I had a great night’s sleep. I quickly rose out of bed and announced to myself, “Ray, you are going to have a great day.” My day has gotten better by each passing moment. I exercised, took a hot shower, ate my Greek yogurt with my oatmeal and a side of blueberries. I’m set to bring a smile to all I see today as well as an encouraging word. I hope your day is off to as great a beginning as mine.
Month: September 2023
Inspiring Quote for Today ~ Experience is Our Teacher
What you have experienced,
no power on earth can take from you.
Thinking Out Loud ~ A Bit of Humility Goes a Long Way
Yes, One Can Be Too Full of Him/Herself
Saint-Exupéry writes in The Little Prince of the Little Prince visiting another planet, this planet is inhabited by a vainglorious man. The Little Prince asked the vainglorious man a question,
“But the vainglorious man did not hear it. The van glorious man only hears praise. ‘Do you really admire me a lot?'” he asked the little prince.
“What does admire mean?”
“Admiring means recognizing that I’m the most handsome, the best dressed, the richest, and the most intelligent man on the planet.”
“But you’re alone on your planet!”
“Do me this favor. Admire me anyway.”
NOTE: Have you ever been in the presence of people like the van glorious man? I have and it’s not a pleasant experience. They only talk about themselves and their interests as they drone on. Those who are like the vainglorious man are unable to learn from the vast diversity of people that surround them. When we open ourselves to listening to and learning from the vast diversity of people who surround us our worldview broadens, and we grasp a greater understanding and compassionate feel for other human beings.
Poem for Today ~ On Pain
On Pain
Kahlil Gibran
And a woman spoke, saying, Tell us of Pain.
And he said:
Your pain is the breaking of the shell that encloses your understanding.
Even as the stone of the fruit must break, that its heart may stand in the sun, so must you know pain.
And could you keep your heart in wonder at the daily miracles of your life your pain would not seem less wondrous than your joy;
And you would accept the seasons of your heart, even as you have always accepted the seasons that pass over your fields.
And you would watch with serenity through the winters of your grief.
Much of your pain is self-chosen.
It is the bitter potion by which the physician within you heals your sick self.
Therefore trust the physician, and drink his remedy in silence and tranquility:
For his hand, though heavy and hard, is guided by the tender hand of the Unseen,
And the cup he brings, though it burn your lips, has been fashioned of the clay which the Potter has moistened with His own sacred tears.
Inspirational Thought for Today ~ Some Things Have to be Shared
“Happiness is like a kiss. You must share it to enjoy it.”
Joke of the Day
Joe: “I learned I have great abs.”
Pete: “You do?”
Joe: “Yes, my psychologist told me I hav grea abnormalities.”
Mind Sharpening Anagrams
Today’s Anagram: Bolas Gourd
Solution to yesterday’s anagram: Mediterranean diet
The solution to Today’s Anagram will appear in tomorrow’s Mind Sharpening Anagram Post
Poem for Today ~ Having a Coke with You
Having a Coke with You
Frank O’Hara
is even more fun than going to San Sebastian, Irún, Hendaye, Biarritz, Bayonne
or being sick to my stomach on the Travesera de Gracia in Barcelona
partly because in your orange shirt you look like a better happier St. Sebastian
partly because of my love for you, partly because of your love for yoghurt
partly because of the fluorescent orange tulips around the birches
partly because of the secrecy our smiles take on before people and statuary
it is hard to believe when I’m with you that there can be anything as still
as solemn as unpleasantly definitive as statuary when right in front of it
in the warm New York 4 o’clock light we are drifting back and forth
between each other like a tree breathing through its spectacles
and the portrait show seems to have no faces in it at all, just paint
you suddenly wonder why in the world anyone ever did them
I look
at you and I would rather look at you than all the portraits in the world
except possibly for the Polish Rider occasionally and anyway it’s in the Frick
which thank heavens you haven’t gone to yet so we can go together for the first time
and the fact that you move so beautifully more or less takes care of Futurism
just as at home I never think of the Nude Descending a Staircase or
at a rehearsal a single drawing of Leonardo or Michelangelo that used to wow me
and what good does all the research of the Impressionists do them
when they never got the right person to stand near the tree when the sun sank
or for that matter Marino Marini when he didn’t pick the rider as carefully
as the horse
it seems they were all cheated of some marvelous experience
which is not going to go wasted on me which is why I’m telling you about it
Healthy Lifestyle Tip ~ Trouble Sleeping? These Foods Could be the Cause
These Foods May Affect Your Sleep Qualtiy
According to John Hopkins Medicine these foods can affect the quality of your sleep: Here’s what they say:
- Alcohol – Research shows that healthy people who drink alcohol do fall asleep more quickly and sleep more deeply … at first. However, when alcohol wears off, it can wake people during very important and restorative stages of sleep.
- Spicy foods – Eating spicy foods can cause heartburn, which can impact your sleep.
- High-Fat and High-Protein Foods – High-protein foods like steak and chicken can also disrupt sleep because they take a long time to break down, which is a problem at bedtime since your digestion slows by up to 50 percent when you sleep. Also avoid aged or processed cheeses, salami and pepperoni: They contain tyramine, which triggers the release of norepinephrine, which may stimulate the brain.
