Ray's Daily

“Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.”

Dr. Seuss

I have found myself a little down lately. I am running into too many folks that seem to think that they are the center of the universe. These are those that love to find scapegoats that they can use as whipping boys in order to absolve themselves of any responsibility for their own well being. Some of them seldom have a good word to say about anybody or anything. I have found it fascinating to listen to people and then count how many negative comments they make and how many positive comments. I have found that I don’t relate at all well with those that score high in the negative column.

What I find interesting is how many act as if they were superior to everyone else. Their golden rule is different than mine; theirs seems to be one of  treat everyone you meet as an inferior who owes you while you owe no one. In many of their minds there is only one religion, theirs and all others are not to be tolerated. I get too much hate mail from people who find anyone different than they are to be inferior and who suggest that those others should be isolated and ostracized.

I know that these folks are the exceptions but unfortunately there are also many others who just sit back and watch as our problems continue unchecked.

Lately I have even had hard working concerned folk’s walk away feeling that no one really cares so why should they. I am glad that I know more who do care so much that they continue to do all they can, including making personal sacrifices to help others. They volunteer, they contribute and most of all they are concerned and do whatever they can to help others.

I was with a young man the other day where we talked about how each day provides us the opportunity to do something that we can feel good about. The conversation did me some good for I needed to be recharged. I still need a motivational boost so I will concentrate on more soul reinforcement in the next few days and a little less on windmill tilting.

Here is a story I like that has meaning for me, I hope it does for you as well.

When Does Night End?

The story is told of a rabbi in ancient times who gathered his students together very early one morning, while it was still dark. He put this question to them: "How can you tell when night has ended and the day has begun?"

One student made a suggestion. "Could it be when you can see an animal and you can tell whether it is a sheep or a goat?"

"No, that’s not it," answered the rabbi.

Another student said, "Could it be when you look at a tree in the distance and you can tell whether it is a fig tree or a peach tree?"

Again the rabbi answered, "No."

After a few more guesses the students said: "Well, how do you tell when night has ended?"

The rabbi answered, "It is when you look on the face of any man or woman, and you see them as your brother or sister. If you cannot do this, then, no matter what time it is, it is still night."

Jennifer Earl

~~~

It is unwise to be too sure of one’s own wisdom. It is healthy to be reminded that the strongest might weaken and the wisest might err.

Mahatma Gandhi

~~~

Great Truth About Life Adults Have Learned

1)  Raising teenagers is like nailing Jell-O to a tree.

2)  There is always a lot to be thankful for, if you take the time to look.   For example, I am sitting here thinking how nice it is that wrinkles do not hurt.

3)  One reason to smile is that every seven minutes of every day, someone in an aerobics class pulls a hamstring.

4)  Car sickness is the feeling you get when the monthly payment is due.

5)  The best way to keep kids at home is to make a pleasant atmosphere and let the air out of their tires.

6)  Families are like fudge . . . mostly sweet, with a few nuts.

7)  Laughing helps. It is like jogging on the inside.

8)  Middle age is when you choose your cereal for the fiber, not the toy.

9)  My mind not only wanders; sometimes it leaves completely.

10) If you can remain calm, you just do not have all the facts.

~~~

It is much easier to be critical than to be correct

~~~

After a church service on Sunday morning, a young boy suddenly announced to his mother, "Mom, I’ve decided to become a minister when I grow up."

"That’s okay with us, but what made you decide that?"

"Well, I’ll have to go to church on Sunday anyway, and I figure it will be more fun to stand up and yell than to sit down and listen."

~~~

"Wherever you are is the entry point."

Kabir

~~~

When visiting us in Los Angeles, my mother decided to explore a trendy shopping area. After window-shopping, she entered a store with unique table displays. Each table was laid out with distinctive linen, fine china, silver and crystal.  Mom was the only customer. The young woman behind the cash register initially asked if she could help, but Mom declined and said she was only browsing.

Mom was a bit put off by the glances the young woman kept giving her, but nonetheless, she spent almost an hour examining the different makes of china and silver.

It was only after thanking the shopkeeper and leaving that my mother discovered she had been inspecting the tableware at a chic restaurant.

~~~

A person with six children is better satisfied than a person with $6 million.

Reason: The one with $6 million wants more.

~~~

A husband and wife were at a party chatting with some friends when the subject of marriage counseling came up.

"Oh, we’ll never need that. My husband and I have a great relationship," the wife explained. "He was a communications major in college and I majored in theater arts.

He communicates real well and I just act like I’m listening."

~~~

Middle age is that difficult period between adolescence and retirement when you have to take care of yourself.

~~~

A second grader came home from school and said to her mother, "Mom, guess what? We learned how to make babies today."

The mother, more that a little surprised, asked fearfully, "That’s interesting. How do you make babies?"

"It’s simple," replied the girl. "You just change ‘y’ to ‘i’ and add ‘es’."

~~~

"Common sense is the knack of seeing things as they are, and doing things as they ought to be done."

Harriet Beecher Stowe

~~~

Stay well, do good work, and have fun.

