Ray's Daily

Don’t get discouraged enjoy the ride

Life is short and we have never too much time for gladdening the hearts of those who are travelling the dark journey with us. Oh be swift to love, make haste to be kind.

Henri Frederic Amiel

One of the things we learn almost every day when you get up in years is that life goes on. But as it does we are faced with constant change. Our environment changes, our abilities change, many of our friends and family are no longer with us, the list could go on and it is a long one.

It becomes important that we don’t let the changes we face in our lives take us down. The scenery behind us may have changed but there is more to see ahead of us. The place we were in last year no longer exists, we can stop and live only on memories or we can keep going while developing new memories.

It is also important to understand that each of us also exists in the lives of many others and it behooves us to do our best to make sure others are glad that we are there. No matter what our age may be it is the life we lead and how we handle ourselves that will define us to others. We don’t have to pretend we are what we are not but choosing to be as good at life as you can will always be the key to lifelong happiness.

Here is a piece that a friend and longtime Daily reader sent me recently that I would like to share with you. I hope you appreciate it as much as I have.

BEAUTIFUL

At birth we boarded the train and met our parents, and we believe they will always travel on our side. However, at some station our parents will step down from the train, leaving us on this journey alone.  As time goes by, other people will board the train; and they will be significant i.e. our siblings, friends, children, and even the love of your life. Many will step down and leave a permanent vacuum. Others will go so unnoticed that we don’t realize they vacated their seats. This train ride will be full of joy, sorrow, fantasy, expectations, hellos, goodbyes, and farewells. Success consists of having a good relationship with all passengers requiring that we give the best of ourselves.

The mystery to everyone is: We do not know at which station we ourselves will step down. So, we must live in the best way, love, forgive, and offer the best of who we are. It is important to do this because when the time comes for us to step down and leave our seat empty we should leave behind beautiful memories for those who will continue to travel on the train of life.

I wish you a joyful journey on the train of life. Reap success and give lots of love. More importantly, thank God for the journey. Lastly, I thank you for being one of the passengers on my train.

~~~

I try to be grateful for the abundance of the blessings that I have, for the journey that I’m on and to relish each day as a gift.

James McGreevey

~~~

“I hope you didn’t take it personally, Reverend,” an embarrassed woman said after a church service, “when my husband walked out during your sermon.”

“I did find it rather disconcerting,” the preacher replied.

“It’s not a reflection on you, sir,” insisted the church goer. “Ralph has been walking in his sleep ever since he was a child.”

~~~

The difference between gossip and news is whether you hear it or tell it.

~~~

A Mormon acquaintance once pushed Mark Twain into an argument on the issue of polygamy. After long and tedious expositions justifying the practice, the Mormon demanded that Twain cite any passage of scripture expressly forbidding polygamy.

“Nothing easier,” Twain replied. “No man can serve two masters.”

~~~

She said: “My husband and I found this great new method of birth control that really, really works… Every night before we go to bed, we spend an hour with our kids.”

~~~

Fresh out of high school, I found a job cleaning the elegant home of an older couple.  Among other duties, I had to dust their many imported carvings and petrified collectibles as well as pick up after their pets.

One day I was astonished to find two ivory fossils lying on the floor beside the bookcase.  I quickly picked them up and put them back on the shelf. The next week the same thing happened. That afternoon my employer came into the parlor, her faithful canine behind her.  Looking around, she eyed the bookcase.

“Tippy,” she asked the dog, “how do your bones keep getting up there?”

~~~

I used to be a heavy gambler. But now I just make mental bets. That’s how I lost my mind.

~~~

Billy Bob’s parents were thrilled and excited when he joined the Army; he was going to serve his country.

After Billy Bob had completed basic training, he invited his parents to come to the base and spend the day there. He said that special programs had been set up for all the parents, so that they could see the results of the training. His parents showed up, eager to see what Billy Bob had learned.

After all the parents had visited with their sons, the Drill Sergeant announced that the group would do an exhibition of marching, to show off the skills their sons had learned.

The troops lined up in formation and marched by the group of parents.

As they went by, Billy Bob’s mother said to his father, “I’m so proud of Billy Bob. Look at him. He’s out there marching, and do you notice, he’s the only one in step?”

~~~

If God had meant us to be naked, he would have made our skin fit better.

Maureen Murphy

~~~

Little Jimmy was laying in the middle of a meadow on a warm spring day. Soon, he began to think about God.

“God? Are you really there?” Jimmy said out loud. To his astonishment a voice came from the clouds. “Yes, Jimmy? What can I do for you?”

Seizing the opportunity, Jimmy asked, “God? What is a million years like to you?”

Knowing that Jimmy could not understand the concept of infinity, God responded in a manner to which Jimmy could relate, “A million years to me, Jimmy, is like a minute.”

“Oh,” said Jimmy. “Well, then, what’s a million dollars like to you?”

“A million dollars to me, Jimmy, is like a penny.”

“Wow!” remarked Jimmy, getting an idea. “You’re so generous…can I have one of your pennies?”

God replied, “Sure thing, Jimmy! Just a minute.”

~~~

Do you ever wonder how the size of hail was described before the game of golf was invented?

~~~

At a country-club party a young man was introduced to an attractive girl.  Immediately he began paying her court and flattering her outrageously. The girl liked the young man, but she was taken a bit aback by his fast and ardent pitch. She was amazed when after 30 minutes he seriously proposed marriage.

“Look,” she said. “We only met a half hour ago. How can you be so sure? We know nothing about each other.”

“You’re wrong,” the young man declared. “For the past 5 years I’ve been working in the bank where your father has his account.

~~~

“Dance. Smile. Giggle. Marvel. TRUST. HOPE. LOVE. WISH. BELIEVE. Most of all, enjoy every moment of the journey, and appreciate where you are at this moment instead of always focusing on how far you have to go.”

Mandy Hale,

~~~

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@gmail.com. Back issues are posted at https://raykiwsp.wordpress.com/ currently there are more than 2000 readers from around the world.

It’s OK to stray off the beaten path

“Dreams are like stars…you may never touch them, but if you follow them they will lead you to your destiny.”

Here we go again another fresh start. The great news comes from our realizing that we have an opportunity to leave the path we find ourselves on, even if it is just for a short time. It might be just a pleasant diversion or even better the first step on a more rewarding road. Lately I have felt more and more that too many folks are getting trapped on a path in their life failing to realize that were we start does not have to take us to an unwanted destiny.

For some folks it seems like they allow their jobs to control their lives, they define themselves by their work and fall into a rut of routine. Too many of us fail to realize that our employment is not all there is in life, in fact the freedom we have to do other things outside of our working hours is often the place where we can find adventure, pleasure and a wealth of human rewards. All it really takes is a willingness to learn what might make us happy and then the courage to take advantage of the opportunity to start on the road to the happier destination.

It is not always the job that holds us back, often it is the misguided effort we put in trying to be better than someone we think has a life superior to our own. Trying to jump on someone else’s life plan often only results in frustration and unhappiness.

Here is a story that shows what I mean.

Run your own RACE and wish others WELL!

