Ray's Daily

I am so glad that I know you

If a man does not make new acquaintances as he advances through life, he will soon find himself alone.  A man should keep his friendships in constant repair.

Samuel Johnson

 

One of the advantages that you have when you get be as old as I am is that you have learned a lot about aging. I have noticed that we all age at a different rate, but we all do age. I also realize that more often than not our body and mind don’t age at the same rate. On top of all of that time continues to march on and things are constantly changing all around us. The pace of life can take us to where we find we don’t want to be and new technology often complicates our lives more than it simplifies it.

But in spite of all of that we have the capacity to deal with the process, with one proviso and that is that we adapt to our changing reality. What often takes us down is the lonesomeness that comes from losing the friends we had in the work place, the empty places that are created when friends and family move on and if we are not careful we find ourselves surrounded my empty space with no place to go and no one to go with. And you do not have be in your golden years for it to happen. It can happen when we move to a new place, return from college, the service or a long term assignment.

The good news is that it does not have to be that way; we do have the ability to adapt to the changes by making sure we continue you to cultivate new friendships. The desocialization that often accompanies the aging process is something that happens because we let it happen when we give up on ourselves. I told a new friend the other day that I was so glad to meet her since my hobby is collecting new friends and to tell the truth I do have a wonderful collection.

Fortunately I learned long ago that I need people, people like you, but I also learned I could not find them by waiting for them to find me. I realized that I really am capable of liking most folks and that almost everyone is interesting and worthy. This realization made it is easy to take an interest in them without requiring that they take an interest in me. The great news is that when we look below the surface we find that we all have much in common and we find we have much we can share.

You may have heard me say in the past that “this is as good as I get, take me or leave me, it is up to you,” and I like that fine for we are different and I want for us to be friends because we chose to be because we like each other. It is perfectly OK and fact probably good that we don’t demand or require everyone to be our friend for acquaintances also have value and add depth to life as well. But life will never be as good as it might be if we don’t continue to prospect for the great jewels that are everywhere to be found – new and valued friends.

Bottom line: If you want to have a friend − be a friend.

~~~

A friend is one of the nicest things you can have, and one of the best things you can be.

Douglas Pagels

~~~

An old Jewish man reads about Einstein’s theory of relativity in the newspaper and asks his scientist grandson to explain it to him.

“Well, zayda, it’s sort of like this.  Einstein says that if you’re having your teeth drilled without Novocain, a minute seems like an hour.  But if you’re sitting with a beautiful woman on your lap, an hour seems like a minute.”

The old man considers this profound bit of thinking for a moment and says, “And from this he makes a living?”

~~~

A friend knows the song in my heart and sings it to me when my memory fails.

Donna Roberts

~~~

This guy was sitting in his attorney’s office. “Do you want the bad news first or the terrible news?” the lawyer said.

“Give me the bad news first.”

“Your wife found a picture worth a half-million dollars.”

“That’s the bad news?” asked the man incredulously. “I can’t wait to hear the terrible news.”

“The terrible news is that it’s of you and your secretary.”

~~~

“He knows so little and knows it so fluently.”

Ellen Glasgow

~~~

Morris had died. His lawyer is standing before the family and reads out Morris’ Last Will and Testament.

“To my dear wife Esther, I leave the house, 150 acres of land, and 1 million dollars.

To my son Barry, I leave my Big Lexus and the new Jaguar.

To my daughter Shirley, I leave my yacht and $250,000.

And to my brother-in-law Aaron, who always insisted that health is better than wealth, I leave my treadmill.”

~~~

“Imagination is the one weapon in the war against reality.” Jules de Gaultier

~~~

A teacher was asking her class: “What is the difference between ‘unlawful’ and ‘illegal’?” Only one hand shot up.

“Ok, answer, Joan,” said the teacher.

“‘Unlawful’ is when you do something the law doesn’t allow and ‘illegal’ is a sick eagle.”

~~~

It ain’t necessarily so, but when people with money meet people with experience, the people with experience tend to get the money and the people with the money tend to get experience.

Joe Klock

~~~

Linda was driving her old beat up car on the Highway with her 7 year old son. She tried to keep up with traffic but they were flying by her.

After getting caught in a large group of cars flying down the road, she looked at her speedometer to see she was doing 15 miles over the speed limit. Slowing down, she moved over to the side and got out of the clump that soon left her behind.

Linda looked up and saw the flashing lights of a police car. She waited for the officer to come up to her car. As he did he said, “Ma’am do you know why I pulled you over?”

Her son piped up from the back seat, “I do… because you couldn’t catch the other cars!”

~~~

My wife is a person who is never outspoken.

~~~

A man was annoyed when his wife told him that a car had backed into her, damaging a fender, and that she hadn’t gotten the license number.  “What kind of car was he driving?” the husband asked. “I don’t know,” she said. “I never can tell one car from another.” At that, the man decided the time had come for a learning course, and so for the next few days, whenever they were driving, he made her name each car they passed until he was satisfied that she could recognize every make. It worked.  About a week later she bounded in with a pleased expression on her face.

“Darling,” she said with obvious pride, “I just hit a brand new Buick!”

~~~

In everyone’s life, at some time, our inner fire goes out.  It is then burst into flame by an encounter with another human being.  We should all be thankful for those people who rekindle the inner spirit.

Albert Schweitzer

~~~

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 request to be added by e-mailing me at raykiwsp@yahoo.com. Back issues are posted at http://raykiwsp.multiply.com/journal and https://raykiwsp.wordpress.com/ currently there are about 2000 readers from around the world.

I wish you peace

Peace comes from within. Do not seek it without.

Buddha

I had breakfast with a new friend yesterday and we talked briefly about people we have observed that are finding life really tough. Many seem to have just given up on themselves. Every day I hear more and more complaints from people who may have not given up but seem to need to blame everyone and everything for all that is wrong in today’s world. What is even worse they seem to feed on the negative and relish every opportunity they have to tear down even folks they don’t know. I wonder if many of these people need to put everyone else down just so they feel better about themselves. Seldom do any of them admit error or take responsibility for their own problems.

I have a hard time being around people that only see the dark side of everything and who are quick to criticize while seldom if ever offering praise. But as hard as it is for me I would think it must be awful for them. What must it be like to spend so much time finding fault that there is little time left to appreciate the good that is all around us? There is hope though if they would just recognize their self-inflicted pain and decide to do something about it. Of course I know none of this applies to you or our other readers but if you know some that could use some correctional help you might want to share the following tips that I edited from an article by Remez Sasson.

 

Most people would be glad to have some peace of mind in their life. They would be happy to forget their troubles, problems and worries, and enjoy a few moments of inner calmness and freedom from obsessing thoughts.