"Friends are the most important part of your life.

Treasure the tears, treasure the laughter, but most importantly, treasure the memories."

Dave Brenner

As you know I believe that the greatest gift each of us is given is the ability to grow lasting friendships. Our friends share our good times and our bad times. Our best friends forgive us for our failings and hold our hands when we are down.

In my experience friendships are earned. People respond to how open and friendly we are. In my case I view everyone I meet as being important as they are all potential friends. I even enjoy those momentary friendships that take place when you smile at a stranger or thank a tradesperson.

One of my problems is that I have trouble handling the loss of a friendship when I don’t know why it ended. In the last couple of years two close friends broke off all communications between us and I don’t know the reason why they did. To this day I don’t know if they are doing well or have problems that they don’t want to share. I can live with someone moving on and while I know I will miss them I will always be grateful for the friendship we had. What I have trouble with is the unexplained terminations of warm relationships that may be because of something I unknowingly did or said. It just is not in my nature to offend anyone much less those I care about. Conceivably the loss of a friend may be due to a misunderstanding as I have a tendency towards levity even in serious situations but I never do or say anything consciously out of malice.

Sadly my last two lost friends have not wanted to tell me why our friendships ended, thus depriving me of the chance to learn from the experience or allowing me to correct a misinterpretation of something I did or said. Neither have they given me the chance to change my behavior so I won’t put other friendships at risk.

So my friends please never walk away from a friendship without saying goodbye, for the not knowing why can be more painful than the separation itself.

~~~

"A friend shares the good times and helps out by listening during the bad times."

Molly Oliver

~~~

"If we were rich," said Mrs. Abrahams, "we’d spend six months a year in Florida, six months a year in Europe, and six months a year in California."

"But dear, that would make eighteen months in a year!" said her husband.

"Indeed it would, Herbert.  Isn’t is wonderful what you can do with money?"

~~~

One of the secrets of a long and fruitful life is to forgive everybody everything every night before you go to bed.

~~~

A couple just started their Lamaze class and they were given an activity requiring the husband to wear a bag of sand to give him an idea of what it feels like to be pregnant. The husband stood up and shrugged saying, "This doesn’t feel so bad."

The instructor then dropped a pen and asked the husband to pick it up.

"You want me to pick up the pen as if I were pregnant, the way my wife would do it?" the husband asked.

"Exactly," replied the instructor.

To the delight of the other husbands, he turned to his wife and said, "Honey, pick up that pen for me."

~~~

When it comes to work, there are many who will stop at nothing.

Henny Youngman

~~~

It was just after midnight, and there was a rapping at the doctor’s door.

Dragging himself out of bed and poking his head from the window, he shouted down at the lone figure.

"Well?"

The woman looked up, "No, sick."

~~~

"Admiration, n.: Our polite recognition of another’s resemblance to ourselves."

Ambrose Bierce

~~~

Not expecting to do at all well in the economics exam, Harold was heartened by the first question: In any given year, and to the nearest ton, how much wheat did the United States export?

Smiling confidently, Harold wrote, "1492; none."

~~~

A little boy asked his mother, "Mummy, am I descended from a monkey?"

The mother replied, "I don’t know, son, I’ve never met your father’s folks."

~~~

Three Reform Rabbis were in a terrible auto wreck. None survived.

One minute they were driving along the highway, talking and laughing and joking, and the next, BOOM! they were before the Creator of all.

Shaking his head, The Omnipotent One looks at the three. "Reform I can understand. But where will it end?  You! Goldblum!  The ashtrays in your temple so my people could smoke while the Torah was being read???"

Goldblum shuddered.

God went on.  "I can live with that.  Men are weak, but the Word is strong!"

Goldblum sighed with relief.

"Bauman! Really, I can accept My people need to eat, but really:  serving Ham & Cheese Sandwiches to the devout at the temple during Yom Kippur?"

Bauman hung his head in shame.

"Even that I can allow to pass, even with the eating of that which is not  Kosher. I’m not pleased at all with the playing fast and loose with my people, but I can accept these indiscretions."

Bauman also heaved a sigh of relief.

Finally, He turns to the third rabbi and says, "You, Rabinowitz, have gone too far!  Am I asking too much?  No, you flaunt the world at Me, even on the holiest days of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur by putting out a sign saying….’Closed for the Holidays!’"

~~~

Other people or unfortunate circumstances may have caused you to feel pain, but only you control whether you allow that pain to go on.

~~~

When a customer left his cell phone in my store, I scrolled through his saved numbers, stopped at "Mom" and pushed Send. His mother answered and I told her what happened.

"Don’t worry," she said. "I’ll take care of it."

A few minutes later, the cell phone rang. It was "Mom."

"Martin," she said. "You left your cell phone at the convenience store."

~~~

He who forgives ends the quarrel.

African proverb

~~~

A grandmother was telling her little granddaughter what her own childhood was like, "We used to skate outside on a pond. I had a swing made from a tire; it hung from a tree in our front yard. We rode our pony. We picked wild raspberries in the woods."