I was jogging this morning and I noticed a person in front of me, about 1/2 a kilometer. I could tell he was running a little slower than me and I thought, good, I shall try to catch him. I had about a kilometer to go my path before I needed to turn off.

So I started running faster and faster. Every block, I was gaining on him just a little bit. After just a few minutes I was only about 100 yards behind him, so I really picked up the pace and push myself. You would have thought I was running in the last leg of London Olympic competition. I was determined to catch him. Finally, I did it!

I caught and passed him by. On the inside I felt so good. “I beat him” of course, he didn’t even know we were racing. After I passed him, I realized I had been so focused on competing against him that I had missed my turn. I had gone nearly six blocks past it. I had to turn around and go all back.

Isn’t that what happens in life when we focus on competing with co-workers, neighbors, friends, family, trying to outdo them or trying to prove that we are more successful or more important? We spend our time and energy running after them and we miss out on our own paths to our God given destinies.

The problem with unhealthy competition is that it’s a never ending cycle. There will always be somebody ahead of you, someone with better job, nicer car, more money in the bank, more education, a prettier wife/gf, a more handsome husband/bf, better behaved children, etc.

But realize that “You can be the best that you can be, you are not competing with no one.” Some people are insecure because they pay too much attention to what others are doing, where others are going, wearing and driving.

Take what God has given you, the height, weight and personality. Dress well and wear it proudly! You’ll be blessed by it. Stay focused and live a healthy life. There’s no competition in DESTINY, run your own RACE and wish others WELL!.

~~~

Destiny is no matter of chance. It is a matter of choice. It is not a thing to be waited for, it is a thing to be achieved.

William Jennings Bryan

~~~

If you’re not familiar with the work of Steven Wright, he’s the famous scientist who once said: “I woke up one morning and all of my stuff had been stolen…and replaced by exact duplicates.” His mind sees things differently than we do, to our amazement and amusement. Here are some of his gems:

Half the people you know are below average.

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

OK, so what’s the speed of dark?

How do you tell when you’re out of invisible ink?

What happens if you get scared half to death ….. twice?

My mechanic told me, “I couldn’t repair your brakes, so I made your horn louder.”

The hardness of the butter is proportional to the softness of the bread.

The sooner you fall behind, the more time you’ll have to catch up.

The colder the x-ray table, the more of your body is required to be on it.

~~~

Bert took his Saint Bernard to the vet. “Doctor,” he said, “I need you to cut off my dog’s tail.”

The vet stepped back, “Bert, why should I do such a terrible thing?”

“Because my mother-in-law’s arriving tomorrow, and I don’t want anything to make her think she’s welcome.”

~~~

Only in America……do we leave cars worth thousands of dollars in the driveway and put our useless junk in the garage.

~~~

At the police station, Bubba explained to the police officer why his cousins shot him. “Well,” Bubba began, “We wuz havin’ a good time drinking, when my cousin Ray picked up his shotgun and said, “Hey, der ya fellows wanna go hunting?”

“And then what happened?” the officer interrupted.

“From what I remember,” Bubba said, “I stood up and said, “Sure, I’m game.”

~~~

Complaints? Write them here legibly [ ]

~~~

A guy had been isolated on an island in the South Pacific for 10 years. He lit a signal every night for 10 years but no one saw it and no one came to rescue him. Finally a passing boat did notice the signal and sent an officer and men in a small boat to investigate.

The castaway explained that he had been on this island for 10 years waiting to be rescued. The boat captain ask “If you are all alone, what are those three huts I see built in the lagoon?

He answered “The first hut is my home. The second hut is where I go to church. And the third hut is where I went to church before I got mad and changed churches …”

~~~

You know, I spent a fortune on deodorant before I realized that people didn’t like me anyway.

~~~

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

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

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

~~~

“No one saves us but ourselves. No one can and no one may. We ourselves must walk the path.”

Gautama Buddha

~~~

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@gmail.com. Back issues are posted at https://raykiwsp.wordpress.com/ currently there are more than 2000 readers from around the world.

Don’t fight happiness

“Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.”

Mahatma Gandhi

I was in a group discussion the other day that focused on how happiness can be so elusive for many people. This morning a friend commented on what he thought was my apparent positive focus even when I am facing some what appears to be a big problem. In reality I don’t think my outlook is necessarily driven by excessive optimism as much as not focusing on negative possibilities. In my experience the bad things we worry about seldom happen so why let them drag us down.

Here are excerpts from an article written by Angel Chernoff on why so many of us struggle with the effort to be happy. I thought it was worth our consideration this morning.

Reasons You Struggle with Happiness

If you’ve been struggling to find happiness there’s a good chance…

You let envy get the best of you.

When you feel envious, tell yourself not to feel envious.  Be blatant and direct.  Tell the ‘why not me?’ voice in your head to quiet down and tell the ‘don’t be silly’ voice to speak up.  It really is this simple.  You actually prevent envy by addressing it directly and stopping it dead in its tracks.

When you feel flustered because someone has received the very thing you want, force yourself to remember how much you have already been given.  Remember that there’s plenty for everyone, and that everyone gets one dose at a time.

You don’t DO enough.

A significant majority of your anxiety and unhappiness likely stems from a subconscious disappointment in yourself for the great ideas and dreams that have been forever abandoned in your mind. Although you will sometimes regret the things you carelessly say and do without thinking, you will never regret these things as much as the words and deeds you leave unspoken and undone. Positive growth only occurs when you stretch yourself.  What you think has to affect what you say and do.

You’ve let too many problems fester.

Unresolved problems can quickly suck the life out of you.  Yet when you resolve just one small problem, you immediately inject a powerful dose of positive energy into everything else you’re involved in.

Instead of burdening yourself with problems, let them to inspire you to make changes.  Instead of wasting your energy worrying, invest your energy in doing. Sure, some problems facing you may take a fair amount of time to resolve, but the steps for doing so are still small and manageable.  It’s just a matter of starting.

You hold all your feelings hostage.

Anything that’s true in your mind – feelings, fears, etc. – is mentionable to a good friend, and anything that’s mentionable can be more manageable.  When you can talk about how you feel, your thoughts become less overwhelming and scary, and more understood.  The good friends you trust with these important talks ultimately help you realize that you’re not alone in this world.

You’ve been ignoring an inner calling.

Passion is a funny thing.  No matter how hard you try, you can’t block your inner spirit from the ideas that move you at your core.  Trying to do so is an exercise in futility.  It’s like tearing your mind and heart away from each other and expecting to feel healthy inside. Honestly, when it comes to your passions you just have to go for it.  Don’t get lost in apprehension.  Give yourself a chance.

You choose to be negative.

Whenever you find yourself falling short on temper and grim with words, whenever you feel yourself slipping into a damp, drizzly November rain in your mind, it’s time to catch yourself before you fall flat on your face.  Pull yourself away from the thoughts that make you feel bad – the ones that add zero value to your growth; see how doing so changes your life.  You don’t need these negative thoughts; all they have ever given you is a false self that suffers for no reason.

