Ray's Daily

Ray’s Daily

August 4, 2021

http://rays-daily.com

The surest way to escape anxiety and defeat despair is action. Do, don’t dwell.

Michael Josephson

Some days are challenging as we live our lives. Too often we let these challenges take us down, fortunately it does not have to be this way. Especially with the Covid epidemic it is important that we do our best. As difficult as things may seem we can do well.

Here are excerpts from a piece I was sent by Marc Chernoff, he minds us that our days are up to us. I hope you will join me as we continue to do our best.

7 Mantras for Those Who Have Lost Their Motivation and Hope

• Never assume that you are stuck with the way things are right now. Life changes every single second, and so can you. – When hard times hit there’s a tendency to extrapolate and assume the future holds more of the same. For some strange reason this doesn’t happen as much when things are going well. If you don’t allow yourself to move past what happened, what was said, what was felt, you will look at your future through that same dirty lens, and nothing will be able to focus your foggy judgment. You will keep on justifying, reliving, and fueling a perception that is worn out and false.
• It is what it is. Accept it, learn from it, and grow from it. It doesn’t matter what’s been done; what truly matters is what you do from here.
• Use pain, frustration and inconvenience to motivate you rather than annoy you. You are in control of the way you look at life. – Instead of getting angry, find the lesson. In place of envy, feel admiration. In place of worry, take action. In place of doubt, have faith.
• The most effective way to move away from something you don’t want, is to move toward something you do want, gradually and consistently. – The key is in building small daily rituals, and understanding that what you do in small steps on a daily basis changes everything over time.
• Effort is never wasted, even when it leads to disappointing results. For it always makes you stronger, more educated, and more experienced. – So when the going gets tough, be patient and keep going. Just because you are struggling does not mean you are failing.
• Practice patience. And remember that patience is not about waiting—it’s the ability to keep a good attitude while working diligently to make daily progress.
• Don’t lower your standards, but do remember that removing your expectations of others is the best way to avoid being derailed by them. – As you strive to make progress, you will inevitably encounter road blocks in the form of difficult people. But realize that the greatest stress you go through when dealing with a difficult person is not fueled by the words or actions of this person—it is fueled by your mind that gives their words and actions importance.
• As you age, you’ll learn to value your time, genuine relationships, meaningful work, and peace of mind, much more. Little else will matter. – Remember this, especially when the going gets chaotic and tough. Focus on what matters in each moment and let go of what does not. Eliminate needless distractions. Stop investing so much of your energy into refining the wrong areas of your life.

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You must expect setbacks and regressions. Don’t say to yourself “All is lost. I have to start all over again.” This is not true. What you have gained you have gained….When you return to the the road, you return to the place where you left it, not to where you started.

Henri Nouwen37

  ~~~

A truck driver went to look for a job.  He showed up at this one place that needed truck drivers bad. He was told that if he could pass an exam, he would be able to go right to work.

The truck driver asked “If’n I was to pass this test, what time do you want me and Leroy to show up for work?”

The man said, “Who is Leroy?”

“Oh, Leroy be my swamper, we been togetter for sebenteen yearrr, I don’t go nowhere wifout Leroy.”

“Well we do need truck drivers really bad, OK. If you pass your exam you and Leroy can start to work tomorrow.”

The man said the first part of the exam was oral. “Suppose you’re driving down the road at 65 MPH, and you come around a curve of a narrow road, then you come to a bridge, and in the middle of the bridge is another truck jackknifed in the middle of the bridge. You can’t stop, you can’t go to the left or right. Quick, What’s the first thing you’re going to do?”

The truck driver took his time answering. “Well the first thing I do will be reach over and wake up Leroy.”

“Why would you wake up Leroy first?”

“Well me and Leroy been togetter fer sebenteen yearrr, and he ain’t never seen a wreck like we gonna have!”

~~~

“When the heart grieves over what it has lost, the spirit rejoices over what it has left.”

Sufi Epigram

~~~

Linda was driving her old beat up car on the Highway with her 7 year old son. She tried to keep up with traffic but they were flying by her.

After getting caught in a large group of cars flying down the road, she looked at her speedometer to see she was doing 15 miles over the speed limit. Slowing down, she moved over to the side and got out of the clump that soon left her behind.

Linda looked up and saw the flashing lights of a police car. She waited for the officer to come up to her car. As he did he said, “Ma’am do you know why I pulled you over?”

Her son piped up from the back seat, “I do… because you couldn’t catch the other cars!”

~~~

Grass grows in direct proportion to your unwillingness to mow it.

~~~

A lady in New York had a beautiful black cat, named Felix, who spent his days outside and came indoors at night. One cool October evening, he disappeared. The neighbor searched for him in vain for several days. The following spring, however, Felix reappeared, looking healthy and clean. She figured he’s been out sowing his wild oats. Everything was back to normal until that autumn, when Felix disappeared again. The next spring, he returned. Perplexed, my aunt’s friend began asking neighbors for clues. Finally, she rang the bell of an older couple who lived down the street. “A black cat?” the woman said. “Oh, yes! My husband and I hated to see him out in the cold, so we bought a cat carrier. We take him to Florida with us every winter.”

~~~

Support a Lawyer – Become a Doctor

~~~

One day a man came home from work to find his wife crying hysterically in the kitchen.

“What’s wrong dearest??” asked the confused husband.

“Oh darling,” sobbed the wife, “I was cleaning little Suzie’s room when I found whips, handcuffs and chains under her bed, along with a very erotic porn magazine! What ever are we going to do???”

“Well,” replied the man…

“I guess a spanking is out of the question?”

~~~

It is not our abilities that show what we truly are. It is our choices.

Professor Dumbledore

~~~

Three little boys were bragging about how tough they were. “I’m so tough”, said the first boy, “that I can wear out a pair of shoes in a week”.

“Well”, said the second little boy, “I’m so tough, I can wear out a pair of jeans in a day”.

“That’s nothing”, said the third boy. “When my parents take me to see my grandma and grampa, I can wear them out in a hour”.

~~~

“Keep your face to the sunshine and you cannot see the shadow.”

Helen Keller

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Remember Sam Levenson? Not enough people do. He was such a clever man but time has diminished the memory of his wit. I thought I’d resurrect him, as his words today are as pithy as they were when he wrote them.

“Many wise words are spoken in jest, but they don’t compare with the number of stupid words spoken in earnest.”

“The first screw to get loose in your head is the one that holds your tongue in place.”

“You’re only young once. After that it takes some other excuse for behaving like an idiot.”

“Even if the majority agrees on an idiotic idea, it is still an idiotic idea.”

“The greatness of this or any country may still be measured by the number of people trying to get IN vs. the number trying to get OUT.”

“The best defense of our country is to keep it at all times WORTH defending.”

“War doesn’t prove who is right; only who is left.”

“War is better at abolishing nations than nations are at abolishing wars.”

“You can’t shake hands with a clenched fist.”

“There are more important things in life than money. The trouble is they all cost money.”

~~~

You don’t have to say anything. You don’t have to teach anything. You just have to be who you are: a bright flame shining in the darkness of despair, a shining example of a person able to cross bridges by opening your heart and mind.

Tsoknyi Rinpoche

~~~

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@comcast.net. Back issues are posted at http://rays-daily,com/ currently there are hundreds of  readers from around the world.