Ray’s Daily
June 27, 2022
“It always seems impossible until it is done.”
Nelson Mandela
Here we go again, a new week. There will be a lot going on as we end June and get ready for Independence day. Besides the daily I have a few activities to participate in. Things are not as easy as they once where but they are still do able. In any case I will do my best.
I like the following story as it reminds me how we can strive to always do our best.
Be a good one
Pablo Picasso, the great Spanish painter and sculptor, once said this about his ability: ‘My mother said to me, if you become a soldier, you’ll be a general; if you become a monk, you’ll end up as Pope. Instead, I became a painter and wound up as Picasso.’ No lack of confidence here!
But he would have agreed with Abraham Lincoln. ‘Whatever you are,’ said Lincoln, ‘be a good one.’ He demonstrated the wisdom of that advice with his own life. And in this present age, which often seems to be contented with mediocrity, his words summon a yearning for improvement and growth.
I think it helps to remember that excellence is not a place at which we arrive so much as a way of travelling. To do and be our best is a habit among those who hear and understand Lincoln’s admonition.
Viennese-born composer Frederick Loewe, whom we remember from his musical scores that include – My Fair Lady, Gigi and Camelot, was not always famous. He studied piano with the great masters of Europe and achieved huge success as a musician and composer in his early years. But when he immigrated to the United States, he failed as a piano virtuoso. For a while he tried other types of work including prospecting for gold and boxing. But he never gave up his dream and continued to play piano and write music.
During those lean years, he could not always afford to make payments on his piano. One day, bent over the keyboard, he heard nothing but the music that he played with such rare inspiration. When he finished and looked up, he was startled to find that he had an audience – three moving men who were seated on the floor.
They said nothing and made no movement toward the piano. Instead, they dug into their pockets, pooled together enough money for the payment, placed it on the piano and walked out, empty handed. Moved by the beauty of his music, these men recognized excellence and responded to it.
Whatever you are, be a good one. If what you do is worth doing, if you believe that who you are is of value, then you can’t afford to be content with mediocrity. When you choose the path of excellence through this life, you will bring to it your best and receive the best it can offer in return. And you will know what it is to be satisfied.
Writtne by Steve Goodier
~~~
“Well done is better than well said.”
Benjamin Franklin
~~~
Ralphie was practicing the violin in the living room while his father was trying to read in the den.
The family dog was lying in the den, and as the screeching sounds of little Harold’s violin reached his ears, he began to howl loudly.
The father listened to the dog and the violin as long as he could. Then he jumped up, slammed his paper to the floor and yelled above the noise, “For Pete’s sake, can’t you play something the dog doesn’t know?!”
~~~
Dennison’s law: Virtue is its own punishment.
~~~
A young boy came home from school and told his mother, “I had a big fight with Sidney. He called me a sissy.”
“What did you do?” the mother asked.
“I hit him with my purse!”
~~~
“Your vision will become clear only when you can look into your own heart. Who looks outside, dreams. Who looks inside, awakes.”
Carl G. Jung
~~~
A Norwegian took a trip to Fargo, North Dakota. While in a bar, an Indian on the next stool spoke to the Norwegian in a friendly manner. “Look,” he said, “let’s have a little game. I’ll ask you a riddle. If you can answer it, I’ll buy YOU a drink. If you can’t then you buy me one. OK?”
“Ja, dat sounds purty good,” said the Norwegian.
The Indian said, “My father and mother had one child. It wasn’t my brother. It wasn’t my sister. Who was it?”
The Norwegian scratched his head and finally said, “I give up. Who vas it?”
“It was ME,” chortled the Indian.
So the Norwegian paid for the drinks. Back in Sioux Falls the Norwegian went into the bar and spotted one of his cronies, “Sven,” he said, “I got a game. If you can answer a question, I’ll buy you a drink. If you can’t, you have to buy me vun. Fair enough?”
“Fair enough,” said Sven.
Ok…my father and mudder had vun child. It vasn’t my brudder. It vasn’t my sister. Who vas it?”
“Search me,” said Sven.
“I give up, who vas it?” “It vas some Indian up in Fargo, North Dakota.”
~~~
What’s the hardest thing about playing golf with your wife? -Having to say, “Great shot, Honey!” 142 times.
~~~
A programmer had been missing from work for over a week when finally someone noticed and called the cops.
They went round to his flat and broke the door down. They found him dead in the still running shower with an empty bottle of shampoo next to his body. Apparently he’d been washing his hair.
The instructions on the bottle said: Wet hair Apply shampoo Lather Rinse Repeat
~~~
Little Johnny asked his grandma how old she was. Grandma answered, “39 and holding.” Johnny thought for a moment, and then said, “And how old would you be if you let go?”
~~~
I’ve taken a vow of poverty. To annoy me, send money.
~~~
Jill and Nina went to lecture on positive thinking. After the lecture was done, Nina said to Jill, “You know, I learned a lot from this. From now on, I am going to accentuate the positive and eliminate the negative. From now on, I am going to use the word IS instead of the word NOT.”
“You’re right Nina. I am going to quit making negative statements too. I am going to speak positively from now on as well”, Jill said.
“Really Jill, like what?” asked Nina.
“Well,” Jill says, “I used to always say that my husband was not fit to live with the hogs. Now I am going to say he IS fit to live with them.”
~~~
“An archaeologist is the best husband a woman can have. The older she gets, the more interested he is in her.”
Agatha Christie
~~~
“May I try on that dress in the window?” the gorgeous young woman asks the manager of the designer boutique.
“Go ahead,” the manager replies. “Maybe it’ll attract business.
~~~
I have an inferiority complex, but it’s not a very good one.
~~~
Jones jumped up from the card table white with rage. “Stop this game,” he shouted, “Smith is cheating!”
“How do you know?”
“He’s not playing the hand I dealt him.”
~~~
“Do not watch the clock. Do what it does. Keep going.”
Sam Levenson
~~~
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.
Ray's Daily 
Leave a Reply