Ray's Daily

Another year and we are still together

There is nothing on this earth more to be prized than true friendship.

Thomas Aquinas

It happened again; today I am another year older. I have lived longer than I ever dreamed I would. I am glad though that I was able to pursue two different careers. I have had the good fortune to be able travel the world, meet and work with some outstanding people who have done some great things and made friends with folks who have helped me through both the good and bad times.

I am finding it a challenge these days to stay involved as so many of my friends are no longer with us. I am also somewhat distressed by the disarray created by a national government that is creating chaos thru the implementation of policies introduced without too much forethought.

I, like many my age benefit by finding ways to stay connected rather than slip into the isolation that so often accompanies old age, Sometime ago Angel Chernoff wrote a piece that included tips on how we can not only stay connected but also how to nuture and grow new relationships. Here are some of her thoughts

Simple Tips for Nurturing & Building Your Tribe

If you feel like your relationships have been suffering, or even if you feel tribe-less, rest assured in the knowledge that your tribe is out there.  In addition, if supportive people already surround you, remember that there are likely many other members of your tribe that you have not met yet.

Here are simple relationship-building tips that have helped us over the years:

Learn to enjoy your own company.

Ironically, the prerequisite to building healthy relationships is being comfortable when you’re all by yourself.  If you’re starting fresh, with a minimal number of friends in your immediate vicinity, the reason for this is obvious: spending time alone is your only option.  Likewise, if you have friends that have been dragging you down and negatively impacting your life, withdrawing from them and starting anew will likely require a bit more alone time.

Appreciating solitude starts with the conscious awareness of the freedom it brings.  When you enjoy your own company you don’t need others around for the sake of having others around.  You can be flexible about who you choose to spend time with, instead of letting your fear of being alone suck you into social situations and relationships that aren’t right for you.

Make time for the important people in your life, and be 100% present.

The healthiest relationships are comprised of two people who are intimately familiar with each other’s evolving stories.  These people make plenty of emotional room for their relationship, which means they sincerely listen to each other, they remember the major events each other have been through, and they keep up-to-date as the facts and feelings of each other’s reality changes.

The key thing to remember is that nothing you can give is more appreciated than your sincere, focused attention – your full presence.  Being with someone, listening without a clock and without anticipation of the next event is the ultimate compliment.  It is indeed the most valued gesture you can make to them, and it arms you with the information you need to truly know them and support them in the long run. 

Nurture your tribe by helping others achieve their goals.

Be a facilitator of healthy relationships.  Connect people in your social network who have common interests or missions; give them access to the information and resources they need to connect, and let them know that you’re available if they need further assistance.  What goes around comes around.

Work together on something meaningful.

If there are one or two people you already know who you would like to strengthen your relationship with, try to find a way to work together on something that intrigues both of you.  You could plant a communal garden together, or meet once a week to complete unfinished projects – such as a writing, painting or website project.  Working with others on meaningful projects can help you strengthen your bonds with them.

~~~

Friends and good manners will carry you where money won’t go.

Margaret Walker

~~~

WE MUST STOP THIS SINISTER PLOT!

Have you ever noticed that as the years go by, everything seems uphill from where you are? Stairs are steeper, groceries are heavier, and everything is farther away. Yesterday I walked to the corner and I was horrified to discover how long our street had become! I never noticed when I was younger that it’s been changing!

And, you know, people are less considerate now, especially the young ones. They speak in whispers all the time! If you ask them to speak up they just keep repeating themselves, endlessly mouthing the same silent message until they’re red in the face! What do they think I am, a lip reader?

I also have a feeling that these people are much younger than I was at the same age. On the other hand, something has been making people who used to be my own age so much older than I am.

I ran into an old friend the other day and she has aged so much that she didn’t even recognize me. I got to thinking about the poor dear while I was combing my hair this morning, and in doing so, I glanced at my own refection…. and I noticed that even mirrors were not made the way they used to be!

Clothing manufacturers are part of the conspiracy too! Why else would they suddenly start labeling a size 10 or 12 dress as 18 or 20? Do they think no one notices that these things no longer fit around the waist, hips, thighs, and bosom?

Another thing, everyone drives so fast today! You’re risking life and limb if you just happen to pull onto the freeway in front of them. All I can say is, their brakes must wear out awfully fast, the way I see them screech and swerve in my rear view mirror.

The people who make bathroom scales are in on it as well. Do they think I actually believe the number I see on that dial? Hah! I would never let myself weigh that much! Just who do these people think they’re fooling?

I’d like to call up someone in authority to report what’s going on — but the telephone company is in on the conspiracy too: they’ve printed the phone books in such small type that no one could ever find a number in here!

All I can do is pass along this warning: Maturity is under attack! Unless something drastic happens, pretty soon *everyone* will have to suffer these awful indignities.

PLEASE PASS THIS ON TO EVERYONE YOU KNOW AS SOON AS POSSIBLE SO WE CAN GET THIS CONSPIRACY STOPPED!

~~~

“The best way to get people to think out of the box is not to create the box in the first place.”

Martin Cooper

~~~

For weeks a six-year old lad kept telling his first-grade teacher about the baby brother or sister that was expected at his house. One day the mother allowed the boy to feel the movements of the unborn child. The six-year old was obviously impressed, but made no comment. Furthermore, he stopped telling his teacher about the impending event.

The teacher finally sat the boy on her lap and said, “Johnny, whatever has become of that baby brother or sister you were expecting at home?”

Johnny burst into tears and confessed, “I think Mommy ate it!”

~~~

A woman always remembers where and when she got married; a man sometimes forgets why.

~~~

Three sisters ages 92, 94 and 96 live in a house together. One night the 96 year old draws a bath. She puts her foot in and pauses. She yells to the other sisters, “Was I getting in or out of the bath?”

The 94 year old yells back, “I don’t know. I’ll come up and see.” She starts up the stairs and pauses “Was I going up the stairs or down?”

The 92 year old is sitting at the kitchen table having tea listening to her sisters. She shakes her head and says, “I sure hope I never get that forgetful, knock on wood.” She then yells, “I’ll come up and help both of you as soon as I see who’s at the door.”

~~~

I cannot even imagine where I would be today were it not for that handful of friends who have given me a heart full of joy. Let’s face it, friends make life a lot more fun.

Charles R. Swindoll

~~~

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

The good life is a process, not a state of being. It is a direction not a destination.

Carl Rogers

My brother, the world traveler, visited with my family the last few days. We had representatives of four generations of gather to celebrate his visit. Our look back over our past that has spread across eight decades brought back old memories and more. It is always interesting to examine the past with the folks who lived it with us since they fill in the blanks forgotten or often missed at the time.

I could not help but reflect on not only on the past but also on where my wife and I go from here. To a large extent we live day to day letting our health and circumstances dictate what we do. But notwithstanding the limitations we face there still is plenty of opportunity to enjoy what we can do.

I can’t see too far ahead to predict what the future will bring and I feel extremely fortunate that our children and grandchildren are nearby helping to ease the burden of our modified life capabilities.

