Ray's Daily

It keeps going

“There is no such thing in anyone’s life as an unimportant day.”

 Alexander Woollcott

There is one truth we all share and that is that life goes on and I am glad it does. The fact that each day is a new start allows yesterday’s problems to slip into the past while leaving us new opportunities to enrich today and tomorrow. In truth it is up to us how we deal with life’s movement. We can either float on the tide with each days seeming to be not much different than yesterdays or we find a wave to ride so we can explore new adventures.

I think that a lot of what lies ahead for each of us depends on our freeing ourselves from any barriers that anchor us to a mundane existence.  We cab choose to live always ready to enjoy new possibilities. Here is a piece that outlines the kind of life that would serve us all well.

Instructions for Life

Jackson Brown

Excerpts from his book Life’s Little Instruction Book

1. Remember that great love and great achievements involve great risk.
2. Never laugh at anyone’s dreams.
3. Love deeply and passionately. You might get hurt but it’s the only way to live life completely.
4. When you lose, don’t lose the lesson.
5. Remember the three R’s: Respect for self; Respect for others; Responsibility for all your actions.
6. Give people more than they expect and do it cheerfully.
7. Don’t let a little dispute injure a great friendship.
8. In disagreements with loved ones, deal with the current situation. Don’t bring up the past.
9. Remember that your character is your destiny.
10. When you realize you’ve made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it.
11. Spend some time alone every day.
12. Remember that the best relationship is one where your love for each other is greater than your need for each other.
13. Pray. There’s immeasurable power in it.
14. At least once a year, go someplace you’ve never been before.
15. Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a stroke of luck.
16. Open your arms to change, but don’t let go of your values.
17. Learn the rules so you know how to break them properly.
18. Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.

~~~

“Be glad of  life, because it gives you the chance to love and to work and to play and to look up at the stars.”

Henry Van Dyke

 ~~~

My buddy applied for a job as an insurance salesman.  Where the form requested “prior experience,” he wrote “lifeguard.”  That was it. Nothing else.

“We’re looking for someone who can not only sell insurance, but who can sell himself as well,” said the hiring manager.  “How does working as a lifeguard pertain to salesmanship?”

My pal replied, “I couldn’t swim.”  He got the job.

~~~

Show me a man with both feet firmly on the ground, and I’ll show you a man who can’t get his pants off.

~~~

The new pastor decided to visit the children’s Sunday school class.  The teacher introduced him to the children and said, “Pastor Jones, this morning we’re studying Joshua.”

“That’s wonderful,” said the new pastor, “let’s see what you’re learning. How about we start with this…who can give me an answer to this…. who tore down the walls of Jericho?”

Little Billy shyly raised hand and offered, “Pastor, I didn’t do it.”

Taken aback, the pastor asked, “Come on, now, *WHO* tore down those walls of Jericho?”

The teacher, interrupting, said, “Pastor, Billy’s a good boy. If he says he didn’t do it, I believe he didn’t do it.”

Flustered, the pastor left the room and went directly to the Sunday school director and related the story to him. The director, looking worried, explained,

“Well, sir, we’ve had some problems with Billy before.  Let me talk to him and see what we can do.”

Huh? Really bothered now by the answers of the teacher and the director, the new pastor approached the deacons and related the whole story, including the responses of the teacher and the director.

A white-haired gentleman thoughtfully stroked his chin and said,

“Well, Pastor, I move we just take the money from the general fund to pay for the walls and leave it at that.”

~~~

Truth is like the sun. You can shut it out for a time, but it ain’t goin’ away.

Elvis Presley

~~~

A woman was telling her friend, “You know, Jane, it was me who made my husband what he is today–a millionaire.”

“Is that right? Well, what was he before you married him?” asked the Jane.

The woman replied, “A billionaire!”

~~~

“A horse never runs so fast as when he has other horses to catch up and outpace.”

Ovid

~~~

An out-of-towner drove his car into a ditch in a desolated area. Luckily, a local farmer came to help with his big strong horse named Buddy.

He hitched Buddy up to the car and yelled, “Pull, Nellie, pull!”

Buddy didn’t move. Then the farmer hollered, “Pull, Buster, pull!”

Buddy didn’t respond.

Once more the farmer commanded, “Pull, Coco, pull!” Nothing…

Then the farmer nonchalantly said, “Pull, Buddy, pull!” And the horse easily dragged the car out of the ditch.

The motorist was most appreciative and very curious. He asked the farmer why he called his horse by the wrong name three times.

The farmer said, “Oh, Buddy is blind and if he thought he was the only one pulling, he wouldn’t even try!”

~~~

“Don’t ask yourself what the world needs; ask yourself what makes you come alive. And then go and do that. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.”

Howard Thurman

~~~

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.

Ray’s Daily has been sent for more than fifteen years to 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.

 

 

Living the good life

“Find your focus by seeking all that is good in your life.”

Lorii Myers

For many of us it will soon be the holiday season and then we will begin a new year. It is not a time for us to dwell on what may be wrong in our lives it is rather a time to celebrate what is right in our fives. If you live as long as I have you will have learned many times over that the old adage of “what you sow you will reap” applies. It is unfortunate that so many of us fail to invest in our own happiness.

It is never too late to make some positive life improvement moves. Here is an abridged article written by Dani DiPirro that offers ways to bring more happiness into our lives.

How to Make Your Life Uncommonly Good

RULE 1: EXAMINE + ENGAGE IN LIFE

The first rule of living a good life is knowing how important it is to explore the world and be curious about your environment. We instinctively do this as children, but it should be a lifelong practice. You can’t live if a good life if you’re not really living.

RULE 2: (TRY TO) WORRY LESS

Worry is, unfortunately, a part of life, but how much you worry — and what you worry about — can impact how good your life is. It’s important to try your best to worry only about the things you can control. Learning how to quickly identify what you can control vs. what’s out of your hands is one of the best ways to minimize worries.

RULE 3: CHERISH FRIENDSHIPS

As humans, we crave connection and affection. Whether you’re the type of person that has countless friends or you prefer a few close pals, friendship — and the connections and life lessons that come along with those relationships — are invaluable. No amount of wealth, power, success, fame or any other measure of success can beat the positive benefits of a good friendship.

RULE 4: FOCUS ON TRUE JOY

In life there are plenty of things that make us feel good, but not all of those things should be the focus. Living a good life means avoiding shallow, meaningless, or fleeting pleasures and instead focusing on meaningful, deep joys that have lasting effects. For instance, consider the feeling of eating a giant slice of cake vs. the feeling of having an inspiring conversation. Both feel good in the moment, but the long-term impacts are very different.

RULE 5: KNOW WHO YOU ARE

Personally, I think this should be number 1! To live a good life, it’s essential to know yourself, to be self-reliant, to cultivate self-love. Equally as important is focusing on what’s true, not what’s convenient. Self-deception is all too common for many of us, but it does us no good to convince ourselves of things that are untrue.

