When you’re flying at 35,000 feet with various and sundry distractions, people walking by your seat and bumping your elbow because you forgot you’re on an airplane, children crying because they’re not used to the air pressure in the cabin, the person in the seat next to you is watching a movie on their device that looks very interesting, or your blood sugar is low because you haven’t eaten since you left the airport three hours ago, literary excellence is not guaranteed. However, because you’re a writer and you like writing you reach down into your knapsack that is under the seat and retrieve the spiral-bound notebook and a ballpoint pen that you bought in Portland, Oregon for your trip and start writing. The following is what I wrote on that flight on May 28, 2023.
I always have a reason for my blog titles, which will become clear soon.
Soylent Green is Made Out of People
Peer Gynt (“Morning Mood” and “Åse’s Death”)
There was this scene in a movie with Edward G. Robinson and Charlton Heston. The soundtrack was a classical piece, very nice but the details of which evade me at the moment I write this in flight. As you watch this scene in the movie you see a large projection screen and hear the wonderful music. When I was researching Soylent Green after my flight I read comments from people who developed a love of classical music after hearing the soundtrack in that scene. Ironically, this movie was released in 1973 about the time I too was developing a liking of classical music. As it happened, I needed an elective for my Journalism degree requirements and thought, how hard can it be, a music course. It turned out to be a very challenging course with tests that required the students to listen to different pieces of music in an auditorium and identify details (the composer, the title of the piece, the period, and the specific movement being played). I think I got a B in the course and was happy with it.
Here are the details from Wikipedia (a direct quote):
“The “going home” score in Sol Roth’s death scene was conducted by Gerald Fried and consists of the main themes from Symphony No. 6 (“Pathétique”) by Tchaikovsky, Symphony No. 6 (“Pastoral”) by Beethoven, and Peer Gynt (“Morning Mood” and “Åse’s Death”) by Edvard Grieg.” I included the Tchaikovsky piece.
Anyway, I was going to describe the death scene, but the movie is available and plenty of commentaries about its societal significance in 1973. Back on track now.
Bear with me in my stream of consciousness at altitude. A shirt worn by someone wobbling and working his way down to the rear lavatories on the Boeing 737 read “Shitake Happens”. It bugged me because I read shirts, and I didn’t know exactly what it meant, so on his way back from the restroom I asked him about it. He obligingly stopped long enough to explain that it was a shirt he got at a food festival in California. What fun, eh!
Slot canyon, Zion National Park
What’s the Point?
Or, asked differently, why “People are People”? Because it’s true, and the only way to live your live is to try to accept people the way they are. Having lived part of my life as a judgmental person, this is a surprising statement coming from me. I used to automatically judge a person before I took the time to get to know them. Not a good thing to do.
How about this, I’m at the gym swimming laps, which I love to do, and I see the person swimming in the lane next to mine, not too well I think. That’s when I try to press the “override” button – no, Bernie, you are not going to get out of the pool later and try to give them swimming tips. It’s their life, let them swim anyway they want to. Also, regarding first impressions, hold off on that first negative thought about someone until you spend more time with them. Maybe they’re just having a bad day.
Do a Good Deed!
Tchaikovsky, “Pathetique”
Going beyond that idea a bit, in your daily encounters you may realize that what the mainstream media reports in the news, about people, misrepresents one important concept. The concept is that most people, a vast majority, are solid, genuine, caring, and sympathetic individuals who are always willing to lend a helping hand. Give it a chance, you’ll see what I mean.
What happens when you neglect your blog? That “Visitors” number on the main page doesn’t increase very fast. Read on.
The Rufous Blogger’s Preamble
Recently I have seen Rufous Towhees feeding in my backyard, which reminded me I should start blogging again. So I decided to do a travel blog about our trip to Texas in September and October 2022 on the way to a reunion with our Texas family. The reunion was so much fun and gave the relatives (brother, sisters, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, and cousins) a chance to visit, and for the younger ones a chance to meet and get to know each other on my brother’s ranch. How often does that happen when you live far apart – it was an amazing experience, our once-in-a-lifetime event that our family will always remember!
The Important Stuff Is Always First!