As I plan my days I like to review Edger Guest’s Creed

My Creed

To live as gently as I can;

To be, no matter where, a man;

To take what comes of good or ill,

And cling to faith and honor still;

To do my best, and let that stand

The record of my brain and hand;

And then, should failure come to me,

Still work and hope for victory.

To have no secret place wherein

I stoop unseen to shame or sin;

To be the same when I’m alone

As when my every deed is known;

To live undaunted, unafraid

Of any step that I have made;

To be without pretense or sham

Exactly what men think I am.

 

To leave some simple work behind

To keep my having lived in mind;

If enmity to aught I show,

To be an honest, generous foe;

To play my little part, nor whine

That greater honors are not mine.

This I believe is all I need

For my philosophy and creed.

Edgar A. Guest

~~~

The secret of a good life is to have the right loyalties and hold them in the right scale of values.

Norman Thomas

~~~

The Priest meets his friend, the Rabbi, and says to him “You have taught me many things but there is one thing in particular I want to learn very much but you do not wish to teach it to me. I want you to teach me the Talmud.”

The Rabbi replied: “You are a Non-Jew and you have the brain of a Non-Jew. There is no chance that you will succeed in understanding the Talmud.”

But the Priest continued in his attempt to persuade the Rabbi to teach him the Talmud. Finally, the Rabbi agreed. The Rabbi then said to the Priest: “I agree to teach you the Talmud on condition that you answer one question.”

The Priest agreed and asked the Rabbi, “What is the question?”

The Rabbi then said to the Priest: “Two men fall down through the chimney; one comes out dirty and the other comes out clean. Who of those two goes to wash up?

Very Simple,” replied the Priest. “The one who is dirty goes to wash up but the one who is clean does not go to wash up.”

The Rabbi then said to the Priest: “I told you that you will not succeed in understanding the Talmud. The exact opposite happened. The clean one looks at the dirty one and thinks that he is also dirty, goes to wash up. The dirty one, on the other hand, looks at the clean one and thinks that he is also clean and, therefore, does not go to wash up.”

The Priest then says to the Rabbi: “This I did not think of. Ask me, please, another question.”

The Rabbi then says to the Priest: “Two men fall down through the chimney. One comes out dirty and the other comes out clean. Who of these two goes to wash up?”

The Priest then says to the Rabbi: “Very simple. The clean one looks at the dirty one and thinks he is also dirty and goes to wash up. The dirty one on the other hand, looks at the clean one and thinks that he is also clean and, therefore, does not go to wash up.”

The Rabbi then says to the Priest: “You are wrong again. I told you that you will not understand. The clean one looks into the mirror, sees that he is clean and, therefore, does not go to wash up. The dirty one looks into the mirror, sees that he is dirty and goes to wash up.”

The Priest complains to the Rabbi “But you did not tell me that there is a mirror there.”

The Rabbi then tells the Priest: “I told you. You are a Non-Jew; with your brain you will not succeed in understanding the Talmud. According to the Talmud, you have to think of all the possibilities.”

“Alright,” groaning, said the Priest to the Rabbi. “Let us try once more. Ask me one more question.”

For the last time, said the Rabbi to the Priest. “Two men fall through the chimney. One came out dirty and the other came out clean. Who of these two went to wash up?”

“That is very simple!” replied the Priest. “If there is no mirror there the clean one will look at the dirty one and will think that he is also dirty and will, therefore, go to wash up. The dirty one will look at the clean one and will think that he is also clean, and will, therefore, not go to wash up. If there is a mirror there, the clean one will look into the mirror and will, therefore, not go to wash up. The dirty one will look into the mirror and will see that he is dirty and will, therefore, go to wash up.

The Rabbi then says to the Priest: “I told you that you would not succeed in understanding. You are a Non-Jew; you have a Non-Jew brain. Tell me, how is it possible for two men to fall through a chimney and for one to come out dirty and the other to come out clean?”

~~~

Be careful what rut you choose. You may be in it the rest of your life.

~~~

One Sunday a pastor told the congregation that the church needed some extra money and asked the people to prayerfully consider giving a little extra in the offering plate. He said that whoever gave the most would be able to pick out three hymns.

After the offering plates were passed, the pastor glanced down and noticed that someone had placed a $1,000 bill in offering. He was so excited that he immediately shared his joy with his congregation and said he’d like to personally thank the person who placed the money in the plate. A very quiet, elderly and saintly lady all the way in the back shyly raised her hand. The pastor asked her to come to the front. Slowly she made her way to the pastor. He told her how wonderful it was that she gave so much and in thanksgiving asked her to pick out three hymns.

Her eyes brightened as she looked over the congregation, pointed to the three handsomest men in the building and said, “I’ll take him and him and him.”

~~~

“The cat could very well be man’s best friend but would never stoop to admitting it.”

Doug Larson

~~~

I volunteered recently to perform a parachute jump for charity. On our first day of training, the instructor made an important point about preparing for landing at 300 feet. “How do you know when you’re at 300 feet?” asked one woman.

“A good question,” replied the instructor. “At 300 feet you can recognize the faces of people on the ground.”

The woman thought about this for a while before saying,  “What happens if there’s no one there I know?”

~~~

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

Rollo May

~~~

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.

 

Now you know

An investment in knowledge pays the best interest.

Benjamin Franklin

Before I start this morning I want to tell you how much I appreciated Mary Tyler Moore, Her brightness and good spirit shone in all the various roles she played over many decades, We are lucky that we can still enjoy her in the shows that are still being rerun.

Today as a departure from the norm I am offering some knowledge that will allow you to dazzle your friends and family. It was sent to me by a good friend who is a Past President of Kiwanis International. Thanks wil.

Words,  words, words—–interesting  origins——-

* Why do men’s clothes have buttons on the right while women’s clothes have buttons on the left?

BECAUSE  When buttons were invented, they were very expensive and worn primarily by the rich. Since most people are right-handed, it is easier to push buttons on the right through holes on the left.  Because wealthy women were dressed by maids, dressmakers put the buttons on the maid’s right!   And that’s where women’s buttons have remained since.

* Why do ships and aircraft use ‘mayday’ as their call for help?

BECAUSE This comes from the French word m’aidez – meaning ‘help me’ – and is pronounced, approximately, ‘mayday.’

* Why are zero scores in tennis called ‘love’?

BECAUSE In France, where tennis became popular, the round zero on the scoreboard looked like an egg and was called ‘l’oeuf,’ which is French for ‘the egg.’   When tennis was introduced in the US, Americans (naturally), mispronounced it  ‘love.’

* Why do X’s at the end of a letter signify  kisses?

BECAUSE In the Middle Ages, when many people were unable to read or write, documents were often signed using an X. Kissing the X represented an oath to fulfill obligations specified in the  document. The X and the kiss eventually became synonymous.

* Why is shifting responsibility to someone else called  ‘passing the buck’?

BECAUSE In card games, it was once customary to pass an item, called a buck, from player to player to indicate whose turn it was to deal.  If a player did not wish to assume the responsibility of dealing, he would ‘pass the buck’ to the next  player.

Why are people in the public eye said to be ‘in the limelight’?