~~~

“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

~~~

Three women were sitting around and bragging about their children. The first one says, “You know, my son graduated first in his class from Stanford. He’s now a doctor, making $250,000 a year in Chicago.” The second woman says, “You know my son graduated first in his class from Harvard. He’s now a lawyer, making half a million dollars a year and lives in Los Angeles.”

The last woman says, “You know my son; he never did too well in school. He never went to any university, but he now makes one million dollars a year in New York working as a sports repairman.”

The other two women ask, “What is a sports repairman?”

The woman then replies, “Oh, he fixes games… you know, hockey games, football games, baseball games….”

~~~

Craig said that on the first day of school, a first grader handed his teacher a note from his mother. The note read, “The opinions expressed by this child are not necessarily those of his parents.”

~~~

Paddy was in America. He was patiently waiting, and watching the traffic cop on a busy street crossing. The cop stopped the flow of traffic and shouted, “Okay pedestrians”. Then he’d allow the traffic to pass. He’d done this several times, and Paddy still stood on the sidewalk. After the cop had shouted “Pedestrians” for the tenth time, Paddy went over to him and said, “Is it not about time ye let the Catholics across?”

~~~

“Weiler’s Law” Nothing is impossible for the man who doesn’t have to do it himself.

~~~

Murphy approached Mulligan’s bar. On the step outside he was accosted by a nun, Sister Marie, who said: ‘Surely a fine man like yourself is not going into this den of iniquity? Surely you’re not going to waste your hard-earned cash on the devil’s brew. Why don’t you go home and feed and clothe your wife and children?’

‘Hang on, Sisters,’ spluttered Murphy. ‘How can you condemn alcohol out of hand? Surely it’s wrong to form such a rash judgment when you’ve never tasted the stuff?’

‘Very well,’ said Sister Marie. Till taste it just to prove my point. Obviously I can’t go into the pub, so why don’t you bring me some gin. Oh, and just to camouflage my intent, maybe you should bring it in a cup not a glass!’

‘OK,’ said Murphy and into the bar he breezed.

‘I’ll have a large gin,’ he said to the barman. ‘And can you put it in a cup?’

‘My God,’ said the barman, ‘that nun’s not outside again is she?’

~~~

If Wal-Mart is lowering prices every day, how come nothing is free yet?

~~

The closest to perfection a person ever comes is when he fills out a job application.

~~~

“Say, Jim,” Steve said to his pal, “how do you like your new job?”

“It’s the worst job I ever had.”

“How long have you been there?”

“About three months.”

“Why don’t you quit?”

“No way. This is the first time in 20 years that I’ve looked forward to going home.”

~~~

“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.

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@gmail.com. Back issues are posted at https://raykiwsp.wordpress.com/ currently there are more than 2000 readers from around the world.

He knows the secret

“You don’t stop laughing when you grow old, you grow old when you stop laughing.”

George Bernard Shaw

I had breakfast yesterday with an amazing friend. He is well up in years having graduated from Harvard more than sixty years ago. He told me that he and his wife have recently taken up ball room dancing, he also reported that he was presenting a paper which was the result of recent research he had done on the building of the hoover damn. This is a guy that has many gifts that he never allows to stagnate. He is more active than most young people I know, he is soon off to the East Coast to do a lot and see a lot and then he will wing to England to visit old haunts with his wife.

I have known him for ten years or so and been awestruck by his energy and accomplishments. When I was with some other folks from my generation the other day I was impressed with them as well for you see they never really stop, they may change paths now and then but they just keep going on enjoying life.

These folks reminded me of a story I probably sent you in the past but if so it is worth reading again.

Rose

The first day of school our professor introduced himself and challenged us to get to know someone we didn’t already know. I stood up to look around when a gentle hand touched my shoulder.

  I turned around to find a wrinkled, little old lady beaming up at me with a smile that that lit up her entire being.   She said, “Hi, handsome. My name is Rose. I’m eighty-seven years old. Can I give you a hug?” I laughed and enthusiastically responded, “Of course you may!” and she gave me a giant squeeze.

“Why are you in college at such a young, innocent age?” I asked.

She jokingly replied, “I’m here to meet a rich husband, get married, have a couple of children, and then retire and travel.”

“No seriously,” I asked. I was curious what may have motivated her to be taking on this challenge at her age.  

“I always dreamed of having a college education and now I’m getting one!” she told me.  

After class we walked to the student union building and share a chocolate milkshake. We became instant friends. Every day for the next three months we would leave class together and talk nonstop. I was always mesmerized listening to this “time machine” as she shared her wisdom and experience with me.  

Over the course of the year, Rose became a campus icon and she easily made friends wherever she went. She loved to dress up and she reveled in the attention bestowed upon her from the other students. She was living it up.  

At the end of the semester we invited Rose to speak at our football banquet. I’ll never forget what she taught us. She was introduced and stepped up to the podium. As she began to deliver her prepared speech, she dropped her three by five cards on the floor. Frustrated and a little embarrassed she leaned into the microphone and simply said, “I’m sorry I’m so jittery. I gave up beer for Lent and this whiskey is killing me! I’ll never get my speech back in order so let me just tell you what I know.”  

As we laughed she cleared her throat and began: “We do not stop playing because we are old; we grow old because we stop playing. There are only four secrets to staying young, being happy, and achieving success. “You have to laugh and find humor every day. You’ve got to have a dream. When you lose your dreams, you die. We have so many people walking around who are dead and don’t even know it!”  

“There is a huge difference between growing older and growing up. If you are nineteen years old and lie in bed for one full year and don’t do one productive thing, you will turn twenty years old. If I am eighty-seven years old and stay in bed for a year and never do anything I will turn eighty-eight. Anybody can grow older. That doesn’t take any talent or ability. The idea is to grow up by always finding the opportunity in change.”  

“Have no regrets. The elderly usually don’t have regrets for what we did, but rather for things we did not do. The only people who fear death are those with regrets.”  

She concluded her speech by courageously singing The Rose. She challenged each of us to study the lyrics and live them out in our daily lives. At the years end Rose finished the college degree she had begun all those years ago.   One week after graduation Rose died peacefully in her sleep.   Over two thousand college students attended her funeral in tribute to the wonderful woman who taught by example that it’s never too late to be all you can possibly be.

~~~

“The afternoon knows what the morning never suspected.”

Robert Frost

~~~

A mother was showing her son how to zip up his coat. “The secret,” she said, “is to get the left part of the zipper to fit in the other side before you try to zip it up.”

The boy looked at her quizzically…”Why does it have to be a secret?”

~~~

I thought I had found the perfect date in the Personals when she said she liked country music, but what she failed to say was her country was Albania.

~~~

God: “Whew, I just created a 24-hour period of alternating light and darkness on earth.”

Angel: “Oh yeah? What are you going to do now?”

God: “I think I’ll call it a day.”

~~~

There is an ancient Jewish proverb that says that “A Jewish wife will forgive and forget, but she’ll never forget what she forgave.”

~~~

Three blondes died and found themselves standing before St. Peter. He told them that before they could enter the Kingdom, they had to tell him what Easter represented.

The first blonde said, “Easter is a holiday where they have a big feast and we give thanks and eat turkey.”