The little girl was wide-eyed, taking it all in. At last, she said, "I sure wish I’d gotten to know you sooner!"

~~~

There isn’t much that I can do, but I can share an hour with you, and I can share a joke with you….as on our way we go."

Maude V. Preston

~~~

Stay well, do good work, and have fun.

The bad news is time flies. The good news is you’re the pilot.

Michael Altshuler

I thought today I would share with you the last of the entries on my friend’s “Simple Truth’s” list. Over the last month or so I have periodically offered a few of them with my comments for your consideration. I appreciate the opportunity to think about them in small doses as I sometimes think that I have become a glutton for information and don’t stop often enough to appreciate the quality of leisurely observation and thought. I fear we are becoming information obese and devour much more than we need to. Anyway here is what was sent to me sometime ago:

• Success is getting up one more time – I strongly believe that tenacity and perseverance is often the key to success. In my computer industry experience I often tried and failed, tried again and failed again but by learning from the failures and keeping on I almost always succeded.
• Now is the most interesting time of all – Amen to that, with the constant changes going on if one can’t find something of interest then they might as well just lie down and stagnate.
• When things go wrong…. Don’t go with them – What can I say, there is a penalty to be paid for continuing down the wrong path.
• Sometimes the majority only means that all the fools are on the same side – History has shown time and again that the majority often blunders down the wrong path; fortunately they almost always correct and reverse only to find those who stuck to their principles waiting for them.
• Anyone who asks a question might be a fool for 5 minutes, but a person who doesn’t ask, is a fool forever – The quickest way to get there is to ask for direction, if you don’t know or understand, ask. It is more important to know than it is to worry about what others think.
• Our eyes are placed in front because it is more important to look ahead than to look back – You all know what I think about this one, tomorrow is full of promise while yesterday can never be relived.

~~~

If we’re always looking in the rear view mirror it’s hard to keep our eyes on the road ahead.

Author Unknown

~~~

You Know Your Church Is A Redneck Church if:

The finance committee refuses to provide funds for the purchase of a chandelier because none of the members knows how to play one.

People ask, when they learn that Jesus fed the 5000, whether the two fish were bass or catfish, and what bait was used to catch ’em.

When the pastor says, "I’d like to ask Bubba to help take up the offering," five guys and two women stand up.

Opening day of deer season is recognized as an official church holiday.

A member of the church requests to be buried in his 4-wheel-drive truck because "It ain’t never been in a hole it couldn’t get out of."

The choir is known as the "OK Chorale".

In a congregation of 500 members, there are only seven last names in the church directory.

High notes on the organ set the dogs on the floor to howling.

People think "rapture" is what you get when you lift something too heavy.

The minister and his wife drive matching pickup trucks.

The service wine is Boone’s Farm "Tickled Pink".

The final words of the benediction are, "Y’all come back now, ya hear?"

~~~

One nice thing about egotists: They don’t talk about other people!

~~~

A man said to his wife one day, "I don’t know how you can be so stupid and so beautiful all at the same time." The wife responded, "Allow me to explain it to you. God made me beautiful so you would be attracted to me; God made me stupid so I would be attracted to you!"

~~~

"In a restaurant choose a table near a waiter."

Yiddish Proverb

~~~

The math teacher posed this problem, "A wealthy man dies and leaves ten million dollars. One-fifth is to go to his wife, one-fifth is to go to his son, one-sixth to his butler, and the rest to charity. Now, what does each get?"

The savvy student answered, "A lawyer!"

~~~

Success never rests. On your worst days, be good. And on your best days, be great. And on every other day, get better.

Carmen Mariano

~~~

The U.S. Treasury announced it is recalling all of the Alabama quarters that are part of its program featuring quarters from each state. The quarters are being issued in the order in which the various states joined the U.S.

"We are recalling all the new Alabama quarters that were recently issued," Treasury Undersecretary Jack Shackleford said Monday.

"This action is being taken after numerous reports that new quarters will not work in parking meters, toll booths, vending machines, pay phones, or other coin-operated devices."

"The problem lies in a design flaw," Shackleford said.

The winning design was submitted by an Auburn University student.

"Apparently," Shackleford said, "the duct tape holding the two dimes and nickel together keeps jamming the coin-operated devices."

~~~

Keep a green tree alive in your heart and a songbird may come to sing there.

Chinese Proverb

~~~

A factory owner said to a store owner, "Thank you, Mr. Smith, for your patronage. I wish I had twenty customers like you."

"Gosh, it’s nice to hear that, but I’m kind of surprised," admitted Smith. "You know that I argue every bill and always pay late."

The factory owner said, "I’d still like twenty customers like you. The problem is, I have two hundred."

~~~

Why is "bra" singular and "panties" plural?

~~~

"Look at ME!" boasted the fit old man to a group of young people. "Every morning I do fifty push-ups, fifty sit-ups and walk two miles. I’m fit as a fiddle! And you want to know why? I don’t smoke, I don’t drink, I don’t stay up late, and I don’t chase after women!"