BECAUSE  Invented in 1825, limelight was used in lighthouses and theatres by burning a cylinder of lime which produced a brilliant light. In the theatre, a performer ‘in the limelight’ was the  Centre of attention.

* Why is someone who is feeling great ‘on cloud nine’?

BECAUSE Types of clouds are numbered according to the altitudes they attain, with

nine being the highest cloud. If someone is said  to be on cloud nine, that person is floating well above worldly  cares.

* Why In golf, where did the term ‘Caddie’ come  from?

BECAUSE  When Mary Queen of Scots went to France as a young girl, Louis, King of France, learned that she loved the Scots game ‘golf.’ He had the first course outside of Scotland built for her enjoyment.  To make sure she was properly chaperoned (and guarded) while she played, Louis hired cadets from a military school to accompany her.  Mary liked this a lot and when she returned to Scotland (not a very good idea in the long run), she took the practice with her.  In French, the word cadet is pronounced ‘ca-day’ and the Scots changed it into caddie.

~~~

Knowledge speaks, but wisdom listens.

Jimi Hendrix

~~~

A convicted felon was given ten years without parole for his latest crime. After two years in jail, he managed to escape. His escape was the lead item on the six o’clock news. Because he had to be careful, he worked his way home taking little traveled routes, running across deserted fields and taking every precaution he could think of. Eventually, he arrived at his house and he rang the door bell.

His wife opened the door and bellowed at him, “You good for nothing bum! Where have you been? You escaped over 12 hours ago!”

~~~

“Strive to be first: first to nod, first to smile, first to compliment, and first to forgive.”

Anonymous

~~~

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.”

~~~

In spite of the cost of living, it’s still popular.

~~~

After school one day, a young first-grade boy was sitting at the kitchen table, eating his afternoon snack, when he blurted out, “Mom, the teacher was asking me today if I have any brothers or sisters who will be coming to school.”

The boy’s mother replied, “That’s nice of her to take such an interest, dear. What did she say when you told her you are an only child?”

She just said, “Thank goodness!”

~~~

Happiness is contagious…when you reflect happiness, then all others around you catch the happy bug and are happy, too.

Jennifer Leese

~~~

Jill: I just don’t understand the attraction golf holds for men.

Mary: TELL me about it! I went golfing with my ex one time, and he told me I asked too many questions!

Jill: Well, I’m sure you were just trying to understand the game. What questions did you ask?

Mary: I thought I asked legitimate questions like, “Why did you hit the ball into that lake?”

~~~

Women only have two complaints: Nothing to wear, and not enough closet space for it.

~~~

I was helping a friend of mine with his roadside farm stand when a man stopped by and asked how much the eggs were. “Sixty cents for the small, seventy cents for the medium, ninety cents for the large and thirty cents for the cracked ones,” I answered.

“All right,” he said. “Crack me a dozen of the large ones.”

~~~

Ignorance more frequently begets confidence than does knowledge: it is those who know little, and not those who know much, who so positively assert that this or that problem will never be solved by science.

Charles Darwin

~~~

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.

 

Good bye old friends

“A negative focus can result in our entirely missing the possibilities placed in our path.” 

Anne Wilson Schaef

One of the challenges facing people my age is the almost daily loss of old friends and acquaintances. Yesterday as an example I learned that an old and dear friend had died, he was 95 and had lived a rich and fruitful life. While I morn his loss I will always appreciate all the fond memories he left with me.

In addition I learned that a former next door neighbor had passed as well. We shared common ground for many decades and I was sorry to learn of her passing.

I have found that the best antidote for grief is focusing on pleasant memories and maintaining a positive attitude.

How To Change Your Attitudes

Author: Catherine Pulsifer

Your outlook on life, basically your attitude can determine your happiness and success in life. Attitude is a mindset, how you view your world. Do you see the positive or do you focus on the negative? Our perception of the events in our life, and how we regard these events can be attributed to our attitude. How can you change your attitude? – Focus on the good; do not dwell on the negative. By doing this you start changing attitudes to a positive attitude rather than a negative attitude.

Change Yourself First

Can you change attitudes of other people?  Again, I would refer to the saying, “you can’t change other people, you can only change yourself”. You will end up becoming very frustrated if you try and change other people. Remember, you can only change yourself and how you deal with that individual.

True Reflection

The story below is a story of attitude. The individual in this story could have easily developed a “poor me” attitude, but instead he chose to focus on what he can do, his attitude reflects what a positive outlook on life can be like.

“Now I look beyond what I can’t do and focus on what I CAN.” Robert M. Hensel

Too often in life, we focus on the things we cannot do. Sometimes we cannot do things because of financial limitations, health limitations, family limitations, educational limitations, and so on. Sometimes, we end up limiting ourselves from achieving success in reaching our goals. We end up having a negative attitude which limits our ability to achieve success and happiness in our life.

 Through the Internet, I have recently met an individual whom I found to be very inspiring. He has a positive attitude, he focuses on what he can do. To name a few of his accomplishments:

– he has set a world record, and is in the Guinness Book of World Records

– he is an international poet with over 900 publications

– he is the founder of Beyond Limitations Week

– he is an Ambassador for the Harvey Ball World Smile Foundation.

– he has created his own website, http://wheelierecord.tripod.com/index.html and the list could go on!

Unstoppable Despite Adversity

The individual is Robert M. Hensel. You see, Robert was born spina bifida; a disability that affects your sense of balance and also has an impact on your kidneys. Robert could have easily used his disability to limit his achievements, yet he has accomplished more than many. His attitude and outlook on life is one that, for me, is inspiring! To quote Robert, “I have learned that limitations open doors that have been closed, showing other ways to meet our needs.”

~~~

“You cannot force change in others, you can only inspire change in others by being your awesomely self.”

Michael Hetherington

~~~

Jill was really peeved! She was arguing with the druggist because her favorite cure-all could not be bought without a prescription.

“Look, lady. You can’t have this without a prescription because it’s a habit-forming drug.”

“IT IS NOT!” yelled Jill. “I ought to know…I’ve been taking it regularly for seventeen years!”

~~~

People will believe you are confident in your successes if you keep the look of astonishment off your face.

~~~

“Dad, you gave me some terrible financial advice!”

“I did? What did I tell you?”

“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 oldest, largest and most stable banks in the state. There must be some mistake.”

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

~~~

Everything has its beauty, but not everyone sees it.

Confucius

~~~

England’s West Country is known for its charming cottage-like shops. While visiting the area, my friend peered in through one window to see shelf upon shelf of interesting looking books. So, she went inside.

A woman appeared through a beaded curtain and asked, “Can I help you?”

“No, just browsing,” said my friend.

“Fine,” came the reply. “But, just so you know, around here, most people knock before entering someone’s home.”

~~~

Enjoy the little things, for one day, you may look back and realize they were the big things.

Robert Brault

~~~

The psychiatrist was not expecting the distraught stranger who staggered into his office and slumped into a chair. “You’ve got to help me. I’m losing my memory, Doctor,” he sobbed. “I once had a successful business, a wife, home and family; I was a respected member of the community. But all that’s gone now. Since my memory began failing, I’ve lost the business – I couldn’t remember my clients’ names. My wife and children have left me, too; and why shouldn’t they – some nights I wouldn’t get home until four or five in the morning. I’d forget where I lived…And it’s getting worse. Doctor – it’s getting worse!”

