Ray's Daily

I am not as old as I am

Ray’s Daily

January 31, 2019

https://rays-daily.com/

Cherish all your happy moments; they make a fine cushion for old age.

Booth Tarkington

Today I am a year older, older than I ever thought I would be. And you know what? It is just as rewarding a time as it has ever been. I think it is as much due to the fact I have forgiven myself for my past mistakes and allowed bad memories to fade.

There is too much left to do to allow the past to hold me back. I have found that the fading memory that comes from old age can be a blessing, especially since it leaves room for today’s delights.

Yesterday’s Door

 I have shut the door on yesterday,

Its sorrows and mistakes.

I have locked within its gloomy walls

Past failures and mistakes.

And now I throw the key away,

And seek another room.

And furnish it with hope and smiles,

And every spring-time bloom.

No thought shall enter this abode

That has a taint of pain.

And envy, malice, and distrust

Shall never entrance gain.

I have shut the door on yesterday

And thrown the key away.

Tomorrow holds no fear for me,

Since I have found today.

Author Unknown

~~~

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

Thomas Bailey Aldrich

~~~

A little boy was overheard praying: “Lord, if You can’t make me a better boy, don’t worry about it. I’m having a real good time like I am!”

~~~

WORDS OF WISDOM

Always give 100% at work…….

12% on Monday

23% on Tuesday

40% on Wednesday

20% on Thursday

5% on  Fridays

And remember …….

When you’re having a really bad day and it seems like people are trying to tick you off, remember it takes 42 muscles to frown and only 4 to pull the trigger.

~~~

I asked Mom if I was a gifted child… she said they certainly wouldn’t have paid for me.
~~~

AT THE CASH REGISTER

“Cash, check or charge?” I asked, after folding items the woman wished to purchase. As she fumbled for her wallet I noticed a remote control for a television set in her purse.

“Do you always carry your TV remote?” I asked.

“No,” she replied. “But my husband refused to come shopping with me, so I figured this was the most evil thing I could do to him.”

~~~

Just when I was getting used to yesterday, along came today.

~~~

A LETTER FROM GRANDMA

Got a letter from Grandma the other day. She wrote…

The other day I went up to a local Christian bookstore and saw a “Honk if you love Jesus” bumper sticker. I was feeling particularly sassy that day because I had just come from a thrilling choir performance, followed by a thunderous prayer meeting, so I bought the sticker and put it on my bumper. Boy, I’m glad I did! What an uplifting experience that followed!

I was stopped at a red light at a busy intersection, just lost in thought about the Lord and how good He is…and I didn’t notice that the light had changed. It’s a good thing someone else loves Jesus because if he hadn’t honked, I’d never have noticed!

I found that LOTS of people love Jesus! Why, while I was sitting there, the guy behind started honking like crazy, and then he leaned out of his window and screamed, “For the love of GOD! GO! GO! Jesus Christ, GO!” What an exuberant cheerleader he was for Jesus!

Everyone started honking! I just leaned out of my window and started waving and smiling at all those loving people. I even honked my horn a few times to share in the love!

There must have been a man from Florida back there because I heard him yelling something about a “sunny beach”…I saw another guy waving in a funny way with only his middle finger stuck up in the air. Then I asked my teenage grandson in the back seat what that meant and he said that it was probably a Hawaiian good luck sign or something. Well, I’ve never met anyone from Hawaii, so I leaned out the window and gave him the good luck sign back. My grandson burst out laughing…why, even he was enjoying this religious experience!

A couple of the people were so caught up in the joy of the moment that they got out of their cars and started walking towards me. I bet they wanted to pray or ask what church I attended, but this is when I noticed the light had changed. So, I waved to all my sisters and brothers, grinning, and drove on through the intersection.

I noticed I was the only car that got through the intersection before the light changed again and I felt kind of sad that I had to leave them after all the love we had shared, so I slowed the car down, leaned out of the window and gave them all the Hawaiian good luck sign one last time as I drove away.

Praise the Lord for such wonderful folks!

Love, Grandma

~~~

Old age, believe me, is a good and pleasant thing. It is true you are gently shouldered off the stage, but then you are given such a comfortable front stall as spectator.

Confucius

~~~

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 http://rays-daily,com/ currently there are more than 2000 readers from around the world.

Thanks for caring

Ray’s Daily

January 30, 2019

https://rays-daily.com/

Friendly people are caring people, eager to provide encouragement and support when needed most.

Rosabeth Moss Kanter

I hope you feel as good about yourself as you should. Over the last few years I have learned to value folks on what they do everyday more than the accolades they have accumulated. I have come to appreciate those who are basically good and who care about the wellbeing of others.

In one word what makes them special is they care. My appreciation of them has allowed me to become friends with people I might have missed otherwise. I have had the good fortune to know and work with some famous and near-famous people but there are none that I respect more than those unknowns who work everyday to make things better.

The Road to Significance and Success

The most traditional way to measure the quality of one’s life is to evaluate success by listing accolades, achievements, and acquisitions. After all, in its simplest terms, success is getting what we want and most people want wealth and status.

Yet, as much pleasure as these attributes can bring, the rich, powerful, and famous usually discover that true happiness will elude them if they do not have peace of mind, self-respect and enduring loving relationships.

Peace of mind doesn’t preclude ambition or desire for material possessions or high position, but it assumes a fundamental foundation of contentment, gratitude and pride – a belief that whatever one has is enough and an attitude of active appreciation for the good things in one’s life.

Feeling successful can generate satisfying emotions of self-worth, but feeling significant – that one’s life really matters – is much more potent. Peter Drucker, the great management guru, captured this idea when he wrote of the urge many high achievers have to  . . . ‘move beyond success to significance.’

The surprise for many is that one of the surest roads to significance is service. It doesn’t have to be of the Mother Teresa missionary variety. Parents who sacrifice their own comfort and pleasure for their children are performing service, as are teachers, public-safety professionals, members of the military, and volunteers who work for the common good.

In addressing graduates, Albert Schweitzer said . . . ‘I don’t know what your destiny will be, but one thing I do know: The only ones among you who will be really happy are those who have sought and found how to serve.’

Written by Michael Josephson