RULE 6: FIND BALANCE + HARMONY

As you might already know, too much of anything (even the good stuff!) can be a bad thing, which is why, to live a good life, it’s important to avoid excess. In all areas of life — home, relationships, love, work, etc. — it’s a good idea to strive for balance. Overindulging in the good stuff can lead to what I think of as a “happiness hangover,” but depriving yourself of fun (and a little bit of bad behavior!) it’s great either. Find what balance means for you and strive for that.

RULE 7:  ADHERE TO POSITIVE VALUES

This rule really comes down to one basic concept: be a decent human being. When you’ve done wrong, accept responsibility. Whenever possible, be honest with yourself and with others. It’s vital to be accountable for your choices and actions. What you value is up to you, but figuring out those values and sticking to them throughout your life is one of the best ways to ensure you’re living a good life.

RULE 8: PROSPER WITH CAUTION

With any luck, you’ll have an wonderful opportunity to prosper in this life, to flourish financially and achieve great success. If this happens (and I hope it does!), be cautious and thoughtful in your choices. I imagine it’s difficult not to get carried away, but one of the keys to living a good life is being rational with your resources (whatever those might be!).

RULE 9: DO HARM TO NO ONE

This might sound like an obvious rule for a good life, but it’s an important one. To live well, strive to harm no one — including yourself. Hurting others hurts you too (even if, for whatever reason, you feel as if they deserve to be hurt). Speak with kindness, focus on forgiveness, have compassion, embrace empathy, and, above all, try to cultivate as much love as you can for your fellow humans.

RULE 10: BE ENDLESSLY KIND

Kindness is mandatory for living a good life. Not only does kindness make the world a better place, but every time you’re kind, you feel good. Also, regardless of whether or not you believe in karma, if you pay attention to how kindness plays out in your own life, you’ll find that your kind deeds are often rewarded or returned in some way.

~~~

Life comes from physical survival; but the good life comes from what we care about.

Rollo May

~~~

Joey’s teacher sent a note home to his Mother saying, “Joey seems to be a very bright boy, but spends too much of his time thinking about girls.”

The Mother wrote back the next day, “If you find a solution, please advise.  I have the same problem with his Father.”

~~~

If your parents never had children, chances are you won’t, either.

Dick Cavett

~~~

A police officer stops a blonde for speeding and asks her very nicely if he could see her license.

She replied in a huff, “I wish you guys would get your act together. Yesterday you took my license away and today you expect me to show it to you!”

~~~

Constant change is here to stay.

~~~

On his honeymoon, a very thick redneck farmer, Billy Joe, insisted on having a room at the luxury hotel with a balcony overlooking the sea. On retiring for the night after the wedding, his new bride emerged from the bathroom dressed in some very sexy lingerie. “Hey Billy Joe, come in off the balcony and see what I have waiting for you to savor for the first time” she said coyly.

“No thanks, I want to sit out here,” he said.

So Daisy sat down brushing her golden hair for 10 minutes after which she invited Billy Joe once more to come in off the balcony to take pleasure of her virginal body.  Once more he refused.  Eventually Daisy grew tired of waiting and she retired to the wedding bed and fell asleep. In the morning, she awoke to find him still sitting on the balcony.

“Why did you spend the whole night out there when you could have been making love all night?” she asked.

“Well my pa said the first night of my marriage would be the most beautiful night of my whole life – and I didn’t want to miss a moment of it.”

~~~

They told me I was gullible — and I believed them.

~~~

A man came hobbling into the doctor’s waiting room, assisted by his wife. The poor guy could hardly move. He was bent over and grimacing with pain as he shuffled along, his hands like two rigid claws.

The receptionist looked on sympathetically. “Oh dear,” she said. “Arthritis with complications?”

“No,” said the guy’s wife. “Do-it-yourself with concrete blocks.”

~~~

“Baseball is ninety percent mental. The other half is physical.”

Yogi Berra

~~~

My niece, after living in several apartments, found one in the area where she had grown up.

“The best thing about this apartment,” she said to her sister, “is that it’s within walking distance of the grocery store.”

“What grocery store? I don’t recall a close by grocery store replied her sister..

“You know…..” my niece said…. “Mom’s house.”

~~~

Every day, it’s important to ask and answer these questions: “What’s good in my life?” and “What needs to be done?”

Nathaniel Branden

~~~

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.

Ray’s Daily has been sent for more than fifteen years to 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 am glad we are back

Gratitude can transform common days into thanksgivings, turn routine jobs into joy, and change ordinary opportunities into blessings.

William Arthur Ward

I hope you had a great Thanksgiving holiday if you live in the US. I did it was great to spend some time with friends and family, especially the third generation kids who are seldom in town at the same time.

I know I talked a lot about being grateful recently which I believe is thankfulness in action. Today I read the following written by Dr. Samantha Boardman where she shares her belief in the value of having a working gratitude attitude. The world would be a better place if everyone followed her advice.

GRATITUDE IS A VERB

Robotically saying “thank you” is not the same as practicing gratitude. According to research, people who count their blessings on a regular basis are happier and healthier than those who don’t. Taking five to ten minutes at the end of each day to write down three things that went well and why has a measurable and positive effect on wellbeing.

Researchers and wellness experts call this a gratitude journal, and for many people it does wonders. But, full disclosure, it didn’t work for me. Focusing on myself and how lucky I was made me feel good in the moment but it didn’t last. After a while it felt smug and a little self-centered. It’s not that I don’t appreciate being the beneficiary of good things. There was just something missing.

It turns out there is a lot more to gratitude than being thankful for what you have. In her article, “Stop Making Gratitude All About You,” Professor Heidi Grant Halvorson captures what so many of us get wrong about gratitude:

Recent research suggests that people often make a critical mistake when expressing gratitude: They focus on how they feel — how happy they are, how they have benefited from the help — rather than focusing on the benefactor.

Halvorson’s research found that those who expressed gratitude towards another person had stronger and more loving relationships than those who focused on the benefits to themselves. In other words, if your partner sends you flowers today, you can think to yourself about how receiving flowers makes you really happy or you can channel your gratitude towards your partner by actively saying or doing something that acknowledges how awesome your partner is.

Related studies by Adam Grant highlight how gratitude is not limited to passively counting one’s blessings. His research shows that reflecting on what one has contributed instead of reflecting on what one has received, is even more powerful in terms of promoting prosocial behavior. As Grant concludes:

According to a popular mantra, we should give without remembering and receive without forgetting. Our research suggests otherwise: we should take the time to remember both what we’ve given and what we’ve received.