“This is not an unusual form of neurosis,” the psychiatrist said soothingly. “Now tell me, just how long ago did you first become aware of this condition?”

“Condition?” The man sat up in his chair. “What condition?”

~~~

Slow down and enjoy life. It’s not only the scenery you miss by going too fast, you also miss the sense of where you are going and why.

Eddie Cantor

~~~

A minister was opening his mail one morning. Drawing a single sheet of paper from an envelope he found written on it only one word: “FOOL”.

The next Sunday he announced, “I have known many people who have written letters and forgot to sign their name.

“But this week I received a letter from someone who signed his name and had forgotten to write a letter.”

~~~

There are many ways to measure success; not the least of which is the way your child describes you when talking to a friend.

Unknown

~~~

While working as a pediatric nurse, I had the difficult assignment of giving immunization shots to children. One day, I entered the examining room to give four-year-old, Lizzie, her shot. “No! No! No!” she screamed.

“Lizzie,” her mother scolded. “That’s not polite behavior.”

At that, the girl yelled even louder, “No, thank you! No, thank you! No, thank you!”

~~~

“Any fact facing us is not as important as our attitude toward it, for that determines our success or failure.” 

Norman Vincent Peale

~~~

Stay well, do good work, and have fun.

Ray Mitchell

Indianapolis, Indiana

Management is not responsible for duplicates from previous dailies. The editor is somewhat senile.

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.

 

What is true?

Believe those who are seeking the truth. Doubt those who find it.

Andre Gide

Yesterday wore me out and I am slow starting today so it is another reprint day. See you tomorrow.

Ray’s Daily first published on January 25, 2010

I don’t know what it is but it seems like too many folks have lost their ability to restrain themselves and resort to vitriol and even hate to the point they become someone other than themselves. When people become so passionate in their arguments that they no longer care to hear alternate points of view they often ignore fact and truth and often come off as ignorant and unreasonable.

I wonder sometimes if there is too much information and that issues are so complex that they become too hard to deal with. When that happens it is easy to become vulnerable and mislead by what sounds right rather than what is right. I told someone the other day that we probably need better criteria for the selection of the people we trust to the point that we let them do our thinking for us. Sadly too many talking heads talk as if they have expertise but in truth only select information to communicate that agrees with their own point of view, which as often as not is slanted. I know that when we stridently defend questionable information we lose the respect of those around us.

So what do we do, do we give up and hide our head in the sand and just ignore the world around us or do we examine ourselves and establish some ground rules for dealing with the world. In my case I know I am often not smart enough to make definitive statements. If in fact something I don’t understand is important enough to consider I need to either decide to trust others smarter than me or investigate the subject so I am informed enough to make intelligent comment.

The key is to know ourselves, our limits and what is important. When we do we can make sure that what we do and how we spend our time is consistent with who we are and who we wish to be.

~~~

Men occasionally stumble over the truth, but most of them pick themselves up and hurry off as if nothing ever happened.

Sir Winston Churchill

~~~

You know IT’S YOUR LAST DAY AT WORK WHEN…

You hand a bank teller an envelope, and when she asks, “What’s this?” you realize you just dropped the company’s deposit in a mailbox.

A woman comes into the store, you turn to the other salesman and say, “I waited on the last fat ugly old lady. This one’s your turn”. Your boss is standing behind you. It’s his wife.

While your boss is at lunch, you sneak in and look at some confidential information on his computer. You spill coffee on the keyboard.  It shorts out.

You return from a week’s vacation to find that you had scheduled *this* week as vacation, not last week.

You take a “sick” day. The next morning the boss asks you, “So, how was the fishing on Rock Creek yesterday?”.

You wake up hung over. You have a black eye and barked knuckles. Your underwear is missing. You’re in jail. Last night was the company Christmas party.

~~~

When everything’s coming your way, you’re in the wrong lane.

~~~

He said I am glad to be a guy because:

Everything on your face gets to stay its original color.

Chocolate is just another snack.

You can be president. (In this lifetime.)

You can quietly enjoy a car ride from the passenger’s seat.

Flowers fix everything.

You never have to worry about other people’s feelings.

You can wear a white shirt to a water park.

Three pairs of shoes is more than enough.

~~~

I finally got my head together and my body fell apart.

~~~

A guy tells his doctor, “I am under a lot of stress. I keep losing my temper with people and insulting them. You gotta help me, doctor!”

The doctor says, “Tell me about your problem.”

The guy looks at him and yells, “I just did YOU STUPID S.O.B.!”

~~~

The most erroneous stories are those we think we know best and therefore, never scrutinize or question.

Stephen Jay Gould

~~~

“Can people predict the future with cards?” said one little boy to another.

“My mother can,” said the other boy.

“Really?”

“Yes, she takes one look at my report card and can tell me exactly what will happen when my Dad gets home.”

~~~

“Middle age is when you’ve met so many people that every new person you meet reminds you of someone else.”

Ogden Nash

~~~

A man was standing first in line for tickets from those who had canceled their reservations to a sold-out play. The manager said he had two together, and pointed to the two women behind the man. “You wouldn’t want to come between Mother and daughter, would you?”

The man turned around, and replied, “No. I did that once, and regretted it right up until the divorce.”

~~~

She said: Life is an endless struggle full of frustrations and challenges, but eventually you find a hair stylist you like.

~~~

“If I ever see a falling star, I’m going to use my wish to wish that it had never fallen in the first place. If I’m lucky, that will throw the entire universe into a logic loop and while everyone is busy attending to that, I’ll skip work the next day.”

Abhishek Gami

~~~

At one Army base, the annual trip to the rifle range had been canceled for the second year in a row, but the semi-annual physical fitness test was still on as planned. One soldier mused, “Does it bother anyone else that the Army doesn’t seem to care how well we can shoot, but they are extremely interested in how fast we can run?”

~~~

“When I was a boy of fourteen, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be twenty-one, I was astonished by how much he’d learned in seven years.”

Mark Twain

~~~

Mr. Smith patted his daughter’s hand fondly, and told her, “Your young man told me today he wanted you as a bride, and I gave my consent.”

Oh, Papa,” gushed the daughter, “it’s going to be so hard leaving mother.”

“I understand perfectly, my dear,” beamed Mr.  Smith. “You can just take her with you.”

~~~

Wealthy people miss one of life’s greatest thrills. Making the last car payment.

~~~

Dear Lord,

So far today, Lord, I’ve done alright. I haven’t gossiped, lost my temper, been greedy, grumpy, nasty, selfish or over-indulgent. I’m very thankful for that.

But in a few minutes, Lord, I’m going to get out of bed. And from then on, I’m probably going to need a lot more help.

Amen

~~~

Believe nothing just because a so-called wise person said it. Believe nothing just because a belief is generally held. Believe nothing just because it is said in ancient books. Believe nothing just because it is said to be of divine origin. Believe nothing just because someone else believes it. Believe only what you yourself test and judge to be true. [paraphrased]

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.