What is peace of mind? It is a state of inner calmness and tranquility, together with a sense of freedom, when thoughts and worries cease, and there is no stress, strain or fear. The question is, how to bring more peace of mind into our life, and more importantly, how to experience it in times of trouble. Here are a few simple things that can help you:

• Reduce the amount of time you read the newspapers or watch the news on TV.
• Stay away from negative conversations and from negative people.
• Don’t hold grudges. Learn to forget and forgive. Nurturing ill feelings and grievances hurts you and causes lack of sleep.
• Don’t be jealous of others. Being jealous means that you have low self-esteem and consider yourself inferior to others. Jealousy and low self esteem, often lead to lack of inner peace.
• Accept what cannot be changed. This saves a lot of time, energy and worries.
• Every day we face numerous inconveniences, irritations and situations that are beyond our control. If we can change them, that’s fine, but this is not always possible. We must learn to put up with such things and accept them cheerfully.
• Learn to be more patient and tolerant with people and events.
• Don’t take everything too personally. Some emotional and mental detachment is desirable. Try to view your life and other people with a little detachment and less involvement. Detachment is not indifference, lack of interest or coldness. It is the ability to think and judge impartially and logically.
• Let bygones be gone. Forget the past and concentrate on the present moment. There is no need to evoke unpleasant memories and immerse yourself in them.

Inner peace ultimately leads to external peace. By creating peace in our inner world, we bring it into the external world, affecting other people too.

~~~

Let your soul expand, let your heart reach out to others in loving and generous warmth, and great and lasting will be your joy, and all prosperity will come to you.

James Allen

~~~

She said, you know it’s a bad date when:

You order a Double Whopper and he says, “Hey, my name ain’t Rockefeller, honey!”

You’ve never heard someone speak with such passion about an ant farm.

He seems to know an awful lot about your shower routine.

Your dinner reservations are under, “Loser, party of 2.”

He’s especially proud of how long he can sustain a burp.

Calls to tell you he’ll pick you up, just as soon as the stand off with the police is over.

He’s been on Geraldo once and Jerry Springer, twice.

~~~

I miss our phone calls. But it seems like ever since you got Caller ID you’re never home.

~~~

He said, you know you’re on a bad date when:

She whispers to the waiter, “Please kill me.”

You catch her giving her phone number to the guy cleaning your windshield.

She lunges at you several times with a steak knife.

She keeps calling you “Bachelor Number Two.”

“Whoa! Is it 8:15 already?”

She transitions the conversation by saying, “I’ve said enough about me. What do you think about me?”

~~~

“Few things are harder to put up with than a good example.”

Mark Twain

~~~

A woman went to doctors office.  She was seen by one of the new doctors, but after about 4 minutes in the examination room, she burst out, screaming as she ran down the hall.  An older doctor stopped and asked her what the problem was, and she explained.

He had her sit down and relax in another room.

The older doctor marched back to the first and demanded, “What’s the matter with you?  Mrs. Terry is 63 years old, she has four grown children and seven grandchildren, and you told her she was *pregnant*?”

The new doctor smiled smugly as he continued to write on his clipboard.  “Cured her hiccups though, didn’t I?

~~~

People with narrow minds usually have broad tongues.

~~~

A Cherokee Indian was a special guest at an elementary school. He talked to the children about his tribe and its traditions, then shared with them this fun fact: “There are no swear words in the Cherokee language.”

One boy raised his hand, “But what if you’re hammering a nail and accidentally smash your thumb?”

“That,” the man answered, “is when we use your language.”

~~~

Until you make peace with who you are, you’ll never be content with what you have.

Doris Mortman

~~~

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 request to be added by e-mailing me at raykiwsp@yahoo.com. Back issues are posted at http://raykiwsp.multiply.com/journal and https://raykiwsp.wordpress.com/ currently there are about 2000 readers from around the world.

I do appreciate you!

Be humble, be big in mind and soul, be kindly; you will like yourself that way and so will other people.

Norman Vincent Peale

It is another one of those days; I did not get the Daily written before I left for a meeting and a new friend acquisition. When I got back I found a major project underway at home so here we go again another blast from the past.

Rays Daily first published on June 28, 2005

~~~

Many of you are retired; others will be in the not too distant future. I hope each of you finds the great benefits that come from the freedom retirement brings. We no longer have to prove anything to anyone. We don’t have to lead, manage, run faster, jump higher, or keep up with the Joneses. What I like best is that we get to spend time with people, people that we never would have met in our previous life.

I honestly think I get as much, if not more prestige, in my own eyes from cooking pancakes with my friend Nancy at a charity run then I would if I was part of some high visibility project. Each day I am lucky enough spend time with real people in friendly settings. Yesterday I spent time with a friend as we discussed his plans for a possible move to New York; today I will have lunch with a friend who has a wealth of knowledge about the world around us who always gives me great pleasure as we discuss the issues of the day, and tomorrow will be more of the same.

Sure there are medals we could yet win, more plaques and awards that we could shoot for, and more recognition that could be acquired, however I would much rather spend time enjoying the people I meet. When all is said and done the greatest rewards in life comes from the friends who say “thanks, I am so glad I know you.” And that comes from not just stopping to smell the roses, but stopping long enough to get to know someone and seeing all they have to offer. It may be your mailman, a neighbor, waitress, or someone you meet on a plane, each of them is an opportunity to make a new friend. It is so easy, just take a sincere interest in those you meet and let them know you appreciate all they do.

~~~

Three keys to more abundant living: caring about others, daring for others, sharing with others.

William A. Ward

~~~

There was this hunter who was proud of his retriever because the dog could walk on top of the lake water. No one believed it was true, however, so he invited a friend to witness the dog’s ability. They get into the hunter’s boat and head out on the lake.

As the hunter shot a duck over the lake, the retriever jumped out of the boat, walked over the water, and brought the duck back. The friend observed this, but said nothing.

A little later on, the hunter shoots down a second duck, and just like the first time, the dog jumps out of the boat, walks on top of the water, and brings the duck back to the boat. The friend still doesn’t comment.

After he shoots down a third duck and the same performance is repeated by the retriever, the hunter becomes quite annoyed over his friend’s sillence. So he asks,

“Didn’t you notice anything when I shot down those ducks?”

His friend says,

“Yeah. That fool dog of your’s can’t swim!”

~~~

I went to a fight the other night and a hockey game broke out.