In Journalism school I learned that the important stuff should always be in the beginning of your article. In this case, the important stuff is the family reunion in Texas and the trip to Texas, in that order. The trip was prompted by a strong desire to take everyone to Texas to see their relatives. However, at some point the trip planning kind of took over. Bottom line, I want my readers to know that the trip was accomplished – we got to Texas where everyone had a marvelous time at the reunion.
The Who, What, Where, When, Why, and How
My entire Oregon family went along on our marathon driving trek (in three cars) across a good part of the United States, about 2500 miles each way. Our daughter and our son and their kids, five grand-kids in all, went along for the ride. My wife was nice enough to drive and let me sit in the back seat and compile a travel log. Our oldest grandson rode shotgun for much of the trip and kept my wife company while she drove. I’ll spare you most of the boring travel details, where we stayed and the restaurants, but I will include some of the interesting things we saw and did along the way.
Randy Newman: Sigmund Freuds Impersonation of Albert Einstein in America
I’d like to pause and give a shout-out to America. On our journey, we crossed several states, Oregon, Idaho, Nevada, Utah, New Mexico, Texas, Colorado, and Wyoming, and briefly skirted Arizona and Oklahoma. I’ve traveled a lot in my life, partly at my own expense, in the U.S. and Mexico, and partly on the Navy’s nickel (to Vietnam and Australia), so I appreciate what our world has to offer. I hear people brag about Europe, and it is a very interesting travel destination, but so is America. However, you need to be on the ground, not flying over it at 35,000 feet to really appreciate it.
Maps – Hotels – Restaurants – Rest Stops – Gas Stations – and Tourist Attractions
The previous heading is a snapshot of what we experienced. I give AAA credit for the maps, the triptiks they produced for us – full of very useful information needed for our trip.
The following is a “smidgen” of the text from a planning document I did for the trip. I created a Google Sheet with all the pertinent information for each hotel stop on our trip. Anyway, there were 5 legs, roughly 500 miles each (thanks to AAA), and I included the lodging information for each stopover. The Google Sheet was a handy way to update the document with any travel changes, and it made it easy to share the information online with everyone going on the trip.
“Leg 1/Twin Falls, ID, 9/24-25: TownePlace Suites
2 Queen Beds: All rooms booked, as of 8/21/22, are with 2 Queen beds all in one room, with a pull out sofa in a separate sitting area (but same main room), $235.41 (inc. taxes) for each room for 1 night.
On Leg 6, after spending 2 days in the Amarillo Embassy Suites, we will be driving to Mound Creek Ranch to meet with the Texas family for the reunion.”
I mentioned that I would share some of the interesting things that we did along the way on our trip. We had heard that Zion National Park was worth a stop, so we stayed in Springdale, Utah for 2 days at a La Quinta Inn. We were within shuttle and walking distance from the main park entrance.
Suffice it to say, we checked out Zion thoroughly, hiking and enjoying the wonderful topography, as you can see in the Web pictures. I will probably add more about our travel adventures to this blog, but for now I’ll try to recreate the best part of this trip, which was our time spent at Mound Creek Ranch.
Mound Creek Ranch
We rolled into my younger brother’s ranch north of Houston in the late afternoon on Friday, September 30. Our cross-country trip had taken 6 days. We were warmly greeted by my brother and his wife. We went through the process of finding places to lay our road-weary heads that night, all 11 of us, six adults and five grand-kids. Not surprisingly, my brother had the accommodations figured out. We had a light meal and settled in for the night. The house my wife and I, my brother and his wife, and their two boys stayed in was very comfortable and interesting. Interesting because it was full of antique furniture that my brother and his wife had collected over the years. Every bed that we slept in was an antique bed. Waking up the next morning and watching that Texas sun rise and the cattle grazing in the distance was a great start to our first full day at Mound Creek.
My daughter and her gang – her husband, two daughters and a son – stayed in a house up the road aways from the Wilson house where we were. It was called the Wilson house because of the previous owners. After breakfast, next on the agenda was getting all the grand-kids on a horse. Before we left Oregon I had envisioned the kids getting a taste of what a working (and very successful) ranch was like. I was not disappointed – my brother spent time with each of the kids, going through the basics of mounting the horse and sitting in the saddle correctly, holding the reins, and directing the horse. They each had a turn at riding the horse. They loved it.
