We used to sing that ditty in Boy Scouts before, you guessed it, announcements…
Some days I’m so happy I could cry.
I know I shouldn’t tell you that. You’ll think there’s something wrong with me. No one does that. Occasionally I do.
I haven’t written yet about Pickleball. America’s fastest growing sport. I play and I enjoy it. Now you know everything you need to know about me vis-a-vis Pickleball. It’s actually a bit more complicated than that…
I am a competative person but I prefer to compete with myself not with other people, especially people 40 years younger than I am. So I occasionally find myself overmatched on the court. I try and get by as best I can, but I have to admit it is frustrating. Someone recently asked me if I have a desire to play at the next higher level of competition, I said definitely not. My goal is to be playing at the same level and not lower 10 years from now. I think that’s a smart goal. There you go! That is definitely Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound. (I might have to take the “A” out of that list, we’ll see.)
My real goal when I step onto the court is to be a good competitor and to leave the court with my partner and opponents saying to themselves, there goes a gracious man. I think I accomplish that most days. I have to admit, I think that’s more important than winning. However, I do like winning, who doesn’t?
Focus on the here and now, focus on the details of what you need to be doing. Don’t look ahead, and by all means, don’t look ahead and dwell on the obstacles in your path or what could go wrong with your plan. Stay on task. Perform each step of your plan with intention and precision to the best of your ability. Don’t look at the big picture, just look at what is in front of you. (Okay, look at the big picture occasionally so you know you are still headed in the right direction.)
Sometimes, after my sweetheart has been away for a few days and she comes home, I make sure the bed is made and there are no dirty dishes in the kitchen sink. Sometimes I even fix her dinner to welcome her home. Let’s be very clear about this, that does not mean the dishwasher is empty…
Here’s a little something I picked up at the Senior Center. It’s a self-care checklist. Not a bad thing. I’ve modified it a bit to suit my lifestyle, but other than that, here it is.
Not a bad list. Doing these things every day goes a long way toward a happy and healthy life. You will notice that one of these is not “self-care” strictly speaking. Performing a Service is very important to leading a fulfilling life. I will admit, I’m a bit shy in this department. To correct that, I sent an email to my local Elementary School asking if I could be a Classroom Assistant. I’m waiting to hear back.
Correct your own faults and not the faults of others. Tempting fate by railing against others gains nothing, it only places more obstacles in your path.
The cat was sitting on the foot of the bed when he noticed movement on the wall across from him. What he was looking at intently was a reflection of the tree in the back yard fluttering in the wind. It looked like a living sepia toned portrait that was alive.
Suddenly a bird flew into the tree outside and the shadow perfectly reflected the movement of the bird. The cat immediately sat up staring at the wall. The next thing I knew he had jumped down from the bed and was crouched at the base of the wall, staring up at the reflection of the bird. After about a minute, a cloud cast a shadow over the sun that obscured the reflection on the wall. The cat continued to stare at the wall, waiting for the reflection to return. For almost two minutes the cat focused all his attention on the location where the reflection had been. I was impressed by his patience and his ability to focus, just to catch a moving shadow.
The strings that appear in the reflection are the Christmas lights. Yes, I keep them up year round, but only in the back of the house. It is fun to turn them on occasionally to provide a party-like atmosphere.
You needn’t constantly be on the offense. Playing defense can be a strategic move and even lead to a higher level of happiness. Those who go on the offensive their entire life often end up unhappy and falling short of their desired goal. Think of it as a sort of Tai Chi. Equal emphasis is given to both offensive and defensive strategies.
Part of living with a cat means that when you get out of bed in the morning, you have to do it in a manner that doesn’t disturb his royal highness at the foot of the bed. When he leads you to his food dish, you better be prepared to feed him. When he is sitting patiently by the back door, staring at you, that’s usually a sign that he wants to go outside. If you hear a scratching noise at 3 AM you know you have to get out of bed, and you better, or the duvet is going to be ripped to shreds.
Even though it sounds like he may be a bit demanding, I ask a lot of him too. I ask that when I pick him up, he let me hold him for 15 seconds (I’m lucky to get 5). When I’m writing in my journal and he jumps up on the desk and lays down on top of it, I ask him to please move. Does he? Of course not. When I’m brushing him, I ask that he doesn’t insist I do it for 90 minutes. When he’s sitting in my favorite chair on the patio, I ask he vacate it for me, which he usually does, after 60 minutes or so. Have I ever thought about living without him? Never.
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Don’t be ashamed to ask for help. None of us were born with all the skills necessary to solve every problem. Our friends and family often hold the key to overcoming what is troubling us. If you need help, ask.
We are all in this together.
Much maligned, rarely congratulated. Dr. Fauci represents the best in (the many) career civil servants that made a truly significant contribution to the fight against COVID. Many people have chosen to weave conspiracy theories around his name. That’s a sad outcome to endure simply as a result of doing your best to help your fellow man. The good doctor was not without mistakes, none of us are. The few that were made were acknowledged and corrected. That’s all we can ask of ourselves or anyone. As Einstein said, and as it applies to all those that engaged in the fight against COVID, “Failure is success in progress.” Dr. Fauci never gave his country less than his best. And his best helped to save us.