He smiled at them, teeth white, eyes glittering, "And tomorrow, I’m going to celebrate my 95th birthday!"

"Oh, really?" drawled one of the young onlookers, "How?"

~~~

"Science is organized knowledge. Wisdom is organized life."

Immanuel Kant

~~~

A fellow was walking along a country road when he came upon a farmer working in his field. The man called out to the farmer, "How long will it take me to get to the next town?"

The farmer didn’t answer. The guy waited a bit and then started walking again.

After the man had gone about a hundred yards, the farmer yelled out, "About 20 minutes."

"Thank you. But why didn’t you tell me that when I asked you?"

"Didn’t know how fast you could walk."

~~~

Life is a precious gift, love is a wonderful gift, and laughter is glorious gift.

So live life to the fullest, love with all your heart, and laugh as much as you breathe.

Robert Byrne

~~~

Stay well, do good work, and have fun.

“I do not want the peace which passeth understanding,

I want the understanding which bringeth peace.”

Helen Keller

Today is my heart doc day. They will be checking my Pacemaker and doing other stuff. I then move on to a day away so what do you say, a daily from another yesterday, OK. So here is what I wrote on September 22, 2004, sadly our problems have not subsided.

~~~

I know that we do our best to keep the daily light and upbeat. However every once in awhile it provides a vehicle to help us remember something from the past that has influenced the problems of today. One such event was the start of the Iran-Iraq War on this day in 1980.

Long-standing border disputes and political turmoil in Iran prompted Iraqi President Saddam Hussein to launch an invasion of Iran’s oil-producing province of Khuzestan. After initial advances, the Iraqi offense was repulsed. In 1982, Iraq voluntarily withdrew and sought a peace agreement, but the Ayatollah Khomeini renewed fighting. Stalemates and the deaths of thousands of young Iranian conscripts in Iraq followed. Population centers in both countries were bombed, and Iraq employed chemical weapons. In the Persian Gulf, a "tanker war" curtailed shipping and increased oil prices. In 1988, Iran agreed to a cease-fire.

What is important to remember is that we viewed Iran as an enemy of the US for their overthrow of the Shaw of Iran and the taking of American hostages. We provided support to Hussein’s efforts against the Iranians; in fact Donald Rumsfeld visited with Saddam in a show of support. At the time we viewed it in our best interests to ignore the methods used by Saddam to terrorize his enemies and his people. Many scholars today view the US support of both the Shaw of Iran and Iraq’s aggression as being major contributors to the animosity so many Arabs have for the US. I, like you, hope the day will come when we all can put the past behind us and live in peace. It will take a lot of effort on all of our parts to rise above history in order to build friendships that can lead us out of the ever growing threat to humanity. It won’t be easy but I think you will agree that it is worth the effort by Arabs, Persians, and the people of the West.

~~~

Few will have the greatness to bend history itself; but each of us can work to change a small portion of events, and in the total; of all those acts will be written the history of this generation.

~ Robert F. Kennedy ~

~~~

Wendy has more hurricane tips for us.

* Coffee and frozen pizzas can be made on a BBQ grill.

* No matter how many times you flick the switch, lights don’t work without electricity.

* Kids can survive 4 days or longer without a video game controller in their hand.

* Cats are even more irritating without power.

* He who has the biggest generator wins.

* Women can actually survive without doing their hair–you just wish they weren’t around you.

* A new method of non-lethal torture-showers without hot water.

* There are a lot more stars in the sky than most people thought.

* TV is an addiction and the withdrawal symptoms are painful.  One day at a time, brother.

* A 7 lb bag of ice will chill 6-12 oz Budweiser’s to a drinkable temperature in 11 minutes, and still keep a 14-pound turkey frozen for 8 more hours.

* There are a lot of trees around here.

* Flood plan drawings on some mortgage documents were seriously wrong.

* Contrary to most Florida natives’ beliefs, speed limit on roads without traffic lights does not increase.

* Aluminum siding, while aesthetically pleasing, is definitely not required.

* Just because you’re 35 doesn’t mean you can stay out as late as you want.  At least that’s what the cops told me during a curfew stop.

* Crickets can increase their volume to overcome the sound of 14 generators.

* People will get into a line that has already formed without having any idea what the line is for.

* When required, a Lincoln Continental will float–doesn’t steer well, but floats just the same.

* Some things do keep the mailman from his appointed rounds.

* Tele-marketers function no matter what the weather is doing.

* Cell phones work when land lines are down, but only as long as the battery remains charged.

* 27 of your neighbors are fed electricity from a different transformer than you, and they are quick to point that out!

* Laundry hampers were not made to contain such a volume.

* If my store sold only ice, chainsaws, gas, and generators…I’d be rich.

* The price of a bag of ice rises 200% after a hurricane.

* Your water front property can quickly become someone else’s fishing hole.

* Tree service companies are under appreciated.

* I learned what happens when you make fun of another state’s blackout.

* MATH 101: 30 days in month, minus 6 days without power equals 30% higher electric bill ?????

* Drywall is a compound word, take away the "dry" part and it’s worthless.

* I can walk a lot farther than I thought.