~~~

A smile is the light in your window that tells others that there is a caring, sharing person inside.

Denis Waitley

~~~

“Top Ten Reasons To Ask Your Boss For A Raise”
10. You take your paycheck to the bank, and the teller bursts out in hysterical laughter.
9. The Red Cross calls and offers you emergency assistance.
8. Your only charge cards are for the Salvation Army, ARC, and DAV thrift stores.
7. You work full time and you still qualify for food stamps.
6. You empty out your piggy bank and then cook the bank and serve it for your Easter ham.
5. All you can think about morning, noon and night is clipping grocery coupons.
4. You file your income taxes and the IRS returns them stamped, “Charity Case — Return To Sender.”
3. You set the world record for mailing $1.00 rebate requests to Young America, Minnesota.
2. You pay all your bills, put your remaining $1 bill into your billfold and it goes into shock.
1. You get arrested for taking the coins out of the fountain in the mall.

~~~

There’s one way to find out if a man is honest: Ask him. If he says yes, you know he is crooked.

Mark Twain

~~~

The man looked a little worried when the doctor came in to administer his annual physical, so the first thing the doctor did was to ask whether anything was troubling him.

“Well, to tell the truth, Doc, yes,” answered the patient. “You see, I seem to be getting forgetful. No, it’s actually worse than that. I’m never sure I can remember where I put the car, or whether I answered a letter, or where I’m going, or what it is I’m going to do once I get there — if I get there. So, I really need your help. What can I do?”

The doctor mused for a moment, then answered in his kindest tones, “Pay me in advance.”

~~~

Drive carefully. It’s not only cars that can be recalled by their maker.

~~~

A mother was telling her little girl what her own childhood was like: “We used to skate outside on a pond. I had a swing made from a tire; it hung from a tree in our front yard. We rode our pony. We picked wild raspberries in the woods.”

The little girl was wide-eyed, taking this in. At last she said, “I sure wish I’d gotten to know you sooner!”

~~~

A little girl was diligently pounding away on her father’s word processor. She told him she was writing a story. “What’s it about?” he asked. “I don’t know,” she replied. “I can’t read.”

~~~

A young man hired by a supermarket reported for his first day of work. The manager greeted him with a warm handshake and a smile, gave him a broom and said, “Your first job will be to sweep out the store.”

“But I’m a college graduate,” the young man replied indignantly. Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t know that,” said the manager. “Here, give me the broom – I’ll show you how.”

~~~

“Show me a man who is a good loser and I’ll show you a man who is playing golf with his boss.”

Jim Murray.

~~~

Having been married ten years and still living in an apartment, the wife would often complain about anything, as she was tired of saving every penny to buy a “dream home”.  Trying to placate her, the husband found a new apartment, within their budget.

However, after the first week, she began complaining again.  “Joel,” she said, “I don’t like this place at all.  There are no curtains in the bathroom.  The neighbors can see me every time I take a bath.”

“Don’t worry.” replied her husband.  “If the neighbors do see you, they’ll buy curtains.”

~~~

I choose to be caring, compassionate and kind toward all people, and I also choose to be indifferent to gossip, petty complaints, and idle chatter. About those, I just don’t care.

Jonathan Lockwood Huie

~~~

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 http://rays-daily,com/ currently there are more than 2000 readers from around the world.

Brrrr!

Ray’s Daily

January 29, 2019

https://rays-daily.com/

The biggest emotion in creation is the bridge to optimism.

Brian May

My brother is arriving today and he will be greeted by an arctic cold snap that is expected to last until he returns to his boat in sunny San Diego. His annual visit to Indianapolis for my birthday is quite a change from his summers in France and winters in California.

This frigid weather requires us to stay positive while doing our best to stay warm if we are not to let it get us down. One of the secrets is to stay with folks who don’t let the weather get to them, people like the fellow who wrote the following.

The Optimist Creed

Promise yourself . . .

To be so strong that nothing can disturb your peace of mind.

To talk health, happiness and prosperity to every person you meet.

To make all your friends feel that there is something in them.

To look at the sunny side of everything and make your optimism come true.

To think only of the best, to work only for the best and to expect only the best.

To be just as enthusiastic about the success of others as you are about your own.

To forget the mistakes of the past and press on to the greater achievements of the future.

To wear a cheerful countenance at all times and give every living creature you meet a smile.

To give so much time to the improvement of yourself that you have no time to criticize others.

To be too large for worry, too noble for anger, too strong for fear, and too happy to permit the presence of trouble.

Written by Christian D. Larson in 1912

~~~

Human spirit is the ability to face the uncertainty of the future with curiosity and optimism. It is the belief that problems can be solved, differences resolved. It is a type of confidence. And it is fragile. It can be blackened by fear and superstition.