Special thanks to the artist and friend Adam Hansen.
The reason why we have two ears and one mouth is so we might listen more and talk less.
Talking doesn’t always help. It hurts more often than it helps. Only give feedback when it is requested, or you might just make matters worse. Listening allows us to hear solutions. Talking creates noise that stifles our ability to hear the solution.
Fight for the things you care about. But do it in a way that will lead others to join you.
Her career on the High Bench was driven by what is best for the American people, not what is best for special interests or a particular political party. Today’s Bench would do well to follow her example instead of bring shame to it.
Special thanks to the artist and friend Adam Hansen.
There are two sides to every problem. The side that perpetuates the problem and the side that allows us to break out and attack the problem differently. Think of them as two handles, one that doesn’t give us the leverage to lift and one that does. Some might think of this as perspective. It comes down to looking at the problem through new eyes and finding the solution that you have been overlooking.
Democratic socialism means that we must reform a political system that is corrupt, that we must create an economy that works for all, not just the very wealthy.
Yes, we become stronger when men and women, young and old, gay and straight, native-born and immigrant fight together to create the kind of country we all know we can become.
If you were to try and convince me these words are untrue… you would have your work cut out for you…
Special thanks to the artist and friend Adam Hansen.
Do not forget that life is a struggle both with forces outside our bodies and with forces inside our bodies. The best way to survive and prosper is to remember the virtues that keep us on track and moving forward: discipline, fortitude, clearheadedness and sacrifice.
The world will not be destroyed by those who do evil, but by those who watch them without doing anything…
Now is the time to make your voice heard. You are not alone. Engage. Find a way to help make the world a better place. Complaining about the way things are doesn’t count as engagement.
Special thanks to the artist and friend Adam Hansen.
Don’t focus on the obstacles in front of you. Focus on what you need to be doing to reach your goal. Focus on the details, the outcome will take care of itself. Not looking at the desired outcome will lead to greater success in the long run.
In the fall of 1939 in Paris and throughout France, people thought they were safe from the coming war because of the “One Big Beautiful” ditch along the Italian, Swiss and German borders. That is no less foolish than building a Big Beautiful Wall along the Southern border of the United States. The most tragic thing about the stupidity of man is the unwillingness to let go of ideas that have proven to be ineffective.
Stop caring what other people think. Don’t let caring what other people think force you to adopt their views.
This morning after making my morning coffee I returned to bed to enjoy it while reading. This morning it was The Paris Library. Tux always joins me back in bed. He is very aware of my “possessions” and he likes to get my attention by “owning” them. My cell phone was next to me so he laid down with his head covering it. I acknowledge his move by stroking the top of his head, no doubt what he was after in the first place. I didn’t need a phone, after all I had a good book… and a cat.
After reading a chapter, I set the book down and looked out the window into the back yard. I noticed small birds flying in and out of the Russian Sage. It’s late summer and the sage is in full bloom. I don’t know if the birds were eating the flowers or possibly seeds, or just playing. They appeared to be chasing each other in and out of the sage. The birds were so small they barely bent the branches of the sage when they landed on them. That is surprising because it doesn’t take much weight to bend the slender branches. I watched them for a few minutes and then decided it was time to start the day, after another cup of coffee, in bed of course.
Life is not cake. If you look at others and say “why not me,” you are playing a zero-sum game. When you look at the accomplishments of others with desire, you should say “I can do that too.”
Mr. President, do you ever get tired of not knowing what you’re talking about?
If you find yourself in a hole, quit digging. Don’g make matters worse by fretting and complaining. Make them better by looking out of the hole and deciding what you need to do to climb your way out. Anger and negative emotion will only make matters worse.
It’s 9:30pm. I’ve just finished reading Raising Hare A Memoir. I picked it up at my favorite bookstore in Kanab, UT. I drop in there about every six months, sometimes a bit more often. Whoever stocks their shelves always has a unique selection of books about people and/or the outdoors. This find was no exception. The book was about an English woman that saves a wild new-born hare. Against all odds the hare survives and actually befriends the woman and spends it’s life living in the English countryside and periodically visiting the woman and becoming an integral part of her life, all the while remaining a wild creature. I was moved by the telling of her story. A remarkable memoir about her and the hare.
After finishing the book I decided to make some Tapioca Pudding. My first attempt. I was marginally successful. I may not have boiled the pudding quite long enough. It tasted slightly of egg and I don’t know why. My sister would know what I did wrong. I sat down outside to enjoy the desert. Tux sat with me as usual. When he got a wif of what was in my bowl, he jumped up on the table in front of me to have a closer inspection. Apparently not to his liking, he turned around and sat down with his back to me. Apparently he agreed with me that it wasn’t cooked quite right.
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We don’t get to choose our parents but we do get to choose our mentors. This includes acquiring the wisdom of those that have come before us, it also includes choosing as associates those that can provide us examples of what we aspire to be.