~~~

An optimist laughs to forget.. pessimist forgets to laugh.

~~~

A new convert to Catholicism decided to go to confession to deal with his transgression. In the confessional, he told the priest that he had sinned. "What was your sin, my son?" asked the priest. "I stole some lumber, Father," replied the man. "How much lumber did you steal?" asked the priest. "Father, I built my German Shepherd dog a nice new doghouse." The priest replied, "Well, that’s not so bad." The man continued, "Father, I also built myself a 4-car garage." "Well, now, that’s a little more serious." "Father, there’s more. In addition to the doghouse, the 4-car garage, I also built a 5 bedroom, 4 bath house!"

With a pause, the priest finally spoke. "That is a little more serious.

I’m afraid you’ll have to make a novena."

"Father, I’m not sure what a ‘novena’ is, but if you’ve got the blueprints, I’ve got the lumber!"

~~~

"Why is it that all of the instruments seeking intelligent life in the universe are pointed away from Earth?"

~~~

This guy called up his lawyer to tell him he was filing for divorce, and the lawyer inquired as to the grounds for the suit.

"I’ve got grounds, all right," sputtered the irate husband. "Can you believe my wife told me I’m a lousy lover?"

"That’s why you’re suing?" pursued his lawyer.

"Of course not. I’m suing because she knows the difference."

~~~

Cherish all your happy moments; they make a fine cushion for old age.

Booth Tarkington

~~~

During a practical exercise at a military police base, the instructor was giving the class instruction in unarmed self-defense. After he presented a number of different situations in which they might find themselves, he asked a student, "What steps would you take if someone were coming at you with a big, sharp knife?"

The student replied. "BIG ones."

~~~

The foolish man seeks happiness in the distance; the wise grows it under his feet.

James Oppenheim

~~~

Congratulating a friend after her son and daughter got married within a month of each other, a woman asked, "What kind of boy did your daughter marry?"

"Oh, he’s wonderful," gushed the mother. "He lets her sleep late, wants her to go to the beauty parlor regularly, and insists on taking her out to dinner every night."

"That’s nice," said the woman. "What about your son?"

"I’m not so happy about that," the mother sighed. "His wife sleeps late, spends all her time in the beauty parlor, and makes them eat take-out meals!"

~~~

"And none will hear the postman’s knock,

Without a quickening of the heart,

For who can bear to feel himself forgotten?"

~~  W. H. Auden  ~~

~~~

Stay well, do good work, and have fun.

Wherever you go, no matter what the weather, always bring your own sunshine.

Anthony J. D’Angelo

On my recent trip I again witnessed one of the secrets of the good life. I was with people who used a mixture of positive attitude, optimism, and good humor to find the best in the world around them. I am sure these good folks have the ability to see the flowers while others see mostly weeds.

Those of you who have known me very long know that I truly believe that the quality of our lives is in our own hands. Each day we are given the opportunity to choose to be up or down, I know in my experience if you face the day believing good things will happen they most often will. I also know that if you think it requires some super event or the acquisition of a new treasure for you feel happy you have the bar raised too high and you’ll miss most of the good things that happen every day.

Do you savor your meals, enjoy talking to those you meet, noticing something new as you walk by, just taking a deep breath, receiving a smile? I do. Each is a brick in the day we build and more often than not the result is a day we will be able to look back on with fondness. The price we pay when we blind ourselves to what is good in the life we already have is too steep to pay. So for me I choose to do my best to be like the folks on the bus; like them I want to stay positive and appreciate all that I am given each day,

A few months ago a retired friend sent me this story that I really liked and today is a good day to share it with you.

A 92-year-old, petite, well-poised and proud man, who is fully dressed each morning by eight o’clock, shaved perfectly with his hair fashionably combed and even though he is legally blind, moved to a nursing home today. His wife of 70 years recently passed away, making the move necessary. After many hours of waiting patiently in the lobby of the nursing home, he smiled sweetly when told his room was ready. 

As he maneuvered his walker to the elevator, I provided a visual of his tiny room, including the eyelet sheets that had been hung on his window. ‘I love it,’ he stated with the enthusiasm of an eight-year-old having just been presented with a new puppy.  

Mr. Jones, you haven’t seen the room; ‘ Just wait.’ That doesn’t ‘have anything to do with it,’ he replied. Happiness is something you decide on ahead of time. Whether I like my room or not doesn’t depend on how the furniture is arranged …. it’s how I arrange my mind. I already decided to love it.  ‘It’s a decision I make every morning when I wake up.

I have a choice; I can spend the day in bed recounting the difficulty I have with the parts of my body that no longer work, or get out of bed and be thankful for the ones that do. 

Each day is a gift, and as long as my eyes open, I’ll focus on the new day and all the happy memories I’ve stored away. Just for this time in my life. Old age is like a bank account. You withdraw from what you’ve put in. So, my advice to you would be to deposit a lot of happiness in the bank account of memories! 

Thank you for your part in filling my Memory Bank. I am still depositing.

Remember the five simple rules to be happy: 

1. Free your heart from hatred.

2. Free your mind from worries.

3. Live simply.

4.. Give more.

5. Expect less. 

How will you arrange your mind today?