Rodney Dangerfield

~~~

Jane tells us 26 reasons why men have 2 dogs and not 2 wives:

1. The later you are, the more excited your dogs are to see you.

2. Dogs will forgive you for playing with other dogs.

3. If a dog is gorgeous, other dogs don’t hate it.

4. Dogs don’t notice if you call them by another dog’s name.

5. Dogs like it if you leave a lot of things on the floor.

6. A dog’s parents never visit.

7. Dogs do not hate their bodies.

8. Dogs agree that you have to raise your voice to get your point across.

9. Dogs like to do their snooping outside rather than in your wallet or desk.

10. Dogs seldom outlive you.

11. Dogs can’t talk.

12. You never have to wait for a dog; they’re ready to go 24 hours a day.

13. Dogs find you amusing when you’re drunk.

14. Dogs like to go hunting and fishing.

15. Another man will seldom steal your dog.

16. A dog will not wake you up at night to ask, “If I died, would you get another dog?”

17.  If a dog has babies, you can put an ad in the paper and give them away.

18.  A dog will let you put a studded collar on it without calling you a pervert.

19. A dog won’t hold out on you to get a new car.

20. If a dog smells another dog on you, they don’t get mad. They just think it’s interesting.

21. On a car trip, your dog never insists on running the heater.

22. Dogs don’t let magazine articles guide their lives.

23. When your dog gets old, you can have it put to sleep.

24. Dogs like to ride in the back of a pick-up truck.

25. Dogs are not allowed in Bloomingdale’s or Neiman-Marcus.

And, last but not least:

26. If a dog leaves, it won’t take half of your stuff.

~~~

A clean desk is a sign of a cluttered desk drawer.

~~~

On a NW Airways flight from Atlanta, GA.  a middle-aged, well-off lady has found herself sitting next to a Jewish man. She called the cabin crew attendant over to complain about her seating.

“What seems to be the problem Madam?” asked the attendant.

“You’ve sat me next to a Jew!! I can’t possibly sit next to this disgusting human. Find me another seat!”

“Please calm down Madam.” the stewardess replied. “The flight is very full today, but I’ll tell you what I’ll do. I’ll go and check to see if we have any seats available in club or first class.”

The woman shoots a snooty look at the snubbed Jewish man beside her (not to mention many of the surrounding passengers).

A few minutes later the stewardess returns with the good news, which she delivers to the lady, who cannot help but look at the people around her with a smug and self satisfied grin.

“Madam, unfortunately, as I suspected, economy is full. I’ve spoken to the cabin services director, and club is also full. However, we do have one seat in first class.”

Before the lady has a chance to answer, the stewardess continues…”It is most extraordinary to make this kind of upgrade, however, and I have had to get special permission from the captain. But, given the circumstances, the captain felt that it was outrageous that someone should be forced to sit next to such an obnoxious person.”

With which, she turned to the Jewish man sitting next to her, and said: “So if you’d like to get your things, sir, I have your seat ready for you…”

At this point, the surrounding passengers stood and gave a standing ovation while the Jewish man walks up to the front of the plane.

~~~

Past the beggar and the suffering walked he who asks,

“Why, oh god, do you not do something for these people?

To which god replied, “I did do something, I made you.”

Old Sufi saying

~~~

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 request to be added by e-mailing me at raykiwsp@yahoo.com. Back issues are posted at http://raykiwsp.multiply.com/journal and https://raykiwsp.wordpress.com/ currently there are about 2000 readers from around the world.

Will you remember in the morning?

Life is occupied in both perpetuating itself and in surpassing itself. If all it does is maintain itself, then living is only not dying.

Simone de Beauvoir

 

As I was looking for inspiration for today’s Daily I stumbled across this poem that was shared by a wise 16 year old. What he has provided makes a lot of sense to me. In fact it probably will make sense to most everyone but as the last line asks, will we remember in the morning? Of more importance we will take advantage of the changes we can make or do we just go through another day like yesterday with no expectation that tomorrow will be any better.

 

Every day goes by like the last

It seems that time flies too fast

I close my eyes and ask it to stop

I look at the clock and another minute has passed

I think to myself…

What would I do if I weren’t consumed

Consumed by the world and all that it is

The obligations attached to being successful and popular

What would I do?     

Embrace those that I love…

Care for those that I don’t…

Learn how to love those I hate….

Enjoy every moment I get…

Forget about what means nothing …

Remember all that means everything…

Make a joke when I shouldn’t…

Laugh even though its not funny…

Cry when I’m happy…

Never fear, it only wastes time…

Show the devil when he’s met his match…

Cast out my demons forever…

Travel the world and see…

Stand on the highest mountain…

Be the heart of a dead country…

Make my own music…

Even though it doesn’t rhyme, make my own poem…

Sing my own songs…

Make new friends…

Accept different cultures…

Eat weird food…

Hug, kiss, and never let go…

All the things that I used to think were so important

I now realize mean nothing

All I want to do is help those who can’t help themselves

All the money in the world can’t buy my happiness

All the joys of doing what I love

All means nothing in the face of God if

All I have is nothing for him

In a matter of 60 seconds

I’ve figured out the secret of life

But now I’m falling asleep

Will I remember when I wake up?

Author Unknown — Submitted by D.R., Age 16

~~~

No one is in control of your happiness but you; therefore, you have the power to change anything about yourself or your life that you want to change.

Barbara de Angelis

~~~

A teacher was having trouble teaching arithmetic to one little boy.

So she said, “If you reached in your right pocket and found a nickel, and you reached in your left pocket and found another one, what would you have?”

“Somebody else’s pants.”

~~~

The worst tempered people I have ever met were those who knew that they were wrong.

Wilson Mizner

~~~

The decision to carry heart defibrillators on airplanes saved a passenger’s life on a Dallas flight.

Unfortunately, his HMO only covers coronaries on round trip flights, purchased 14 days in advance with a Saturday stay over.

~~

There’s a story about an MIT student who spent an entire summer going to the Harvard football field every day wearing a black and white striped shirt, walking up and down the field for ten or fifteen minutes throwing birdseed, blowing a whistle, and then walking off the field.

At the end of the summer, it came time for the first Harvard home football game, the referee walked onto the field and blew the whistle, and the game had to be delayed for a half hour to wait for the birds to get off of the field.

The guy wrote his thesis on this, and graduated.

~~~

“The person who would like to make his dreams come true must stay awake.”

Richard Wheeler

~~~

A housewife with three young children was getting dinner ready when the phone rang. The six-year-old picked it up and said, “Hi, Daddy!” and she began telling him about her day. She then passed the phone to her brother and sister as was the custom whenever Daddy called from work.

When it was finally the wife’s turn to talk she took the receiver and said, “Hi, hon.”

“Thank God, lady,” the voice on the other end replied. “I just called to tell you that the wallpaper you ordered is here!”

