Ray’s Daily
October 26, 2020
“You can’t stop the waves, but you can learn to surf.”
Jon Kabat-Zinn
My lockdown has ended, I can get out of my apartment and visit my wife at her extended care facility as well as see friends and fellow residents. We still have to see what the future holds but today is better than yesterday.
Our coping skills are being tested these days and it is important that we stay optimistic as the Covid virus continues to infect so many of our fellow citizens. It is not always easy but we can do it. Here is and abridged article from the Mindfulness blog that can help.
5 Daily Mantras To Get Through The Tougher Anxious Moments
By Hilary Jacobs Hendel, LCSW
1. This is temporary. – It’s true! This quarantine and virus won’t last forever—it won’t even last years. Humans can sustain stress for long periods of time. We are resilient. Remember, “This stress is temporary!” Say it again and again.
2. Everything is going to be OK. – The future is unknown, not only now but always. But there is no sense in triggering our nervous system into states of panic. We can tell ourselves everything is going to be OK, and it most likely will be.
3. I am not alone. – People are coming together during this time. You might be physically alone in your space, but we are connected through our common humanity, and we are connected to nature.
4. One day at a time. One hour at a time. One minute at a time. – When emotions run high, we get overwhelmed. This is the time to slow way down. Remind yourself the only goal is to get through the next minute, hour, or day. Shift your focus to figuring out a pleasant and calming activity that you can do right now.
5. Just because I feel anxious at this moment doesn’t mean in reality things are worse than the moment before. – Anxiety has a funny way of generating worried and catastrophic thoughts. When you are very anxious, it’s important to pause and notice your thoughts. If you’re all doom and gloom, notice that and then remind yourself, “Just because I feel anxious right now doesn’t mean, in reality, things are worse for me than they were yesterday.”
Working with our emotions is a lifelong practice. The idea is to get into an experimental state of mind and have a wide variety of tools at your disposal. Try different calming phrases that have positive meaning for you; try different state-changers to help your mind and body relax. It’s about progress and practice, not perfection. The simple act of trying helps to keep you focused on something productive rather than letting your mind wander.
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“Look past your thoughts, so you may drink the pure nectar of This Moment.”
Rumi
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Etiquette
1. When one hosts a dinner party, it is essential that all the place mats match, or, at the very least, that they all come from the same fast-food restaurant.
2. Entertaining in your backyard? The key to a nice-looking lawn is a good mower. I recommend one who’s muscular and shirtless.
3. My favorite party game is “Pin the Cleanup on the Guests.”
4. Nothing in the world is quite so entertaining as pouring old milk into new containers before having guests over.
5. A good host must always be a STICKLER for attractive food presentation! I always take the foil COMPLETELY OFF the TV dinner before serving.
6. Getting your home in tiptop shape for a party can be fun if you think of it as kicking dust bunnies!
7. Take short cuts! I used to offer my guests instant coffee. They kept whining for hot water to go with it.
8. The best way to prepare a roast is to make an aluminum foil tent over your roasting pan. Similarly, the best way to prepare for relatives is to pitch a tent in the backyard and stay there until they leave.
9. When decorating for a party, be creative with regular household items. Some people might just see a moldy shower curtain with torn eyelets. What do I see? A new tablecloth.
10. The better you cook, the more likely your guests will return. Which is why I’m not usually too hot in the kitchen.
~~~
Warning! I know KARATE!! (and seven other Japanese words)
~~~
Ricky was at the mall and went into a toy shop, picked up a toy plane, gave the shopkeeper fake money and started to leave.
The shopkeeper told him, “Excuse me little boy, this isn’t real money.”
Ricky continued walking out of the shop and didn’t reply.
The shopkeeper repeated himself, and Ricky kept walking.
The third time the shopkeeper called him, Ricky said “What?”
The shopkeeper said, “I’m sorry, young man, but this is not real money.”
Ricky looked at the plane in his hands, looked at the shopkeeper and finally said, “And this isn’t a real plane.”
~~~
Home is where you can say anything you like ’cause nobody listens to you anyway.
~~~
It was the beginning of term at a primary school in Brooklyn. The Teacher asked the children their names one at a time, and for each to Spell their name out loud.
When she came to a young Asian boy and asked his name, he Replied, “Ravashanka Vankatarataam Bannerjee.”
“How do you spell that?” asked the teacher.
“My mother helps me,” said the little boy.
~~~
Late to Bed, Early to Rise; Work like Hell, and You’ll be Wise.
Hyman G. Rickover, Father of the U.S. Nuclear Navy
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I have been dieting and I thought I would share with you some weigh-in tips:
1. Weigh yourself with clothes on, after dinner … as well as in the morning, without clothes, before breakfast, because it’s nice to see how much weight you’ve lost overnight.
2. Never weigh yourself with wet hair.
3. When weighing, remove everything, including glasses. In this case, blurred vision is an asset.
4. Use cheap scales only, never the medical kind, because they are always five pounds off.
5. Always go to the bathroom first.
6. Stand with arms raised, making pressure on the scale lighter.
7. Don’t eat or drink in the morning until AFTER you’ve weighed in completely naked, of course.
8. Weigh yourself after a haircut, this is good for at least half a pound of hair (hopefully).
9. Exhale with all your might BEFORE stepping onto the scale (air has to weigh something, right?).
10. Start out with just one foot on the scale, then holding onto the towel rack in front of you, slowly edge your other foot on and slowly let off of the rack. Admittedly, this takes time, but it’s worth it. You will weigh at least two pounds less than if you’d stepped on normally.
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Murphy told Quinn that his wife was driving him to drink.
Quinn thinks he’s very lucky because his own wife makes him walk.
~~~
Two nuns were shopping in a food store and happened to be passing the beer and liquor section. One asks the other if she would like a beer. The other nun answered that would be good, but that she would be queasy about purchasing it. The first nun said that she would handle it and picked up a six pack and took it to the cashier.
The cashier had a surprised look and the first nun said, “The beer is used for washing our hair.”
The cashier, without blinking an eye, reached under the counter and put a package of pretzels in the bag with the beer saying, “Here, don’t forget the curlers.”
~~~
“The only way to live is by accepting each minute as an unrepeatable miracle.”
Tara Brach
~~~
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 twenty 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.
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