Ray's Daily

“The day is what you make it! So why not make it a great one?”

Steve Schulte

As many of you know I have had the good fortune to meet and sometimes even work with some really special people from all walks of life. They have been college professors, wellness teachers, clerks, well known entertainers, government leaders, public health leaders and many others.

The one thing that those who did amazing things had in common was a positive attitude. I am always saddened by those who don’t think positively for they often lose the race before it even begins; in fact many never even leave the starting line.

I am sometimes accused of being overly optimistic and I may very well be but I would rather try and fail then stay seated on the side lines. In my experience the people with positive attitudes sometimes surprise themselves by how much they are able to accomplish. They are also usually happy folks that are fun to be with.

I found the following article on Short Stories 101 that inspires me I hope it will inspire you too:

 Attitude Determines Attitude

Author Unknown

 I woke up early today, excited over all I get to do before the clock strikes midnight. I have responsibilities to fulfill today. I am important. My job is to choose what kind of day I am going to have.

• Today I can complain because the weather is rainy or I can be thankful that the grass is getting watered for free.
• Today I can feel sad that I don’t have more money or I can be glad that my finances encourage me to plan my purchases wisely and guide me away from waste.
• Today I can grumble about my health or I can rejoice that I am alive.
• Today I can lament over all that my parents didn’t give me when I was growing up or I can feel grateful that they allowed me to be born.
• Today I can cry because roses have thorns or I can celebrate that thorns have roses.
• Today I can mourn my lack of friends or I can excitedly embark upon a quest to discover new relationships.
• Today I can whine because I have to go to work or I can shout for joy because I have a job to do.
• Today I can complain because I have to go to school or eagerly open my mind and fill it with rich new tidbits of knowledge.
• Today I can murmur dejectedly because I have to do housework or I can feel honored because the Lord has provided shelter for my mind, body and soul.
• Today stretches ahead of me, waiting to be shaped. And here I am, the sculptor who gets to do the shaping.

What today will be like is up to me. I get to choose what kind of day I will have!

~~~

“Beliefs have the power to create and the power to destroy. Human beings have the awesome ability to take any experience of their lives and create a meaning that disempowers them or one that can literally save their lives.”

Anthony Robbins

~~~

Two lawyers went into a diner and sat down at the counter. They ordered two sodas, took sandwiches out of their briefcases and started to eat them.

The owner saw what was going on and approached the men. “You can’t eat your own sandwiches in here,” he complained.

The two lawyers stopped, looked at each other, and then swapped their sandwiches.

~~~

A rock <– me –> A hard place

~~~

Three weeks after her wedding day, Joanna called her minister. “Reverend,” she wailed, “John and I had a DREADFUL fight!”

“Calm down, my child,” said the minister, “it’s not half as bad as you think. Every marriage has to have its first fight!”

“I know, I know!” said Joanna. “But what am I going to do with the BODY?”

~~~

Stress is when you wake up screaming & you realize you haven’t fallen asleep yet.

~~~

Once upon a time there was a woman married to an annoying man named Steve. He would complain about everything. That day he went to their creek with his mule. He complained so much that the mule got annoyed and kicked him to death. At the funeral, when all the men walked by the wife she shook her head yes and every time the women walked by she shook her head no. The minister asked ”Why are you shaking your head yes for men and no for women?” Her response was, ”The men would say how sorry they felt for me and I was saying, ‘Yes, I’ll be alright.’ When the women walked by, they were asking if the mule is for sale.”

~~~

It’s not hard to meet expenses; they’re everywhere.

~~~

She said:

My mother never let me help much in the kitchen.  As a result, my cooking ability was practically non-existent when I got married. But, I did remember mother mentioning to her friends that she did make cakes, pies and other things from scratch.  So my first priority after the honeymoon, was to locate some scratch.

With mother’s delicious cakes in mind, my first trip to the supermarket was to buy some scratch.  I found the aisle that read — Baking Items.  I spent a good 15 minutes looking at everything from vegetable oil, sugar, flour and chocolate without seeing a sign of scratch.  I was sure it wouldn’t be with the pickles or the meat.  I asked the clerk if they carried scratch.  He looked at me funny and finally said, “You’ll have to go to the store on the corner.”

When I got there, it turned out to be a feed store.  I thought it rather strange, but I decided cakes were food.  “Do you have scratch?” I asked the clerk.

He asked me how much I wanted.  I suggested a pound or two.  His reply was, “How many chickens do you have?  It only comes in 20 pound bags.” I really didn’t understand why he mentioned chickens, but I had heard mother say she made chicken casserole from scratch.  So, I bought 20 pounds and hurried home.

My next problem was to find a recipe calling for scratch.  I went through every single page of my lovely “Better Homes and Gardens” Cookbook — a wedding gift.  I looked and looked for a recipe using scratch.  There I was with 20 pounds and no recipe.

When I opened the scratch, I had doubts that a beautiful, fluffy cake would ever result from such a hard looking ingredient.  I hoped with the addition of liquids and heat the result would be successful.  I had no need to mention my problem to my new husband. He had suggested very early in our marriage that he liked to cook and would gladly take over anytime.  One day he made a pie and when I told him how good it was, he said that he made it from scratch.

That assured me that it could be done.

Being a new bride is scary and when I found out he made pies, cakes, and even lemon pudding from scratch well, if he made all those things from scratch, I was sure he had bought a 20 pound bag of scratch also.  But, I couldn’t find where he stored it, and I checked my supply.  It was still full!  At this point I was ready to give up because all the people knew about scratch except me.  I decided to try a different approach.  One day when my husband was not doing anything, I said, “Honey, I wish you’d bake a cake.” He got out the flour, sugar, eggs, milk and shortening.  But, not a sign of scratch.  I watched him blend it together, pour it into a pan and slide it into the oven to bake.  An hour later, as we were eating the cake, I looked at him and smiled and said, “Honey, why don’t we raise a few chickens?”

~~~

“Believe in yourself! Have faith in your abilities! Without a humble but reasonable confidence in your own powers you cannot be successful or happy.”

Norman Vincent Peale

~~~

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.

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