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.

 

Happy?

Happiness is never stopping to think if you are.

Palmer Sondreal

One of the things that make me happy is the people I know and like including most of you. If you are like I am you don’t have much use for unhappiness. Unfortunately many of us spend too much time letting things get us down, it really does not have to be that way.

Yesterday I was sent an article written by Sylvie Strong entitled Eight Keys to More Happiness in Your Life. It is too long to include in its entirety but I would like to share some of it that I especially like.

Keys to More Happiness in Your Life

Happiness Begins With Your Body

Focus on a healthy body first. Get plenty of sleep. 8 hours if you can spare it. If you cannot get 8 hours every night, go to town on a weekend night and go to bed without setting your alarm for the morning.

A healthy diet is critical too. Consult a nutritionist or educate yourself on healthy eating habits. Eat lots of fruits and vegetables.

Exercise. If you do not use your body, you will begin losing the use of your body as you get older. Nothing helps your mental and physical wellbeing better than regular exercise. Hit the gym or your local yoga class a few times a week. Even taking a walk a few times a week can help.

Take Stock Of The Good Things In Your Life

You are luckier than you think. It is helpful to periodically take stock of all of the positive things in your life. Your family and friends may rank high on that list. Your health may as well. By focusing on the gifts you have received you will have perspective on the lemons that life throws at you.

Everything is Gray

Our minds tend to want to think in black and white. But human motivations and behaviors are generally shaded in gray. Rather than attaching absolute qualities (good or bad) to people, recognize that human beings are very complicated.

Avoid Negativity

Negativity can ruin your life. It affects your mood and your health. It poisons your relationship with other people. Recognize negativity in yourself and let it simply float away. If you find yourself drowning in negative thoughts, sometimes it helps to stop what you are doing and do something completely different. Go for a nice brisk walk through the park or go have some ice cream! A positive outlook can improve your life. A negative one never does.

You Are A Social Animal. Act Like It!

Human beings are social creatures. Invest in your social network and make spending time with friends and family a priority. Become involved in social activities that bring you in contact with new potential friends. There is nothing more detrimental to your mental health than being alone.

~~~

Nobody really cares if you’re miserable, so you might as well be happy.

Cynthia Nelms

~~~

Father Murphy roared from the pulpit to his parishioners: “The drink has killed millions– it rots their stomachs and they die in agony. Smoking has killed millions–it coats your lungs and you die in agony. Overeating and consorting with loose women have also killed millions.”

“Scuse me, Father,” hollered O’Reilly from the back, “but what is it that kills the people who live right?”

~~~

Truth has no special time of its own. Its hour is now – always.

Albert Schweitzer

~~~

Jewish Weddings

What are the main differences between orthodox, conservative and reform???

At an orthodox wedding, the mother of the bride is likely to be pregnant.

At a conservative wedding, the bride is likely to be pregnant.

At a reform wedding, the Rabbi is likely to be pregnant.

And at a Reconstructionist wedding, the groom is likely to be pregnant.

~~~

I know you can be overwhelmed, and I know you can be underwhelmed, but can you just be whelmed?

~~~

A fourth grade teacher was giving her pupils a lesson in logic.

“Here is the situation,” she said. “A man is standing up in a boat in the middle of a river, fishing. He loses his balance, falls in, and begins splashing and yelling for help. His wife hears the commotion, knows he can’t swim, and runs down to the bank. Why do you think she ran to the bank?”

Little Mary raised her hand and asked, “To draw out all his savings?”

~~~

The pilot announced that “the weather at our destination is 50 degrees with some broken clouds, but they’ll try to have them fixed before we arrive”.

~~~

Jane had a system for labeling homemade freezer meals. She would carefully note in large clear letters, “Meatloaf” or “Pot Roast” or “Steak and Vegetables” or “Chicken and Dumplings” or “Beef Pot Pie.”

Everyday when she asked her husband what he wanted for dinner, he never asked for any of those meals. She decided to stock the freezer with his various requests. What he really likes.

In Jane’s freezer now you’ll see a whole new set of labels. You’ll find dinners with neat little tags that say: “Whatever,” “Anything,” “I Don’t Know,” “I Don’t Care,” “Something Good,” or “Food.”

No more frustration for Jane because no matter what her husband replies when she asks him what he wants for dinner, it’s there waiting.

~~~

“Between the optimist and the pessimist, the difference is droll.

The optimist sees the doughnut; the pessimist the hole!”

Oscar Wilde

~~~

A couple was celebrating their golden wedding anniversary on the beach in Montego Bay, Jamaica. Their domestic tranquility had long been the talk of the town.

“What a peaceful & loving couple.” everyone would say.

The local newspaper reporter was inquiring as to the secret of their long and happy marriage.

“Well, it actually dates back to our honeymoon in America,” explained the man. “We visited the Grand Canyon in Arizona and took a trip down to the bottom of the canyon by horse. We hadn’t gone too far when my wife’s horse stumbled and she almost fell off. My wife looked down at the horse and quietly said, ‘That’s once.’

“We proceeded a little further and the horse stumbled again, this time causing her to drop her water. Once more my wife quietly said, ‘That’s twice.’

We hadn’t gone a half-mile when the horse stumbled for a third time. My wife quietly removed a revolver from her purse and shot the horse dead. I shouted at her, ‘What’s wrong with you, Woman! Why did you shoot the poor animal like that? Are you crazy??’ ”

She looked at me, and quietly said, ‘That’s once.’

“And from that moment… we have lived happily ever after.”

~~~

“My wife and I were happy for twenty years. Then we met.”

Rodney Dangerfield

~~~

Wife says to her husband, “What did the doctor say!”

“He said I should slow down.”

And her comeback is, “How does a man who has been rear-ended by a recliner slow down?”

~~~

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

James Openheim

~~~

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.

 

Let’s Go

“When you arise in the morning, think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive – to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love.”

Marcus Aurelius

I really appreciate the articles folks send me, especially those that contain advice that helps me enhance my activities. It is even better when they contain things I can share with you. The most recent example is piece authored by Henrik Edberg and posted on the Positivity Blog entitled 10 Simple Ways to Start Your 2017 off on the Right Foot. It is too long for the Daily but I have included excerpts below that I found helpful to me.

Keep things simple.

This year, keep things simple. And get back to the basics that you may already know work well for you but have for some reason fallen by the wayside during last year.

Stop trying to come up with the perfect plan before you get started. Instead, come up with a good plan and then take action on it. You can always readjust along the way towards your goal. And it’s a whole better with a good plan that you actually take action on than a perfect one that you just keep polishing for weeks, months or years.

Focus on what matters the most – the tasks and steps forward – first thing in your day and if possible first thing in your week (when you are likely most rested and clearheaded).

Do just one thing at a time to do the best and most focused job you can. No matter if it’s at work, in school or in your personal life. Trying to do several things at once usually just leads to mediocre results or half-finished jobs.

Accept what is.