~~~

Every day may not be good, but there’s something good in every day.

Author Unknown

~~~

"Are you my caddie?" asked MacTavish.

"Aye, sir," replied the boy.

"And are you any good at finding lost balls?"

"Aye, sir."

"Right, then. Find one and let’s get the game started."

~~~

If you want long friendships, develop a short memory.

~~~

A six-year-old ran up and down the supermarket aisles shouting frantically, "Marian, Marian!"

Finally reunited with his mother, he was chided by her, "You shouldn’t call me ‘Marian.’  I’m your mother, you know."

"I know," said the child, wise beyond his years, "but the store is full of mothers!"

~~~

"The mind is its own place, and in itself can make a heaven of Hell, a hell of Heaven."

John Milton

~~~

PROCRASTINATOR’S CREED

NOTICE: You may wish to delay reading this until you have more free time.

1. I believe that if anything is worth doing, it would have been done already.

2. I shall never move quickly, except to avoid more work or find excuses.

3. I will never rush into a job without a lifetime of consideration.

4. I shall meet all of my deadlines directly in proportion to the amount of bodily injury I could expect to receive from missing them.

5. I firmly believe that tomorrow holds the possibility for new technologies, astounding discoveries, and a reprieve from my obligations.

6. I truly believe that all deadlines are unreasonable regardless of the amount of time given.

7. If at first I don’t succeed, there is always next year.

8. I shall always decide not to decide, unless of course I decide to change my mind.

9. I shall always begin, start, initiate, take the first step, and/or write the first word, when I get around to it.

10. I will never put off tomorrow, what I can forget about forever.

~~~

"Great opportunities to help others seldom come, but small ones come daily."

Ivy Baker Priest

~~~

Once upon a time there lived three men: a doctor, a chemist, and an engineer. All three had offended the king and were sentenced to die on the same day.

The day of the execution arrived, and the doctor was led up to the guillotine. As he strapped the doctor to the guillotine, the executioner asked, "Head up or head down?"

"Head up," said the doctor.

"Blindfold or no blindfold?"

"No blindfold."

So the executioner raised the blade, and z-z-z-z-ing! Down came the blade — and stopped barely an inch above the doctor’s neck. Well, the law stated that if an execution didn’t succeed the first time the prisoner had to be released, so the doctor was set free.

Then the chemist was led up to the guillotine.

"Head up or head down?" said the executioner.

"Head up."

"Blindfold or no blindfold?"

"No blindfold."

So the executioner raised the blade, and z-z-z-z-ing! Down came the blade — and stopped an inch above the chemist’s neck. Well, the law stated that if the execution didn’t succeed the first time the prisoner had to be released, so the chemist was set free.

Finally the engineer was led up to the guillotine.

"Head up or head down?"

"Head up."

"Blindfold or no blindfold?"

"No blindfold."

So the executioner raised the blade, but before he could cut the rope, the engineer yelled out:

"WAIT! I see what the problem is!"

~~~

Happiness is an attitude.  We either make ourselves miserable, or happy and strong.  The amount of work is the same.

