(New thoughts posted Monday and Thursday of each week)
When you have read my list add to it with some of your own.
1. I am grateful for anytime I create a shadow because it reminds me that I am out and about in the open air and sunshine.
2. A friend told me the other day that he was thankful for his gasoline cap because otherwise his gasoline would slosh all over the place. I got to thinking of a whole lot of things we take for granted such as the ability to toast a slice of bread, freeze ice cream and create so many different delicious chocolate concoctions, which is basically bitter until we make it so delightfully sweet by adding sugar.
3. Mark Twain once said, “I can live for two months on one good compliment.” So yes, I am thankful for people who take the time to say nice things to me or about me, and my ability to remember to do the same.
4. Have you stopped to think how long your shoe laces would last if there weren’t those little pieces of plastic at the ends to keep them from unraveling? Be thankful! And what about those arrows that give you the proper directions for inserting batteries? Be thankful.
5. Even though you are reading this electronically, I still am overwhelmingly grateful for paper because it is that wonderful stuff books are made of. There is still nothing like the feel of a good book in hand.
6. And yes, I’m thankful for people like you who read my blog.
And how could you have gotten through the day without this list? Be thankful.
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Monday, November 24, 2008
DIAL HEAVEN
(new thoughts on different subjects are posted each Monday and Thursday)
Most everyone prays. Some more, some less but prayer is a need that nurtures our spiritual, emotional, mental and physical needs.. How often is enough? Well, consider this quote, “Is prayer your steering wheel or your spare tire?” (Corrie Ten Boom)
Would you have more meaningful prayers? Then become a spiritual linguist. In short, prayer is “a language of the heart” and the more fluent you become in this language the better you will understand your own attempts.
Prayer is not a grammar session. God certainly doesn’t care if you have a dangling participle. A good prayer does not necessarily have a proper beginning, middle and end. It can be brief and pointed, or as long as you need it to be. But when you pray, humility should be in your heart and your thoughts should be thoroughly focused; for if your prayers are not intense, why are you praying in the first place?
One thing is for sure, never bow your head with a stop watch in your hand.
If you say to me, “I try to pray, I really I do, but I just can’t concentrate on anything for very long, even God,” I would reply, “Don’t try to conquer a mountain until you have learned how to climb a hill.” Work on a moment, just one moment, before you extend to a minute, and when you have mastered that then try two minutes – you get the picture. To enlarge your capacity for things of the spirit you must learn to decrease the time you spend thinking on things less worthy of your thoughts.
What is so important about this business called praying? Well, God does not die when and if we put prayer on the back burner, but we do.
Most everyone prays. Some more, some less but prayer is a need that nurtures our spiritual, emotional, mental and physical needs.. How often is enough? Well, consider this quote, “Is prayer your steering wheel or your spare tire?” (Corrie Ten Boom)
Would you have more meaningful prayers? Then become a spiritual linguist. In short, prayer is “a language of the heart” and the more fluent you become in this language the better you will understand your own attempts.
Prayer is not a grammar session. God certainly doesn’t care if you have a dangling participle. A good prayer does not necessarily have a proper beginning, middle and end. It can be brief and pointed, or as long as you need it to be. But when you pray, humility should be in your heart and your thoughts should be thoroughly focused; for if your prayers are not intense, why are you praying in the first place?
One thing is for sure, never bow your head with a stop watch in your hand.
If you say to me, “I try to pray, I really I do, but I just can’t concentrate on anything for very long, even God,” I would reply, “Don’t try to conquer a mountain until you have learned how to climb a hill.” Work on a moment, just one moment, before you extend to a minute, and when you have mastered that then try two minutes – you get the picture. To enlarge your capacity for things of the spirit you must learn to decrease the time you spend thinking on things less worthy of your thoughts.
What is so important about this business called praying? Well, God does not die when and if we put prayer on the back burner, but we do.
Thursday, November 20, 2008
THE ANGLE OF YOUR WRANGLE (2) Some Cures for Anger
(additional thoughts are added Monday and Thursday of each week)
Perhaps an oyster is one of the finest examples of patience in action. It takes an irritation and makes it a pearl.