~~~

I don’t suffer from insanity, I enjoy every minute of it!

~~~

Negotiations between union members and their employer were at an impasse. The union denied that their workers were flagrantly abusing their contract’s sick-leave provisions.

One morning at the bargaining table, the company’s chief negotiator held aloft the morning edition of the newspaper, “This man,” he announced, “called in sick yesterday!”

There on the sports page, was a photo of the supposedly ill employee, who had just won a local golf tournament with an excellent score. The silence in the room was broken by a union negotiator.

“Wow,” he said. “Think of what kind of score he could have had if he hadn’t been sick!”

~~~

To change one’s life: 

Start immediately. 

Do it flamboyantly. 

No exceptions.

William James

~~~

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 request to be added by e-mailing me at raykiwsp@yahoo.com. Back issues are posted at http://raykiwsp.multiply.com/journal and https://raykiwsp.wordpress.com/ currently there are about 2000 readers from around the world.

What have you decided to do?

“There are two primary choices in life: to accept conditions as they exist, or accept the responsibility for changing them.”

Denis Waitley

 

Have you noticed how many people seem to just drop out these days? Some appear to hide while others just give up. Many have been focused on an impossible dream while others have found that the bridge to the future they expected has been washed away.

I wonder how many of us suffer because we have an all or nothing set of unrealistic expectations. Lately it seems like whole generations had it so good that they expected that things would always be better and filled with reward as if it is their due. Unfortunately the easy life lived in a phantasy world is probably gone forever. We blew bubbles way too large on borrowed money and unachievable dreams and when they burst we found that they were beyond repair.

So what’s to done? In my view we all can benefit from a trip back to the drawing board. Certainly establishing a life plan that recognizes that the terrain has changed is better than spending the rest of our lives agonizing over what no longer exists. Personally I think most of us are better off when we no longer have to chase a mythical reward nor acquire more space to house what we don’t need. For me I would not even be tempted to trade one of your friendships for the latest new toy that sellers try to convince me I can’t live without.

I also have learned that a stumble, an impassable detour or even an outright failure is not the end of the world, in fact more often than not it marks the opportunity for a new beginning. When did so many of us become convinced that our self-worth is measured by our titles, our wealth or our stockpile of material goods? When did we start to believe that we always have to demonstrate to others that we have it all leaving little left over to demonstrate our worthiness to ourselves?

OK enough of that. All I care about is that you let yourself be happy and that you have learned as I have that reprograming your life is filled with reward.

Here is something that Ralph Marston wrote in somewhat the same vein that think is worth a read.

Your very best effort

Don’t let your disappointment become an excuse to stop caring. If you seek to avoid all possibilities of disappointment, you’ll end up avoiding all opportunities for fulfillment. It can be painful when your results don’t match your expectations. However, if you never make the attempt, the pain of your regret will be far greater than the pain of any disappointment.

It may not be much fun, but you can handle the disappointments. In fact, you can choose to let each disappointment make you even more positively motivated and committed. Don’t run away or hide from life just because it hurts sometimes. Give your time and energy to what you truly care about, instead of wasting your precious moments in worry and fear.

Though many factors are beyond your control, you can always control where your energy is focused. Your best strategy is to focus that energy toward creating the life you most sincerely desire. Remind yourself that you can successfully deal with whatever results you get. Then step forward, give your very best effort, and bring your dreams to life.

~~~

“Our choices in life are made according to our sense of our own worth”

Kaylan Pickford

~~~

A Michigan circuit judge tells about a divorce suit he handled recently.  “I think you might as well give your husband a divorce,” he advised the wife.

“What!” shouted the lady.  “I have lived with this bum for twenty years, and now I should make him happy?”

~~~

Someone sent me a postcard picture of the earth.  On the back it said, “Wish you were here.”

Steven Wright

~~~

When visiting the senior center I heard him say:

I’m the life of the party……  even if it lasts until 8 p.m.

I’m usually interested in going home before I get to where I am going.

I’m awake many hours before my body allows me to get up.

I’m smiling all the time because I can’t hear a thing you’re saying.

I’m very good at telling stories; over and over and over and over…

I’m aware that other people’s grandchildren are not nearly as cute as mine.

I’m so cared for — long term care, eye care, private care, dental care.

I’m sure everything I can’t find is in a safe secure place, …somewhere.

I’m having trouble remembering simple words like…….

I’m beginning to realizing that aging is not for wimps.

I’m sure they are making adults much younger these days, and when did they let kids become policemen?

I’m wondering, if you’re only as old as you feel, how could I be alive at 150?

And, how can my kids be older than I feel sometimes?

I’m a walking storeroom of facts…..  I’ve just lost the key to the storeroom door.

I am pretty sure he said it and not me, I just can’t remember for sure.

~~~

Just because things are not going perfectly does not mean they are not going well.

Al Groh

~~~

He said: One Sunday morning when my son, David, was about 5, we were attending a church in our community. It was common for the preacher to invite the children to the front of the church and have a small lesson before beginning the sermon. He would bring in an item they could find around the house and relate it to a teaching from the Bible.

This particular morning, the visual aid for his lesson was a smoke detector. He asked the children if anyone knew what it meant when an alarm sounded from the smoke detector.

My child immediately raised his hand and said, “It means Daddy’s cooking dinner.”

~~~

A mother may hope that her daughter will get a better husband that she did, but she knows her son will never get as good a wife as his father did.

~~~

Coming out of church, Mrs. Peterson asked her husband, “Do you think that Johnson girl is tinting her hair?”

“I didn’t even see her,” admitted Mr. Peterson.

“And that dress Mrs. Hansen was wearing,” continued Mrs. Peterson, “Really, don’t tell me you think that’s the proper costume for a mother of two.”

“I’m afraid I didn’t notice that either,” said Mr. Peterson.

“Oh, for heaven’s sake,” snapped Mrs. Peterson.  “A lot of good it does you to go to church.”

~~~

“Remember to be gentle with yourself and others. We are all children of chance and none can say why some fields will blossom while others lay brown beneath the August sun. Care for those around you. Look past your differences. Their dreams are no less than yours, their choices no more easily made. And give, give in any way you can, of whatever you possess. To give is to love. To withhold is to wither. Care less for your harvest than for how it is shared and your life will have meaning and your heart will have peace.”