Bernard Beckett

~~~

Little Johnny and his family lived in the country, and as a result seldom had guests. He was eager to help his mother after his father appeared with two dinner guests from the office.

When the dinner was nearly over, Little Johnny went to the kitchen and proudly carried in the first piece of apple pie, giving it to his father who passed it to a guest. Little Johnny came in with a second piece of pie and gave it to his father, who again gave it to a guest.

This was too much for Little Johnny, who said, “It’s no use, Dad. The pieces are all the same size.”

~~~

The child comes home from his first day at school. His mother asks, “Well, what did you learn today?”

The kid replies, “Not enough. They want me to come back tomorrow.”

~~~

Never put both feet in your mouth at the same time, because then you don’t have a leg to stand on.

~~~

A DC-10 had an exceedingly long roll out after landing when his approach speed was just a little too fast.

San Jose Tower:  “American 751 heavy, turn right at the end, if able.  If not able, take the Guadeloupe exit off of Highway 101 and make a right at the light to return to the airport.

~~~

1. What’s the difference between a nine-month pregnant woman and a Playboy centerfold?
2. Nothing, if the pregnant woman’s husband knows what’s good for him.

~~~

The early worm gets eaten by the bird, so sleep late.

~~~

I remember when Grandmas tended to their knitting, and their cookies were just swell.  They were always at the ready, when you needed some advice.  And their sewing (I can tell you) was available–and nice.  Well, Grandma’s not deserted you, she dearly loves you still..

You just won’t find her cooking, but she’s right there at the till.  She thinks about you daily–

you haven’t been forsook.  Your photos are quite handy, in the Pentium notebook.  She scans your art work though now, and combines it with cool sounds, to make electronic greetings.

She prints pictures by the pound.  She’s right there when you need her, you really aren’t alone, She’s out now with her “‘puter pals,” but she took her new cell phone. You can also leave a message on her answering machine; or page her at the fun meet;

She’s been there since eight fifteen. Yes, the world’s a very different place, there is no doubt of that. So “E” her from her web page, or join her in a chat.  She’s joined the electronic age,

and it really seems to suit her.

So don’t expect the same old gal, cause Grandma’s gone “Computer”

~~~

There are very few personal problems that cannot be solved through a suitable application of high explosives.

~~~

He went to United Airlines and asked for a reservation from Los Angeles to New York. The clerk knew that the plane was very full with baggage and passengers.

“How much do you weigh, Sir?” asked the clerk.

“With or without clothes?” the passenger asked.

“Well,” said the clerk, “how do you intend to travel?”

~~~

Grandchildren are God’s reward for not killing your children.

~~~

A young man decided to join the police force. As a recruit he was asked during the exam, “What would you do if you had to arrest your own mother?”

He answered, “Call for backup.”

~~~

There are so many difficult things we’re living through in the world today, so many horrible events, but we cannot let them stop us. No matter what happens, I feel you must move forward with optimism and not get totally sideswiped.

Gloria Estefan

~~~

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 http://rays-daily,com/ currently there are more than 2000 readers from around the world.

Let decency prevail

Ray’s Dail\y

January 28, 2019

https://rays-daily.com/

No matter how noble the objectives of a government, if it blurs decency and kindness, cheapens human life, and breeds ill will and suspicion; it is an evil government.

Eric Hoffer

I am grateful that we have reopened the government and will provide hundreds of thousands of good people the opportunity to go on with their lives. Let us hope that the madness of the last month are behind us and decent people will no longer be held hostage to those who no longer know how to govern.

There is something inherently wrong with making hard working good people suffer through no fault of their own. I just hope we will no longer tolerate the lack of compassion that we just experienced.

As outlined in the following essay most people are decent and we need to appreciate them.

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.”

~~~

Aspire to decency. Practice civility toward one another. Admire and emulate ethical behavior wherever you find it. Apply a rigid standard of morality to your lives; and if, periodically, you fail ­ as you surely will adjust your lives, not the standards.

Ted Koppel

~~~

Two advertising executives were having lunch and talking. The young exec trainee said to the older, wiser man, “Where has Ben Harris been hanging out? I haven’t seen him for a while.”

The senior exec replied, “Haven’t you heard? Ben Harris went to that great ad agency in the sky.”

“Good Lord,” replied the junior man, “You’re kidding me, right?

What did he have?”

“Oh, nothing much,” replied the elder exec. “A small toothpaste account and a couple of discount stores, but nothing much worth going after.”

~~~

Save the whales. Collect the whole set.

~~~

A minister of a church loved peach brandy. One of his congregants would make him a bottle each Christmas. One year, when the minister went to visit his friend, hoping for his usual Christmas present, he was not disappointed as he unwrapped the homemade brandy. However, his friend told him that he had to thank him for the peach brandy from the pulpit the next Sunday.

So the next Sunday the minister suddenly remembered that he had to make a public announcement that he was being supplied alcohol from a member of the church. That morning, his friend sat in the church with a grin on his face, waiting to see the minister’s embarrassment.

The minister climbed into the pulpit and said, “Before we begin, I have an announcement. I would very much like to thank my friend, Joe, for his kind gift of peaches… and for the spirit in which they were given!”

~~~

A sign posted on the wall of an Army mess read: “Don’t Waste Food–Food will win the war.”