People get mad about the strangest things. Not too long ago, one of the inevitable poll takers asked 100 college women and 35 college men to list the things that made them angry. The 100 women listed 274 items. The 35 men 251. A sampling of the list makes you wonder whether you should laugh or cry. They got mad at:
1. People at red light.
2. People at green lights.
3. People talking too much
4. People talking too little.
5. People out to get me
6. People who don’t pay any attention to me.
Anger? Anger is a wind that blows out the lamp of the mind. Do we live in an age of rage? U.S. News reports that a serious crime is committed in America every six seconds, most of them because of anger. The average man loses his temper 6 times a week, the average woman 3. Many psychologists argue that anger out of control is the cause of most depression.
Control your anger and you control your life.
The angle of your wrangle does make a difference. Not just your reason for anger but the angle of your attack. Whether it is conducted with compassion or its lack, from a point of view that has you trying to understand others or not trying to understand at all.
Like the mother who went berserk one afternoon when she was told by an older child that her little four years old had taken a magic marker and written all over her new wall paper. Without viewing the damage she charged up the stairs and entered his room screaming at the top of her lungs. "Do you realize what you have done, you little monster? I saved for months to be able to help make our house beautiful and now look what you have done!” She raved and ranted as the little boy cowered in the corner. Finally, exhausted from spanking him, yelling at him and belittling him, she charged out of the room, slammed the door and charged downstairs to view the disaster area. And there it was. In big capital red letters, “Mummy, I love you.”
Do you read Peanuts? Doesn’t everyone? At any rate, a number of years ago, Lucy in one of her monologues says, “I have examined my life and found it is without flaw. Therefore, I’m going to hold a ceremony and present myself with a medal. I will then give a moving acceptance speech. After that, I’ll greet myself in the receiving line.” She concludes somewhat sadly, “When you’re perfect, you have to do everything yourself.”
Come to think of it…this is one of the chief causes of so much of our ongoing angers…everyone else isn’t as perfect as we are.
We all get angry and it isn’t going to stop. The best we can do is control the situation rather than let it control us. Therefore, try this…
Get out a piece of paper and write down what made you angry. Sometimes, just seeing in writing what has you so upset may be enough to stop your anger before it gets out of hand.
Is the situation changeable? In short, are you wasting a lot of effort over something that is not going to change and you might well consider learning how to live with it?
One thing is for sure…saying there is nothing you can do about is forgetting that anger is a poison you take, and then without sometimes realizing it, waiting around for the other person to die. (rewrite of an old quote)
Perhaps an oyster is one of the finest examples of patience in action. It takes an irritation and makes it a pearl.
People get mad about the strangest things. Not too long ago, one of the inevitable poll takers asked 100 college women and 35 college men to list the things that made them angry. The 100 women listed 274 items. The 35 men 251. A sampling of the list makes you wonder whether you should laugh or cry. They got mad at:
1. People at red light.
2. People at green lights.
3. People talking too much
4. People talking too little.
5. People out to get me
6. People who don’t pay any attention to me.
Anger? Anger is a wind that blows out the lamp of the mind. Do we live in an age of rage? U.S. News reports that a serious crime is committed in America every six seconds, most of them because of anger. The average man loses his temper 6 times a week, the average woman 3. Many psychologists argue that anger out of control is the cause of most depression.
Control your anger and you control your life.
The angle of your wrangle does make a difference. Not just your reason for anger but the angle of your attack. Whether it is conducted with compassion or its lack, from a point of view that has you trying to understand others or not trying to understand at all.
Like the mother who went berserk one afternoon when she was told by an older child that her little four years old had taken a magic marker and written all over her new wall paper. Without viewing the damage she charged up the stairs and entered his room screaming at the top of her lungs. "Do you realize what you have done, you little monster? I saved for months to be able to help make our house beautiful and now look what you have done!” She raved and ranted as the little boy cowered in the corner. Finally, exhausted from spanking him, yelling at him and belittling him, she charged out of the room, slammed the door and charged downstairs to view the disaster area. And there it was. In big capital red letters, “Mummy, I love you.”
Do you read Peanuts? Doesn’t everyone? At any rate, a number of years ago, Lucy in one of her monologues says, “I have examined my life and found it is without flaw. Therefore, I’m going to hold a ceremony and present myself with a medal. I will then give a moving acceptance speech. After that, I’ll greet myself in the receiving line.” She concludes somewhat sadly, “When you’re perfect, you have to do everything yourself.”
Come to think of it…this is one of the chief causes of so much of our ongoing angers…everyone else isn’t as perfect as we are.