Kent Nerburns

~~~

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 request to be added by e-mailing me at raykiwsp@yahoo.com. Back issues are posted at http://raykiwsp.multiply.com/journal and https://raykiwsp.wordpress.com/ currently there are about 2000 readers from around the world.

 

Thanks Mel

Being good is commendable, but only when it is combined with doing good is it useful.  Author Unknown

I had breakfast yesterday morning with one of my favorite people. She is doing great work building bridges between the Salvation Army, businesses, other organizations and the people of my city. I am really proud of what she is creating. She sees the opportunity to not just acquire sponsor funds to support the Salvation Army but to also show organizations that in these times of tight budgets there is still much that they and their employees, customers and colleagues can do to help those less fortunate.

What she offers is something that I believe goes beyond the traditional philanthropic efforts that we are used to. In fact I honestly think she may have laid the foundation for the ultimate win-win situation that will benefit everyone involved. In my experience when fellow employees get together outside of the workplace to lend a hand to a worthwhile effort teams are built that linger past the event. Employees make friends with fellow workers as well as with other volunteers and often with the people they have helped. The organization wins by demonstrating to their current customers and supporters that they care, not by advertised promises but by positive actions. The Salvation Army benefits by extending their service by helping potential volunteers open their hearts and minds in ways they never knew existed. And best of all the lonely, the poor, the abandoned children, the elderly and others in need find that there are folks who listen and truly care.

As I listened to my friend I envisioned how all kinds of neighborhood associations, businesses, service clubs, schools and others could man one or more of the Salvation Army bell ringing stations at Christmas time, they could even wear vests, badges or some other device that let the public know that they and their organization is doing everything they can to make Christmas as bright as possible for people who otherwise would have little. I could also see groups that not only sponsored an activity but actually managed and operated the effort. It could be something for veterans, a meal for the hungry or providing a place and activity for latchkey kids – the possibilities are endless.

Yep, I’m proud of my friend and realize just how fortunate I am that she is my friend. I will continue to be there cheering her on and helping when I can. I hope that you will get the opportunity to one day be part of what her and her colleagues are building , if not here than in a similar manner wherever you may be, for together we really can make a difference.

~~~

I am only one, but I am one.  I cannot do everything, but I can do something.

And I will not let what I cannot do interfere with what I can do.

Edward Everett Hale

~~~

God: St. Francis, you know all about gardens and nature. What in the world is going on down there in the USA? What happened to the dandelions, violets, thistle and stuff I started eons ago? I had a perfect, no-maintenance garden plan. Those plants grow in any type of soil, withstand drought and multiply with abandon. The nectar from the long lasting blossoms attracts butterflies, honeybee and flocks of songbirds. I expected to see a vast garden of colors by now, but all I see are these green rectangles.

ST. FRANCIS: It’s the tribes that settled there, LORD. The Suburbanites. They started calling your flowers weeds and went to great lengths to kill them and replace them with grass.

GOD: Grass? But it’s so boring. It’s not colorful, it doesn’t attract butterflies, birds and bees, only grubs and sod worms. It’s temperamental with temperatures. Do these Suburbanites really want all that grass growing there?

ST. FRANCIS: Apparently so LORD. They go to great pains to grow it and keep it green. They begin each spring by fertilizing grass and poisoning any other plant that crops up in the lawn.

GOD: The spring rains and warm weather probably make grass grow really fast. That should make the Suburbanites happy.

ST. FRANCIS: Apparently not, LORD. As soon as it grows a little, they cut it, sometimes twice a week.

GOD: They cut it? Do they then bale it like hay?

ST. FRANCIS: Not exactly, LORD. They bag it. Why? Is it a cash crop? Do they sell it?

ST. FRANCIS: No, sir — just the opposite. They pay to throw it away.

GOD: Now let me get this straight. They fertilize the grass so it will grow, and when it grows they cut it off and pay to throw it away?

ST. FRANCIS: Yes, sir.

GOD: These Suburbanites must be relieved it the summer when we cut back on the rain and turn up the heat. That surely slows the growth and saves them a lot of work.

ST. FRANCIS: You aren’t going to believe this, LORD. When the grass stops growing so fast, they drag out hoses and pay more money to water it so they can continue to mow it and pay to get rid of it.

GOD: What nonsense. At least they kept some of the trees. That was a sheer stroke of genius, if I do say so myself. The trees grow leaves in the spring to provide beauty and shade in the summer. Inn the autumn they fall to the ground and form a natural blanket to keep moisture in the soil and protect the trees and bushes. Plus, as they rot, the leaves form compost to enhance the soil. It’s the natural cycle of life.

ST. FRANCIS: You’d better sit down, LORD. The Suburbanites have drawn a new circle. As soon as the leaves fall, they rake them into great piles and pay to have them hauled away.

GOD: No. What do they do to protect the shrub and tree roots in the winter and to keep the soil moist and loose?

ST. FRANCIS: After throwing away the leaves, they go out and buy something which they call mulch. They haul it home and spread it around in place of the leaves.

GOD: And where do they get this mulch?

ST. FRANCIS: They cut down trees and grind them up to make mulch.

GOD: Enough! I don’t want to hear anymore. St. Catherine, you’re in charge of the arts. What movie do you have scheduled for us tonight?

ST. CATHERINE: Dumb and Dumber, LORD. It’s a real stupid movie about

GOD: Never mind, I think I just heard the whole story from St. Francis.

~~~

“With love, all things are possible. Love restores.”

Harper Lee

~~~

A little boy forgot his lines in a Sunday School presentation.  His mother, sitting in the front row to prompt him, gestured and formed the words silently with her lips, but it didn’t help.  Her son’s memory was blank. Finally she leaned forward and whispered the cue, “I am the light of the world.”

The child beamed and with great feeling and a loud, clear voice said, “My mother is the light of the world.”

~~~

“Do not wait; the time will never be ‘just right’. Start where you stand, and work with whatever tools you may have at your command, and better tools will be found as you go along.”

Napoleon Hill

~~~

Maria:  I fell off a sixty-foot ladder today.

Sue:  It’s a miracle you weren’t killed.

Maria:  Oh, I only fell off the first rung.

~~~

Wherever a man turns he can find someone who needs him.

Albert Schweitzer

~~~

Notice: There will be no Daily tomorrow I will be in Chicago on a one day assignment. If all goes well the next Daily will be in your mail box Friday.

Ray

~~~

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 request to be added by e-mailing me at raykiwsp@yahoo.com. Back issues are posted at http://raykiwsp.multiply.com/journal and https://raykiwsp.wordpress.com/ currently there are about 2000 readers from around the world.

 

What I learned yesterday

All beautiful and noble qualities have been united in me… I shall be the fruit which will leave eternal vitality behind even after its decay. How great must be your joy, therefore, to have given birth to me.

Egon Schiele

Yesterday while I was at the hospital getting an IV I had the good fortune of being treated by a nurse who had been with the hospital for more than thirty years. In our conversation I learned that she had been a Catholic Nun but had left the order so that she could serve people’s needs as a nurse which was not an option available to her if she remained in the convent. As we talked I discovered she had not lost any of her values and continued to stay close to her former order and frequently visited the still semi-cloistered Nuns.