St. Peter said, “Noooooo,” and he banished her to Hell.

The second blonde said, “Easter is when we celebrate Jesus’ birth and exchange gifts.”

St. Peter said, “Noooooo,” and he banished her to Hell.

The third blonde said she knew what Easter was.

St. Peter said, “So, tell me.”

She said, ” Easter is a Christian holiday that coincides with the Jewish festival of Passover. Jesus was having Passover feast with His disciples when He was betrayed by Judas, and the Romans arrested Him. The Romans hung Him on the cross and eventually He died. Then they buried Him in a tomb behind a very large boulder…

St. Peter said, “Verrrrrry good.”

Then the blonde continued, “Now, every year the Jews roll away the boulder and Jesus comes out. If he sees his shadow, we have six more weeks of basketball.”

St. Peter fainted.

~~~

Doctor to patient:  I have good news and bad news.  The good news is that you are not a hypochondriac.

~~~

He said:

“Did your wife have much to say when you got home last night?”

“No, but that didn’t keep her from talking for two hours.”

“Are you saying that your wife is outspoken?”

“Not by anyone I know of.”

~~~

To keep the heart unwrinkled, to be hopeful, kindly, cheerful, reverent – that is to triumph over old age.

Thomas Bailey Aldrich

~~~

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@gmail.com. Back issues are posted at https://raykiwsp.wordpress.com/ currently there are more than 2000 readers from around the world.

Hooray for you!

“The year you were born marks only your entry into the world. Other years where you prove your worth, they are the ones worth celebrating.”

Jarod Kintz

One of the gifts life gives us is the ability to get vicarious pleasure out of the good things that happen to others. I got the article below in an e-mail yesterday and it triggered one of those moments.

GYMNASTICS’ WALTERS, MITCHELL QUALIFY FOR NCAA REGIONALS

Mar 23, 2015

INDIANAPOLIS – Brown University gymnastics junior Diana Walters and sophomore Jorden Mitchell have qualified for the NCAA Regional Championships as individual all-around performers, the NCAA announced on Monday afternoon.

The duo will head to Morgantown, W. Va., to take part in the Morgantown Regional hosted by West Virginia University at the WVU Coliseum on April 4. Both reached the regional as one of the top five competitors in the region not on a qualifying team.

Mitchell, a native of Indianapolis, Ind., reached the regionals for the first time, standing as the No. 11-ranked all-around gymnast in the North East with an RQS of 38.605.

Mitchell has enjoyed a breakout second-year campaign, earning the Ivy Classic All-Around title. She gained All-ECAC (Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference) accolades on vault, floor, and the all-around to go with All-Ivy Classic plaudits on vault. She has scored season highs of 38.725 (career high) in the all-around, 9.800 (career high) on vault, 9.700 on bars, 9.775 (career high) on beam, and 9.875 (career high) on floor.

As many of you already know Jorden is one of my granddaughters and to me she is more than that, besides being an accomplished athlete she is also an outstanding student. Her ability over the years to accomplish much even during adversity has been inspiring. I have watched her do well since she was very young and I believe it is her combination of attitude, commitment and perseverance that has made her so successful. She is one of my role models. I have great regard for all of my grandchildren and their accomplishments, they add luster to my life.

If that was not enough I also got the following message from a dear UNICEF Public Health friend who is based in Senegal. “Your ability to be positive is inspirational. I read your dailies without fail. Sometimes share with friends and kids”.

And then I got a positive message from an old friend who has retired from the US Agency of International Development who I had the good fortune to meet years ago when we worked on funding international humanitarian projects. Yes, life is good due in no small part to the fact we can cheer on others as they do worthy things.

~~~

“Many people say I’m the best women’s soccer player in the world. I don’t think so. And because of that, someday I just might be.”

Mia Hamm

~~~

You’ll Know Yours 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.

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

Boone’s Farm “Tickle Pink” is the favorite wine for communion.

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.

~~~

INFLATION: Cutting money in half without damaging the paper.

~~~

The Smiths were dining out when his wife noticed her ex-husband at the bar. “Honey,” she said as she pointed the guy out, “that guy at the bar has been drinking like that since I left him seven years ago.”

Her husband said, “That’s silly, no one celebrates that much.”

~~~

The nice part about living in a small town is that when you don’t know what you’re doing, someone else does.

~~~

Perks of Being Over 70

1. Your supply of brain cells is finally down to manageable size.
2. Your secrets are safe with your friends because they can’t remember them either.
3. Your joints are more accurate meteorologists than the national weather service.
4. People call at 9 PM and ask, “Did I wake you?”
5. People no longer view you as a hypochondriac.
6. There is nothing left to learn the hard way.
7. Things you buy now won’t wear out.
8. You can eat dinner at 4 P.M.
9. You can live without sex but not without glasses.
10. You enjoy hearing about other peoples operations.
11. You get into heated arguments about pension plans and politicians.
12. You have a party and the neighbors don’t even realize it.
13. You no longer think of speed limits as a challenge.
14. You quit trying to hold your stomach in, no matter who walks into the room.
15. You sing along with the music piped into the Mall.
16. Your eyes won’t get much worse.
17. Your investment in health insurance is finally beginning to pay off.
18. Your ankles swell and you can’t feel them either.
19. You have lost your sense of smell.
20. Your taste buds only sense the alcohol in medicines. and worst of all…… You can’t remember who sent you this darn list.

~~~

Why do fat chance and slim chance mean the same thing?

~~~

The new Librarian decided that instead of checking out children’s books by writing the names of borrowers on the book cards herself, she would have the youngsters sign their own names.   She would then tell them they were signing a “Contract” for returning the books on time.

Her first customer was a second grader, who looked surprised to see a new Librarian. He brought four books to the desk and shoved them across to the Librarian, giving her his name as he did so.

The Librarian pushed the books back and told him to sign them out.  The boy laboriously printed his name on each book card and then handed them to her with a look of utter disgust. Before the Librarian could even start her speech he said, scornfully, “That other Librarian we had could write.”

~~~

Ever notice that you have to get to church pretty early to find a seat in the back row?

~~~

A young minister, sitting down to dinner was about to say grace when he opened the casserole dish that his thrifty bride had prepared from countless refrigerator leftovers.

“I don’t know,” he said dubiously. “It seems to me that we’ve blessed all this stuff before.”

~~~

“I am only one, but I am one. I cannot do everything, but I can do something. And because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do the something that I can do.”

Edward Everett Hale

~~~

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@gmail.com. Back issues are posted at https://raykiwsp.wordpress.com/ currently there are more than 2000 readers from around the world.

A good day for happiness

He has achieved success who has worked well, laughed often, and loved much.

Elbert Hubbard

I had an enjoyable hour yesterday with some folks from my generation as we participated in a discussion on how we might avoid stagnation and not let fear of taking risks hold us back. These were my kind of people who believe that we all have an opportunity to enrich our lives no matter what our age. These are individuals who are not letting age hold them back; in fact they showed a more realistic view of the real opportunities life has to offer than many younger people I know.

I recently found the following article on WickiHow outlining how to feel good about yourself that reflects a lot of what I heard yesterday. I have edited it somewhat to fit the Daily.