We all get angry and it isn’t going to stop. The best we can do is control the situation rather than let it control us. Therefore, try this…
Get out a piece of paper and write down what made you angry. Sometimes, just seeing in writing what has you so upset may be enough to stop your anger before it gets out of hand.
Is the situation changeable? In short, are you wasting a lot of effort over something that is not going to change and you might well consider learning how to live with it?
One thing is for sure…saying there is nothing you can do about is forgetting that anger is a poison you take, and then without sometimes realizing it, waiting around for the other person to die. (rewrite of an old quote)
Monday, November 17, 2008
THE ANGLE OF YOUR WRANGLE, Some Cures For Anger (1)
(additional thoughts are added Monday and Thursday of each week)
In the spring of 1894, the Baltimore Orioles baseball team was playing in Boston. Halfway through the game, an Orioles player, John McGraw, got into a first class fight with Boston’s third baseman. Soon, all the players on both teams exploded onto the field and fists began to fly. Soon the fight spread to the stands. Then someone set the stands on fire. The fire spread – when it was over 107 buildings in Boston lay in ashes.
To find anger is to lose reason. It paves the way for many regrets. It is the father of foolishness. One can seldom be proud of what they say or do when angry. The book of Proverbs puts it this way: “He that hath no rule over his own spirit is like a city that is broken down and without walls.”
“Daddy,” the little boy asked, “How does war start?” “Well,” answered his daddy, “In World War I the Germans marched into Belgium and…” His wife interrupted, “You’re wrong. The Archduke was assassinated. You’ve got the wrong war.”
“Who did our son ask? Just shut up and stay out of this.” Now his wife was beginning to steam, “If you weren’t so dumb I wouldn’t have had to say anything.” As their anger escalated the little boy broke in, “You don’t have to say any more. I have the answer.”
Will Rodgers once commented, “Anyone who flies off in a rage is going to have a very rocky landing.
Would you control your anger more often than it controls you? Act calm whether you feel calm or not. Stop shouting or better still don’t start. It is easier to control your outward actions than it is to control your inner feelings…so start with that which you can control.
Is too much sugar making you act anything but sweet? Sometimes, cutting back on too many cakes or candies can decrease the tendency toward irritation. Try it…you may like the results.
More in my next notes on anger.
In the spring of 1894, the Baltimore Orioles baseball team was playing in Boston. Halfway through the game, an Orioles player, John McGraw, got into a first class fight with Boston’s third baseman. Soon, all the players on both teams exploded onto the field and fists began to fly. Soon the fight spread to the stands. Then someone set the stands on fire. The fire spread – when it was over 107 buildings in Boston lay in ashes.
To find anger is to lose reason. It paves the way for many regrets. It is the father of foolishness. One can seldom be proud of what they say or do when angry. The book of Proverbs puts it this way: “He that hath no rule over his own spirit is like a city that is broken down and without walls.”
“Daddy,” the little boy asked, “How does war start?” “Well,” answered his daddy, “In World War I the Germans marched into Belgium and…” His wife interrupted, “You’re wrong. The Archduke was assassinated. You’ve got the wrong war.”
“Who did our son ask? Just shut up and stay out of this.” Now his wife was beginning to steam, “If you weren’t so dumb I wouldn’t have had to say anything.” As their anger escalated the little boy broke in, “You don’t have to say any more. I have the answer.”
Will Rodgers once commented, “Anyone who flies off in a rage is going to have a very rocky landing.
Would you control your anger more often than it controls you? Act calm whether you feel calm or not. Stop shouting or better still don’t start. It is easier to control your outward actions than it is to control your inner feelings…so start with that which you can control.
Is too much sugar making you act anything but sweet? Sometimes, cutting back on too many cakes or candies can decrease the tendency toward irritation. Try it…you may like the results.
More in my next notes on anger.
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Ben Franklin Speaks to 21st Century America from his 18th Century Point of View
(Excerpts from Neil's book Poor Richard’s Almanack for the 20th Century)
(this book was written as if Ben Franklin had come back to life in our time)
New thoughts are added each Monday and Thursday.
TO KEEP AMERICA ALIVE AND WELL. To God give fear and love, to your neighbor justice and charity, to yourself prudence and sobriety.
WHETHER YOU BUY BONDS, OR PLACE YOUR MONEY IN THE MONEY MARKET, OR DABBLE IN REAL ESTATE, IT IS WELL TO REMEMBER. All things are cheap to the saving, dear to the wasteful.