While the kids were learning horsemanship from my brother, the adults observed and took pictures from outside the corral. A quick note about Mound Creek Ranch. It’s large, about 800 acres, with ranch buildings for conducting business, and places to live, and a fishing lake, which the kids also got to enjoy. I’m very proud of my brother for his business savvy and his dedication to practicing good stewardship on his land.
After everyone had a chance to enjoy the pool at the main house, the first full day was capped off by a BBQ at Four Oaks, an area reserved for get-togethers and fun at Mound Creek. Our reunion group was not large, but it was a representation of our Oregon and Texas families, about 22 of us, plus the people, hand-picked by my brother, doing the cooking and serving the delicious food. We mainly talked, catching up on our lives since the last gathering, but we had horseshoes to toss and other games to play. As the Texas sun began to set, we headed back to get some rest. What a day it had been!
On Sunday, the second full day, it was time for the fish fry and more socializing at Four Oaks. Things were winding down, and we all knew it was almost time for some to say goodbye, not easy to do when you’re enjoying each other’s company. My two sisters and their significant others were leaving to go home as were my nephews and their families.
Willie Nelson: On the Road Again
Time to Head Back Home
On Monday, it was time for the Oregon group (of 11) to sadly say their goodbyes and hit the road again. In planning the trip I asked AAA to do a different route for the return to Oregon trip, just for variety, and as it turned out the “high road” (up through Denver) was about 200 miles shorter. As you can imagine, having 500-mile (+ or -) made it easier to plan the hotel stops, although some of the stops I might not have selected, like Lamar, Colorado or Rawlins, Wyoming. However, I will say that we were able to find hotels that were clean, comfortable, and not too expensive on the entire trip.
A Mid-Course Adjustment
But before we left Texas, we made a minor adjustment to our travel plans for the group. My wife wanted to briefly visit her brother and sister-in-law in Houston, and the rest of the group wanted to go through Waco to visit the Magnolia Market, you know the one publicized on the Chip and Joanna Gaines TV show. So on Monday, my wife and I went to Houston, enjoying our short visit in Houston with relatives, home-cooked pasta, and relaxing moments around a swimming pool. The next morning it was time to hit the road again and head for Wichita Falls, our next stop. The plan was to meet up there with my son’s family and my daughter’s family. We stayed in a La Quinta Inn. As you might expect, considering we had been on our trip for about 10 days, sightseeing was a lower priority. Although I considered visiting Sheppard Air Force Base in Wichita Falls because I’m a “plane freak” (actually, I’m also a “train freak”, be sure you visit the California State Railroad Museum if you’re in Sacramento, well worth the visit to an amazing slice of America’s train history).
Just a Few Travel Notes
I promised that I wouldn’t belabor you with travel notes, so I’ll try to bring this epic blog to an epic conclusion, with only one or two (or three) sightseeing comments. On the outbound trip (to Texas) we stayed two nights in an Embassy Suites in Amarillo, Texas, partly because I love their full breakfast that is included in the cost of your room and partly because Palo Duro Canyon is less than an hour’s drive from Amarillo. Palo Duro Canyon is not as impressive as the Grand Canyon but it is pretty cool and worth a stop. Take plenty of water if you visit in the warmer months. I already mentioned Zion National Park, but Antelope Canyon, which is nearby, is beautiful (Google it and check out the pictures).
What have I left out? Wind turbines, I have a gym friend in Portland who wrote a book about energy, Fueling America, an Insider’s Journey by Jack Kerfoot). I did some editorial work on the book. It’s a very thought-provoking book in which Jack discusses energy issues in our world from an expert’s perspective. Anyway, since I wasn’t driving on the way back to Portland I could pay attention to the scenery and things of interest such as wind turbines. I was astounded by the number of states that have a lot of wind turbines. Every now and then, as we rode along, a tractor-trailer truck hauling a wind turbine component would pass us on the interstate. Up close the support columns look huge.
What’s Left – the Two R’s
That’s about it for this traveler’s epistle, except for the two R’s I mentioned in my previous heading. Several people in our itinerant group needed gluten-free food, and some of us had GF apps on our phones to help us locate the right places to eat on our journey. If you are in Oregon, we recommend Rooster’s in Pendleton, just off I-84. Rooster’s has a good GF menu. In Springdale, Utah you might want to try Oscar’s Cafe on the main drag in “Zionville”. We ate there twice.
