to heart" with me and said, "Hun, you never listen to me. Every time I try to talk to you, you get this far away look in your eyes after only a few seconds. Please promise me you’ll try to work on that."

The last thing I remember was replying, "I’m sorry, what was that you were saying?"

~~~

Dance like no one is watching, Love like you’ll never be hurt, Sing like no one is listening, Live like it’s heaven on earth.

William Purkey

~~~

Stay well, do good work, and have fun.

"The manner by which we treat people in our personal and occupational lives reflects or denies the truth of our commitment to human dignity and respect for individual worth."

Haim G. Ginott

I have been distressed recently with the quantity of mail I get that that is filled with innuendo, rumor and disrespect. It seems like our polarized society has resulted in the erosion of many of the values that we once held dear. Ridicule is often substituted for objective feedback and to my thinking those who have lost respect for even themselves have slipped into feeling that screaming louder than anyone else has value. If you are like I am you are inundated daily with outrageous communications that have little or no factual foundation which are offered only to justify another’s prejudice. Even the body politic has shifted from reasoned deliberation to gamesmanship and unprincipled rhetoric.

The thing that bothers me the most is that so many of us stand mute and let it go on. I am ashamed that I am often just too tired to stand up to the closed-minded screamer who has lost all capability to listen.

Fortunately I get to spend many hours each week with people who do exhibit dignity, people who respect others and who are willing to listen to all points of view. If it was not for the antidote provided by these folks I am afraid I might be tempted to slip into the meaningless unprincipled behavior that I detest in others.

Recently Steve Brunkhorst wrote about the value of dignity and respect, here is what he said:

Authenticity and reverence for life foster dignity and respect.

Respect, as I am defining it here, is honoring a person’s human value. Erich Fromm wrote, "Respect is not fear and awe; it is the ability to see a person as he is, to be aware of his unique individuality."

When we honor another with respect, we recognize the individual’s basic human dignity, even if his or her values and opinions differ from ours. At the same time, this attitude of respect allows us to realize that each individual can share with us the wisdom he or she has gathered. As such, showing dignity and respect to others, attracts dignity and respect from others to us.

We must also respect ourselves. When we feel a lack of appreciation for our lives, we close down. We lose exuberance and productivity. We are less open and less authentic, often worried whether others will approve of what we do or say. Thus, we block the two-way flow of dignity and respect.

When we accept our own lives with reverence – as lives created by God to serve a special purpose – then we will not feel a lack of dignity or respect. We can speak openly, act authentically, and live with courage.

We will not always agree with everyone. Yet, we can agree to disagree while realizing that we are all connected to one another. We can serve humankind through our unique purposes without the need to seek approval. We can live by personal standards and set realistic boundaries while respecting the standards and boundaries of others. In so doing, we will appreciate the uniqueness and worth of all life, a life meant to be lived with joy.

~~~

"When people honor each other, there is a trust established that leads to synergy, interdependence, and deep respect. Both parties make decisions and choices based on what is right, what is best, what is valued most highly."

Blaine Lee

~~~

One of the world’s greatest scientists was also recognized as the original absent-minded professor.  One day, on board a train, he was unable to find his ticket.  The conductor said, "Take it easy.  You’ll find it."

When the conductor returned, the professor still couldn’t find the ticket. The conductor, recognizing the famous scientist, said, "I’m sure you bought a ticket.  Forget about it."

"You’re very kind," the professor said, "but I must find it, otherwise I won’t know where to get off."

~~~

"An old timer is a man who’s had a lot of interesting experiences — some of them true."

~~~

When a physician remarked on a new patient’s extraordinarily ruddy complexion, he said, "High blood pressure, Doc.  It comes from my family."

"Your mother’s side or your father’s?" the doctor asked.

"Neither," he replied.  "It’s from my wife’s family."

"Oh, come now," the doctor said.  "How could your wife’s family give you high blood pressure?"

He sighed.  "You oughta meet ’em sometime, Doc!"

~~~

"Any husband who says, ‘My wife and I are completely equal partners,’  is talking about either a law firm or a hand of bridge."

Bill Cosby

~~~

A collector of rare books ran into an acquaintance who told him he had just thrown away an old Bible that he found in a dusty, old box. He happened to mention that Guten-somebody- or-other had printed it.

"Not Gutenberg?" gasped the collector.

"Yes, that was it!"

"You idiot! You’ve thrown away one of the first books ever printed. A copy recently sold at auction for half a million dollars!"

"Oh, I don’t think this book would have been worth anything close to that much," replied the man. "It was scribbled all over in the margins by some clown named Martin Luther."

~~~

"A good wife always forgives her husband when she’s wrong."

Milton Berle

~~~

A salesman from another country was making a pitch to the furniture buyer of a Glasgow department store. "And if you carry our new line of dining suites, I’ll have the pleasure of presenting you personally with a case of fine wine," the sales-man said.

"Oh, we’re not allowed to accept gifts," said the buyer, "that would be a form of bribery."

"I’ll tell you what," said the salesman, "just to keep it all above board, I’ll sell you the wine."

"How much for?"

"Say, a pound a case."

"Oh, well," said the buyer, writing out the purchase order, "at that price, I’ll take two cases."

~~~

Hatred is an acid that corrodes its container.

Tonya Baker

~~~

An airline customer-service agent got a call from a woman who wanted to know if she could take her dog on board.

He told her the dog was welcome, as long as she paid a $50 charge and provided her own kennel. He further explained that the kennel needed to be large enough for the dog to stand up, sit down, turn around and roll over.