TO THOSE WHO CONTINUALLY SAY “I DO MY OWN THING,” I WOULD SAY: Would you live with ease? Then do what you ought and not what you please.
ON ROOTS. Everyone has at least some relatives in the family of fools.
Never mistake anarchy for freedom.
YOU DO NOT HAVE TO BE A HOLLYWOOD STAR TO FALL VICTIM TO TOO PRIDE: He that falls in love with himself will have no rivals.
Bureaucrats offer a feast as if there were no tomorrow and fools believe them.
The winning of any war is but the first chapter of a manuscript called winning the peace.
One reason so many marriages break down is because so many mouths are wound up.
Owning is better than owing.
It could be a wonderful world…and it is.
If you think your doctors today bleed you, you should have lived in my time.
AS DEMOCRATS AND REPUBLICANS ARGUE OVER TAX CUTS IT IS WELL TO REMEMBER that we are all taxed twice as much by our pride, three times as much by our laziness and four times as much by our folly.
(this book was written as if Ben Franklin had come back to life in our time)
New thoughts are added each Monday and Thursday.
TO KEEP AMERICA ALIVE AND WELL. To God give fear and love, to your neighbor justice and charity, to yourself prudence and sobriety.
WHETHER YOU BUY BONDS, OR PLACE YOUR MONEY IN THE MONEY MARKET, OR DABBLE IN REAL ESTATE, IT IS WELL TO REMEMBER. All things are cheap to the saving, dear to the wasteful.
TO THOSE WHO CONTINUALLY SAY “I DO MY OWN THING,” I WOULD SAY: Would you live with ease? Then do what you ought and not what you please.
ON ROOTS. Everyone has at least some relatives in the family of fools.
Never mistake anarchy for freedom.
YOU DO NOT HAVE TO BE A HOLLYWOOD STAR TO FALL VICTIM TO TOO PRIDE: He that falls in love with himself will have no rivals.
Bureaucrats offer a feast as if there were no tomorrow and fools believe them.
The winning of any war is but the first chapter of a manuscript called winning the peace.
One reason so many marriages break down is because so many mouths are wound up.
Owning is better than owing.
It could be a wonderful world…and it is.
If you think your doctors today bleed you, you should have lived in my time.
AS DEMOCRATS AND REPUBLICANS ARGUE OVER TAX CUTS IT IS WELL TO REMEMBER that we are all taxed twice as much by our pride, three times as much by our laziness and four times as much by our folly.
Monday, November 10, 2008
EXERCISE, THE MAGIC ELIXIR (3)
(New thoughts are posted each Monday and Thursday)
These thoughts are for those of us who a bit longer removed from our birthday than others.
I remember the day I no longer wanted to play in a sand pile. I would never have believed it would happen. And then, later on when I no longer enjoyed Abbott and Costello. It happens. Don’t fight it. Our tastes in books, music, movies, vacations and a host of other opportunities change.
Sometimes physical problems force modification on us. We can no longer ski or skate; a tennis ball can no longer be hit as hard. If nothing is introduced into the space our prior activities occupied, a vacuum arises. And vacuums need to be filled. Jog if you can, but if you can’t join an aerobics class. If this is too much, try power walking, which simply means walking as fast as you can. Try dancing slowly to an old record. Rather than aimlessly throwing your arms around, put on your favorite CD and conduct an imaginary orchestra.
Or, go back to school and learn landscape architecture, computers, history, painting, etc. Professors will love having you. “My older students act more interested than many of my younger students,” a professor at the University of Miami recently told me.
Diet? Often that must also change. I no longer drink as much coffee as once I did, but half a cup does quite fine and has become a real treat. I restrict my input of ice cream. Indeed, I’ve switched to fat free/sugar free (some of them now are quite good). I know extra pounds otherwise leave the sidelines and land on me.
To remain young we must be willing to change, otherwise, we grow old long before our time.
These thoughts are for those of us who a bit longer removed from our birthday than others.
I remember the day I no longer wanted to play in a sand pile. I would never have believed it would happen. And then, later on when I no longer enjoyed Abbott and Costello. It happens. Don’t fight it. Our tastes in books, music, movies, vacations and a host of other opportunities change.