Beneath someone had written:  That’s fine, but how do we get the enemy to eat it?

~~~

When I need a suit, my wife and I go to the store. The salesman and my wife make selections from the rack. I try them on. My wife and the salesman discuss the fit, remarking on the fullness, thinness or any asymmetry of my body. The jacket and pants are pulled, tucked, pleated and bunched in assessing the need for tailoring.

Once a suit is chosen, my wife and the store’s tailor repeat the fitting procedure and then negotiate a date when the suit will be ready.

On leaving the store, I may talk if I wish.

~~~

To learn from your mistakes you have to admit you make them.

~~~

One Class of ’92 buddy of mine had filled out their classmates.com profile form with this information:

Marital Status:  Not Good

Wife’s Name:  Plaintiff

~~~

“Law of Everything”

Five Jews changed the way we see the world :

Moses said: “The Law is everything.”

Jesus said: “Love is everything.”

Marx said: “Money is everything.”

Freud said: “Sex is everything.”

Then came Einstein….

He said: “Everything is relative!”

~~~

Each person has inside a basic decency and goodness. If he listens to it and acts on it, he is giving a great deal of what it is the world needs most. It is not complicated but it takes courage. It takes courage for a person to listen to his own goodness and act on it.

Pablo Casals

~~~

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 http://rays-daily,com/ currently there are more than 2000 readers from around the world.

The best is yet to come

Ray’s Daily

January 25, 2019

https://rays-daily.com/

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

Amos Bronson Alcott

In a few days I will be eighty-four years old. I use to think being that old meant life would be difficult. While I do have some age-related problems my life is as good as it has ever been.

I have benefited from my new residence as I spend time with folks in their nineties and even some who are more than one hundred years old. These good people demonstrate to me every day that life can be enjoyed even in old age.

I appreciate their wit, humor and willingness to share their wisdom. I hope your life stays as full as these spirited lives are. It is not how old we are but how young we feel. It is in that spirit I offer you this poem today.

How Lovely Are The Old

Poet: Wilhelmina Stitch

How lovely are the old whose years add grace;

Whose years are special gems for their adorning;

Who wear their age a beauty wears fine lace;

Who are as evening’s peace to youths’ bright morning.

How lovely are the old who are as strings

Of some rare, perfect instrument;

Who make sweet harmony the while life sings,

Playing the measure of a sweet content.

How lovely is the gratitude that flows

From hearts grown tender with the passing years

Tto those who serve with love until life’s close,

With love that heals sharp pain and dries hot tears.

How lovely are the old when they relate

The things they did and thought long, long ago.

From them we learn to laugh at hostile fate.

We draw fresh courage from their spirit’s glow.

How lovely are the old who string their days

On memory’s entrancing golden thread;

Whose words are like a daily song of praise

For what is past and what still lies ahead.

~~~

The secret of genius is to carry the spirit of the child into old age, which means never losing your enthusiasm.

Aldous Huxley

~~~

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 quietly enjoy a car ride from the passenger’s seat.
• Flowers fix everything.
• You can wear a white shirt to a water park.
• Three pairs of shoes is more than enough.

~~~

You can say any foolish thing to a dog, and the dog will give you a look that says, “My God, you’re right! I never would’ve thought of that!”

~~~

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.

~~~

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

~~~

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

~~~

The complete life, the perfect pattern, includes old age as well as youth and maturity. The beauty of the morning and the radiance of noon are good, but it would be a very silly person who drew the curtains and turned on the light in order to shut out the tranquillity of the evening. Old age has its pleasures, which, though different, are not less than the pleasures of youth.

SOMERSET MAUGHAM

~~~

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 http://rays-daily,com/ currently there are more than 2000 readers from around the world.

We must do better

Ray’s Daily

January 24,2019

https://rays-daily.com/

Civility is not a tactic or a sentiment. It is the determined choice of trust over cynicism, of community over chaos.

George W. Bush

If you are like I am you are dismayed by how our country has slipped into chaos. We use to rely on a government that operated as outlined in our constitution, one where the peoples elected representatives debated and arrived at consensus and passed legislation to allow us to provide the best for our people.

Now power plays seem to have impacted our ability to govern. We have seen hundred of thousands of our fellow citizens thrown out of work in an effort to bypass the legislative process. I have empathy for those who are being hurt by an administration that shows little remorse for what is happening. Even worse it seems as if many of us don’t see why we should care.

I long for the days when civility and mutual understanding made us the envy of the world. We can’t continue without paying a price for losing our way.

Here is a reminder from Ralph Marston that there is a better alternative to animosity.

Power of love

You can transform your world in an instant by the way you choose to see it. You can change problems into opportunities, anxiety into enthusiasm, and despair into determination.

The quality of what you see depends on the perspective from which you see it. And that perspective is entirely up to you.

Instead of reacting again and again to the chaotic ups and downs of circumstance, you have a more powerful choice. You can choose to live from a constant and unassailable perspective of love.

Instead of fighting against most of what happens, you can choose to be lifted higher by all that happens. From a perspective of love you’ll see the positive possibilities in every situation.

The way to live from love is to be completely and wholly honest with yourself. In the pure truth of who you are and what you sincerely value, is the limitless power of that love.

Allow you to be truly you. And let the power of love color your world.

Ralph Marston

~~~

Be civil to all; serviceable to many; familiar with few; friend to one; enemy to none.

Benjamin Franklin

~~~

She said: When our son was four months old, I caught my husband in another room, holding the baby on his lap, talking to him and pointing.

