Loss And Gain
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Virtue runs before the muse
And defies her skill,
She is rapt, and doth refuse
To wait a painter’s will.
Star-adoring, occupied,
Virtue cannot bend her,
Just to please a poet’s pride,
To parade her splendor.
The bard must be with good intent
No more his, but hers,
Throw away his pen and paint,
Kneel with worshippers.
Then, perchance, a sunny ray
From the heaven of fire,
His lost tools may over-pay,
And better his desire.
Joe: “My boss said I was a worker worth paying attention to.”
Pete: “That’s a nice compliment.”
Joe: “Unfortunately he said it to the security guard.
A neighbor was venting on a political issue. I listened and let my neighbor vent. There was no need to point out our differences. I was sure we both have blind spots regarding the issue. I didn’t lose my perspective by listening. I even learned why my neighbor felt so strongly. That was important for me. Sometimes it’s better to listen and let another release his/her emotional backup.
We make hundreds of choices every day. There are clear choices, and some that nebulous. The kinds of choices we make often determine the kind of day we have. Our choices are the seeds that often affect our future and our happiness. Are your choices making you happier and providing you excitement about the future? Is it time to reassess choices?
A young child tries to shape what is real to provide benefit. A young child drops a glass of milk, the child blames the dog or a sibling. The child is trying to construct reality to provide benefit. Adults do the same thing with a great deal more sophistication. When we come across people who seek appropriate data and verify the data before drawing conclusions, we know we are in the presence of someone we can trust.
To be sure, cracking your fingers is no way to make friends in a quiet library. But the habit itself won’t give you arthritis — at least not according to clinical studies, including one way back in and one more recently in specifically focused on addressing this myth. Arthritis develops when the cartilage within the joint breaks down and allows the bones to rub together. Your joints are surrounded by a synovial membrane, which contains synovial fluid that lubricates them and prevents them from grinding together. When you crack your knuckles, you’re pulling your joints apart. This stretch causes an air bubble to form in the fluid, which eventually pops, creating that familiar sound. Cracking your knuckles isn’t necessarily good for you, though. While there’s no proven relationship between the habit and arthritis, persistent cracking can wear down your synovial membrane and make it easier for your joints to crack. It can also lead to hand swelling and weaken your grip.
I enjoy sport’s competition. I’ve learned how to lose gracefully, celebrate victories, and to never quit, never give up no matter the score. You never know what will happen if you keep on grinding.
Words
Anne Sexton
Be careful of words,
even the miraculous ones.
For the miraculous we do our best,
sometimes they swarm like insects
and leave not a sting but a kiss.
They can be as good as fingers.
They can be as trusty as the rock
you stick your bottom on.
But they can be both daisies and bruises.
Yet I am in love with words.
They are doves falling out of the ceiling.
They are six holy oranges sitting in my lap.
They are the trees, the legs of summer,
and the sun, its passionate face.
Yet often they fail me.
I have so much I want to say,
so many stories, images, proverbs, etc.
But the words aren’t good enough,
the wrong ones kiss me.
Sometimes I fly like an eagle
but with the wings of a wren.
But I try to take care
and be gentle to them.
Words and eggs must be handled with care.
Once broken they are impossible
things to repair.
Joe: “My girlfriend told me she was splitting for psychological reasons.”
Pete: “What were here reasons?”
Joe: “She said I was psycho and she was logical.”
“Courage is the first of human qualities because it is the quality which guarantees all others.” ~ Winston Churchill