Francesca Reigler

~~~

Stay well, do good work, and have fun.

“Many of the great achievements of the world were accomplished by tired and discouraged men who kept on working.”

It seems like there are far too many traps for folks in their daily lives these days. Some people have been out of work for so long they have given up working at the job of finding a job, others worry about income, school expenses, medical bills uncovered by insurance and more. It can be pretty depressing especially if we focus on the problems we have rather than working to pull ourselves up. The truth is that those of us who slip into indolent behavior and avoidance of external activity dig even deeper holes to the point where it will be almost impossible to dig out and return to active society.

Some time ago Gretchen Rubin wrote a piece that includes warnings about making negative life style changes because they seem to offer happiness. After I read what she wrote I thought of the proverbial devil sitting on our shoulder working to convince us to take the easy way out. Here is what she wrote.

5 happiness boosters that actually do more harm than good.

Everyone has a few tricks for beating the blues – things you do when you’re feeling down to try to boost your mood. I’ve found out from long experience, however, that several of the most popular strategies don’t actually work very well in the long term. Beware if you’re tempted to try any of the following:

1. Comforting yourself with a “treat.” Often, the things we choose as “treats” aren’t good for us. (That’s why they’re treats! We usually restrain ourselves!) The pleasure lasts a minute, but then feelings of guilt, loss of control, and other negative consequences just deepen the lousiness of the day. So when you find yourself thinking, “I’ll feel better after I have a few more beers…a pint of ice cream…a cigarette…a new pair of jeans,” ask yourself – will it REALLY make you feel better? It might make you feel worse. In particular, beware of…

2. Letting yourself off the hook. When I’m feeling down, I feel tempted to let myself off the hook, to think, “I’ll allow myself to skip the gym today, I need a break.” In fact, sticking to a resolution does more to boost my sense of self-esteem and self-control. (Plus, exercise itself boosts my happiness.) So NOT letting yourself off the hook might do more to boost your happiness. At the end of a bad day, you can say, "Well, at least I went to the gym/finished that horrible report/took my dog to the dog park."

3. Retreating to your sofa. Studies show that extroverts and introverts alike get a mood boost from connecting with other people. Although it can be tempting to isolate yourself when you’re feeling blue, you’re better off making plans with friends or family.

4. Expressing your negative emotions. Many people believe in the “catharsis hypothesis” and think that expressing anger by yelling, throwing things, punching pillows, slamming doors, cursing, etc. is healthy-minded and relieves their feelings. Not so. Studies show that aggressively expressing anger only aggravates it; as Plutarch observed, “Anger, while in its beginning, often can be ended by silence, or neglect.” I’ve certainly found this to be true; once I start yelling, I can whip myself into a fury. There are situations, of course, when my anger is a sign of a real problem that needs attention; I find that making sure that I express myself calmly means that I feel less riled up — and, added bonus, that approach also elicits a better response from others.

5. Staying in your pajamas all day. One of the most helpful things I’ve learned in my happiness research is that although we think that we act because of the way we feel, in fact, we often feel because of the way we act. As improbable as this sounds, it really works. Sometimes it can be fun to hang out in your sweats all day, but if you’re feeling lethargic, powerless, or directionless, not getting dressed may make you feel worse. Put on your clothes so you feel prepared for whatever the day might offer. While you’re at it, make your bed.

~~~

Dreams do come true if you keep believing in yourself. Anything is possible.

Jennifer Capriati

~~~

Life was simpler when:

Abilities were discovered because of a "double-dog-dare."

"Oly-oly-oxen-free" made perfect sense.

Spinning around, getting dizzy and falling down was cause for giggles.

The worst embarrassment was being picked last for a team.

War was a card game.

Water balloons were the ultimate weapon.

Baseball cards in the spokes transformed any bike into a motorcycle.

Ice cream was considered a basic food group.

Older siblings were the worst tormentors, but also the fiercest protectors.

~~~

"The distance is nothing; it is only the first step that is difficult."

Marquise du Deffand

~~~

She said:

He wears the pants in the house…under his apron.

He has two chances of winning an argument with me…slim and none.

I lead a double life…mine and his.

He comes right out and says what I tell him to think.

I don’t have to raise the roof.  All I have to do is raise an eyebrow.

He always has the last word…he says, "I apologize".

He was a man about town.  I turned him into a mouse around the house.

The last big decision I let him make was whether to wash or to dry.

He was a dude before marriage…now he is subdued.

He married me for my looks, but not the kind he’s getting now.

I complain about the noise he makes, when he is fixing his own breakfast.

Every once in awhile I come to him on bended knees.  I dare him to come out from under the bed.

~~~

Men are not prisoners of fate, but only prisoners of their own minds.

Franklin D. Roosevelt

~~~

Top 10 Ways to Tell You’re a New Dad

10) Getting six hours of sleep is a privilege.

 9) The sentence, "Honey, could you take his foot out of my pocket?" sounds normal.

 8) You are used to doing everything one-handed.

 7) The thought of your mother-in-law coming over for a few hours is a pleasant one.

 6) The list of bodily fluids that disgust you has shortened, possibly to zero.

 5) Your idea of romance is hand-holding.

 4) You answer the question "How are you?" with "We’re fine."

 3) You decide whether a shirt is wearable not based on sweatiness, but based on how well the spit-up stains match the shirt’s main colour.

 2) You see a slender teenage girl walking down your street, and you think, "Hey, I wonder if I could interest her in babysitting?"

And the #1 way to tell that you’re a new dad:

 1) It takes you two months to write and send out a simple top-10-style joke email.

~~~

Commit the Golden Rule to life, not just to memory.

~~~

A group of managers were given the assignment to measure the height of a flagpole.  They got their ladders and tape measures and went out to the flagpole.  However, the measurement job turned out to be much more difficult than any of them had expected, with some of them falling off the ladders, some dropping their tape measures, and so on, and the whole thing had just turned into a big disaster.

After a while, an engineer happened to walk by and saw what the managers were attempting to do.  She walked over, pulled the flagpole out of the ground, and laid it flat on the ground. She measured it from end to end, gave the measurement to one of the managers, and then walked away without saying another word.

After the engineer was out of sight, one manager turned to another and laughed as he shook his head.  "Now that’s just like an engineer! We’re looking for the height and she gives us the length!"

~~~

Self-respect is the root of discipline.

The sense of dignity grows with the ability to say no to oneself.

