Ray’s Daily
March 2, 2021
The great gift of human beings is that we have the power of empathy.
Meryl Streep
As our society reopens we each have the opportunity to make the days ahead good ones. Yesterday I wrote about our new normal, something we can create to be rewarding in our future days. Bottom line it will be what we make it.
As they say “what we sow will be what we reap.” What follows is an offering on what we can do to make our futures special. I know I plan on focusing on its suggestions.
Priceless gifts you can give
THE GIFT OF LISTENING – No interrupting, no daydreaming, no planning your responses. Just listen.
THE GIFT OF AFFECTION – Be generous with appropriate hugs, kisses, pats on the back, and hand holding.
THE GIFT OF LAUGHTER – Share articles, positive news, funny stories, and cartoons to tell someone, ‘I love to laugh with you.’
THE GIFT OF A COMPLIMENT – A simple and sincere ‘You look great in red,’ ‘You did a super job,’ or ‘That was a wonderful meal’ can make someone’s day.
THE GIFT OF SOLITUDE – Be sensitive to the times when others want nothing more than to be left alone.
THE GIFT OF A CHEERFUL DISPOSITION – The easiest way to feel good is to extend a kind word to someone, even if it’s just saying hello or thank you.
THE GIFT OF FRIENDSHIP – Without friends life would hardly be worth living, let your friends know just how much they mean to you today.
THE GIFT OF YOUR SMILE – A simple smile breaks all the barriers of language and culture. Smile and the world smiles with you!
Author Unknown
~~~
The excellence of a gift lies in its appropriateness rather than in its value.
Charles Dudley Warner
~~~
She said:
What’s in a name? Apparently, a lot more than you (or I) ever thought there was. Here’s what his pet name for you *really* means…..
Darling — Depends on how he says it. If he stresses the first syllable, then he’s probably done something wrong or wants money.
Dear — Probably a leftover from his parents. Expect him to wear woolly cardigans, smoke a pipe and prefer a mug of Ovaltine to lager.
Sweetheart — If it’s said patronizingly, it’s not so sweet. But when uttered in earnest, it may send your own sweet heart aflutter.
Babe — Not to be confused with the film of the same name. Check for flares or signs that he’s a 70s throwback. He’s a bit of a medallion man. Chances are he’s got his initials on his chunky ring. Leave immediately if he tries to sell you a second-hand car.
Baby doll — This type of man will probably require you to wear transparent frilly nighties even in the dead of winter. He doesn’t want you to grow up, and obviously can’t deal with real women.
Princess — Never trust a man who calls you princess. You may think you’re being treated like royalty, but beware of Prince Charmings – they may be secretly plotting your over- throw.
Sexy — Fine if you’re sexy. If you’re not, who cares? He probably thinks you are anyway!!
My girlfriend — He’s honest, open and probably glad to have you around. The next thing you know he’ll be using your name!
The wife — If you’re married then he probably thinks he owns you. If you’re not, he probably thinks you act like his wife, in which case, he thinks he owns you.
My other half — You complete the set – he’s only half a man without you. But it may make you feel as though you are losing your identity somewhere.
The missus — See The Wife.
My partner — He’s right on. Probably likes eating tofu and hugging trees.
My significant other — He’s even more right on. Probably thinks it’s cruel to eat tofu and that trees need their own space.
~~~
Anybody who can remember when “boobs” meant “the dumb kids” surely qualifies for middle age.
~~~
He said:
When my grandmother was in her eighties, she decided to move to Israel. As part of the preparations, she went to see her doctor and get all of her medical charts. The doctor asked her how she was doing, and she gave him the normal litany of complaints: this hurts, that’s stiff, I’m tireder and slower, etc., etc., etc.
He responded with, “Mrs. Weiss, you have to expect things to start deteriorating. After all, who wants to live to 100?”
My grandmother looked him straight in the eye and replied, “Anyone who’s 99.”
~~~
Thinking about profound social change, conservatives always expect disaster, while revolutionaries confidently anticipate utopia. Both are wrong.
Carolyn Heilbrun
~~~
I was carpooling with my friend Craig, he noticed that the “Check oil” light was on. He pulled into the gas station, got out of the car, opened the hood, checked the engine oil, closed the hood, then got back into the car.
“Can we make a quick stop?” He asked.
“Sure,” I replied, “what did you need to do?”
“I need to stop by the auto parts place to get a longer dipstick.”
“What do you need a longer one for?” I inquired.
“Because the one I got isn’t long enough to reach the oil!”
~~~
“Now that I’m here, where am I?”
Janis Joplin
~~~
An Irishman sees a job advert published on a building site, ‘handy man wanted; apply within’.
So he does and speaks to the foreman.
Foreman: Can you drive a forklift truck?
Irish man: No
Foreman: can you plaster?
Irish man: No
Foreman: Can you brick lay?
Irish man: No
Foreman: If you don’t mind me asking, what’s handy about you?
Irish man: I only live five minutes down the road….
~~~
Anonymous, quite possibility the most prolific poet and writer of all time, once said …
~~~
An old Sailor and an old Marine were sitting at the VFW arguing about who’d had the tougher career.
“I did 30 years in the Corps,” the Marine declared proudly, “and fought in three of my country’s wars. Fresh out of boot camp, I hit the beach at Okinawa, clawed my way up the blood-soaked sand, and eventually took out an entire enemy machine gun nest with a single grenade. As a sergeant, I fought in Korea. We pushed back the enemy inch by bloody inch all the way up to the Chinese border, always under a barrage of artillery and small arms fire. Finally, as a gunny sergeant, I did three consecutive combat tours in Vietnam. We humped through the mud and razorgrass for 14 hours a day, plagued by rain and mosquitoes, ducking under sniper fire all day and mortar fire all night. In a firefight, we’d fire until our arms ached and our guns were empty, then we’d charge the enemy with bayonets!”
“Ah….” said the Sailor with a dismissive wave of his hand… “all shore duty, huh?”
~~~
Each day offers us the gift of being a special occasion if we can simply learn that as well as giving, it is blessed to receive with grace and a grateful heart.
Sarah Ban Breathnach
~~~
Indianapolis, Indiana
Management is not responsible for duplicates from previous dailies. The editor is somewhat senile.
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