Feel Good About Yourself

Feeling truly good about yourself means loving the person you are — inside and out. If you want to feel good about yourself, it starts with changing your attitude. After that, you can work on creating a lifestyle that makes you feel valuable, loved, and fulfilled.

Changing Your Perspective

Don’t waste your time comparing yourself to others. It will only lower your confidence and bring you down. There’s no one out there just like you, who has grown up with your experiences and who has your talents. You may feel like everyone around you has it better off than you do. The problem is, you probably tend to focus on your weaknesses over your strengths, and may not even realize all of the things you have going for you. You may be wishing you were more like a friend, who has so much confidence, while she has been wishing to have your brains or sense of humor all along.

Develop your confidence. Confidence is the key to feeling good about yourself and to loving the person you are and will become.

• Find something to really excel at, or work on excelling in something you already love. You’ll feel better about yourself if you’re good at something!
• Spend time with people who make you feel good about yourself instead of putting you down.
• When you’re entering an unknown situation, focus on the best thing that can possibly happen instead of what can go wrong.

Take pride in your strengths. Surely there must be something you can feel good about! Take the time to sit down and make a list of all of the things you love about yourself. Think of qualities like your compassion, your sense of humor, your strength, or your ability to work hard at anything you do. The longer and more sincere the list, the better. Some qualities you can include are: loving, studious, hardworking, friendly, strong, clever, sharp, easygoing, and fun.

Don’t be down on yourself for having bad days. Sometimes you just have to live with the bad feelings and just know they’ll pass. If you feel seriously sad, be sure to talk to someone who cares about you. People think that, to feel good about themselves, they have to feel amazing 100% of the time. This is just impossible. If you’re having a bad day, especially if it’s after a string of great days, then don’t be hard on yourself and know that this too will pass.

Work on developing a positive attitude. Developing a positive attitude is just as much a decision as something you’re born with. You can work on recognizing when your thoughts are overly negative and turn them around to lead yourself to a healthier mindset.

• For every negative thought that crosses your mind, fight it with at least two or three positive thoughts.
• Practice talking about yourself positively to your friends. You’ll find that your optimism is contagious, and that you’ll feel better about yourself just by talking about it out loud.

Stop caring about what people think. Have you been hurt by words? Remember this: People who insult others usually do it to make themselves be powerful. Know what that means? They’re probably insecure. They are the ones who lack confidence, so try not to bend into the pressure to return their jabs with an insult. Ask yourself if the people who hurt you are worth impressing. Soon enough, you’ll see that they are only an obstacle to your happiness, not a means toward it.

~~~

This time, like all times, is a very good one, if we but know what to do with it.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

~~~

She said: We were taking six children on a camping trip. I drove the lead car with our gear, and my husband followed in the station wagon. At a tollbooth, I realized that we hadn’t divided the cash supply, and my husband didn’t have any money. I paid a double toll, explaining to the woman attendant, “I’m paying for the car behind me. He has all those children and no money.”

Without cracking a smile, she replied, “Good! Keep him that way.”

~~~

Among the most effective labor-saving devices is the neighbor who hasn’t returned your garden tools.

~~~

I called to make airline reservations and was put on hold. After several minutes of taped music, a recorded voice came on: “If you have been waiting longer than ten minutes, press eight. This will not speed up your call, but it will give you something to do while you wait.”

~~~

At the rate changes are occurring everywhere, anyone nostalgic for the “good old days” is yearning for last week.

~~~

There was a tailor named Mendel and he was worried about his business. Mendel was down to his last $50 and was torn between buying a sign and getting food for his family. Mendel decided to pray. “Dear God,” he said, “I don’t know what to do. If I buy a sign it may bring in business, but I need to buy groceries for my family…and if the sign doesn’t bring in sales, we will starve.”

God replied, “Mendel, buy the sign. Don’t worry, your family won’t starve.”

So, Mendel bought the sign and business took off. The tailor fed his family and all was well. However, as time passed it became evident that Mendel couldn’t keep up with orders all by himself. He contemplated hiring on a helper, but wondered if he could afford it. So, he asked God if getting help would be a prudent move.

“Go ahead,” God tells Mendel, “hire some help, you’ll do okay.”

And so Mendel did. And business took off beyond his wildest dreams. After a time, the tailor decided to move to a larger site that would accommodate the growing demands of his business. As he surveyed certain locations, he found a perfect storefront, but the rental price was really steep. “God,” Mendel again prayed, “I found the perfect place to relocate my business. But the cost of the lease worries me. I don’t want to get in over my head.”

“Go ahead and a get a lease on the store, Mendel,” said God. “Trust me, you’ll be okay–I haven’t steered you wrong yet, have I?”

So Mendel signed a lease on the 5th Avenue store and profits from his business went through the roof. Out of heartfelt gratitude, Mendel proposed to the Almighty that he dedicate the store to Him. “How do you like the name “Yaweh and Mendel,” the tailor asked.

“Nah,” God said. “Let’s go with ‘Lord and Taylor.'”

~~~

Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t mind.

Dr. Seuss

~~~

 Our dog, Longie, suddenly began barking daily at 4 a.m. Irritated and sleepy, my husband, Larry, searched the back yard for what might have disturbed this otherwise placid animal. For three days he found nothing amiss. Then the dog woke up the neighborhood at 3 a.m. with frantic barking. When Larry looked out the window, he discovered someone throwing pebbles to land near Longie.

Larry hurried outside and found the culprit. Crouching on the other side of the fence was our quiet neighbor, the last man you’d suspect of wrongdoing. My husband demanded to know what he was doing.

“My mother-in-law is visiting,” the embarrassed neighbor explained. “If she loses her beauty sleep another night, she says she’ll leave.”

~~~

“There comes a time when you have to stand up and shout: This is me damn it! I look the way I look, think the way I think, feel the way I feel, love the way I love! I am a whole complex package. Take me… or leave me. Accept me – or walk away! Do not try to make me feel like less of a person, just because I don’t fit your idea of who I should be and don’t try to change me to fit your mold. If I need to change, I alone will make that decision. When you are strong enough to love yourself 100%, good and bad – you will be amazed at the opportunities that life presents you.”

Stacey Charter

~~~

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@gmail.com. Back issues are posted at https://raykiwsp.wordpress.com/ currently there are more than 2000 readers from around the world.

I need to make some changes

A year from now you will wish you had started today.

Karen Lamb

Good morning all, here we go again, another week and another fresh start, or at least the opportunity for one. I have been slowly regaining my stamina after my recent health setbacks and I am beginning to wonder if I may have to make some adjustments to my daily routines. I had a three doctor week last week and am down to only one this week.

We have restarted all my medications and I have begun my workouts so progress is being made but I also realize that age has taken its toll and some adjustments are in order so I am going give up being the guy that wakes up the roosters at the YMCA at 5 AM every morning and see if sleeping in an extra hour or two brings back my verve.

Here is an edited article written by Steve Davis that I think may help me, possibly you too.

Steps for Making a Major Life Change

Identify the price of maintaining the status quo.