So this Thanksgiving, don’t just count your blessings. Count your contributions too. Think of gratitude as an action. It’s a verb that works best when it is embodied, spoken aloud and when it connects you to someone else.

~~~

Thankfulness is the beginning of gratitude. Gratitude is the completion of thankfulness. Thankfulness may consist merely of words. Gratitude is shown in acts.

Henri Frederic Amiel

~~~

A friend always seemed to lean slightly to the left.  It bothered me, so I suggested that he see a doctor and have his legs checked out.  For years, he refused, telling me I was crazy, but last week, he finally went.

Sure enough, the doctor discovered his left leg was a half -inch shorter than his right.  A bit of orthopedic surgery later, both legs are exactly the same length now, and he no longer leans.

“So,” I said, “you didn’t believe me when I told you a doctor could fix your leg.”

He just looked at me and said, “I stand corrected.”

~~~

When you’re rich, it’s “eccentric”; when you’re poor, it’s just strange.

~~~

A frustrated father vented, “When I was a youngster, I was disciplined by being sent to my room without supper. But in my son’s room, he has his own color TV, telephone, computer, and CD player.”

“So what do you do?” asked his friend.

“I send him to MY room!” exclaimed the father.

~~~

The coffee break, even for those who realize that caffeine may not be good for them, still beats staying at the desk and working.

~~~

The headwaiter of an elegant restaurant recoiled in disgust as a man in boots, torn jeans and a leather jacket approached him. “Hey, man,” he said, “where’s the bathroom?”

“Go down the hall and turn left,” replied the headwaiter, “When you see the sign marked ‘Gentlemen,’ pay no attention to it and go right inside.”

~~~

To err is human, to moo, bovine.

~~~

Mike meets Ed at the bar for a drink after work.  Mike really looks down in the dumps.

Ed asks, “Why the long face?  Bad day at work?”

“Yeah,” replies Mike.  “You know sometimes I wish I worked for the Pope instead of my boss.”

“Why is that,” asks Ed.

Mike sighs and says, “Cause then I would only have to kiss his ring.”

~~~

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst, for they are sticking to their diets.

~~~

You know you work in Corporate America if …

1) You’ve sat at the same desk for 4 years and worked for three different companies.

2) Your resume is on a disk in your pocket.

3) When someone asks about what you do for a living, you lie.

4) You get really excited about a 2% pay raise.

5) You learn about your layoff on CNN.

6) Your biggest loss from a system crash is that you lose your best jokes.

7) Your supervisor doesn’t have the ability to do your job.

8) You sit in a cubicle smaller than your bedroom closet.

9) Salaries of the members on the Executive Board are higher than all the Third World countries’ annual budgets combined.

10) It’s dark when you drive to and from work.

11) Fun is when issues are assigned to someone else.

12) “Communication” is something your group is having problems with.

13) You see a good looking person and know it is a visitor.

14) Free food left over from meetings is your main staple diet.

15) Weekends are those days your spouse makes you stay home.

16) Being sick is defined as can’t walk or you’re in the hospital.

17) You’re already late on the assignment you just got.

18) Dilbert cartoons hang outside every cube.

19) Your boss’ favorite lines are “When you get a few minutes”, “In your spare time”, “When you’re freed up”, and “I have an opportunity for you.”

20) Your relatives and family describe your job as “works with computers”.

~~~

Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend.

Melody Beattie

~~~

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.

Ray’s Daily has been sent for more than fifteen years to 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.

 

Thank you all

“Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all others.”

Cicero

Tomorrow is our Thanksgiving holiday and the beginning of a four day weekend for the Daily. My wife and I will be joining family and friends at my oldest daughters. As I said yesterday I have a lot to be thankful for and I appreciate the opportunity to reflect on what is good in my life. But it is not enough to just be thankful for what we have it is also important to be grateful for all the people that enrich our lives. I think to often some of us take the things folks regularly do for us for granted. So lets not just be thankful let’s take this opportunity to also let the people in our lives know we appreciate them.

Here are some thoughts written by Skip Prichard that I think are appropriate.

Thankfulness and Gratitude

In the United States, we celebrate Thanksgiving this week. That usually means overindulging in food, football, and family. It’s also a time to increase our gratitude for the many blessings we have. For years, I have studied the benefits of an attitude of gratitude. I’m amazed at study after study that demonstrates its incredible power. Gratitude helps us:

Reduce depression

Get promotions at work

Improve our self esteem

Increase our energy

Develop a strong immune system

Decrease blood pressure

Increase sleep quality

Reduce and cope with negative stress

Eat healthier

Have deeper friendships

Increase productivity

Improve job performance

Become more likable

Reach goals faster

Increase feelings of happiness and wellbeing

Reduce negative emotions such as envy, hatred, and anger

Increase positive emotions such as love and empathy

There are many ways to increase gratitude in our lives. One of the best ways is to start a gratitude journal. But, let’s face it: many of us won’t commit to doing that. So, let’s make this simple. Let’s improve our spirit of thanksgiving and gratitude right now, whatever we are doing, wherever we are, even if we are not celebrating Thanksgiving.

3 Steps to Boost Thanksgiving

• Close your eyes and picture three people who made a difference in your life. Whether they are alive or not, think about them and how grateful you are that these people made an impact on you.
• Send a positive, encouraging text to someone right now, thanking that person for something he or she has done for you.
• Share something you are thankful for. Use the comments below or take to your favorite social media outlet.

~~~

If you are really thankful, what do you do? You share.

Clement Stone

~~~

A distinguished rabbi and a friend were playing golf. It was a very close match, and at the last hole the two were only one stroke apart. The rabbi teed up, addressed the ball, and swung his driver with great force…slicing the ball deep into the woods.

The rabbi glared, and bit his lip while his face turned crimson, but said nothing. His opponent looked at him for a moment and then remarked, “Rabbi, that is the most profane silence I have ever heard.”

~~~

He said, “My father is so old that when he was in school, history was called current affairs.”

~~~

The blonde had been married about a year when one day she came running up to her husband jumping for joy. Not knowing how to react, the husband started jumping up and down along with her.

“Why are we so happy?” he asked.

“Honey, I have some really great news for you!” She said. “Great!” he said, “Tell me what you’re so happy about.”

She stopped jumping and was breathless from all the jumping up and down. “I’m pregnant!” she gasped.

The husband was ecstatic as they had been trying for awhile. He grabbed her, kissed her, and started telling her how wonderful itw as, and that he couldn’t be happier.

Then she said “Oh, honey there’s more!”

“What do you mean more?”, he asked.

“Well we are not having just one baby, we are going to have TWINS!”

Amazed at how she could know so soon after getting pregnant, he asked her how she knew.

“It was easy” she said, “I went to the pharmacy and bought the 2-pack home pregnancy test kit and both tests came out positive!”

~~~

Waiter: Would you like your coffee black?

Customer: What other colors do you have?

~~~

A wee guy was sitting at a bar staring at his drink for ages. Suddenly, a big biker came along, snatched his glass, guzzled down the contents and laughed, “Hah! So what you gonna do about that, little man?”

