I have been looking forward to this day for months, the why is not important. What gives me pause now that the day has arrived, is why have I felt this way. The question unanswered, unanswerable, is where does today take me going forward. This is not a question to be asked on special occasions, it is a question to be asked every day.
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Thoreau:
Men say they know many things;
But lo! They have taken wings —
The arts and sciences
And a thousand appliances;
The wind that blows
Is all that any body knows.
Self:
The greater of all things are those that nature provides…
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Exercise is a gift to self. It makes you happier, which also makes the people around you happier.
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Does everything remain the same? I would like to ask Otis Redding what was going through his mind when he wrote “The Dock of the Bay.” Perhaps we should all sit and “watch the morning sun” and then sit “until the evening comes…”
I find it difficult to imagine that would not be beneficial.
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The problem with today’s media is there are too many “personalities” telling people what to think — and too many people willing to listen.
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Entertainment by real artists, musicians, and authors is fine, but that should never prevent you from engaging to the best of your ability for your own satisfaction.
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Meditate. Each day. It is life-changing. Do not ask for instructions. Look inside. Do what your soul tells you to do.
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Just because you are different from someone does not mean you should dismiss them. Making the effort to understand them elevates you.
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“Be grateful for the things you have and the things that you can do.”
—Eric Lindell
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We all face struggles. We are all survivors in some way. The objective is to thrive in this one life we have to live.
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“Having compassion, toward another, is Love, whenever they feel there is no Love, at all. Due to whatever they suffer. While there is so much hate, in the world, today. And the only way to abolish hate, is to have mercy, upon the hated to the point, where no one see’s any reason to hate, others around them, at all. For, after so many, have been hurt by those who had been mistreated, by others, around them all. It will be the right choice to not pass judgement against any of them, at all, so they will not see any point, in rising up in their own anger, with hate, against anyone, at all. So they too, will see no reason to be aggressive with harm, toward everyone, of many, out of the number all. So that lives, will have time to mend, with healing, as every weapon, of hate is beaten down, into plowshares, for the sake of peace, between all. Beginning with that same compassion, of Love, that begins from the heart, of kindness, shown unto everyone, of all. Between those, of whoever learned to have patients for those, of the hated to have a change of heart, apart from having any thoughts, of aggressive harm toward them and or anyone else around, at all, so that enough light, will be able to shine, on the realization that if hate, is replaced by Love. There will only be merciful compassion that stands in the place, of all hatred within the thoughts, of everyone, of all, and all around them all.”
I was given this letter by a nice young man who is developmentally disabled. We met in a tasting room in Redmond, Oregon. He stopped in to give a copy of the letter to the woman working the taps, they were acquaintances. I asked him if he liked to write and he told me that he did. After a pause, he asked me if I would like a copy of his letter, I said that I would like to read what he had written. He handed me the letter and thanked me. Before he left I was able to read the first little bit, I told him it was very good. That pleased him very much.
Although difficult to parse, I believe he is spot on and I admire him for having the courage to put his thoughts into words and to share them with a stranger. What follows is an interpretation provided by Grammarly’s AI copy-editing feature.
“Compassion towards others is an act of love, especially when they feel unloved due to their suffering. In a world filled with hate, the only way to eliminate it is to show mercy to those who are hated to the point where they no longer see a reason to hate those around them. We should refrain from judging those who have been mistreated by others, as this may lead to their own anger and aggressive behavior towards others. Let us show kindness and patience towards those who are hated so that they may have a change of heart and see the light of love, which is more powerful than hate. By replacing hate with love, we can eliminate all hatred and promote compassion towards everyone. So let us start with ourselves and show kindness to all, especially those who need it most, and let mercy and compassion be the guiding force in our thoughts and actions.”
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If you have a dream, the best thing you can do to reach that dream is to determine what habits are needed to bring the dream into reality.
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It is good for the soul to elevate the mundane to a level that allows a truth to be revealed. To accomplish this, all we need to do is slow down and eliminate some of the (many) distractions around us.
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Doing one or two good things daily is better than doing a lot of good things occasionally.
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It is not the responsibility of the artist to tell people what to think. The responsibility is to ask questions and imagine what is possible, to reveal the truth behind the everyday.
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Looking into a flame is peaceful. I don’t need to have a thought. In fact, it’s better if I don’t. To have no thought is simply to be. To be is simply to feel. It’s good to feel.
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You can’t learn anything if you don’t listen.
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Aging gives us the patience to look for wisdom and meaning in ways we were unable to fathom in our youth.
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“Lean not on friendship or time.”
—John Quincy Adams
I believe this means you ought to instead rely on your long-held values, assuming they have proven themselves to be a reliable guide.
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Don’t take information from people you don’t trust. But be careful, the fewer people you trust, the harder it becomes to have conversations that allow you to see the whole picture.
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There’s nothing wrong with being a one-hit-wonder, as long as you don’t let that define you.
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Brutalism never condones the use of brutalism.
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Let go of thoughts that are not positive, that do not move you forward.
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Don’t use big words. Keep your sentences short. Don’t be lazy and use vernacular. Avoid overuse of superlatives. Speak truth. Be clear. The sweet spot most likely falls somewhere between Thoreau and Trump.
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If you can’t beat your opponent with facts or with policy based on facts, all you have left are lies… While lying is an option, it is never a solution.
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