I was touched by this father-son bonding and went into the room to eavesdrop.

“Football,” he said slowly, pointing to the television. “This is football.”

~~~

There are many wonderful things that will never be done if you do not do them.

Charles D. Gill

~~~

Don goes into business for himself. He buys a hotdog cart and sets it up in a prime spot on a busy downtown corner, right near a large bank.

One day, his friend Jim approaches him and asks Don if he can lend him some money.

Don refuses.

“But why?” asks Jim. “Everyone knows you’re doing well, and I’m not asking for much.

“Well, Jim, in order to get this spot I had to sign a Non-competition Agreement with that bank over there. According to the terms of the agreement, they’re don’t sell hot dogs, and I don’t lend money.”

~~~

To vacillate or not to vacillate, that is the question or is it?

~~~

A guy was hitchhiking on a very dark and stormy night. The night was getting on and no cars went by. Suddenly he saw a car roll slowly toward him and stop.

Without thinking about it, the guy jumped into the back seat and closed the door when he suddenly realized there was nobody behind the wheel!  Just then the car started slowly rolling forward again. He was beginning to get really freaked out when he noticed a curve in the road ahead. He was just thinking about climbing into the front seat when a hand mysteriously appeared through the window and moved the wheel.

The guy, paralyzed in terror, watched how the hand appeared every time right before a curve.

Gathering his courage, the guy finally jumped out of the car and ran to the nearest town.  Wet and in shock, he went to a restaurant and started telling everybody about the horrible experience he just went through.

About half an hour later, two guys walked into the same restaurant. They were looking around for a table when one said to the other, “Hey, look, isn’t that the jerk who got in the car when we were pushing it?”

~~~

Learn to pause … or nothing worthwhile will catch up to you.

Doug King

~~~

My dad and I were talking the other night about love and marriage. He told me he knew as early as their wedding what marriage to my mom would be like. It seems the minister asked my mom, “Do you take this man to be your husband?” And she said, “I do.” Then the minister asked my dad, “Do you take this woman to be your wife?” and my mom said, “He does.”

~~~

If you were agoraphobic, you’d be home by now.

~~~

A knight and his men return to their castle after a long hard day of fighting.

“How are we faring?” asks the king.

“Sire,” replies the knight, “I have been robbing and pillaging on your behalf all day, burning the towns of your enemies in the west.”

“What?!” shrieks the king. “I don’t have any enemies to the west!”

“Oh,” says the knight. “Well, you do now.”

~~~

Learn as if you were going to live forever. Live as if you were going to die tomorrow.

Mahatma Gandhi

~~~

My face in the mirror isn’t wrinkled or drawn.

My house isn’t dirty. The cobwebs are gone.

My garden looks lovely and so does my lawn.

I think I might never put my glasses back on.

~~~

So let us begin anew — remembering on both sides that civility is not a sign of weakness, and sincerity is always subject to proof. Let us never negotiate out of fear, but let us never fear to negotiate. Let both sides explore what problems unite us instead of belaboring those problems which divide us.

John F. Kennedy

~~~

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 http://rays-daily,com/ currently there are more than 2000 readers from around the world.

Thanks for being there

Ray’s Daily

January 23, 2019

https://rays-daily.com/

Friendship is a single soul dwelling in two bodies.

Aristotle

There is nothing more valuable than the folks who offer us their friendship. It is tragic that so many of us take our friends for granted and let them drift away. I think friendships need to be cherished and nurtured in order to flourish. Just like fine silver our relationships will shine if we keep them shined up.

I recently received the following article that I think is right on. I did some minor editing but retained it’s message.

“8 Ways to be a Better Friend”

by Susie Cortright.

Being a good friend is a skill we can learn and improve upon. Here, eight ways to be a better friend.

Number One: Like yourself – The first step in having a good relationship with a friend is to have a good relationship with yourself. When we genuinely like ourselves, we become more attractive to other people.

Number Two: Choose wisely – Relationships among true friends take a steady dose of time and energy–two resources in limited supply for all of us. Identify the friends with whom you wish to create a closer bond. It’s perfectly okay if not all of your acquaintances make the list.

Number Three: Make the time – Friends are important in many ways–so much so that these relationships often take on a life of their own. You owe it to yourself (and to your friends) to make these relationships a priority.

Number Four: Make the first move – If you want to improve your relationships, put your fear of rejection aside and start taking more risks. Invite your friends to lunch. Too often, we fail to follow up with our friends.

Number Five: The Golden Rule – Treat your friends as you wish to be treated. Stated another way: “To have a friend, be a friend.” Focus more on being interested than on being interesting. Be enthusiastic and energetic. Avoid complaining, gossiping, and criticizing.

Number Six: Sweat the Small Stuff – Make your friends feel significant by remembering small kindnesses.

Number Seven: Listen – Good listeners are hard to find, and honing your skills can be a long-term project.

A few tips: -Slow down. Try not to finish your friend’s sentences. If you catch yourself planning your response while your friend is still talking, gently remind yourself to focus on the speaker.

-Ask questions. -Be careful with advice.

Number Eight: Be loyal – We all need someone in our corner. If your friend isn’t there to defend herself against gossip or criticism, speak up, and know she would do the same for you.

~~~

Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another, ‘What! You too? I thought I was the only one.’

S. Lewis

~~~

According to my mother, she and Dad decided to start a family soon after he became an officer in the Air Force. When months went by without success, they consulted the base physician, who chose to examine Mom right then and there.

