Ray’s Daily
July 27, 2020
Calm mind brings inner strength and self-confidence, so that’s very important for good health.
Dalai Lama
We are still on lockdown in our retirement community. There is a plan to losen up including some of our meals in the community dining room. But alas the public has not kept social distancing, nor did many folks wear masks and followed the guidelines for minimizing the spread of the covid-19 disease. The result has been a significant increase in the public infections and deaths.So I am afraid that my wife and me are destained to spend more time in isolation in our apartment
At least we have each other nad two daughters who provide us with transportation to medical appointments as well as other help. I feel sorry for those who are alone and do not have family close enough to offer assistance. Here is an abridged article written by an author who resides in France and is staying home to avoid infection.
13 Tips to Help You Stay Calm in the Midst of Chaos
By: Susanna Newsonen
- Stick to a morning and evening ritual. – It will help you to start the day on a positive note and help you wind down in the evening for a better night of sleep. It will also give you a sense of control in a time where a lot is out of our control.
- Exercise daily. – Moving your body keeps your mind sane and health supple.
- Take good care of yourself. – Eat as nutritiously as you can, drink plenty of fluids and do a lot of self-pampering.
- Have projects. – They’ll give you focus and distract you from the never-ending flow of negative news.
- Drop the pressure. – Now is the time to allow yourself to feel and do what you can. If that is very little, that is ok. If that is a lot, that is fine too.
- Practice gratitude. – This can be difficult to do when the world seems against you. But that’s what makes it even more important. If you choose to focus on what you do have to say thanks for, you will feel a lot better.
- Focus on what you can do (not what you can’t). – A lot of us are going into lockdown mode and being asked to self-isolate to protect both others and ourselves. Listen to this advice. And then get creative.
- Reach out to your loved ones – virtually. – Just because we can’t see each other face-to-face right now doesn’t mean we should detach ourselves from each other and not talk to anyone. In fact, it’s the opposite. We need each other more than ever.
- Limit your time reading the news. – It’s good to stay up to date with what’s happening but perhaps focus on your local, regional or national news so you know what you can or can not do.
- Limit your time on social media. – Just because you’re locked in at home doesn’t mean you should be glued to your smartphone screen.
- Practice mindfulness. – Now is the time to practice inner calm and contentment. Meditate in silence. Do a 5-minute self-compassion guided meditation. Anything goes as long as it’s helping you focus and calm the mind and soul.
- Notice the beauty around you. – Even though there are a lot of ugly things happening in the world right now, it doesn’t mean that there is no more beauty. Try to lean into noticing the beauty around you.
- Breathe. – If in doubt, just breathe. Take long deep breaths from the bottom of your diaphragm. Use Dr Andrew Weil’s calming breathing technique, inhaling for four counts, holding for seven and exhaling for eight.
~~~
Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrows; it empties today of its strength.
Corrie ten Boom
~~~
Two girls board a crowded bus and one of them whispers to the other, “Watch me embarrass a man into giving me his seat.”
Pushing her way through the crowd, she turned all of her charms upon a gentleman who looked like he might embarrass easily. “My dear Mr. Wilson,” she gushed, “fancy meeting you here on the bus. Am I glad to see you! Why you’re almost a stranger. My, but I’m tired!”
The sedate gent looked up at the girl. He had never seen her before but he rose and said pleasantly, “Sit down, Mary, my girl. It isn’t often I see you on washday. No wonder you’re tired. Being pregnant isn’t easy. By the way, don’t deliver the wash until Thursday. My wife is going to the District Attorney’s office to see whether or not she can get your husband out of jail.”
~~~
“My mom was a ventriloquist and she always was throwing her voice. For ten years I thought the dog was telling me to kill my father.”
Wendy Leibman
~~~
There is a knock on St. Peter’s door. He looks out and a man is standing there. St. Peter is about to begin his interview when the man disappears.
A short time later there’s another knock. St. Peter gets the door, sees the man, opens his mouth to speak, and the man disappears once again.
“Hey, are you playing games with me?” St. Peter calls after him.
“No,” the man’s distant voice replies anxiously. “They’re trying to resuscitate me.”
~~~
Being defeated is often a temporary condition. Giving up is what makes it permanent.
Marlene Savant
~~~
Steven Spielberg was filming his latest movie in the heart of the Amazon rain forest. The costs involved in transporting tons of movie making equipment into the heart of the jungle were enormous. He literally had a cast of thousands to feed and clothe. It was his most expensive production yet and he sank his entire personal fortune into the project.
The biggest expense was building a faithful replica of an Ancient city in the middle of the jungle. No expense was spared to make the city authentic.
The climax of the movie was to be the complete destruction of the city in a dramatic fire. As Spielberg planned to actually burn the city to the ground there was only one chance to film it.
He set up four cameras:
“Ok, camera one, I want you up in the helicopter to get an over head shot of the whole scene.”
“Ok boss”
“Camera two, I’d like you at the edge of the clearing for a medium range shot.
“OK boss”
“Camera three, we’ve built a special fireproof hut in the center of the city. You can poke the camera through a hole in the side and get a close up view from the heart of the fire”
“Ok boss”
“Camera four, I need you at the top of that hill over there to get a long range shot”
“Ok boss”
Once the cameras and actors were all in place, Spielberg himself lit the match to start the fire.
It was an amazing sight, the fire raged and roared for over an hour as the entire multi-million dollar set was completely destroyed and reduced to a smoking pile of ash.
Spielberg radioed the helicopter, “Camera one, how did it go?”
“Sorry boss but the smoke was so thick I couldn’t see a thing. Then the smoke got into the engine of the chopper and we were forced to land. I didn’t get anything.”
“Damn!” thought Spielberg, “well I guess I can just use the footage from the other three cameras.”
“Camera two, how did it go?”
“Sorry boss but the down draft from the chopper blades fanned the flames and started the bush all around us on fire. We had to run for safety and the camera was burned to a crisp.”
“Crap!, I guess I’ll have to make two with two cameras”
“Camera three, please tell me you got the shot”
“Sorry boss, the fireproof hut worked fine, but the lens of the camera couldn’t take the heat and it melted. I got nothing”
“I can’t believe this!” cried Spielberg. “Thank god I sent that last camera up on the hill. The smoke didn’t blow that way, there was no brush fire or heat to worry about.”
He walks towards the hill, cups his hands to his mouth and yells…
“CAMERA FOUR!!”
And the cameraman yells back…
“READY WHEN YOU ARE!”
~~~
Stress is when you wake up screaming & you realize you haven’t fallen asleep yet.
~~~
A man walked into a dress shop and told the clerk he wanted to buy an evening gown for his wife as a surprise.
“What size?” asked the clerk.
The man shrugged blankly.
Trying to help, the clerk inquired, “Well then, what are your wife’s measurements?”
The man thought for a moment. “Small, medium, and large, in that order.”
~~~
Peace is the result of retraining your mind to process life as it is, rather than as you think it should be.
Wayne W. Dyer
~~~
Ray Mitchell
Indianapolis, Indiana
Management is not responsible for duplicates from previous dailies. The editor is somewhat senile.
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Comments on: "Be Calm" (1)
so important