Not making the change you know you need to make is costing you. Do some soul searching; consult with trusted allies, or journal to yourself to uncover the payoffs you’re receiving, and the prices you’re paying for maintaining the status quo. When you get that the price of not making the change is greater than the payoff, you’ll be more committed to moving forward.

Forgive self-judgments.

Guilt is rampant in our culture. So is the vendetta against selfishness. Suffering is supported and nurtured by friends, family, religions, etc. So it’s not surprising that many of us, deep down, don’t feel we deserve to have what we want. Acknowledge these judgments then forgive yourself for holding these false perceptions about who you really are. Because the truth is, they are only ideas, many of which are irrational, and you will create yourself each moment based on the new idea you hold about who you are.

Stop complaining.

Are you complaining about being in the situation you’re in? Are you blaming others? Or have you accepted full responsibility for your situation and just beat yourself up for not making the change? If any of the above are true, you are playing the victim and you’re forfeiting your power to make the change you say you want. To the degree you play the role of victim, you lose power you could be using to move forward. So get behind yourself completely and own your full power to create the life you desire, no matter what.

Give up analysis that breeds paralysis.

We are so conditioned to figure things out before we leap, that sometimes we become paralyzed to take the actions our bodies are directed to take from the beginning. If you’re stuck in a thinking pattern rehashing the same ideas over and over, trying to figure out what will happen if, then you’re stuck in a mind-loop. It’s time to quit thinking and start doing.

Develop a compelling vision.

New opportunities, relationships, resources, connections, and ideas always rush in to fill space in our lives. But first, you have to make the space for something new, and second, create a clear vision of what your life will look like once your change is complete. The vision of your new future eliminates the fear of the unknown–which can keep you stuck for a long time!

Get support to help you through the change.

Big life changes can be overwhelming. There’s no shame in asking for help from friends, relatives, or from a coach. In fact, enough of the right kind of support can make a seemingly difficult change, relatively easy. Do whatever is necessary to make change easy on yourself. You’re worth it!

~~~

“Man cannot discover new oceans unless he has the courage to lose sight of the shore.”

Andre Gide

~~~

A tombstone in a Ribbesford, England, cemetery reads:

Anna Wallace:

The children of Israel wanted bread,

And the Lord sent them manna.

Old clerk Wallenstein wanted a wife,

And the Devil sent him Anna.

~~~

Are those cookies made with real Girl Scouts?

~~~

MEMO To: All Hospital Staff

From: Administration/Groundskeeping

Subject: New Cost Cutting Measures

Effective immediately, this hospital will no longer provide security. Each charge nurse will be issued a .38 caliber revolver and 12 rounds of ammunition. An additional 12 rounds will be stored in pharmacy. In addition to routine nursing duties, Charge Nurses will rotate the patrolling of the hospital grounds. A bicycle and helmet will be provided for patrolling the parking areas.

In light of the similarity of monitoring equipment, ICU will now take over the security surveillance duties. The ward clerk will be responsible for watching cardiac monitors and security monitors as well as regular duties.

Food service will be discontinued. Patients wishing to be fed will need to let their families know to bring something or may make arrangements with Subway or Pizza Hut to deliver. Coin-operated telephones will be available in patient rooms for this purpose as well as for other calls the patient may wish to make.

Housekeeping and Physical Therapy will be combined. Mops will be issued to those patients who are ambulatory, thus providing range of motion exercises as well as a clean environment.  Families and ambulatory patients may also sign up to clean the rooms of non-ambulatory patients for special discounts on their final bill. Time cards will be provided.

As you can see on the “from” line above, hospital administration is assuming the grounds keeping duties. If an administrator cannot be reached by calling his/her office, it is suggested that you walk outside and listen for the sound of a lawn mower, weed-whacker, etc.

Maintenance is being eliminated. The hospital has subscribed to the Time-Life “How to…” series of maintenance books. These can be checked out from administration, and a toolbox will be standard equipment on all nursing units. We will be receiving the series at a rate of one volume every other month. We already have the volume on “Basic Wiring,” but if a non-electrical problem occurs, please try to handle it as best you can until the appropriate volume arrives.

Cutbacks in phlebotomy staff will be accommodated by only performing blood-related tests on patients who are already bleeding. Physicians will be informed that they may order no more than two X-rays per patient stay. This is due to the turnaround time required by Photomat. Two prints will be provided for the price of one, and physicians are being advised to clip coupons from the Sunday paper if they want extra sets. Photomat will also honor competitors coupons for one-hour processing in emergency situations, so if you come across any extra coupons please clip out and send these to ER.

In view of the hot summer temperatures, the Utilities Dept. has been asked to install individual meters in each patient room, office, etc., so that electrical consumption can be monitored and appropriately billed. Fans will be available for sale or lease in the hospital gift shop.

In addition to the current recycling programs, a bin for collection of unused fruit and bread will soon be provided on each floor.

Families, patients, and the few remaining employees are asked to contribute discarded produce. Pharmacy will utilize this for antibiotic production. These will be available for purchase and, coincidentally, will soon be the only antibiotics on our HMO’s formulary.~~~

~~~

Boy, am I confused… I think.

~~~

“Boss, I’ve got to have a raise,” the salesman said to his sales manager. “There are three other companies after me.”

“Is that a fact?” the manager asked. “What other companies are after you?”

“The light company, the phone company, and the gas company.”

~~~

Never too old, never too bad, never too late, never too sick to start from scratch once again.”

Bikram Choudhury

~~~

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@gmail.com. Back issues are posted at https://raykiwsp.wordpress.com/ currently there are more than 2000 readers from around the world.

Let’s appreciate the unknown heroes

Wherever there is a human being, there is an opportunity for a kindness.

Seneca

Yesterday I told you a little bit about my friend Laura, by the way she is the current president of my Kiwanis club. I think one of her greatest attributes is her unwillingness to spend too much time on why not; rather while others are talking about what they might do she just starts doing it. She is an effective leader not because of her ability to motivate as much as her ability to set an example. She regularly does more and contributes more with unselfish grace.

She truly exemplifies the rewards that come from doing what can be done for the good of all. She does not search for recognition yet I often see the results of her labor and know that few will realize who it was that made the difference. There are unknown heroes all around us, they make our world a better place and for that I am grateful.

Here is a story that I hope you like as much as I do.

The Acorn Planter

by Brian Cavanaugh

In the 1930s a young traveler was exploring the French Alps. He came upon a vast stretch of barren land. It was desolate. It was forbidding. It was ugly. It was the kind of place you hurry away from.

Then, suddenly, the young traveler stopped dead in his tracks. In the middle of this vast wasteland was a bent-over old man. On his back was a sack of acorns. In his hand was a four-foot length of iron pipe.

The man was using the iron pope to punch holes in the ground. Then from the sack he would take an acorn and put it in the hole. Later the old man the traveler, “I’ve planted over 100,000 acorns. Perhaps only a tenth of them will grow.” The old man’s wife and son had died, and this was how he chose to spend his final years. “I want to do something useful,” he said.