“Nothing,” sighed the little guy despondently. “You see, today has been the worst day of my life. This morning I overslept and was late for an important meeting. My boss was furious and so he sacked me. I cleared my desk, went to my car, only to discover that it wasn’t there – somebody had stolen it. So I got a taxi home, but when it came to paying the driver I realized I’d forgotten my wallet. I then went into my house and I found my wife in bed with the gardener. So I left home and came to this bar. And just when I was thinking about ending it all, you came along and drank my poison…”

~~~

If you want to make peace, you don’t talk to your friends. You talk to your enemies.

Moshe Dayan

~~~

It takes a really tall tale to win the annual Burlington, Wis., Liars Club Contest.  So tip your hat to Gordon Zwicky, because he’s a worthy champion. A neighbor, said Zwicky, told him and his wife Dorothy that they’d be fine as long as they paid attention to the road signs along the way.  But they’d driven just 30 miles when they saw one that read, “Clean Restrooms Ahead.”

Two months later, they arrived in Florida exhausted, having used up 86 bottles of Windex, 267 rolls of paper towels, and three cases of toilet-bowl cleaner. Total restrooms cleaned:  450.

~~~

“Send gratitude to the world and surprising advantages will return back to you.”

Skip Prichard

~~~

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.

Ray’s Daily has been sent for more than fifteen years to 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.

 

Thanks Everyone

“Sometimes we spend so much time and energy thinking about where we want to go that we don’t notice where we happen to be.”

Dan Gutman,

It will be Thanksgiving Day here in the United States in two more days. I, like many of you at this time of year reflect on the things I am grateful for in my life. Most of all I appreciate my wonderful children and grandchildren that are all healthy and doing well. They spend some of their time doing what they can to make my wife and my life comfortable.

I am also grateful to so many of you who have shared your wisdom while offering your friendship and company, helping to keep my life interesting. I also benefit from the care that I receive from a wide variety of health care professionals, I am here with you today because of them.

I am also fortunate to live in a city that provides a lively, comfortable and exciting place to live. It is that good due in no small part because of what so many of the people I know do for others. Our city has thrived because of the hearts, minds and hands offered by so many that care for others.

Yes I have a lot to be thankful for and I hope you do as well. I probably have sent you the following before but If I did it is worth reading again.

Are You Blessed?

Author Unknown

If you woke up this morning with more health than illness……….you are more blessed than the million who will not survive this week.

If you have never experienced the danger of battle, the loneliness of imprisonment, the agony of torture, or the pangs of starvation…….you are ahead of 500 million people in the world.

If you have food in the refrigerator, clothes on your back, a roof overhead and a place to sleep…you are richer than 75% of this world.

If you have money in the bank, in your wallet, and spare change in a dish someplace……. you are among the top 8% of the worlds wealthy.

If your parents are still alive and still married……..you are very rare, even in the United States.

If you hold up your head with a smile on your face and are truly thankful…..you are blessed because the majority can, but most do not.

If you prayed yesterday and today……..you are in the minority because you believe God does hear and answer prayers.

If you can read now, you are more blessed than over two billion people in the world that cannot read at all.

~~~

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

~~~

A young and foolish pilot wanted to sound cool on the aviation frequencies. This was his first time approaching a runway at night…

Instead of making any official requests to the tower, he said: “Guess who?”

The controller switched the runway lights off and replied: “Guess where!”

~~~

I was so naive as a kid, I used to sneak behind the barn and do nothing.

Johnny Carson

~~~

If you have a job sitting in front of a computer all day, you may not be getting enough exercise. If you don’t want to spend the money for those fancy exercise machines, here is a little secret for building arm and shoulder muscles.

Begin by standing with a five pound potato sack in each hand. Extend your arms straight out to your sides and hold them there as long as you can.

After a few weeks, move up to ten pound potato sacks and then fifty pound potato sacks, and finally get to where you can lift a one hundred pound potato sack in each hand and hold your arms straight for more than a full minute.

Next, try putting potatoes in the sacks.

~~~

Drinking makes some husbands see double and feel single.

~~~

“I’d like the number for Jennifer Smith in Richmond, Virginia,” the young man said to the 411 operator.

“There are multiple listings for Jennifer Smith in Richmond, Virginia,” the operator said.

“Do you happen to have a street name?”

The young man scratched his head and hesitated a minute, and then replied…..

“Well, if it will help any, my friends call me ‘Snake’.”

~~~

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

Milton Berle

~~~

What did the Yogi say when he walked into the Zen Pizza Parlor?

“Make me one with everything.”

When the Yogi got the pizza, he gave the proprietor a $20 bill. The proprietor pocketed the bill. The Yogi said “Don’t I get change?”

The proprietor said, “Change must come from within.”

~~~

My accountant is going to put me in a fancy tax shelter: Prison.

~~~

A man in a hurry taking his 8-year old son to school, made a turn at a red light where it was prohibited.

“Uh-oh, I just made an illegal turn!” the man says.

“Aw, dad, it’s okay,” the son replies. “The poilce car behind us just did the same thing too!”

~~~

Girlfriend: And are you sure you love me and no one else?

Boyfriend: Dead Sure! I checked the whole list again yesterday.

~~~

A blonde woman goes to the post office to buy stamps for her Christmas cards.

She says to the clerk, “May I have 50 Christmas stamps?”

The clerk says, “What denominations?”

The woman says, “God help us. Has it come to this? Give me 6 Catholic, 12 Presbyterian, 10 Lutheran and 22 Baptists.”

~~~

If it weren’t for the fact that the TV set and the refrigerator are so far apart, some of us wouldn’t get any exercise at all.

Joey Adams

~~~

A man and his wife were having some problems at home and were giving each other the silent treatment. Suddenly, the man realized that the next day,he would need his wife to wake him at 5:00 AM for an early morning business flight.

Not wanting to be the first to break the silence (and LOSE), he wrote on a piece of paper, “Please wake me at 5:00 AM ” He left it where he knew she would find it.

The next morning, the man woke up, only to discover it was 9:00 AM and he had missed his flight. Furious, he was about to go and see why his wife hadn’t wakened him, when he noticed a piece of paper by the bed. The paper said, “It is 5:00 AM . Wake up.”

~~~

“Do not indulge in dreams of having what you have not, but reckon up the chief of the blessings you do possess, and then thankfully remember how you would crave for them if they were not yours.”

Marcus Aurelius

~~~

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.

Ray’s Daily has been sent for more than fifteen years to 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.

 

Acceptance

Walking with a friend in the dark is better than walking alone in the light.

Helen Keller

This is going to be a short week since in my country we celebrate our Thanksgiving Day this Thursday. I will be joining family and friends as we eat and celebrate our good fortune together and then I am going to give the Daily a day off on Friday so we will have a long weekend.