If you’re, for instance, honestly not in the physical shape you were a couple of years ago then accept that this is what is now. Don’t deflect or try to push it away. Then it only persists, it takes up much of your attention and time and it can cause anxiety, worry or other negative emotions or behavior.

And this isn’t just about your fitness level but can be applied to any negative situation in one of your relationships, at work or in school or with money or your home.

If you’re in a negative situation then accept it first. That will give you clarity and you’ll be able to direct all your mental energy towards making a change about what is in your life.

~~~

Live life to the fullest, and focus on the positive.

Matt Cameron

~~~

We took the family to one of those restaurants where the walls are plastered with movie memorabilia.  I went off to see the hostess about reserving a table. When I returned, I found my 11-year-old daughter staring at a poster of Superman standing in a phone booth.  She looked puzzled.

“She doesn’t know who Superman is?” I whispered to my husband.

“Worse,” he replied.  “She doesn’t know what a phone booth is.”

~~~

“Don’t criticize your wife.

If she were perfect, she would have married much better than you.”

~~~

A JEWISH MOTHER

Hi Mom. Can I leave the kids with you tonight?

You’re going out?

Yes.

With whom?

With a friend.

I don’t know why you left your husband. He is such a good man.

I didn’t leave him. He left me!

You let him leave you, and now you go out with anybody and nobody.

I do not go out with anybody. Can I bring over the kids?

I never left you to go out with anybody except your father.

There are lots of things that you did and I don’t.

What are you hinting at?

Nothing. I just want to know if I can bring the kids over tonight.

You’re going to stay the night with him? What will your husband say if he finds out?

My EX husband. I don’t think he would be bothered. From the day he left me, he probably never slept alone!

So you’re going to sleep over at this loser’s place?

He’s not a loser.

A man who goes out with a divorced woman with children is a loser and a parasite.

I don’t want to argue. Should I bring over the kids or not?

Poor children with such a mother.

Such as what?

With no stability. No wonder your husband left you.

ENOUGH !!

Don’t scream at me. You probably scream at this loser too!

Now you’re worried about the loser?

Ah, so you see he’s a loser. I spotted him immediately.

Goodbye, mother.

Wait! Don’t hang up! When are you bringing them over?

I’m not bringing them over! I’m not going out!

If you never go out, how do you expect to meet anyone?

~~~

“The absence of alternatives clears the mind marvelously.”

Henry Kissinger

~~~

Husband: Why do you weep and snuffle over a TV program and the imaginary woes of people you have never met?

Wife: For the same reason you scream and yell when a man you don’t know makes a touchdown.

~~~

“Nobody really cares if you’re miserable, so you might as well be happy.”

Cynthia Nelms

~~~

Adam was hanging around the garden of Eden feeling very lonely.

So, God asked him, “What’s wrong with you?”

Adam said he didn’t have anyone to talk to.

God said that He was going to make Adam a companion and that it would be a woman. He said, “This pretty lady will gather food for you, she will cook for you, and when you discover clothing, she will wash it for you. She will always agree with every decision you make and she will not nag you, and will always be the first to admit she was wrong when you’ve had a disagreement. She will praise you! She will bear your children and never ask you to get up in the middle of the night to take care of them. “She will NEVER have a headache and will freely give you love and passion whenever you need it.”

Adam asked God, “What will a woman like this cost?”

God replied, “An arm and a leg.”

Then Adam asked, “What can I get for a rib?”

Of course the rest is history………………….

~~~

Believe that life is worth living and your belief will help create the fact.

William James

~~~

Stay well, do good work, and have fun.

Ray Mitchell

Indianapolis, Indiana

Management is not responsible for duplicates from previous dailies. The editor is somewhat senile.

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.

 

Why Worry

Worry never robs tomorrow of its sorrow, it only saps today of its joy.

Leo Buscaglia

Lately technology has complicated my life. The screen on one of my Amazon Tablets cracked when I dropped it so I bought a new replacement. My Outlook mail reader would not function due to a corrupted file so I bought an upgrade and worked for hours getting it operational with an assist from Microsoft. And today the device I use to transmit readings from my Pacemaker to my Docs is failing so I soon will be calling their tech support.

All I can say is that I am glad I gave up worrying and fretting so I can enjoy my life. Here is some advice I copied a long time ago that is worth remembering.

YESTERDAY, TODAY, TOMORROW

 There are two days in every week about which we should not worry.

Two days which should be kept free from fear and apprehension.

 

One of these days is yesterday with its mistakes and cares,

Its faults and blunders, Its aches and pains.

Yesterday has passed forever beyond our control.

All the money in the world cannot bring back yesterday.

We cannot undo a single act we performed.

We cannot erase a single word we said. Yesterday is gone.

 

The other day we should not worry about is tomorrow.

With its possible adversities, Its burdens,

Its large promise and poor performance.

Tomorrow is also beyond our immediate control.

Tomorrow’s Sun will rise, either in splendor or behind a mask of clouds,

but it will rise.

Until it does, we have no stake in tomorrow, for it is yet unborn.

This just leaves only one day . . . Today.

Any person can fight the battles of just one day.

It is only when you and I add the burdens of those two awful eternity’s –

yesterday and tomorrow that we break down.

It is not the experience of today that drives people mad.

It is the remorse or bitterness for something which happened yesterday

and the dread of what tomorrow may bring.

 

Let us therefore live but one day at a time.

 

Author Unknown

~~~

“Whatever is going to happen will happen, whether we worry or not.”

Ana Monnar

~~~

MEMO TO ALL EMS PERSONNEL

To: All EMS Personnel

From: Chief of Operations

Subject: Proper Narrative Descriptions

It has come to our attention from several emergency rooms that many EMS narratives have taken a decidedly creative direction lately. Effective immediately, all members are to refrain from using slang and abbreviations to describe patients, such as the following.

1) Cardiac patients should not be referred to as suffering from MUH (messed up heart), PBS (pretty bad shape), PCL (pre-code looking) or HIBGIA (had it before, got it again).

2) Stroke patients are NOT “Charlie Carrots.” Nor are rescuers to use CCFCCP(Coo Coo for Cocoa Puffs) to describe their mental state.

3) Trauma patients are not CATS (cut all to sh*t), FDGB (fall down, go boom), TBC (total body crunch) or “hamburger helper.” Similarly, descriptions of a car crash do not have to include phrases like “negative vehicle to vehicle interface” or “terminal deceleration syndrome.”

4) HAZMAT teams are highly trained professionals, not “glow worms.”

5) Persons with altered mental states as a result of drug use are not considered “pharmaceutically gifted.”

6) Gunshot wounds to the head are not “trans-occipital implants.”

7) The homeless are not “urban outdoorsmen,” nor is endotracheal intubation referred to as a “PVC Challenge.”

8) And finally, do not refer to recently deceased persons as being “paws up,” ART (assuming room temperature), CC (Cancel Christmas), CTD (circling the drain), DRT (dead right there) or NLPR (no long playing records).

I know you will all join me in respecting the cultural diversity of our patients to include their medical orientations in creating proper narratives and log entries.

~~~

Assumption is the mother of all screw-ups.