Sometimes physical problems force modification on us. We can no longer ski or skate; a tennis ball can no longer be hit as hard. If nothing is introduced into the space our prior activities occupied, a vacuum arises. And vacuums need to be filled. Jog if you can, but if you can’t join an aerobics class. If this is too much, try power walking, which simply means walking as fast as you can. Try dancing slowly to an old record. Rather than aimlessly throwing your arms around, put on your favorite CD and conduct an imaginary orchestra.
Or, go back to school and learn landscape architecture, computers, history, painting, etc. Professors will love having you. “My older students act more interested than many of my younger students,” a professor at the University of Miami recently told me.
Diet? Often that must also change. I no longer drink as much coffee as once I did, but half a cup does quite fine and has become a real treat. I restrict my input of ice cream. Indeed, I’ve switched to fat free/sugar free (some of them now are quite good). I know extra pounds otherwise leave the sidelines and land on me.
To remain young we must be willing to change, otherwise, we grow old long before our time.
Thursday, November 6, 2008
EXERCISE, THE MAGIC ELIXIR (2)
(New thoughts are posted each Monday and Thursday)
(New Thoughts posted each Monday and Thursday)
Dr. James White of the University of California at San Diego has reported that exercise means less wrinkles because the skin remains more elastic. More exercise is increasingly credited with cutting down on the incidence of strokes. It helps to control varicose veins. In fact, many doctors claim that the risk of not exercising is greater than the risk of exercising. You are never too old to start an exercise program, but common sense says check with your physician first to find out how much.
Footprints in the sands of time were not made sitting down. So get up and get moving. If you can’t find a path make one. If you can’t latch on to someone else’s dream restructure it and make it your own. You have changed recipes to make them better, sometimes a hobby can be rearranged, shaped to your liking, made to fit. But don’t worry about doing great things; just do small things greatly so that it puts a smile on your spirit. (TO BE CONTINUED on Nov. 17th)
(New Thoughts posted each Monday and Thursday)
Dr. James White of the University of California at San Diego has reported that exercise means less wrinkles because the skin remains more elastic. More exercise is increasingly credited with cutting down on the incidence of strokes. It helps to control varicose veins. In fact, many doctors claim that the risk of not exercising is greater than the risk of exercising. You are never too old to start an exercise program, but common sense says check with your physician first to find out how much.
Footprints in the sands of time were not made sitting down. So get up and get moving. If you can’t find a path make one. If you can’t latch on to someone else’s dream restructure it and make it your own. You have changed recipes to make them better, sometimes a hobby can be rearranged, shaped to your liking, made to fit. But don’t worry about doing great things; just do small things greatly so that it puts a smile on your spirit. (TO BE CONTINUED on Nov. 17th)
Monday, November 3, 2008
EXERCISE, THE MAGIC ELIXIR (1)
(New thoughts are posted each Monday and Thursday)
A while back a doctor told me, “An ounce of exercise can promote a pound of better health, but I can’t prove it.” However, in recent studies they are proving it. In one such study some ninety-year-olds were given mild exercises with weights. Voila! They got stronger and some even got up out of their wheelchairs.
It would be impossible to prove that your health would have been better or worse without going back and reliving your life under different management. It is, however, worth the effort to pay attention to what thousands of people say is healthier living.
Exercise is said to be good for the heart, strengthen the lungs, improve the health of diabetics by increasing insulin production and making better bodily use of glucose,. Some mental institutions have active exercise programs because it has been shown to decrease depression and anxiety. Exercise is truly a magical elixir. There is an old saying, “Don’t just talk the talk but also walk the walk.” In this case, in case you missed it, it has a double meaning. (TO BE CONTINUED on Nov. 13th)
A while back a doctor told me, “An ounce of exercise can promote a pound of better health, but I can’t prove it.” However, in recent studies they are proving it. In one such study some ninety-year-olds were given mild exercises with weights. Voila! They got stronger and some even got up out of their wheelchairs.
It would be impossible to prove that your health would have been better or worse without going back and reliving your life under different management. It is, however, worth the effort to pay attention to what thousands of people say is healthier living.
Exercise is said to be good for the heart, strengthen the lungs, improve the health of diabetics by increasing insulin production and making better bodily use of glucose,. Some mental institutions have active exercise programs because it has been shown to decrease depression and anxiety. Exercise is truly a magical elixir. There is an old saying, “Don’t just talk the talk but also walk the walk.” In this case, in case you missed it, it has a double meaning. (TO BE CONTINUED on Nov. 13th)
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