I was visiting with a friend last week and we talked about how sometimes our quick judgements result in our missing the opportunity to befriend someone worth knowing. I think too many of us are overly judgmental resulting in our sometimes isolating ourselves form the possibility of making a new friend. It is even worse when quick judgements result in our losing an old friend.

In the following piece author Dani DiPirro talks about the value acceptance can have on our lives. For many of us more acceptance and less rejection will enrich our daily lives.

Accept Yourself and Others Just As They Are With These 6 Strategies

When it comes to living a positive life, acceptance is key—particularly acceptance of others. We all have our moments when we struggle to accept others as they are (especially those closest to us), but most of us recognize that becoming more accepting of others is one way to make our relationships with others more positive. The more accepting we are, the more our relationships can flourish. And the more our relationships flourish, the more positive experiences we’ll have with others.

. There are many ways to become more accepting, but here are six things I’m going to start doing to increase acceptance in my life:

1. Watch your thoughts. Think about what you’re thinking about. I often think things about other people, judging them, without even realizing it. I’m going to work on paying more attention to my thoughts and do my best to push them in a non-judgmental, more accepting direction.
2. Look for the positive. Not accepting others is a result of seeing the negative in them. Instead of focusing on why someone is different, I’m going to focus on what’s good about that person and his/her choices and actions. My way is not always the best one.
3. Avoid right/wrong dichotomies. It’s very tempting to see the world in black and white with a right and wrong way to do things, but that’s just not how it is. Things don’t have to be right or wrong if I choose to accept them as they are. I’m going to stop labeling my way as “right.”
4. Stop judging yourself. Our judgments of others are often a result of our personal criticisms. If I stop putting pressure on myself to do things the “right” way, I’ll also stop putting pressure on others as well. Not judging myself or others is a crucial step to acceptance.
5. Focus on the now. A lack of acceptance can generate from comparing things to the past. I’m not going to think about what happened before and try to live accordingly; I’m going to think about now. Comparing things to the past always hinders an acceptance of what is.
6. Reverse the situation. I ask myself: What if someone were judging me and not accepting me? How would I feel? I’ll keep these questions in mind the next time I’m not accepting others. I will imagine someone constantly telling me to slow down (and how annoying that would be!).

It’s so easy to abstractly think of yourself as an accepting person, but when it comes to your daily interactions, really pay attention to them and ask yourself if you are accepting others as they are. Are you really accepting them? Are you really not thinking your way of doing things is the best way?

The more I use these six tactics in my life, the more I find myself being much more accepting of others. I’m more loving, more forgiving, more kind. I’ve discovered that the only way to live a positive and present life is to accept what is—something you certainly can’t do if you don’t accept others for who they are.

~~~

One of the most beautiful qualities of true friendship is to understand and to be understood.

Lucius Annaeus Seneca

~~~

As the manager of our hospital’s softball team, I was responsible for returning equipment to the proper owners at the end of the season.

When I walked into the surgery department carrying a bat that belonged to one of the surgeons, I passed several patients and their families in a waiting area.

“Look, honey,” one man said to his wife.  “Here comes your anesthesiologist.”

~~~

A woman has the last word in any argument.

Anything a man says after that is the beginning of a new argument.

~~~

The speaker at my bank’s drive-through window had been broken for weeks, and we tellers had to resort to miming or writing notes to communicate with our frustrated customers.  One day a sweet elderly lady whom I would see every week pulled up to the window, leaned out, and smacked the glass in front of my face. “I hope this is bulletproof,” she yelled.

There had just been a robbery at another bank nearby, so I was touched by her concern.  “It is,” I yelled back.

“Good,” she continued, “because someone is going to shoot you if you don’t get that speaker fixed!”

~~~

Can you have only one plural?

~~~

While waiting at the veterinarian’s office, I overheard two women chatting about their dogs.

“What’s your dog’s name?” asked the first woman.

“Well, we used to call her Pork Chop,” answered the second lady. “But after the vet bills we’ve had for her, we now call her Filet Mignon.”

~~~

The easiest way to find something lost around the house is to go out and buy a replacement.

~~~

A woman went into a hardware store to purchase a bale of peat moss. She gave a personal check in payment and said to the clerk, “I suppose you will want some identification.”

He replied, without hesitation, “No ma’am, that won’t be necessary.”

“How come?” asked the woman.

“Crooks don’t buy peat moss.” answered the clerk.

~~~

If Walmart is lowering prices every day, how come nothing is free yet?

~~~

David and Bernice had just given their teenage daughter family-car privileges. On Saturday night she returned home very late from a party.

The next morning her father went out to the driveway to get the newspaper and came back into the house frowning. At 11:30am the girl sleepily walked into the kitchen, and her father asked her, “Sweetheart, what time did you get in last night?”

“Not too late, Dad.” she replied nervously.

Dead-panned, her father said, “Then, my precious one, I’ll have to talk with the paperboy about putting my paper under the front tire of the car.”

~~~

There is an ancient Jewish proverb that says that “A Jewish wife will forgive and forget,

But she’ll never forget what she forgave.”

~~~

“I see you were last employed by a Psychiatrist,” says the employer to the applicant. “Why did you leave?”

“Well,” she replied…. “I just couldn’t win. If I was late to work, I was hostile. If I was early, I had an anxiety complex. If I was on time, I was compulsive!”

~~~

True friendship multiplies the good in life and divides its evils. Strive to have friends, for life without friends is like life on a desert island… to find one real friend in a lifetime is good fortune; to keep him is a blessing.

Baltasar Gracian

~~~

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.

Ray’s Daily has been sent for more than fifteen years to 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 do appreciate you

The most practical kind of politics is the politics of decency.

Theodore Roosevelt

If you are like I am you have been distressed with what seems to be an increase of animosity and intolerance in much of today’s public discourse. I don’t think this is the time that we should focus on our differences but rather on our shared humanness.

As I was searching for content for today’s Daily I ran across the piece below. As I read it I thought of so many of you and all the decent things you do. You and folks like you make our world a better place. I do appreciate all you do.

We Are The Decent People

Wilferd A. Peterson

 We are the decent people of the world. We are in the majority, for men and women are essentially decent. We live in all nations, we live under all the flags that fly.

Decency is not determined by our economic status, our religion, the language we speak, the color of our skin, or the ideology under which we live. Human decency is a universal quality.

We, the decent people of the world, often have our voices drowned out by the shouts of leaders who misrepresent the things for which we stand.

We the decent people carry enough weight to tip the scale for decency if we will make ourselves heard…

We believe that war is the great indecency, that it kills and destroys all the higher sensibilities of man and leaves only death, suffering, and destruction in its wake.

We believe that this is a beautiful universe and that it is made for love and not for hate; for peace and not war; for freedom and not slavery; for order and not riot; for compassion and not violence; for happiness and not misery.