~~~

This is the transcript of the ACTUAL radio conversation of a US naval ship with Canadian authorities off the coast of Newfoundland in October 1995. Radio conversation released by the Chief of Naval Operations 10-10-95.

Canadians: Please divert your course 15 degrees the South to avoid a collision.

Americans: Recommend you divert your course 15 degrees the North to avoid a collision.

Canadians: Negative. You will have to divert your course 15 degrees to the South to avoid a collision.

Americans: This is the Captain of a US Navy ship. I say again, divert YOUR course.

Canadians: No. I say again, you divert YOUR course.

Americans: THIS IS THE AIRCRAFT CARRIER USS LINCOLN, THE SECOND LARGEST SHIP IN THE UNITED STATES’ ATLANTIC FLEET. WE ARE ACCOMPANIED BY THREE DESTROYERS, THREE CRUISERS AND NUMEROUS SUPPORT VESSELS. I DEMAND THAT YOU CHANGE YOUR COURSE 15 DEGREES NORTH, I SAY AGAIN, THAT’S ONE FIVE DEGREES NORTH, OR COUNTER-MEASURES WILL BE UNDERTAKEN TO ENSURE THE SAFETY OF THIS SHIP.

Canadians: This is a lighthouse. Your call!

~~~

“Beauty is silent eloquence.”

French Proverb

~~~

My first grade daughter and her friend both needed new boots as winter approached. The friend got in the car one morning and finally had gotten her boots.

“Tina,” I commented, “I see you got new boots! Where did you get them?”

“At the store,” she answered.

“Which one?” I asked.

She began looking at her new boots and after a pause said, “Both of them!”

~~~

True terror is to wake up one morning and discover that your high school class is running the country.

Kurt Vonnegut

~~~

My sister brought her daughter a really nice Spinet Piano for her birthday.

A few weeks later, I asked my sister how her daughter was doing.

“Oh,” she said, “I persuaded her to switch to a clarinet.”

“How come?” I asked.

“Well,” my sister answered, “because with a clarinet, she can’t sing….”

~~~

“If you ask what is the single most important key to longevity, I would have to say it is avoiding worry, stress and tension. And if you didn’t ask me, I’d still have to say it.”

George F. Burns

~~~

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.

 

Appreciate what you have

If you don’t think every day is a good day, just try missing one.

Cavett Robert

I think it was actress Betty Davis who said something like getting old is not for sissies. I understand what she meant. It becomes harder to get from here to there, driving is more of a challenge then it once was and many skills are not as sharp as they were in the past. Some of my friends bemoan the fact that they are no longer as robust as they once were instead of appreciating their long life.

I know in my case I have not found it easy to withdraw from some of my past activities but I am grateful that I can still choose to do what I can do. It is always worthwhile no matter your age to take stock of what you do have without regretting too much what you don’t have. If you need a boost just read this piece written by Marc Chernoff and focus on your good fortune.

19 Signs you’re doing better than You Think

Even in uncertain times, it’s always important to keep things in perspective.

1.You are alive.

2.You are able to see the sunrise and the sunset.

3.You are able to hear birds sing and waves crash.

4.You can walk outside and feel the breeze through your hair and the sun’s warmth on your skin.

5.You have tasted the sweetness of chocolate cake.

6.You didn’t go to sleep hungry last night.

7.You awoke this morning with a roof over your head.

8.You had a choice of what clothes to wear.

9.You haven’t feared for your life today.

10.You have overcome some considerable obstacles, and you have learned and survived.

11.You often worry about what you’re going to do with your life – your career, your family, the next step, etc. – which means you have ambition, passion, drive, and the freedom to make your own decisions.

12.You live in a country that protects your basic human rights and civil liberties.

13.You are reasonably strong and healthy – if you got sick today, you could recover.

14.You have a friend or relative who misses you and looks forward to your next visit.

15.You have someone with whom to reminisce about ‘the good old days.’

16.You have access to clean drinking water.

17.You have access to medical care.

18.You have access to the Internet.

19.You can read.

The truth is, you’re doing better than a lot of people in this world.  So remember to be grateful for all the things you do have.

~~~

I may not overcome the inevitable, but O, it is mine to see that the inevitable does not overcome me.

Muriel Strode Lieberman

~~~

Morris, an 82-year-old man, went to the doctor to get a physical. A few days later the doctor saw Morris walking down the street with a gorgeous young lady on his arm.

A couple of days later, the doctor spoke to Morris and said, “You’re really doing great, aren’t you?”

Morris replied, “Just doing what you said, Doctor, ‘Get a hot mamma and be cheerful.'”

The doctor said, “I didn’t say that. I said you got a heart mummer and be careful.”

~~~

Better to be occasionally cheated than perpetually suspicious.

~~~

An 80-year-old man went to the doctor for a checkup and the doctor was amazed at what good shape the guy was in. The doctor asked, “To what do you attribute your good health?”

The old-timer said, “I’m a golfer and that’s why I’m in such good shape. I’m up well before daylight and out golfing up and down the fairways.”

The doctor said, “Well, I’m sure that helps, but there’s got to be more to it. How old was your dad when he died?”

The old-timer said, “Who said my dad’s dead?”

The doctor said, “You mean you’re 80 years old and your dad’s still alive? How old is he?”

The old timer said, “He’s 100 years old and, in fact, he golfed with me this morning, and that’s why he’s still alive … he’s a golfer.”

The doctor said, “Well, that’s great, but I’m sure there’s more to it. How about your dad’s dad? How old was he when he died?”

The old timer said, “Who said my grandpa’s dead?”

The doctor said, “You mean you’re 80 years old and your grandfather’s still living! How old is he?”

The old timer said, “He’s 118 years old.”

The doctor was getting frustrated at this point and said, “I guess he went golfing with you this morning too?”

The old-timer said, “No…Grandpa couldn’t go this morning because he got married.”

The Doctor said in amazement, “Got married!! Why would a 118-year-old guy want to get married?”

The old-timer said, “Who said he wanted to?”

~~~

When you open a bag of cotton balls, is the top one meant to be thrown away?

~~~

When I went to lunch today, I noticed an old man sitting on a park bench sobbing his eyes out. I stopped and asked him what was wrong. He said, “I have a 22 year old wife at home. She makes love to me every morning and then gets up and makes me pancakes, sausage, fresh fruit and freshly ground coffee.”

I said, “Well, then why are you crying?”

He said, “She makes me homemade soup for lunch and my favorite brownies and then makes love to me for half the afternoon.”

I said, “Well, why are you crying?”

He said, “For dinner she makes me a gourmet meal with wine and my favorite dessert and then makes love to me until 2:00 a.m.”

I said, “Well, why in the world would you be crying?”

He said, “I can’t remember where I live!”

~~~

Don’t take life too seriously, you won’t get out alive.

~~~

Two elderly gentlemen are playing cards on Saturday evening just as they have done for the past 50 years.

Gus, the elder, had been having problems remembering what cards were what, and usually needed help from his wife. At the end of the card game Red said to Gus, “You did very good tonight. You didn’t need any help at all. Why is that?”

Gus replied, “Why, ever since my wife sent me to that memory school, I haven’t had any problems at all.”