“Please disrobe,” he told her.

“With him in the room??” she yelled, pointing to my father.

Turning to Dad, the doctor said, “Captain, I think I found the problem.”

~~~

If you are too busy to laugh . . . you are too busy.

~~~

Waiter: “Tea or coffee, gentlemen?”

1st customer: “I’ll have tea.”

2nd customer: “Me, too.  And be sure the glass is clean!”

(Waiter exits, returns)

Waiter: Two teas.  “Which one asked for the clean glass?”

~~~

You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough.

Joe Lewis

~~~

Retirement Choices – Where To Live

You can live in the Midwest where ….

1. You’ve never met any celebrities, but the mayor knows your name.

2 Your idea of a traffic jam is ten cars waiting to pass a tractor.

3. You have had to switch from “heat” to “A/C” on the same day.
4. You end sentences with a preposition: “Where’s my coat at?”
5. When asked how your trip was to any exotic place, you say, “It was different!”

Or You can live in Florida where ….

1. You eat dinner at 3:15 in the afternoon.
2. All purchases include a coupon of some kind — even houses and cars.
3. Everyone can recommend an excellent dermatologist.

4 Road construction never ends anywhere in the state.

5. Cars in front of you are often driven by headless people.

~~~

Small deeds done are better than greater deeds planned.

Unknown

~~~

It was a typically busy day at the bank. After a glance at the line of waiting customers, a harried-looking man came up to the side counter and demanded, “What do I have to do to change the address on my account”?

Without missing a beat, the clerk replied, “Move.”

~~~

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

~~~

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 http://rays-daily,com/ currently there are more than 2000 readers from around the world.

Keep Breathing

Ray’s Daily

January 22, 2019

https://rays-daily.com/

Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant.

Robert Louis Stevenson

I spent a major part of yesterday at the hospital undergoing cardiac tests. By the time I was done I was hungry and tired. The good news was that I am holding my own. My cardiologist did tell me to eat right, get more exercise and keep breathing.

I also had to send my blood pressure, pulse rate and weight into a patient monitoring center as I do three times a week. It was the day I had to transmit my pacemaker history to a computer in Minnesota for analysis and forwarding to my electro-physiologist. I am glad it is all over for now. Today will be a day of rest.

Since our life goes on it is important we make the best of it. Here are some thoughts to help us do just that,

A Creed To Live

By Nancye Sims

• Don’t undermine your worth by comparing yourself with others.
• It is because we are different that each of us are special. Don’t set your goals by what other people deem important. Only do what is best for you.
• Don’t take for granted the things closest to your heart. Cling to them as you would your life, for without them life is meaningless.
• Don’t let life slip through your fingers by living in the past orin the future. By living one day at a time you live all days of your life.
• Don’t give up when you still have something to give. Nothing is really over until the moment you stop trying.
• Don’t be afraid to admit that you are less than perfect. It is the fragile thread that binds us to each other.
• Don’t be afraid to encounter risks. It is by taking chances that we learn how to be brave.
• Don’t shut love out of your life by saying it is impossible. The fastest way to lose love is to hold too it tightly, and the best way to keep love is to give it wings.
• Don’t dismiss your dreams. To be without dreams is to be without hope, to be without hope is to be without purpose.
• Don’t run through life so fast thatyou forget not only where you have been, but also where you are going. Life is not a race, but a journey to be savored each step of the way.

~~~

The world is full of magic things, patiently waiting for our senses to grow sharper.

W.B. Yeats

~~~

A couple drove several miles down a country road, not saying a word. An earlier discussion had led to an argument, and neither wanted to concede their position.

As they passed a barnyard of mules and pigs, the wife sarcastically asked, “Relatives of yours?”

“Yep,” the husband replied, “Inlaws.”

~~~

Never try to teach a pig to sing. It wastes your time and annoys the pig.

~~~

The future father-in-law asked, “Young man, can you support a family?”

The surprised groom-to-be replied, “Well, no.  I was just planning to support your daughter.  The rest of you will have to fend for yourselves.”

~~~

A dietitian was once addressing a large audience in Chicago.

“The material we put into our stomachs is enough to have killed most of us sitting here, years ago. Red meat is awful. Vegetables can be disastrous, and none of us realizes the germs in our drinking water. But there is one thing that is the most dangerous of all; and all of us eat it. Can anyone here tell me what lethal product I’m referring to? You, sir, in the first row, please give us your idea.”

The man lowered his head and said, “Wedding cake?”

~~~

People are always available for work in the past tense.

~~~

A student comes to a young professor’s office hours.  She glances down the hall, closes his door, kneels pleadingly.

“I would do *anything* to pass this exam.” She leans closer to him, flips back her hair, gazes meaningfully into his eyes.  “I mean,” she whispers, “I would do …  *anything*.”

He returns her gaze.  “Anything?”

“Anything!”

His voice softens.  “*Anything*??”

“*Anything*.”

His voice turns to a whisper.  “Would you …  study?”

~~~

Why is it that people say they “slept like a baby” when babies wake up like every two hours?

~~~

One night, a lady stumbled into the police station with a black eye. She claimed she heard a noise in her back yard and went to investigate. The next thing she knew, she was hit in the eye and knocked out cold.

An officer was sent to her house to investigate, and he returned 1-1/2 hours later with a black eye. “Did you get hit by the same person?” his Captain asked.

“No,” he replied. “I stepped on the same rake.”