We believe that there is only one war to be waged in the name of human decency, and that is the war against all the common enemies of man… hunger, disease, poverty, ignorance, crime and failure.

We believe that every child should have the chance to grow up in an atmosphere of faith, not of fear.

We believe that the ultimate decency is to help men and never harm men, to lift men and not degrade men, and to respect the dignity of all men as individual human beings.

We the decent people of the world stand for the kind of life that will be good for all of the people, all of the time, everywhere.”

~~~

When we create hope and opportunity in the lives of others, we allow love, decency and promise to triumph over cowardice and hate.

Kirsten Gillibrand

~~~

In his attempt to put a new patient at ease during a checkup, my friend, a gynecologist, struck up a casual conversation. After noticing the label on her sandals read “Hecho en Mexico,” he asked his patient, “So when were you in Mexico?”

Flabbergasted, the patient asked, “You can tell all that from a pelvic exam?”

~~~

“Maturity is only a short break in adolescence.”

Jules Feiffer

~~~

Things You Will Never Hear In A Western Movie:

“I reckon I’ll have me a half-caf double latte with a twist.”

“Gentlemen, rather than get caught up in mindless reaction, let’s draw upon our feminine selves for a more intuitive solution.”

“Can we postpone this duel till 12:05? I gotta use the little boys room.”

“Y’know, Badlands Pete… a roaring campfire, good coffee, nice prairie breeze, just you ‘n’ me… what say we put on the rhinestone gowns and dance a jig or two?”

“Let’s see… hardtack and pemmican… that’s three grams of fat, seven grams of protein, and two starches.”

“You ‘n’ Slim round up them strays, and I’ll tell Cookie to get started on the gazpacho and the fondue.”

“That’s him! That’s the yella-bellied varmint who shot my therapist!”

“He was a strong man, a good marshal, and I reckon he had a keen eye for interior decoration.”

“Hey, Buck, do these chaps make my butt look big?”

“It’s like I keep tellin’ ya, Earl: men is from Tombstone, women is from Dodge.”

“HANG HIM HIGH, BOYS!! …Okay, now a little to the left… …Oooh! Stop right there. Perfect!”

~~~

“It is said that power corrupts, but actually it’s more true that power attracts the corruptible.

The sane are usually attracted by other things than power.”

David Brin

~~~

A rabbi, a priest and a minister have their houses of worship side by side, so they decide to carpool.

On the first day, the other two are shocked to see the pastor lay hands on the hood and pray silently.

“What are you doing?” the priest asks.

The pastor looks up. “I’m just dedicating the car to the Lord’s service.”

“Good idea! Be right back!” the priest exclaims, running into his church. He emerges with a bulb on a short stick, shaking water out of it onto the car.

The rabbi stares. “What are you doing?” he says.

“I’m consecrating it with holy water,” the priest replies.

“Great idea!” the rabbi says, and runs into his synagogue’s toolshed. He emerges with a hacksaw and takes off an inch of the tailpipe.

~~~

You’re just jealous because the voices only talk to me.

~~~

Late one night, a man walks into a dentist’s surgery and says, “Excuse me, can you help me. I think I’m a moth.”

Dentist: “You don’t need a dentist. You need a psychiatrist.”

Man: “Yes, I know.”

Dentist: “So why did you come in here?”

Man: “Well …. the light  was on…”

~~~

“Always remember, money isn’t everything.

But also remember to make a lot of it before talking such fool nonsense.”

Earl Wilson

~~~

A man walked into a dress shop and told the clerk he wanted to buy an evening gown for his wife as a surprise.

“What size?” asked the clerk.

The man shrugged blankly.

Trying to help, the clerk inquired, “Well then, what are your wife’s measurements?”

The man thought for a moment. “Small, medium, and large, in that order.”

~~~

As much as we need a prosperous economy, we also need a prosperity of kindness and decency.

Caroline Kennedy

~~~

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.

Ray’s Daily has been sent for more than fifteen years to 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 come out and play.

Youth has no age.

Pablo Picasso

As I have grown older I have learned that one of the secrets of sging is to grow younger mentally as your body keeps telling you that you are not a teen anymore. But if you can recapture the spirit of your youth when you did let boundaries hold you back you will find there is a lot out there for you to discover and enjoy. Here is a piece I saved to share with you someday that offers you suggestions and releasing that kid that is still inside you.

Rediscovering Your Inner Teenager

By Deborah Fike

I’m revisiting my youth in order to re-evaluate what’s possible and to encourage myself to try new things without fear.  Here are ways that unlocking my inner teenager has made me stronger as an adult:

Tell Yourself that Audacious Goals are Possible

It’s easy to limit yourself as an adult because you have so many responsibilities.  Limiting what you are capable of can feel comfortable, but it can also be confining.  If you want to try something bold, tell yourself you can.  Don’t let yourself make excuses.  If you need inspiration, go online and see what other people your age are doing.  I guarantee, whatever it is, an adult has accomplished what you want to try.  So be inspired to try harder rather than give up before you’ve begun.

Rediscover Old Interests

I am an auditory learner, and music evokes many emotions and memories for me.  Just listening to a song can transport me instantly back in time.  I’ve made playlists of the music I used to love, and it really brings back those feelings of being a teenager.  Picking up fiction writing has also been a surprise.  I used to write just for fun, not because I wanted to be published or I wanted to make a career out of it.  When I get discouraged or tell myself that writing is a waste of time, I push back on that with my teenage self and say, “Who cares?  I just want to write, no matter where it gets me.”

Try New Things

One of the best pieces of advice someone gave me before I went to college was to try everything, to use college as a springboard into discovering who I am and what I like.  I dropped that advice after I got my degree, but honestly, it’s good advice at any age.  I’m trying new things, even if they scare me or I don’t think I can do it.  I recently tried out to sing the National Anthem at a minor league baseball game, and they picked me to sing.  This was not something I thought at all possible until I decided to just do it.

Be Rebellious

The most common teenage stereotype is one of rebellion, doing whatever they please.  While you may not want to “stick it to The Man” anymore, social media makes it easy to feel like people are nit-picking your lifestyle.  You might feel you are not supporting the right causes.  You don’t parent the right way.  You’re not pursuing the right goals.  Take a page from your teenage self and ignore negativity.  If you think you know what you’re doing, then do what you think is best, outside opinions be damned.

Keep an Open Mind

While this may seem at odds with the rebellious stereotype, teenagers are still young adults and thus, are susceptible to thinking about things in a new way.  Don’t completely close yourself off from new ideas.  If you are presented with a new idea that you haven’t thought about, really absorb that information.  Maybe you don’t agree, and that’s okay.  Or maybe you agree with part of the message.  Allow yourself to change old opinions as you process new information, not because you are pressured into it, but because it makes sense given your worldview.  And be compassionate to others when you can.

~~~

There is a fountain of youth: it is your mind, your talents, the creativity you bring to your life and the lives of people you love. When you learn to tap this source, you will truly have defeated age.

Sophia Loren

~~~

*Actual Elementary School Excuse Notes*

*  “Jerry was at his grandmother’s yesterday, and she did not bring him to school because Jerry couldn’t remember where the school was.”