What I really liked about her was her easy smile, her obvious goodness and how she has continued her commitment to service. I also learned that she, as I am, is concerned by how much unhappiness exists in so many these days often fueled by unrealistic expectations. I found a kindred soul as she shared her belief that there is much to be offered by a simpler life that does not require that we have every luxury and an existence free of challenges. She reiterated what I believe and that is that more often we are not victims of fate but rather suffer because of our choices. In my mind she did not mean the choice of whether we take one road or another but rather one of enjoying the road we are on.

This morning I stumbled across some thoughts offered by Gretchen Rubin that I believe represent what I think my nurse friend was trying to tell me. Here is what Gretchen had to say:

 

To be or not to be?

Did anyone tell you when you were growing up, you can be what you want? Hopefully, if you were fortunate, there was at least one person in your life who encouraged you to dream, to dare and to be? The words, you can be what you want, sound so positive, hopeful and affirming. They are also a statement of truth, for they illustrate a very important principle of being. This principle is outlined in a poem of affirmation I wrote called “You Can Be What You Want!”. It reads,

 

If you would want love, be loving.

If you would want care, be caring.

You can be what you want.

 

If you would want joy, be joyful.

If you would want peace, be peaceful.

You can be what you want.

 

If you would want happiness, be happy.

If you would want kindness, be kindly.

You can be what you want.

 

If you would want forgiveness, be forgiving.

If you would want acceptance, be accepting.

You can be what you want.

 

Being is proactive. It is literally being what you want. It is also about being first, e.g. if you want honesty, be honest first; if you want loyalty, be loyal first; if you want trust, be trusting first; if you want enthusiasm, be enthusiastic first; if you want courage, be courageous first; if you want inspiration, be a Light first! Be what you want, and stick to it! Your courage will be rewarded.

 

If you noticed not a word about the acquisition of material goods but rather the acquisition of positive attributes that can enrich our lives.

~~~

A people that values its privileges above its principles soon loses both.

Dwight D. Eisenhowe

~~~

Gretchen grabbed a large thermos and hurried to a nearby coffee shop. She held up the thermos, and the barista quickly came over to take his order.

“Is this big enough to hold six cups of coffee?” Gretchen asked.

The coffee shop worker looked at the thermos, hesitated a few seconds, then finally replied, “Yeah. It looks like about six cups to me.”

“Oh, good!” Gretchen sighed in relief, “Then give me two regular, two black, and two decaf.”

~~~

Experience is the thing you have left when everything else is gone.

~~~

A man had finally got around to taking all his run down and broken umbrellas to the repair shop. Next morning on his way to his office, when he got up to leave the street car, he absentmindedly took hold of the umbrella belonging to the woman beside him, for he was in the habit of always carrying one.

The woman cried “Stop! Thief!”, grabbed her umbrella back and embarrassed the poor man no end!

That same day, he stopped at the repair shop, and received all eight of his umbrellas duly repaired and restored.. As he entered the street car, with the unwrapped umbrellas tucked under his arm, he was horrified to behold, glaring at him, the lady of his morning’s misadventure. Her voice came to him charged with a withering scorn:

“Had a good day, didn’t you!”

~~~

Have you noticed that the cost of living hasn’t affected its popularity?

~~~

An old lady had always wanted to travel abroad.

Now that she was getting on in years, she thought she better try to do so before she passed away.

But until now, she’d never even been out of the country. So she began by going in person to the Passport Office and asking how long it would take to have one issued.

“You must take the loyalty oath first,” responded the passport clerk. “Raise your right hand, please.”

The old gal did as she was asked, and raised her right hand.

“Do you swear to defend the Constitution of the United States against all its enemies, domestic or foreign?” was the first question.

The little old lady’s face paled and her voice trembled as she asked in a small voice,

“Uhhh… all by myself?”

~~~

It’s not an optical illusion.    It just looks like one.

~~~

Max Levy goes to his doctor complaining of aches and pains all over his body. After a thorough examination, the doctor gives him a clean bill of health.

“Max, you’re in excellent shape for an 85 year old man. But I’m not a magician – I can’t make you any younger”, says the doctor.

“Who asked you to make me younger?” says Max. “Just make sure I get older!”

~~~

First say to yourself what you would be; and then do what you have to do.

Epictetus

~~~

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 request to be added by e-mailing me at raykiwsp@yahoo.com. Back issues are posted at http://raykiwsp.multiply.com/journal and https://raykiwsp.wordpress.com/ currently there are about 2000 readers from around the world.

Has it really been that long?

“You can’t have a better tomorrow if you are thinking about yesterday all the time.”

Charles F. Kettering

I have to leave early this morning to go to the hospital for my semi-annual Iron IV. It always fortifies my blood, improves my stamina with only minor residual attraction to magnetic fields. In any case the appointment does not leave me much Daily time, at least that is my rationale and I am sticking to it. So my friends you must put up with another blast from the past.

 

Ray’s Daily first published on June 20, 2001

It was on this date in 1948 that “Toast of the Town,” a variety show hosted by Ed Sullivan, debuted on CBS. Later known as “The Ed Sullivan Show,” it ran until 1971 as one of the most popular programs in American television history. Many of you won’t remember but it was the “never miss” variety show. We first saw Elvis, the Beatles, and many other American icons on the show.

~~~

I wish us all Love, Joy, Creativity, Pleasure, Abundance, Grace, Self-Esteem, Courage, Balance, Spontaneity, Passion, Peace, Beauty, and Life Energy.

~~~

He said;

I’m a man, you don’t have to ask me if I liked the movie. Chances are, if you cried at the end of it, I didn’t.

I’m a man, I think what you’re wearing is fine. I thought what you were wearing five minutes ago was fine, too. Either pair of shoes is fine. With the belt or without it — looks fine. Your hair is fine. You look fine. Can we just go now?

I’m a man, and this is, after all, the year 2001, I will share equally in the housework. You just do the laundry, the cooking, the gardening, the cleaning, the vacuuming, the shopping and the dishes, and I’ll do the rest.

~~~

“My Dog Can Lick Anyone”

~~~

So you think you know what most computer acronyms really mean? Think again!

CD-ROM – Consumer Device, Rendered Obsolete in Months

IBM – I Blame Microsoft, or I Bought Macintosh

PCMCIA – People Can’t Memorize Computer Industry Acronyms

ISDN – It Still Does Nothing

APPLE – Arrogance Produces Profit-Losing Entity

DEC – Do Expect Cuts

CA -Constant Acquisitions

OS/2 – Obsolete Soon Too

SCSI – System Can’t See It

DOS – Defunct Operating System

BASIC – Bill’s Attempt to Seize Industry Control

WWW – World Wide WAIT

~~~

If your behind is in front, you turned around!