Abraham Joshua Heschel

~~~

Stay well, do good work, and have fun.

“Enjoy life. This is not a dress rehearsal.”

I like the word enjoy. Our ability to find enjoyment is one of the great gifts we are given, unfortunately too many leave the gift on the shelf where it gathers dust as the years go by. In my case I find that there are some keys to getting the most enjoyment out of life. Here are a few of them:

1. To find joy you must be open to it – Far too many of us sit and wait for happiness to find us instead of going out and finding it ourselves.
2. Be ready to recognize it when you see it – If you spend all your time looking for the Emerald City you are bound to overlook all that is offered right in your own neighborhood.
3. Don’t let the rain clouds get you down – Try to enjoy the rain and always remember the sun will shine so much brighter when it is over.
4. The best enjoyment is shared enjoyment – There is nothing better than the joy that comes from friendship, appreciate those you meet and let them know you do.
5. Expect to enjoy – In my experience if you expect good things to happen they will much more often than if you convince yourself they will not.
6. Smile – Those that obviously enjoy themselves attract others that do as well. There is no better hobby than collecting happy friends.

What brought this to mind this morning was my most recent trip. I took a short junket with 15 others to another part of the state, which included a riverboat ride. Most were strangers when we met but had become friends by the time we said goodbye. These new friends demonstrated how easy it can be to enjoy even the smallest pleasures. The gift of their friendliness has resulted in our planning a few more day trips together and possibly more. If we had not ventured out to try a short trip with strangers we would have missed what may be one of the highlights of the year.

We cannot expect joy to be given to us we have to find it ourselves. Each day of our life is too valuable for us to let it pass joylessly.

Here is a piece that Ralph Marston wrote about ten years ago that is worth remembering.

How many moments do you fail to enjoy simply because you don’t allow yourself to enjoy them? How many days do you go through without permitting yourself even a few minutes of pure and unrestrained joy?

Look at the people who are most effective at what they do, and you’ll find people who are enjoying themselves. Have you ever heard of anyone who became a spectacular success by being miserable? Probably not.

Enjoyment doesn’t require you to abandon your discipline, your ambition, your responsibility or your focus. There are countless ways to enjoy yourself while staying positively on track.

Enjoy life today, even though it is not perfect. The more you enjoy, the closer you’ll come to making your life into exactly what you want it to be. Enjoy your success not just after you’ve achieved it, but also while you’re working to bring it about. Enjoy where you’re going, not just where you’ve been. Enjoy the process of success, and you’ll have much more of it. Enjoy yourself each day, and those days will lead you to great things.

~~~

Life is a great big canvas, and you should throw all the paint on it you can.

Danny Kaye

~~~

"Sir, What is the secret of your success?" a reporter asked a bank president.

"Two words"

"And, Sir, what are they?"

"Right decisions."

"And how do you make right decisions?"

"One word."

"And, What is that?"

"Experience."

"And how do you get Experience?"

"Two words"

"And, Sir, what are they?"

"Wrong decisions"

~~~

Doctors can be frustrating. You wait a month-and-a-half for an appointment, and he says, I wish you’d come to me sooner.

~~~

G.K. Chesterton and several other literary figures were once asked what book they would prefer to have with them if they were stranded on a desert island.

"The complete works of Shakespeare," said one writer without hesitation.

"I choose the Bible," said another.

"How about you?" they asked Chesterton.

"I would choose Thomas’ Guide to Practical Shipbuilding," replied Chesterton.

~~~

A little boy was overheard praying, "Lord, if you can’t make me a better boy, don’t worry about it. I’m having a real good time like I am."

~~~

Some members of a health club were having their first meeting. The director of the group said, "Now, I’d like each of you to give the facts of your daily routine."

Several people spoke, admitting their excesses, and then one obviously overweight member said, "I eat moderately, I drink moderately, and I exercise frequently."

"Hmm?" said the manager. "And are you sure you having nothing else to add?"

"Well, yes," said the member. "I lie extensively."

~~~

She said: I’m so out of shape that whenever I go to the beach, all the men dress me with their eyes.

~~~

A young executive was working late, trying to impress his boss. As he was leaving the office, at 7p.m., he found the CEO standing in front of the document shredder with a piece of paper in his hand.

"Listen," said the CEO, "this is a very sensitive and important document, and my secretary left hours ago. Can you make this thing work?"

"Certainly," said the young executive. Excited with the opportunity to kiss up to the man, he turned the machine on, inserted the paper, and pressed the start button.

"Excellent, excellent!" said the CEO, "I don’t know what I would have done without you."

As his paper disappeared inside the machine the relieved CEO says, "Now, I just need one copy."

~~~

"If you can’t be a good example, then you’ll just have to be a horrible warning."

Catherine Aird

~~~

A businessman who needed millions of dollars to clinch an important deal went to church to pray for the money. By chance he knelt next to a man who was praying for $100 to pay an urgent debt.

The businessman took out his wallet and pressed $100 into the other man’s hand. Overjoyed, the man got up and left the church. The businessman then closed his eyes and prayed, "And now, Lord, that I have your undivided attention…"

~~~

Those who bring sunshine to the lives of others cannot keep it from themselves.

James Barrie

~~~

Stay well, do good work, and have fun.