"I’ll never be able to teach him all that by tomorrow!" she said, and hung up.

~~~

Never underestimate the power of very stupid people in large groups.

~~~

The Sunday School teacher was describing how Lot’s wife looked back and turned into a pillar of salt.

Little Jimmy interrupted. "My mommy looked back once while she was driving," he announced triumphantly, "and she turned into a telephone pole!"

~~~

Men are respectable only as they respect

Ralph Waldo Emerson

~~~

Stay well, do good work, and have fun.

You can tell whether a man is clever by his answers.

You can tell whether a man is wise by his questions.

Naguib Mahfouz

If wisdom is shown by the questions we ask more than the answers we give I hope quantity counts for as those of you who know me know I always have lots of questions. I suspect however that Mahfouz would probably place more emphasis on the quality of the questions. In my case I find that the search for answers is one of life’s great rewards, unfortunately I think too many these days provide unfounded opinion and take too little time searching for truth.

If you have been reading the daily for any length of time you know how much I appreciate the wisdom of those who have left quotes that provide us either insight or a portal to walk through to find our own answers. Today I thought I would dip into a few of those quotes and see where they may lead my thoughts.

Mary Anne Radmacher once said that “Courage doesn’t always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, ‘I will try again tomorrow.’”  I really think she is right but I am not sure it is as much courage as strength of character. In my experience perseverance pays, problems often look different when revisited and the victory is sweeter when the battle is not easy. Winners don’t drop out nor slack off they pull themselves up and keep at it.

Sir Winston Churchill wrote “Every day you may make progress. Every step may be fruitful. Yet there will stretch out before you an ever-lengthening, ever-ascending, ever-improving path. You know you will never get to the end of the journey. But this, so far from discouraging, only adds to the joy and glory of the climb.” – Ah yes! The anticipation that comes from looking forward to tomorrow’s opportunities is the fuel that feeds the engine. The past is truly prologue and today is the stepping stone that leads us to tomorrow’s promise. It is the weary traveler who stops to rest or even dwell that never gets to see the flowers on the other side of the hill. It is the journey that fills our lives not the destination.

And lastly Gail Sheehy said "Ah, mastery… what a profoundly satisfying feeling when one finally gets on top of a new set of skills… and then sees the light under the new door those skills can open, even as another door is closing." – This is why the journey can become so rewarding. If you are like I am each new answer or skill acquisition only motivates you to go on and learn more. Those who stop and are satisfied that they know all they need to know must step aside for the world will go on without them and soon their knowledge will be of little use.

So my friend living on is a choice you get to make, and as some one once said "An ounce of action is worth a ton of theory." So put on your traveling shoes and walk the walk that will embellish the time you have left, if you do you’ll be glad you did.

Ray

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Why God Never Received Tenure at Any University

1. He only had one major publication.

2. It was in Hebrew.

3. It had no references.

4. It wasn’t published in a referred journal.

5. Some even doubt He wrote it Himself.

6. It may be true that He created the world, but what has He done since then?

7. His cooperative efforts have been quite limited.

8. The scientific community has had a hard time replicating His results.

9. He never applied to the Ethics Board for permission to use human subjects.

10. When one experiment went awry, He tried to cover it up by drowning the subjects.

11. When subjects didn’t behave as predicted, He deleted them from the sample.

12. He rarely came to class, just told students to read the book.

13. Some say He had His son teach the class.

14. He expelled His first two students for learning.

15. Although there were only ten requirements, most students failed His tests.

16. His office hours were infrequent and usually held on a mountaintop.

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Know how to prevent sagging? Just eat till the wrinkles fill out.

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The students in her third grade class were bombarding her with questions about her newly pierced ears.

"Does the hole go all the way through?"

"Yes."

"Did it hurt?"

"Just a little."

"Did they stick a needle through your ears?"

"No, they used a special gun."

Silence followed, and then one solemn voice called out, "How far away did they stand?"

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I look forward to being older, when what you look like becomes less and less an issue and what you are is the point.

Susan Sarandon

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She said: When I arrived for my daughter’s parent-teacher conference, the teacher seemed a bit flustered, especially when she started telling me that my little girl didn’t always pay attention in class and was sometimes a little flighty.

"For example, she’ll do the wrong page in the workbook," the teacher explained, "and I’ve even found her sitting in the wrong desk."

"I don’t understand that," I replied defensively. "Where could she have gotten that?"

The teacher went on to reassure me that my daughter was still doing fine in school and was sweet and likeable. Finally, after a pause, she added, "By the way, our appointment was for tomorrow."

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I panicked and hung up! What kind of sick company has an actual PERSON answer their phone?!

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Mrs. Taylor, asked her 5th grade history class, "When was Rome built?" and called on Timothy to answer first.

"Rome was built at night." was his answer.

"At night?" asked Mrs. Taylor, holding her ruler firmly in her hands.  "How ever did you get such an idea?"

"Well," gulped the student, hoping his answer would satisfy her, "everyone knows Rome wasn’t built in a day."

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Jump into the middle of things, get your hands dirty, fall flat on your face, and then reach for the stars.

Joan L. Curcio

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An influential Londoner wound up a business trip to the Orient with a visit to Taipei. At a luncheon, he was asked to say a few words. Since he spoke not a word of Chinese, his address was to be translated by an interpreter, sentence by sentence. "I want you to know," he began, "I’m tickled to death to be asked here today."

A look of panicked confusion appeared on the interpreter’s face. "This poor man," he said in Chinese, "Scratches himself until he dies, only to be with you today."

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We are made wise not by the recollection of our past, but by the responsibility for our future.

George Bernard Shaw

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Stay well, do good work, and have fun.