~~~

My wife seems to be losing her sense of humor for no apparent reason.

Why just the other day, she got mad when she announced that she was going to the beauty parlor.

I asked, “Are you going in for an estimate or are you going to get the work done?”

~~~

Indecision may, or may not, be my problem.

Jimmy Buffett

~~~

Two women were chatting about their weekend, but the one was kind of upset.

“So, what’s the matter? I thought you just got back from a nice relaxing fishing trip with your husband,” her friend said.

“Oh, everything went wrong: First he said I talked so loud I would scare the fish. Then he said I was using the wrong bait; and then that I was reeling in too soon. All that might have been all right; but then, to make matters worse, I ended up catching the most fish!”

~~~

Procrastination has its good side. You always have something to do tomorrow.

~~~

One Sunday morning a young lady is out shopping when she receives a call notifying her that her Grandfather had died. She immediately races over to visit her Grandmother..

“Grandma,” she sobs, “how did it happen? Grandfather seemed so healthy and full of the joy of living when I last saw him and now barely two days later he’s dead.”

“Well”, replies the old lady, “the truth is he had a heart attack while we were having sex this morning.”

“Sex! He was having sex at the age of 94?! Isn’t that asking for trouble?”

“Oh no.” Granny replied “You see we had a routine every Sunday morning we used to keep time with the church bells coming from a church around the corner.  In with the “dings”, out with the “dongs.” She paused for a moment to wipe her eyes.

“And if it wasn’t for that damn ice cream truck, your Grandfather would still be alive today.”

~~~

People rarely disclose their character so clearly as when they describe someone else’s.

~~~

On a trip to the zoo, I made a casual stroll by the cage of a laughing hyena.  A young man was leaning over the bar at the edge of the cage, whispering something in the animal’s direction.

As I stepped closer, I heard him say, “Did you hear the one about…”

~~~

It’s easy to understand modern art: If it hangs on the wall it’s a painting, if you can walk around it it’s a sculpture.

~~~

A man went to his lawyer and said, “I would like to make a will but I don’t know exactly how to go about it.”

The lawyer said, “No problem, leave it all to me.”

The man looked somewhat upset and said, “Well, I knew you were going to take the biggest slice, but I would like to leave a little to my children too!”

~~~

If a woman has to choose between catching a fly ball and saving an infant’s life, she will choose to save the infant’s life without even considering if there are men on base.

Dave Barry

~~~~

“The fellow who never makes a mistake takes his orders from one who does.”

Herbert V. Prochnow

~~~

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 request to be added by e-mailing me at raykiwsp@yahoo.com. Back issues are posted at http://raykiwsp.multiply.com/journal and https://raykiwsp.wordpress.com/ currently there are about 2000 readers from around the world.

 

How old are you really?

Live your life and forget your age.

Norman Vincent Peale

I was at a meeting the other day where I said that I now know that age cannot be measured by the years you have lived. What I meant was that the process of aging slows down or speeds up not as much by the passage of time but rather by what we do and what we think. One of the folks I was with said we should quit defining people as participants of a generalized group, in this case he meant “Senior Citizens” and he advocated we find a new term for people who are over fifty years old and destroy the cultural image that comes to mind of infirm and somewhat senile old folks. And I could not agree more, some of the youngest acting and smartest people I know are way beyond their 50’s and still going strong. Sadly I also spend time with folks in their twenties that act as if they are in their nineties.

I don’t know what we should use instead of seniors or golden agers but I think we need to understand that the mid years are much longer than we realize and truly can be the best years of our lives. Like Satchel Page said years ago “How old would you be if you did not know how old you are.” It is up to each of us to dip into our own Fountains of Youth and live.

Here is how one man well up in his years stayed young. He is a good role model to we should remember his story often.

Keep on Knocking, Keep on Asking, Keep on Seeking

When Colonel Harland Sanders retired at the age of 65, he had little to show for himself, except an old Caddie roadster, a $105 monthly pension check, and a recipe for chicken. Knowing he couldn’t live on his pension, he took his chicken recipe in hand, got behind the wheel of his van, and set out to make his fortune. His first plan was to sell his chicken recipe to restaurant owners, who would in turn give him a residual for every piece of chicken they sold–5 cents per chicken. The first restaurateur he called on turned him down. So did the second. So did the third.

In fact, the first 1008 sales calls Colonel Sanders made ended in rejection. Still, he continued to call on owners as he traveled across the USA, sleeping in his car to save money. Prospect number 1009 gave him his first “yes.” After two years of making daily sales he had signed up a total of five restaurants. Still the Colonel pressed on, knowing that he had a great chicken recipe and that someday the idea would catch on.

Of course, you know how the story ends. The idea DID catch on. By 1963 the Colonel had 600 restaurants across the country selling his secret recipe of Kentucky Fried Chicken (with 11 herbs and spices). In 1964 he was bought out by future Kentucky governor John Brown. Even though the sale made him a multi-millionaire, he continued to represent and promote KFC until his death in 1990.

Colonel Sanders’ story teaches an important lesson: it’s never too late to decide to never give up.

He knew that if he kept on knocking on doors, eventually someone would say “yes.” If you have given up too easily in the past…remember: It’s never too late to become persistent. It’s never too late to decide to never give up. Keep on knocking. Keep on asking. Keep on seeking.

So my friends choose to stay young and you will find how great the later years can be.

~~~

I believe in myself. I believe in the hands that work, in the brains that think, and in the hearts that love.

Richard Branson

~~~

Harry came into the office an hour late for the third time in a week.

“What’s the story this time, Harry?” his boss asked sarcastically.

“Let’s hear a good excuse for a change.”

Harry sighed, “Everything went wrong this morning, boss. The wife decided to drive me to the station. She got ready in ten minutes but then the drawbridge got stuck. I swam across the river — see? My suit’s still damp — ran out to the airport, got a ride on Mr. Trump’s helicopter, landed on top of Radio City Music Hall, and was carried here piggyback by one of the Rockettes.”

“You’ll have to do better than that, Harry,” said the boss. “No woman can get ready in ten minutes!”

~~~

Your secrets are safe with me and all my friends …. None of us can remember anything.

~~~

A row of bottles on my shelf

Caused me to analyze myself.

One yellow pill I have to pop

Goes to my heart so it won’t stop.

A little white one that I take

Goes to my hands so they won’t shake.

The blue ones that I use a lot

Tell me I’m happy when I’m not.

The purple pill goes to my brain

And tells me that I have no pain.

The capsules tell me not to wheeze

Or cough or choke or even sneeze.

The red ones, smallest of them all

Go to my blood so I won’t fall.

The orange ones, very big and bright

Prevent my leg cramps in the night.

Such an array of brilliant pills

Helping to cure all kinds of ills.

But what I’d really like to know………..

Is what tells each one where to go!