“Memory school? What memory school?”

Gus thought for a moment, “Oh, what’s that flower that’s red with thorns? A really pretty flower”

“A rose?” asked Red.

“Yeah, that’s it!” Gus turned to his wife and mumbled, “Hey, Rose! What’s the name of that memory school you sent me to?”

~~~

He who laughs last thinks slowest

~~~

An elderly couple was watching television one evening. The wife said, “I am going to get a dish of ice cream now.” Kindly, the husband offered to get the ice cream for his wife. “I’ll write it down so you don’t forget,” she said.

“I won’t forget,” the old gent said. “But, I want chocolate syrup and nuts on it. So, I’ll write it down,” she replied.

“I will get you the ice cream. Don’t you worry,” replied the gentleman.

A few minutes later, the old man returned with bacon and eggs. His wife said, “See, I should have written it down because you forgot the toast.”

~~~

True wealth is the ability to fully experience life.

Henry David Thoreau

~~~

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.

Back to the simple life

“The ability to simplify means to eliminate the unnecessary so that the necessary may speak.”

Hans Hofmann

Hi everyone, yes Ray’s Daily is back. I had spent the last four days trying to recover from a corrupted data file that locked out my mail software including the Daily’s distribution lists. Yesterday I purchased the latest Microsoft Outlook and then spent about seven hours interacting with a Philippine Microsoft Technician as she worked out a solution to the data corruption. I am glad that’s over so we can get back to normal.

In my case it is getting back to my new normal which is my much simpler life style, I am still somewhat uncomfortable not doing what I use to do but I am adjusting. There is a lot to be said for a simpler life. Recently Angel Chernoff sent out a piece that listed how her and her husband Marc have learned how to sustain a manageable life, here is what she wrote.

Some lessons I’ve learned about living a simpler life:

1. A simpler life is about subtracting the obvious and adding the meaningful. Thus, you are wealthy in proportion to the number of unnecessary things you can afford to live without.
2. You can’t live a simpler life if you’re unwilling to change and let go of what you’re used to.
3. Letting go of old routines and habits and building new ones can be hard, but it’s easier if you do a 30-day challenge. Let go of something for 30 days and see how it affects your life. (Letting go of cable TV was one of the best decisions Marc and I made this past year – no more continuous, random, distracting noise in our home.)
4. When we travel lightly, we’re freer, less burdened, and less stressed. This applies to traveling through life too, not just traveling through an airport.
5. Decluttering your physical space can lead to a less cluttered mental space. These visual distractions pull on us and distract us in more ways than we often realize.
6. Overthinking is one of the most rampant sources of stress and mental clutter. The key is to realize that the problem is not the problem. The problem is the incredible amount of overthinking you’re doing with the problem. Let it go and be free.
7. Positivity always pays off in simplifying outcomes. So before you waste it on anger, resentment, spite or envy, think of how precious and irreplaceable your time is.
8. The simplest secret to happiness and peace in the present is letting every circumstance be what it is, instead of what you think it should be, and making the best of it.
9. Gratitude always makes life easier to deal with. Because happiness comes easier when you stop complaining about your problems and you start being grateful for all the problems you don’t have.
10. The feeling you get from doing something important (and true) is far better and less stressful than the feeling you get from sitting around wishing you were doing it.

~~~

“When you are content to be simply yourself and don’t compare or compete, everybody will respect you.”

Lao Tzu

~~~

A man asks his guru, “Do you have anything that stops the aging process?”

The guru responds, “Sure. What kind of disease would you like?”

~~~

A husband and wife were involved in a petty argument, both of them unwilling to admit they might be in error.

“I’ll admit I’m wrong,” the wife told her husband in a conciliatory attempt, “if you’ll admit I’m right.”

He agreed and, like a gentleman, insisted she go first.

“I’m wrong,” she said.

With a twinkle in his eye, he responded, “You’re right!”

~~~

I know that there are people in this world who do not love their fellow man, and I hate people like that.

~~~

She said: While trying to explain to our five-year-old daughter how much technology had changed, my husband pointed to our brand-new personal computer and told her that when he was in college, a computer with the same amount of power would have been the size of a house.

Wide-eyed, our daughter asked, “How big was the mouse?”

~~~

A positive attitude will not solve all your problems, but it will annoy enough people to make it worth the effort.

Herm Albright

~~~

Anne meets up with Dana as she is picking her car up from the mechanic.

Anne asks, “Everything ok with your car now?”

Dana replies, “Yes, thank goodness.  I was worried that my mechanic might try to rip me off, so I was relieved when he told me all I needed was $12 worth of blinker fluid.”

~~~

“I still believe that love is all you need.

I don’t know a better message than that.”

Paul McCartney

~~~

The Italian composer, Rossini, went to see his doctor. After examining him, the doctor said, “Your trouble stems from wine, women and song.”

Rossini suggested, “Well, I can get along without the songs, since I compose my own.”

The doctor said, “Well, which of the other two are you prepared to give up?” Rossini relied, “That depends entirely on the vintage.”

~~~

“Never explain–your friends do not need it and your enemies will not believe you anyway.”

Elbert Hubbard

~~~

A man was waiting at the train station.  The train was due at 5:23 PM. Finally, it rolled into the station at 6:07 PM.

“You’re LATE,” the man said to the conductor.  “What’s the use of having a schedule if you’re going to be late anyway?”

The Conductor looked at him, and said, “Sir, if we didn’t have a schedule, how on earth would you realize what time you were supposed to be at the station?  And how would you know that we were late?”

~~~

“The generation of random numbers is too important to be left to chance.”

Robert R. Coveyou

~~~

A famed English explorer was invited to Dartmouth to tell of his adventures in the African jungle.

“Can you imagine,” he demanded, “people so primitive that they love to eat the embryo of certain birds, and slices from the belly of certain animals? And grind up grass seed, make it into a paste, burn it over a fire, then smear it with a greasy mess they extract from the mammary fluid of certain other animals?”

When the students looked startled by such barbarism, the explorer added softly, “What I’ve been describing, of course, is a breakfast of bacon and eggs and buttered toast.”

~~~

“I like long walks, especially when they are taken by people who annoy me.”

Noel Coward

~~~

Billy Bob and Lester were talking one afternoon when Billy Bob told Lester, “Ya know, I reckon I’m about ready for a vacation. Only this year I’m gonna do it a little different. The last two years I took your suggestions as to where to go. Three years ago you said to go to Hawaii. I went to Hawaii and Marie got pregnant. Then two years ago you told me to go to the Bahamas, and Marie got pregnant again. Last year you suggested Tahiti and darned if Marie didn’t get pregnant again.

Lester asks Billy Bob, “So what you gonna do this year that’s different?”

Billy Bob says, “This year, I’m takin’ Marie with me.”

~~~

“A simple life is not seeing how little we can get by with—that’s poverty—but how efficiently we can put first things first. . . . When you’re clear about your purpose and your priorities, you can painlessly discard whatever does not support these, whether it’s clutter in your cabinets or commitments on your calendar.”

Victoria Moran

~~~

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.