Twenty-five years later the now-not-as-young traveler returned to the same desolate area. What he saw amazed him. He could not believe his own eyes. The land was covered with a beautiful forest two miles wide and five miles long. Birds were singing, animals were playing, and wild flowers perfumed the air.

The traveler stood there recalling the desolation that once was; a beautiful oak forest stood there now – all because someone cared.

~~~

When we honestly ask ourselves which persons in our lives mean the most to us, we often find that it is those who, instead of giving advice, solutions, or cures, have chosen rather to share our pain and touch our wounds with a warm and tender hand…a friend who cares.

Author Unknown

~~~

The husband was adjusting his tie in front of the mirror tonight before this awards dinner and he asked his wife, “Honey, how many great men do you think there are in the world today?”

“One less than you think,” his wife replied.

~~~

A careful study of economics usually reveals that the best time to buy anything is last year.

~~~

Jill was attending her High School reunion and was having a blast. As the evening was drawing to a close, the master of ceremonies for the night proceeded to hand out bottles of champagne to the graduates who had traveled the farthest distance to attend the reunion, the graduate who had been married the longest time, the graduate who had become the most successful, etc. And Jill wondered if she was going to get a prize too. Sure enough, the master of ceremonies called out her name. “Jill, you win with 11 kids” and then, trying to be clever, he added in “And champagne is only half the prize. The other half is a giant, economy size bottle of aspirin.”

“Don’t bother with the aspirin,” Jill replied. “It’s pretty damn obvious with these many kids that I’ve never had a headache.”

~~~

“The nice thing about being a celebrity is that if you bore people they think it’s their fault.”

Henry Kissinger.

~~~

How to install a Redneck wireless security system:

Go to a second-hand store, buy a pair of men’s used work boots … a really big pair.

Put them outside your front door on top of a copy of Guns and Ammo magazine.

Put a dog dish beside it … a really big dish.

Leave a note on your front door that says something like this:

“Bubba, Big Mike and I have gone to get more ammunition – back in 30 minutes. Don’t disturb the pit bulls, they’ve just been wormed.”

~~~

The irony of life is that by the time you’re old enough to know your way around, you’re not going anywhere.

~~~

A grandmother was pushing her little grandchild around Wal-Mart in a buggy. Each time she put something in the basket she would say, “And here’s something for you, Diploma.” or “This will make a cute little outfit for you, Diploma.” and so on.

Eventually a bewildered shopper who’d heard all this finally asked, “Why do you keep calling your grandchild Diploma?”

The grandmother replied, “I sent my daughter to Virginia Tech and this is what she came home with!”

~~~

“Progress might have been all right once, but it has gone on too long.”

Ogden Nash

~~~

A college class was told they had to write a short story in as few words as possible. The instructions were that the short story had to contain the following three things:

(1) Religion

(2) Sexuality

(3) Mystery

Below is the only A+ paper in the class.

“Good God, I’m pregnant, I wonder who the father is.”

~~~

What wisdom can you find that is greater than kindness?

Jean Jacques Rousseau

~~~

Before his daring escape from prison, an infamous criminal had been photographed from four different angles. The FBI sent copies of the pictures to police chiefs all across the land, with orders to notify Washington the moment an arrest was made.

The next day, the Bureau received a faxed reply from the ambitious sheriff of a small Southern town: “PICTURES RECEIVED. ALL FOUR SHOT DEAD WHILE RESISTING ARREST.”

~~~

In a world full of people who couldn’t care less, be someone who couldn’t care more.

Author Unknown

~~~

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@gmail.com. Back issues are posted at https://raykiwsp.wordpress.com/ currently there are more than 2000 readers from around the world.

Let’s all be like her

Each of us feels that we are just a drop in the ocean, but the ocean would be less without that missing drop.

Mother Teresa

As you know my hobby for the last few years has been collecting friends. I have been lucky enough to have made friends with some really special people. These folks are interesting, most are pretty smart and all are people you would like to have around. Some of the traits I enjoy most is their willingness to share and do what they can to make life better for others. Some are young; some are old, although few are as old as I am, and almost all are fun to be around.

As I listened last week to the turmoil and animosity that is way to prevalent these days I stumbled on the solution to all our problems, all we have to do is behave like my friend Laura. She is the kindest, most caring and giving person I have ever met. She is like the unsinkable Molly Brown, she never seems to let adversity, and she has experienced a lot of it, get her down.

She is an effective leader because of her warmth and good heart. Yep, the world be a better place if we all behaved as she does. She has been a blessing in my life as I get to watch her do her magic on a regular basis. Here is a short story that might have been written by my friend Laura.

Help Us to Remember– Anonymous

Help us to remember that the jerk who cut us off in traffic last night is a single mother who worked nine hours that day and who is rushing home to cook dinner and help with homework, to do the laundry and spend a few precious moments with her children.

Help us to remember that the pierced, tattooed, disinterested young man who takes forever at the checkout stand, is a worried 19-year-old college student, who is balancing his apprehension over final exams with his fear of not getting his student loans for next semester.

Remind us that the scary looking bum, begging for money in the same spot every day (who really ought to get a job!) is a slave to addictions that we can only imagine in our worst nightmares.

Help us to remember that the old couple walking annoyingly slow through the store aisles and blocking our shopping progress are savoring this moment, knowing that, based on the biopsy report she got back last week,  this will be the last year that they go shopping together.

Let us be slow to judge and quick to forgive. Let us show patience, empathy and love.

Open our hearts not to just those who are close to us, but to all humanity.

Remind us each day that of all the gifts you give us, the greatest gift is love.

~~~

As we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our fear, our presence automatically liberates others.

Marianne Williamson

~~~

Henny Youngman the king of the one-liners said:

    a.. A doctor gave a man six months to live. The man couldn’t pay his bill, so he gave him another six months.

b.. The patient says “Doctor, it hurts when I do this.” “Then don’t do that!”

c.. The doctor says to the patient, “Take your clothes off and stick your tongue out the window”. “What will that do” asks the patient. The doctor says “I’m mad at my neighbor!”

d.. A doctor has a stethoscope up to a man’s chest. The man asks “Doc, how do I stand?” The doctor says “That’s what puzzles me!”

e.. “Doctor, my leg hurts. What can I do?” The doctor says “Limp!”

f.. Doctor says to a man “You’re pregnant!” The man says “How does a man get pregnant?” The doctor says “The usual way, a little wine, a little dinner….”

g.. “Doctor, I have a ringing in my ears.” “Don’t answer!”

h.. Nurse: “Doctor, the man you just gave a clean bill of health to dropped dead right as he was leaving the office”. Doctor: “Turn him around, make it look like he was walking in.”

~~~

    When a man opens a car door for his wife, it’s either a new car or a new wife.

    Prince Philip

~~~

I am a very nervous flyer. During a trip from California to Indiana, it didn’t help that my connecting flight from Denver was delayed twice because of mechanical problems. Then, after we were aloft, I noticed the lights began flickering.

I mentioned this to a flight attendant. “I’ll take care of it,” she said. Moments later the lights went out. Clearly she had solved the problem by turning off all the lights.