~~~

“Camping is nature’s way of promoting the motel business.”

Dave Barry

~~~

Two men sank into adjacent train seats after a long day in the city.

One asked the other, “Your son go back to college yet?”

“Two days ago.”

“H-m-m. Mine’s a senior this year, so it’s almost over. In May, he’ll be an engineer.  What’s your boy going to be when he gets out of college?”

“At the rate he’s going, I’d say he’ll be about thirty.”

“No, I mean what’s he taking in college?”

“He’s taking every penny I make.”

“Doesn’t he burn the midnight oil enough?”

“He doesn’t get in early enough to burn the midnight oil.”

“Well, has sending him to college done anything at all?”

“Sure has! It’s totally cured his mother of bragging about him!”

~~~

What lies behind us and what lies before us are small matters compared to what lies within us.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

~~~

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 request to be added by e-mailing me at raykiwsp@yahoo.com. Back issues are posted at http://raykiwsp.multiply.com/journal and https://raykiwsp.wordpress.com/ currently there are about 2000 readers from around the world.

 

There is good news

Give us, O give us, the man who sings at his work! Be his occupation what it may, he is equal to any of those who follow the same pursuit in silent sullenness. He will do more in the same time — he will do it better, he will persevere longer. One is scarcely sensible of fatigue whilst he marches to music.

Thomas Carlyle

As we all know these are not the best of times. I don’t know if things will ever again be like they were during the go-go years. No matter what happens I have decided not to mourn what I no longer have nor yearn for what I don’t need. I have but to look around, read about the problems that so many others around the world face every day to realize that most people would give almost anything to take my place, even during my worst times. The quality of one’s life is truly one of perspective and a willingness to maintain a positive attitude.

That being said I just realized that I often don’t practice what I preach. Especially over the last few months I now understand that while I was optimistic about recovering from my various maladies I often responded to people’s questions about how I was doing with answers like “I am surviving,” or the like when in reality I was closer to thriving with solutions to my problems in the works.

I have a Kiwanis International past president friend that always answered inquiries about how he was doing with a hearty “never better,” no matter how bad he felt. What he was doing was always operating from a brightened platform as a result of his positive attitude. As I reflected on the last few months I realized I would have been better off with my friend’s answers rather than the ones I gave.

My reviewing the recent past was triggered by something Gretchen Rubin wrote some time ago that I just reread. Here is what she said:

 

Celebrate the “GOOD NEWS”

Judging by our day-to-day conversations with friends, family and colleagues, no one is happy, no one is successful and no one is having a good time. “How are you?” we ask, when we greet one another. The replies arrive thick and fast: “Not bad”, “Not so bad”, and “Not too bad”. Some people, more creative, say, “Could be better” − “Could be worse” − “Bearing up” − “Oh, so-so” − “Fair to middling” − “Hanging in there” − “Surviving” − “Can’t complain” −”Mustn’t grumble” − How about that!

I call this type of inane conversation “Not-so-badder-itis”. It is like a “near-life experience”, as opposed to a “near-death experience”, in that there is no happiness, no sadness, no commitment, no nothing. In our fast and furious world, where no one appears to have the time to engage in mindful conversations, “Not so bad” has become a learned response, a type of social shorthand. It’s quick, its easy, and we have no idea what you are talking about!

Celebrate the “good news”. Sit down, right now, and make a list of ten “successes” you have had in the last week. Yes, ten! They are there if you look for them. For the next seven days, I want you to sit down each evening and make a list of 5 successes you have had for each day. Affirm and acknowledge your successes, your joy, your good fortune.

~~~

The greatest discovery of my generation is that man can alter his life simply by altering his attitude of mind.

William James

~~~

A terrific explosion occurs in a gunpowder factory, and once all the mess has been cleared up, an inquiry begins.

One of the few survivors is pulled up to make a statement. “Okay Simpson,” says the investigator, “you were near the scene – what happened ?”

“Well, it’s like this. Old Charley Higgins was in the mixing room, and I saw him take a cigarette out of his pocket and light up.”

“He was smoking in the mixing room ?” the investigator said in stunned horror, “How long had he been with the company?”

“About 20 years, sir”

“20 years in the company, then he goes and strikes a match in the mixing room, I’d have thought it would have been the last thing he’d have done.”

“It was, sir.”

~~~

Manners are a sensitive awareness of the feelings of others.

If you have that awareness, you have good manners, no matter what fork you use.

Emily Post

~~~

George Phillips of Meridian, Mississippi was going up to bed when his wife told him that he’d left the light on in the garden shed, which she could see from the bedroom window. George opened the back door to go turn off the light but saw that there were people in the shed stealing things. He phoned the police, who asked, does someone live in your shed?” and he said no. Then they said that all patrols were busy, and that he should simply lock his door and an officer would be along when available.

George said, “Okay,” hung up, counted to 30, and phoned the police again. “Hello I just called you a few seconds ago because there were people in my shed. Well, you don’t have to worry about them now, cause I’ve just shot them all.” Then he hung up.

Within five minutes three police cars, an Armed Response unit, and an ambulance showed up at the Phillips residence. Of course, the police caught the burglars red-handed.

One of the Policemen said to George: “I thought you said that you’d shot them?”

George said, “I thought you said there was nobody available?”

~~~

Marriage changes passion…Suddenly you’re in bed with a relative.

~~~

A story is told of a Jewish man who was riding on the subway reading an Arab newspaper. A friend of his, who happened to be riding in the same subway car, noticed this strange phenomenon.

Very upset, he approached the newspaper reader: “Moshe, have you lost your mind? Why are you reading an Arab newspaper?”

Moshe replied: “I used to read the Jewish newspaper, but what did I find? Jews being persecuted, Israel being attacked, Jews disappearing through assimilation and intermarriage, Jews living in poverty. So, I switched to the Arab newspaper.

“Now what do I find? Jews own all the banks, Jews control the media, Jews are all rich and powerful, Jews rule the world. The news is so much better!”

~~~

“Ignorance is the mother of admiration.”

George Chapman

~~~

A Sunday school teacher said to her young class, “We have been learning for awhile now how powerful kings and queens were in Bible times. But, there is a much higher power. Can anybody tell me what it is?”

The room was silent until one child blurted out confidently. . .”Aces!”

~~~

Every time words are spoken, something is created. Be conscious of what you say and how you say it. Use words that build up, appreciate, encourage and inspire.

Lucy MacDonald

~~~

Stay well, do good work, and have fun.

Ray Mitchell

Indianapolis, Indiana

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