Ray’s Daily
May 20, 2022
“Perhaps our eyes need to be washed by our tears once in a while, so that we can see Life with a clearer view again.”
Alex Tan
Ray’s Daily first published on May 20, 2008
This is not the easiest of times for many people these days. Some of those I know seem to be depressed much of the time. They worry about the high cost of food and energy. Many are fearful that they will not have enough to sustain themselves in future years. Of course the news of the shrinking dollar, forecasted inflation, health concerns, war, national debt, and more does not make it any easier.
Sadly some measure happiness by how many vacations they can take, the ability to buy a new car every couple of years, being able to regularly spending a couple of hundred dollars for dinner at a gourmet restaurant, and generally getting everything they want. It is like we have been trained to lose sight of what really is important. Unfortunately those who place more value on things then they should let them selves slip into depression since they don’t see why they must now be deprived. Those of us who grew up in the 40’s and even the 50’s remember when the simpler life is what all we had and how much we valued friends and the special moments we spent together. It is not easy to adjust to difficult times but maybe if we placed more value on what we do have and less on what we don’t have we would realize just how fortunate we really are.
Some years ago my friend Jack in Florida sent me a reminder of the value of cherishing our real treasure. Here is what he sent:
Starting from Empty
We are all familiar with the metaphorical story of two people looking at the same glass and one perceiving it as half-full while the other sees it as half-empty. As much as we’ve heard this, it’s still a valuable exercise to really observe our minds and notice whether we are engaged in half-full or half-empty thinking. People will refer to themselves as being of one type or the other as if it was a permanent characteristic, but we are all capable of shifting into a half-full consciousness if we simply make the effort.
When we look at our lives with half-empty consciousness, we perceive a lack and think that the other half of what we want is missing. We are coming from a position of expectation and entitlement. On the other hand, when we look at our lives as half-full we perceive fullness. It is as if we recognize that our cup could be fully empty and so we are grateful for what we see as bounty, not something we expect or believe we are owed, but a gift. In half-full consciousness, we count our blessings. When we look at our lives we see all the elements that are in place and all the things we do have. This doesn’t necessarily mean we don’t seek more, but we seek from a place of fullness instead of from a place of lack. This fullness draws positive energy into our lives and often attracts more abundance.
If you would like to begin to make the shift into half-full consciousness, try imagining your life as an empty glass. This is your life without all the people you know, the work you do, your home, or your current state of physical wellbeing. This is just an empty, open space waiting to be filled. Once you have that feeling of openness in your mind, begin filling it with all the people, things, and places that make up your life. You may be surprised to find your glass overflowing.
~~~
“May the love hidden deep inside your heart find the love waiting in your dreams.
May the laughter that you find in your tomorrow wipe away the pain you find in your yesterdays.”
~~~
At a golf course, four men approached the sixteenth tee.
The straight fairway ran along a road and bike path fenced off on the left. The first golfer teed off and hooked the ball in that direction. The ball went over the fence, and bounced off the bike path onto the road, where it hit the tire of a moving bus, and was knocked back on to the fairway.
As they all stood in silent amazement, one man finally asked him, “How on earth did you do that?”
He shrugged his shoulders, and said, “You have to know the bus schedule.”
~~~
To forgive heals the wound, to forget heals the scar.
~~~
A minister was completing a Temperance sermon.
With great emphasis he said, “If I had all the beer in the world, I’d take it and pour it into the river.”
With even greater emphasis he said, “And if I had all the wine in the world, I’d take it and pour it into the river.”
And then finally, shaking his fist in the air, he said, “And if I had all the whiskey in the world, I’d take it and pour it into the river.”
Sermon complete, he sat down.
The song leader stood very cautiously and announced – with a tiny smile, “For our closing song, Let us sing Hymn #365, ‘Shall We Gather at the River’
~~~
The most important thing in life is to learn how to give out love and to let it come in.
Morrie Schwartz
~~~
A golfer who was well into his golden years had a lifelong ambition to play one hole at Pebble Beach, California, the way the pros do it. The pros drive the ball out over the water onto the green that is on a spit of land that just out off the coast. It was something he had tried hundreds of times without success. His ball always fell short, into the water. Because of this he never used a new ball on this particular hole. He always picked out one that had a cut or a nick.
One year he went out to Pebble Beach to try again. When he came to the fateful hole, he teed up an old cut ball and said a silent prayer. Before he hit it, however, a powerful voice from above said, “WAIT. REPLACE THAT OLD BALL WITH A BRAND NEW BALL.”
He complied, with some slight misgiving, despite the fact that the Lord seemed to be implying that He was going to let him finally achieve his lifelong ambition. As he stepped up to the tee once more, the voice came down again, “WAIT. STEP BACK. TAKE A PRACTICE SWING.”
So he stepped back and took a practice swing. The voice boomed out again:, “TAKE ANOTHER PRACTICE SWING.” He did. Silence followed. Then the voice spoke out again, “PUT THE OLD BALL BACK.”
~~~
You can’t change the past, but you can ruin the present by worrying about the future.
~~~
Our 13 year old niece spent last night with us. When we dropped her off at home, my sister-in-law asked how she behaved. “She was an angel,” I informed her. “Really?” she questioned. “Yes, really. A perfect angel.”
I assured her. “I just don’t understand. Whenever she is with you she is well behaved. Whenever she is at home, she is a monster. She misbehaves for everyone else. In fact, the teachers at her school drew straws to see who would be stuck with her in their class. How come she always behaves for you?” My sister in law asked. “I don’t know. I guess I just have a way with children. I also try to educate them as well. A child is never to young to learn.” I answered. “What do you mean. What did you teach her?” She inquired. “Well, for instance, children need to learn about death and dying so they better understand this process. I explained this concept very carefully to her.” I informed my sister-in-law. “Really? You explained this to her at 13?”
She asked dumbfounded. “Well actually she was much younger when I explained this. She now understands death perfectly. Which is good, because it makes threatening her with it, much more effective.”
~~~
Spring is wonderful. It makes you feel young enough to do all the things you’re old enough, to know you can’t.
~~~
Karen: On the cover of a women’s magazine, I saw the title: “Men’s Secret Fear About Their Working Wives.” I decided to get a first-hand account. I asked my ex, “What’s your innermost fear about my working?”
Michelle: What did he say?
Karen: He said, “That you’ll quit.”
~~~
“Life is full of beauty. Notice it. Notice the bumble bee, the small child, and the smiling faces.
Smell the rain, and feel the wind. Live your life to the fullest potential, and fight for your dreams.”
Ashley Smith
~~~
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.
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