~~~

There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self.

Ernest Hemingway

~~~

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 http://rays-daily,com/ currently there are more than 2000 readers from around the world.

Enjoy Your Life

Ray’s Daily

January 21, 2019

https://rays-daily.com/

“Very little is needed to make a happy life; it is all within yourself, in your way of thinking.”

Marcus Aurelius Antoninus

The conversation over dinner the other night centered on how we thought of our lives. We all had infirmities and had survived major health problems. Rather than bemoaning what we have to do to keep going and the many medicines we take we all felt we were doing well.

Later I thought about how our our happiness is mainly the result of how we see ourselves. The folks I was with look at what they have rather than what they have lost.

Here are excerpts from an article recently written by Swedish author Henrik Edberg that could have been written about my new friends.

Happiness.

1. One minute of appreciation. – Take a minute, sit down and just reflect on what you appreciate and love about your partner. Or a friend or family member. Or yourself.
2. Express your appreciation. – Tell the partner, family member or friend what you came up with. It will brighten his or her day.
3. Take 5 minutes to see how you can help someone out. Offer some practical help, some good advice, look something up for him or her, be encouraging and supportive or just lend a listening ear.
4. Slow down for 3 minutes. – Walk and move slower for just these few minutes. Let your thoughts slow down. Use the 3 minutes to enjoy what is happening all around you.
5. Be the smile you want to see in your world. – Smile more towards the people you meet and you’ll get more smiles back. You’ll feel better. They will too.
6. Make someone else happy. – Don’t stop at just smiles. Give someone a big hug.
7. Start your day with setting a low bar for happiness. – As you open your eyes and wake up to a new day tell yourself: “Today I will have a low bar for happiness”.
8. Be the day you want to see. – Don’t wait for someone else to create the day you want to have. Instead, get the ball rolling yourself. Take action and take the first small step or steps forward:Take a walk or a run in the early morning to get your energy levels for the day and week up.
9. Say yes to something new. – By actively going outside of what is normal for you or your comfort zone you’ll discover new, wonderful things in life quite often.
10. Say no to a should. – The shoulds in life can really drag that happiness and energy down and make everything feel like heavy work. But do you have to do all of those shoulds on your to-do list? Or are you maybe stuck in a rut and are doing some of those things just out of old habit?

~~~

“Since you get more joy out of giving joy to others, you should put a good deal of thought into the happiness that you are able to give.”

Eleanor Roosevelt

~~~

Famous Last Words:

— Of course you don’t look fat in that dress honey.  Well… maybe a little.

— Hey ya’ll watch this.

— Sure, rope bridges last forever.

— Trust me, I know what I’m doing.

— Oh shut up! I won’t fall!

— Oh, it looks like a dolphin is swimming this way…

— I wonder what happens if these two wires touch.

~~~

Cooking lesson #1: don’t fry bacon in the nude.

~~~

A daddy was listening to his child say his prayer “Dear Harold”. At this, dad interrupted and said, “Wait a minute, How come you called God, “Harold”?” The little boy looked up and said, “That’s what they call Him in church. You know the prayer we say, “Our Father, who art in Heaven, Harold be Thy name.”

~~~

If you can’t be kind, at least have the decency to be vague.

~~~

Two hikers are out hiking. All of a sudden, a bear starts chasing them.
They climb a tree, but the bear starts climbing up the tree after them. The first hiker gets his sneakers out of his knapsack and starts putting them on.
The second hiker says, ‘What are you doing?’
The first responds, ‘I figure when the bear gets close to us, we’ll have to jump down and make a run for it.’
The second says, ‘Are you crazy? Don’t you know you can’t outrun a bear?

The first guy says, ‘I don’t have to outrun the bear I only have to outrun you!’

~~~

Insanity is my only means of relaxation.

~~~

The businessman dragged himself home and barely made it to his chair before he dropped exhausted.

His sympathetic wife was right there with a tall cool drink and a comforting word. “My you look tired,” she said. “You must have had a hard day today. What happened to make you so exhausted?”

“It was terrible,” her husband said. “The computer broke down and all of us had to do our own thinking.” Exhausted

~~~

I wonder if Adam ever said to Eve, “Watch it!!! There are plenty more ribs where YOU came from!”

~~~

The homeowner got into his grubbiest clothes on Saturday morning and set about all the chores he’d been putting off for weeks. He’d cleaned the garage, pruned the hedge, and was halfway through mowing the lawn when a woman pulled up in the driveway and yelled out her window, “Say, what do you get for yard work?”

The fellow thought for a minute, then answered, “The lady who lives here lets me sleep with her.”

~~~

“Women and cats will do as they please and men and dogs should relax and get used to the idea.”

Robert A. Heinlein

~~~

“Give me a sentence about a public servant,” said a teacher.

The small boy wrote: “The fireman came down the ladder pregnant.”

The teacher took the lad aside to correct him. “Don’t you know what pregnant means?” she asked.

“Sure,” said the young student confidently. “Means carrying a child.”

~~~

There are two things to aim at in life: first, to get what you want; and after that, to enjoy it. Only the wisest of mankind achieve the second.

