Ray’s Daily
February 26, 2020
“If you want to fly on the sky, you need to leave the earth. If you want to move forward, you need to let go the past that drags you down.”
Amit Ray
I had lunch with an old friend yesterday who recently retired from her job as executive director of a not-for-profit organization. I learned that she was enjoying her new freedom from obligations as much as I have enjoyed mine.
We both seemed to put a lot of importance to the letting go of much of our past life. In my case I found that while not easy, the results of moving on where well worth it. I found that letting those who take on our roles when we retire and do whatever they need to do and there is little to be gained by second guessing what they do.
I find that closing one chapter of our life frees us to write a new one. I love that my simpler life provides me the time to spend any way I want. I can meditate in my recliner, write, visit friends and even invest in being the person I want to be.
I hope you will find the time to invest in your future without the limits that come from staying anchored to your past.
Life is for living
Life is a gift we’re given each and every day.
Dream about tomorrow, but live for today.
To live a little, you’ve got to love a whole lot.
Love turns the ordinary into the extraordinary.
Life’s a journey always worth taking.
Take time to smell the roses, daffodils and lilacs.
Count blessings like children count stars.
The secret of a happy life isn’t buried in a treasure chest . . . it lies within your heart.
It’s the little moments that make life big.
So don’t wait. Make memories today and celebrate your life!
Author Unknown
~~~
“Incredible change happens in your life when you decide to take control of what you do have power over instead of craving control over what you don’t.”
Steve Maraboli
~~~
A kind-hearted motorist saw a man struggling to change a tire alongside the highway, and pulled over to see whether he could help.
The man had a very red face, and a dark smear across it where he’d wiped off sweat with dirty hands. His tie was undone and his shirt collar askew, and it was clear he had also wiped his hands on his once-white shirt.
Close to him stood an immaculately neat woman who was speaking in quick, agitated tones.
“Hello, there,” said the motorist. “Say, I’ve changed a lot of tires ….. maybe I can help here.”
“You sure can,” the man with the flat tire replied wearily. “My wife is an expert, too. If you will just do all the arguing with her about how this tire ought to be changed, I will concentrate on the dirty work and get the job done.”
~~~
“I think the one lesson I have learned is that there is no substitute for paying attention.”
Diane Sawyer
~~~
GOD’S THOUGHTS ON LAWNS
GOD: Frank, you know all about gardens and nature. What in the world is going on down there on that planet Earth? What happened to the dandelions, violets, thistle and stuff I started eons ago? I had a perfect, no-maintenance garden plan. Those plants grow in any type of soil, withstand drought and multiply with abandon. The nectar from the long lasting blossoms attracts butterflies, honey bees and flocks of songbirds. I expected to see a vast garden of colors by now. But all I see are these green rectangles.
- FRANCIS: It’s the tribes that settled there, LORD. The Suburbanites. They started calling your flowers “weeds” and went to great lengths to kill them and replace them with grass.
GOD: Grass? But it’s so boring. It’s not colorful. It doesn’t attract butterflies, birds and bees, only grubs and sod worms. It’s sensitive to temperatures. Do these Suburbanites really want all that grass growing there?
- FRANCIS: Apparently so, LORD. They go to great pains to grow it and keep it green. They begin each spring by fertilizing grass and poisoning any other plant that crops up in the lawn.
GOD: The spring rains and warm weather probably make grass grow really fast. That must make the Suburbanites happy.
- FRANCIS: Apparently not, LORD. As soon as it grows a little, they cut it — sometimes twice a week.
GOD: They cut it? Do they then bail it like hay?
- FRANCIS: Not exactly, LORD. Most of them rake it up and put it in bags.
GOD: They bag it? Why? Is it a cash crop? Do they sell it?
- FRANCIS: No, Sir. Just the opposite. They pay to throw it away.
GOD: Now let me get this straight. They fertilize grass so it will grow. And when it does grow, they cut it off and pay to throw it away?
- FRANCIS: Yes, Sir.
GOD: These Suburbanites must be relieved in the summer when we cut back on the rain and turn up the heat. That surely slows the growth and saves them a lot of work.
- FRANCIS: You aren’t going to believe this LORD. When the grass stops growing so fast, they drag out hoses and pay more money to water it so they can continue to mow it and pay to get rid of it.
GOD: What nonsense. At least they kept some of the trees. That was a sheer stroke of genius, if I do say so myself. The trees grow leaves in the spring to provide beauty and shade in the summer. In the autumn they fall to the ground and form a natural blanket to keep moisture in the soil and protect the trees and bushes. Plus, as they rot, the leaves form compost to enhance the soil. It’s a natural circle of life.
- FRANCIS: You better sit down, LORD. The Suburbanites have drawn a new circle. As soon as the leaves fall, they rake them into great piles and pay to have them hauled away.
GOD: No. What do they do to protect the shrub and tree roots in the winter and to keep the soil moist and loose?
- FRANCIS: After throwing away the leaves, they go out and buy something which they call mulch. They haul it home and spread it around in place of the leaves.
GOD: And where do they get this mulch?
- FRANCIS: They cut down trees and grind them up to make the mulch.
GOD: Enough. I don’t want to think about this anymore. St. Catherine, you’re in charge of the arts. What movie have you scheduled for us tonight?
- CATHERINE: ‘Dumb and Dumber,’ Lord. It’s a real stupid movie about….
GOD: Never mind, I think I just heard the whole story from St Francis.
~~~
It is terrible to grow old alone – my wife has not had a birthday in ten years.
~~~
Perhaps you’ve heard of the man who thought he was dead, when in reality he was very much alive. His delusion became such a problem that his family finally paid for him to see a psychiatrist.
The psychiatrist spent many laborious sessions trying to convince the man he was still alive. Nothing seemed to work. Finally the doctor tried one last approach. He took out his medical books and proceeded to show the patient that dead men don’t bleed. After hours of tedious study, the patient seemed convinced that dead men don’t bleed.
“Do you now agree that dead men don’t bleed?” the doctor asked.
“Yes, I do,” the patient replied.
“Very well, then,” the doctor said.
He took out a pin and pricked the patient’s finger. Out came a trickle of blood.
The doctor asked, “What does that tell you?”
“Oh my goodness!” the patient exclaimed as he stared incredulously at his finger……. “Dead men do bleed!!”
~~~
She said, there are easier things in life than finding a good man…like nailing Jello to a tree, for instance.
~~~
She also said: I was on vacation in Las Vegas, playing the slot machines.
It was my first time in a casino, and I wasn’t sure how any of the machines operated.
“Excuse me.” I said to a casino employee. “How does this work?”
The worker showed me how to insert a bill, hit the spin button, and operate the release handle.
“And where does the money come out?” I asked.
He smiled and motioned to a far wall before saying, “Usually at the ATM.”
~~~
“Renew, release, let go. Yesterday’s gone. There’s nothing you can do to bring it back. You can’t “should’ve” done something. You can only DO something. Renew yourself. Release that attachment. Today is a new day!”
Steve Maraboli
~~~
Ray Mitchell
Indianapolis, Indiana
Management is not responsible for duplicates from previous dailies. The editor is somewhat senile.
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