A passenger across the aisle who had been watching me leaned over and said, “Whatever you do, please don’t ask about the engines.”

~~~

Always aim for achievement and forget about success.

Helen Hayes

~~~

Subject: THE THREE GOSPEL TRUTHS

1)  Jews do not recognize Jesus Christ as the Messiah.

2)  Protestants do not recognize the Pope as the leader of the Christian faith.

3)  Baptists do not recognize each other at Hooters.

~~~

Have you noticed how toothaches always start on Friday night right before the weekend when the Dental Office will be closed.

~~~

TEACHER: George, go to the map and find North America.

GEORGE: Here it is!

TEACHER: Correct. Now class, who discovered America?

CLASS: George!

~~~

When your pet bird sees you reading the newspaper, does he wonder why you’re just sitting there, staring at carpeting?

~~~

A young man, while bringing flowers to a cemetery, noticed an old Chinese man placing a bowl of rice on a nearby grave. The young man walked up to the Chinese man and asked, “When do you expect your friend to come up and eat the rice?” The old Chinese man replied with a smile, “Same time your friend comes up to smell the flowers.”

~~~

I want to love you without clutching, appreciate you without judging, join you without invading, invite you without demanding, leave you without guilt, criticize you without blaming, and help you without insulting. If I can have the same from you, then we can truly meet and enrich each other.

Virginia Satir

~~~

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@gmail.com. Back issues are posted at https://raykiwsp.wordpress.com/ currently there are more than 2000 readers from around the world.

Time to get going again

“Even if you’re on the right track, you’ll get run over if you just sit there.”

Will Rogers

This has been an interesting few weeks for me. The combination of health issues and inactivity has sapped much of my energy and surprisingly I have found it too easy to sit back and let it happen more than I need it to. If there is one thing I have learned over time is that if you let yourself slowdown too much it is not too long before you find yourself stagnating watching the world go by.

The good news is that I restarted my workouts yesterday and have a plan to build back to the full program I was on. I also am starting to get out and about. I do have a number of medical appointments, in fact three this week, but they are primarily to see how I am doing. The bottom line is that the best way to stay mentally and physically healthy is to invest in yourself. I recently read an article written by Dr. Carmen Harra entitled 10 Ways to Invest in Yourself that I liked. Here in part is what she wrote.

Discover your true needs. No two people have the exact same needs. Establish what’s most important for you to gain, have, and keep in your life, e.g., what you truly need as opposed to what you simply want.

Raise your self-worth. Even if you think you already possess a healthy dose of self-esteem, work to improve your opinion of yourself. This calls for a remorseless disposal of fears and perceived insecurities as well as the healing of old wounds once and for all.

Never apologize for who you are. Be an unapologetic bearer of your best and worst traits, the totality of your being. What may seem like a personal defect to you may be an endearing trait to someone else. You are perfect and flawed in a unique combination that can never be replicated, and this fact should be embraced.

Never go against your intuition. Your intuition knows more than you think. Learn to trust your inner voice without hesitation; reason may tell you one thing, but your instinct tells you the right thing, always.

Create a bigger version of yourself. Don’t settle on a self-imposed plateau; always aim a bit higher than before. Visualize your ideal life — regardless of how unattainable it may seem now — and act to manifest it one element at a time.

Take impeccable care of yourself. If you don’t practice the art of self-care, who will do it for you? Adopt healthy habits and grow stronger each day in mental, emotional, and physical ways. Ensure that the situations in which you choose to become involved are helpful and not harmful.

Set an example. Setting an example for others means that you act with integrity under all circumstances, which is a sign of careful attention to your being. When you set an example, you show those around you that you’ve invested in yourself time and time again to reach a level of excellence.

Multiply your riches. There exists greater richness in knowledge, wisdom, compassion, and tenacity than in all the money in the world. These are realizations unmatched by any amount of wealth which allow you to navigate through inevitable challenges with ease. Those who know, grow.

Do what you love. Oftentimes it is the simplest things that deliver the most profound joy, yet we barely find time for these precious activities. Don’t postpone your simple pleasures, whether you like to read or sing or hike. Perform actions grounded in a deep seat of love every day.

Weigh your options. Beware of making the same mistakes due to habit or influence. Don’t be afraid to go within and weigh your options before making decisions. Remember that you have the right to pick the people and things you want in your life — they should not pick you.

~~~

“The great thing in this world is not so much where you stand, as in what direction you are moving.”

Oliver Wendell Holmes

~~~

Do you know how many Christians does it take to change a light bulb?

a.. Charismatic: Only one. Hands already in the air.

b.. Pentecostal: Ten. One to change the bulb, and nine to pray against the spirit of darkness.

c.. Presbyterians: None. Lights will go on and off at predestined times.

d.. Roman Catholic: None. Candles only.

e.. Baptists: At least fifteen. One to change the light bulb, and three committees to approve the change and decide who brings the potato salad and fried chicken.

f.. Episcopalians: Three. One to call the electrician, one to mix the drinks and one to talk about how much better the old one was.

g.. Mormons: Five. One man to change the bulb, and four wives to tell him how to do it.

h.. Unitarians: We choose not to make a statement either in favor of or against the need for a light bulb. However, if in your own journey you have found that light bulbs work for you, that is fine. You are invited to write a poem or compose a modern dance about your light bulb for the next Sunday service in which we will explore a number of light bulb traditions, including candescent, fluorescent, three- way, long-life and tinted, all of which are equally valid paths to luminescence.

i.. Methodists: Undetermined. Whether your light is bright, dull, or completely out, you are loved. You can be a light bulb, turnip bulb, or tulip bulb. Church wide lighting service is planned for Sunday. Bring bulb of your choice and a covered dish.

j.. Nazarene: Six. One woman to replace the bulb while five men review church lighting policy.

k.. Lutherans: None. Lutherans don’t believe in change.

l.. Amish: What’s a light bulb?

~~~

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

Jerry Seinfield

~~~

When Mary was pregnant, her 5 year old son, Billy, was utterly amazed, and a little bit disbelieving, that his sister was growing in his mom’s tummy. So one day when the baby was especially active, she asked Billy to place his tiny hands on her tummy to feel the baby kick. But when he did, the baby was suddenly still. “Oh, Billy, she must have decided to take a nap,” shrugged Mary. “A nap?” Billy marveled. “You mean there’s a bed in there too?”

~~~

“The greatest pleasure in life is doing what people say you cannot do.”

Walter Bagehot

~~~

TEACHER: John, how do you spell “crocodile”?

JOHN: K-R-O-K-O-D-A-I-L

TEACHER: No, that’s wrong

JOHN: Maybe it’s wrong, but you asked me how I spell it!

~~~

Ask me about my vow of silence.

~~~

I got in a fight one time with a really big guy, and he said, “I’m going to mop the floor with your face.”

I said, “You’ll be sorry.”

He said, “Oh, yeah? Why?”

I said, “Well, you won’t be able to get into the corners very well.”

~~~

“Life has two rules: #1 Never quit #2 Always remember rule # 1.”

Unknown

~~~

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@gmail.com. Back issues are posted at https://raykiwsp.wordpress.com/ currently there are more than 2000 readers from around the world.