*  “Ronnie would not finish his work last night.  He said his brain was too tired of spelling.”

*  “Eric hurt his knee in a karate tournament over the weekend.  He won his age group, but was in too much pain to do his math assignment.”

*  “Amy did not do her homework last night because we went out to a party and did not get home until late.  If she is tired, please let her sleep during recess time.”

*  “It was my fault Mike did not do his math homework last night.  His pencil broke and we do not have a pencil sharpener at home.”

*  “Scott didn’t practice last night because he lost his tooth in the mouthpiece of his trumpet.”

*  “Diane was late on Wednesday.  She fell asleep on the bus and was taken back to the bus yard.”

~~~

My girlfriend told me I should be more affectionate. So I got myself two girlfriends.

~~~

At a fancy reception a young man was asked by a widow to guess her age. “You must have some idea,” she urged when he hesitated.

“I have several ideas,” he admitted with a smile, “the trouble is that I don’t know whether to make it ten years younger because of your looks or ten years older because of your intelligence.”

~~~

Husband: You know, wife, our son got his brain from me.

Wife: I think he did, I’ve still got mine with me!

~~~

“The thrill is gone from my marriage,” Bill told his friend Doug.

“Why not add some intrigue to your life and have an affair?” Doug suggested.

“But what if my wife finds out?”

“Heck, this is a new age we live in, Bill. Go ahead and tell her about it!”

So Bill went home and said, “Dear, I think an affair will bring us closer together.”

“Forget it,” said his wife. “I’ve tried that…it doesn’t work.”

~~~

To handle yourself, use your head; To handle others, use your heart.

~~~

Two guys sit down for lunch in the General Motors office cafeteria.

The conversation goes like this…

“Hey, whatever happened to Bill in Engineering?” one asks. “I haven’t seen him around for awhile.”

“Oh, he got this hare-brained notion he was going to build this new kind of car,” his co-worker replies.

“Geez, how did he go about doing that?”

“Well, first he took a engine from a Firehawk, next a 6 sp. transmission from a Corvette, a Camaro body, seats from a Blazer, wheels and tires from a Caddy, and, well…… you get the idea.”

“So…. what did he end up with?”

“Ten to fifteen years!”

~~~

There are two ways to write error-free programs; only the third one works.

~~~

My phone bill was past due and I needed to change my service, so I had to visit the local phone company office. The line wasn’t clearly formed, and there was an old man with a cane nearby me. It was unclear as to who was next.

When we got to the front of the line, the man gestured to me and said, “After you.”

I smiled at him and said, “No, please, after you. I have all day.”

The he said, “No. You go ahead. My doctor says I have at least six months.”

~~~

Youth is not a time of life; it is a state of mind; it is not a matter of rosy cheeks, red lips and supple knees; it is a matter of the will, quality of the imagination, a vigor of the emotions; it is the freshness of the deep springs of life.

Samuel Ullman

~~~

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.

Ray’s Daily has been sent for more than fifteen years to 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.

 

Stay Happy

“Most folks are about as happy as they make their minds up to be.”

Abraham Lincoln  

My doc’s have me scheduled for early x-rays this morning so I am going to again send you a Daily from years ago. Have a great day.

Ray’s Daily first published on November 16, 2004

I have been fighting laser printer problems, I am running out of ink in my photo printer, the battery in my lap-top has quit, but I still choose to be happy. I took a shortcut to a meeting the other night that turned out to be a long-sightseeing-cut, but I still choose to be happy. 12 different people have provided me 12 different opportunities for service, each only requires about 10% of my time (total 120%), but I still choose to be happy. Right now I don’t need any more happiness. You can stay happy too if you heed the following advice.

1. Make up your mind to be happy. Learn to find pleasure in simple things.
2. Make the best of your circumstances. No one has everything, and everyone has something of sorrow intermingled with gladness of life. The trick is to make the laughter outweigh the tears.
3. Don’t take yourself too seriously. Don’t think that somehow you should be protected from misfortune that befalls other people.
4. You can’t please everybody. Don’t let criticism worry you.
5. Don’t let your neighbor set your standards. Be yourself.
6. Do the things you enjoy doing but stay out of debt.
7. Never borrow trouble. Imaginary things are harder to bear than real ones.
8. Since hate poisons the soul, do not cherish jealousy, enmity, grudges. Avoid people who make you unhappy.
9. Have many interests. If you can’t travel, read about new places.
10. Don’t hold postmortems. Don’t spend your time brooding over sorrows or mistakes. Don’t be one who never gets over things.
11. Do what you can for those less fortunate than yourself.
12. Keep busy at something. A busy person never has time to be unhappy.

~~~

Happiness does not depend on outward things, but on the way we see them.

Leo Tolstoy

~~~

She said:

Before I was a Mom – I slept as late as I wanted and never worried about how late I got into bed. I brushed my hair and my teeth everyday.

Before I was a Mom – I cleaned my house each day. I never tripped over toys or forgot words to a lullaby. I didn’t worry whether or not my plants were poisonous. I never thought about immunizations.

Before I was a Mom – I had never been puked on – Pooped on – Spit on – Chewed on, or Peed on. I had complete control of my mind and My thoughts. I slept all night

Before I was a Mom – I never held down a screaming child So that doctors could do tests…Or give shots. I never looked into teary eyes and cried. I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin. I never sat up late hours at night watching a baby sleep.

Before I was a Mom – I never held a sleeping baby just because I didn’t want to put it down. I never felt my heart break into a million pieces when I couldn’t stop the hurt. I never knew that something so small could affect my life so much. I never knew that I could love someone so much. I never knew I would love being a Mom.

Before I was a Mom – I didn’t know the feeling of having my heart outside my body. I didn’t know how special it could feel to feed a hungry baby. I didn’t know that bond between a mother and her child. I didn’t know that something so small could make me feel so important.

Before I was a Mom – I had never gotten up in the middle of the night every 10 minutes to make sure all was okay. I had never known the warmth, The joy, The love, The heartache, The wonderment or the satisfaction of being a Mom. I didn’t know I was capable of feeling so much before I was a Mom.

~~~

“Automobile – A mechanical device that runs up hills and down people.”

~~~

She told me that as an attendant at an exclusive golf club, her work includes welcoming guests to the course and loading bags in and out of vehicles.  She’s the only female on the staff, and works with eight teenage boys.

One day a golfer drove up in a yellow Lamborghini.  Three of the teens rushed to help him.  Later, they gushed about their conversation with the man, who told them he owned three of the Italian sports cars.

“Really?” she replied. “What line of work is he in?”