Logan Pearsall Smith,

~~~

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 http://rays-daily,com/ currently there are more than 2000 readers from around the world.

Stay Positive

Ray’s Daily

January 18, 2019

https://rays-daily.com/

“Pessimism leads to weakness, optimism to power.”

William James

In my communality there are a few folks who always seem to be unhappy. They find fault with almost everything and seldom stop complaining. I know if people go through life always looking for what’s wrong, they will find something not to like. They wonder why people seem to avoid them when it is their negativism that drives others away.

I feel sorry for the nay-sayers as theirs can be a lonely life. I don’t avoid them but I do try to point out the bright side. Here a few excerpts from an article I saved years ago that I wish these unhappy folks would follow.

 5 Steps to a Happy Life with Positive Attitude

Step 1: Believe Happiness is a Choice – For me, this was a hard one at first. I thought that people were either unhappy or happy (and I was one of the unhappy ones). I used to blame this on all kinds of outside forces –- fate, experiences, parents, relationships –- but never really stopped to think that I could choose to be happy.

Sure, this isn’t always easy, but it is always, always an option. Teaching myself to see that happiness is a choice has been one of the greatest things I’ve ever done for myself.

Step 2: Rid Your Life of Negativity – If you want to live a positive, joyful and happy life, you cannot –- absolutely CANNOT -– be surrounded by negative people who are not encouraging your happiness.

Step 3: Look For the Positive in Life – There is the positive aspect in everything. In every person, in every situation, there is something good. Most of the time it’s not all that obvious. We have to look. And sometimes we have to look hard.

Everything –- good and bad -– is a learning experience. So, at the very least, you can learn from bad experiences. However, there’s usually even more to it than that. If you really take the time to look, you will usually find something good, something really positive, about every person or situation.

Step 4: Reinforce Positivity in Yourself – Once I started thinking more positively and adapted to a more positive attitude, I realized I had to reinforce these thoughts and behaviors in myself so they would stick. As with any sort of training, practice makes perfect, and, yes, you can practice being positive.

Be honest with yourself, but do your best to look for the good. And, whatever you do, don’t focus on the negative. Nothing good can come of telling yourself that your butt’s too big or your latest career goal wasn’t met.

Step 5: Share Happiness with Others – Not only do you need to be positive with yourself for this new positive attitude to really take effect, you also need to be positive with others. You have to share your wealth of positivity with the world.

The best way I’ve found to do this is quite simple and basic: be nice. Be nice to other people, no matter what. Tell someone he or she looks nice today. Tell someone they did a great job on that presentation. Tell your parents or children (or both!) how much you love them and how great they are.

People appreciate positivity and the more you are sharing it with others, the more you are practicing it and reinforcing it in your own life.

~~~

“Once you replace negative thoughts with positive ones, you’ll start having positive results.”

Willie Nelson

~~~

“What happened to you?” asked the bystander to the man lying on the sidewalk outside of the beauty parlor.

The man shook his head groggily and rubbed his bruised chin.  “Last thing I remember was my wife came out of the beauty salon. I took a look at her and said, ‘Well, honey, at least you tried,’ and I don’t remember anything after that.”

~~~

You know what happens when you play country music backwards? You quit drinking, you get your wife back, you’re rehired and your lost dog comes home.

~~~

Years ago I worked on the UNIVAC I & II which were the follow-on to the Eniac based on the same technology. Here is what Popular Mechanics reported in March 1949 “Where a calculator on the ENIAC is equipped with 18,000 vacuum tubes and weighs 30 tons, computers in the future may have only 1,000 vacuums tubes and perhaps weigh 1.5 tons.” Today there is much more power in my cell phone.

~~~

“Dogs have owners — Cats have staff.”

~~~

A teacher asked one of the boys in her class, “Can people predict the future with cards?”

His response was, “My mother can.”

The teacher replied, “Really?”

The young boy was quick to explain, “Yes, she takes one look at my report card and tells me what will happen when my father gets home.”

~~~

Proofread carefully to see if you any words out.

~~~

One day a guy on a vacation heard of an Indian with an amazing memory, so he decided to visit the Indian and see what the big deal was.

He went to the Indian and asked him, “What did you eat for breakfast on July 2, 1961?”

The Indian replied, “Eggs.”

The same man came back 10 years later to see the Indian again. He greeted him by saying, “How.”

The Indian said, “Fried.”

~~~

Those who say they “sleep like a baby” haven’t got one.

~~~

Two inmates break out of their prison cells and are running across the yard when a guard in one of the towers spots them. Immediately, he sounds an alarm and all the searchlights in all the towers shine on the would-be escapees.

Caught in the light, one hisses to the other, “Don’t just stand there! Smile and start tap dancing!”

~~~

She’s the kind of girl who climbed the ladder of success wrong by wrong.

Mae West

~~~

She said: I was going away for a few days and left my husband a list of chores. For fun, I put down as Item 5: Think about your wife a lot.

After I returned, my husband proudly reported that he had completed every job. When I saw the list, however, each item except No. 5 had been crossed off.

“What’s this!” I exclaimed. “Didn’t you think about me at all while I was gone?”

My chagrin vanished when he replied cheerfully. . .”Hon… I started to, but just never finished.”

~~~

“Let us rise up and be thankful, for if we didn’t learn a lot today, at least we learned a little, and if we didn’t learn a little, at least we didn’t get sick, and if we got sick, at least we didn’t die; so let us all be thankful.”

Buddha

~~~

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 http://rays-daily,com/ currently there are more than 2000 readers from around the world.