“We didn’t talk about that,” said one of the boys. “We only asked if he has a daughter.”

~~~

Experience is something you don’t get until just after you need it.

~~~

One of the single girls in the office came in one morning and began passing out cigars and candy, both tied with blue ribbons. When asked what the occasion was, she proudly displayed a diamond solitaire on her left ring finger. “It’s a boy,” she announced, “six feet tall, 178 pounds!”

~~~

I used to eat a lot of natural foods until I learned that most people die of natural causes.

~~~

The social studies teacher had just finished a unit on war and peace. “How many of you,” he asked, “would say you’re opposed to war?”

Not surprisingly, all hands went up. The teacher asked, “Who’ll give us the reason for being opposed to war?”

A large, bored-looking boy in the back of the room raised his hand. “Johnny?” the teacher said.

“I hate war,” Johnny said, “because wars make history, and I hate History!”

~~~

A good plan today is better than a perfect plan tomorrow.

General George S. Patton

~~~

NEW DRUGS FOR WOMEN!

BUYAGRA: Stimulant to be taken prior to shopping. Increases potency and duration of spending spree.

MENICILLIN: Potent anti-boyotic for older women. Increases resistance to such lines as, “You make me want to be a better person.”

1. MOM’S WORT: Plant extract that treats mom’s depression by rendering preschoolers unconscious for up to six hours.

EMPTY NESTROGEN: Highly effective supplement that eliminates melancholy by enhancing the memory of how awful they were as teenagers and how you couldn’t wait till they moved out.

PEPTO-BIMBO: Liquid silicone for single women. Two full cups swallowed before an evening out increases breast size, decreases intelligence, and improves flirting.

DUMMEROL: When taken with Pepto-bimbo, can cause lowering of IQ, causing enjoyment of loud country music and cheap beer.

FLIPITOR: Increases life expectancy of commuters by controlling road rage and the urge to flip off other drivers.

JACKASSPIRIN: Relieves headache caused by a man who can’t remember your birthday, anniversary, or phone number.

ANTI-TALKSIDENT: A spray carried in a purse or wallet to be used on anyone too eager to share their life stories with total strangers.

RAGAMET: When administered to a husband, provides the same irritation as nagging on him all weekend, saving the wife the time and trouble of doing it herself.

DAMMITOL: Take two and the rest of the world can go to hell for 8 hours

~~~

If you cannot teach me to fly,

teach me to sing.”

Sir James Barrie

~~~

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.

Ray’s Daily has been sent for more than fifteen years to 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.

 

Have you found your seed?

Find the seed at the bottom of your heart and bring forth a flower.

Shigenori Kameoka

I have learned that this living one day at a time is really pretty good. I get up expecting the day to be a good one and it usually is and I end each day grateful that I made it through another one.

Today I am off to my morning workout and then on to spend some time with my Audiologist, a person I always enjoy and not just because she helps me hear well. And then this afternoon I will visit my primary care physician a doctor who has helped me through the last three or four decades, we just need to do some routine stuff to make sure I keep functioning at a reasonable good level.

So today will be another interesting and good day that will also allow me time to enjoy what I so often missed in the past. I hope you have a good one too.

Here is a poem that extols the virtue of the bright side, I hope you like it.

A Time To Believe

by B.J. Morbitzer

To believe is to know that

every day is a new beginning.

Is to trust that miracles happen,

and dreams really do come true.

 

To believe is to see angels

dancing among the clouds,

To know the wonder of a stardust sky

and the wisdom of the man in the moon.

 

To believe is to know the value of a nurturing heart,

The innocence of a child’s eyes

and the beauty of an aging hand,

for it is through their teachings we learn to love.

 

To believe is to find the strength

and courage that lies within us

When it’s time to pick up

the pieces and begin again.

 

To believe is to know

we are not alone,

That life is a gift

and this is our time to cherish it.

 

To believe is to know

that wonderful surprises are just

waiting to happen,

And all our hopes and dreams are within reach.

 

If only we believe.

~~~

Be not afraid of life. Believe that life is worth living, and your belief will help create the fact.

Henry James

~~~

Procrastinator’s Society….

1. I believe that if anything is worth doing, it would have been done already.
2. I shall never move quickly, except to avoid more work or to find excuses.
3. I will never rush into a job without a lifetime of consideration.
4. I shall meet all of my deadlines directly in proportion to the amount of bodily injury I could expect to receive from missing them.
5. I firmly believe that tomorrow holds the possibility for new technologies, astounding discoveries, and a reprieve from my obligations.
6. I truly believe that all deadlines are unreasonable regardless of the amount of time given.
7. I shall never forget that the probability of a miracle, though infinitesimally small, is never exactly zero.
8. If at first I don’t succeed, there is always next year.
9. I shall always decide not to decide, unless of course I decide to change my mind.
10. I shall always begin, start, initiate, take the first step, and/or write the first word, when I get around to it.

~~~

If the shortest distance between two points is a line, why does waiting in one take so long?

~~~

A man took his wife, who had no interest in football, to the opening game at the local university.  The more dominant opponents battered the home team all over the field. At one point, the referee blew his whistle; the call was unnecessary roughness.

“You mean to tell me,” the woman said to her husband, “That all that roughness up until now has been NECESSARY?”

~~~

Then she said: “My Husband and I Married for Better or Worse He Couldn’t Do Better and I Couldn’t Do Worse”

~~~

A wealthy merchant of 84 married a 25-year-old fashion model. They had a wonderful honeymoon in Aruba but, unfortunately, he suffered a coronary and was hospitalized. When his young wife came to see him, the old man said, “Sweetheart, your future has been taken care of regardless of what happens to me. You will have an income of $250,000 a year, my home in Palm Springs, my ranch in Texas, my Mercedes. You’ll never need to worry about money.”

“Oh, sweetheart, please don’t talk that way,” his young wife exclaimed.

“You’ve been so good to me already. If you go, I’ll be devastated. Oh, there must be something I can do to help you. Please . . . tell me what I can do?”

“Well,” the old man gasped, “you can quit standing on the inlet tube to my oxygen supply for starters.”

~~~

“It is indeed ironic that we spend our school days yearning to graduate and our remaining days waxing nostalgic about our school days.”

Isabel Waxman

~~~

The coed came running in tears to her father. “Dad, you gave me some terrible financial advice!” she cried.

“I did? What did I tell you?” said the dad.

“You told me to put my money in that big bank, and now that big bank is in trouble.”

“What are you talking about? That’s one of the largest banks in the world,” he said. “Surely there must be some mistake.”

“I don’t think so,” she sniffed. “They just returned one of my checks with a note saying, ‘Insufficient Funds’.”

~~~

“We can go through our whole lives worrying about our future happiness, and totally miss where true peace lives- right here, right now.”

Peter Russell

~~~

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.

Ray’s Daily has been sent for more than fifteen years to 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.