Did I mention “rest stops” – very important on long trips when you’ve been hydrating, especially important for us older types whose bladders are not suited for long trips. We learn to pay attention to the signs that say, “Next rest stop 52 miles”. The rest stops themselves vary widely. Some of them are quite nice with historical or informational displays about the region and rest rooms that are roomy and clean. We also bought very artistic American Indian jewelry at one or two of them.
The final comment is in two parts – one, take time to visit and enjoy America by car in a leisurely fashion, and two, take time to visit your families and friends who might be far away.
Photos
Please enjoy these photos of the many that we took on our trip.
Our first major tourist stop on the Texas trip
As you can see, Zion is very popular.
A stream in the main park
Oh deer!
My son and his family on the Watchman Trail.
Trails abound at Zion, of varying difficulty as you might like.
This heron was not perturbed by human presence.
Taking advantage of the beautiful light.
Near Amarillo, another major tourist stop, Cadillac Ranch
Imagine this . . .
We brought our spray paint, the kids had a blast.
Oh, did I mention it’s on historic Route 66?
Hats off to Texas DOT, nice rest stop!
A grandkid, getting his riding lesson!
Such a good brother, teaching the kids horsemanship!
Couldn’t resist this picture with an Oregon beer sign and the other signs
I wrote about a scene in the movie “City Slickers”. Use the link and scroll down to “City Slickers”. This is my favorite scene in that movie and is thought-provoking. The quote from James Taylor also makes you think.
“The secret of life is enjoying time to the fullest.”
James Taylor
Obviously if you follow my blog, you know that I took a sabbatical from this blog for nearly 10 months. I have no excuses to offer except that I was focusing on another writing project. I’m including a link to a post I wrote about “serendipity” in 2015. It should help you understand my mindset about the subject.
It’s not complicated, which is the beauty of serendipity, it just happens, no forethought or logging in to a device is necessary. For example, maybe something like this happens. You’re on your front porch having your morning coffee, and you’re standing next to a hummingbird feeder. Still waking up, you hear a sound hardly audible, but it is a sound. It’s the sound of a hummingbird’s wings as the bird flies past your ear to hover over the feeder. You think, that is amazing, I’m so glad I feed these wonderful creatures. OK, one more thing, and I’ll move on. Think of the words from James Taylor that I mentioned (his music is cool too), “The secret of life is the passage of time.” That’s the essence of what I’m saying, life just happens, and we have no control over it, so why try to force it.
Books that I’ve Been Reading
For the rest of this belated blog post, I’ll just mention some books that I’ve read in the past months that might be of interest to you. A lot of what I read is fiction, C. J. Box is one of my favorite authors. He has a new book out, published in March, which I found out about thanks to one of my gym friends. The title is Shadows Reel. I read audiobooks a lot. If you like a good adventure yarn, check out C. J. Box.
Some other books, in the non-fiction category:
Matt Haig, The Comfort Book and Reasons to Stay Alive. When I first started reading his books, I almost didn’t finish the first one. He was talking about people struggling with depression and suicide. But then in later chapters he talked about “reasons to stay alive” and listed 40 reasons, under the subheading “How to Live”. When he wrote about how running could be therapeutic, he had me, since I’m a runner. Bottom line, Haig offers warmth and reassurance, reminding us to slow down and appreciate the beauty and unpredictability of existence.
Haruki Murakami, What I Talk about When I Talk about Running. Again, the running subject caught my attention. The book was published in 2008. Actually, Haig mentions Murakami in one of his books, which is how I found about his works. Murakami is a best-selling author, especially in Japan. I could say a lot more about his books, but you can check him out.
Short and sweet, I’ll end here. I promise I won’t wait as long for my next Rufous post. Thanks for reading.
Sometimes close encounters provide the jolt we need to make us realize that we ARE stressed out. For me, close encounters in nature are good, maybe a hummingbird three feet away sucking the nectar out of a feeder. Observing that amazing wing speed and coordination makes me appreciate God’s creations and helps me to do “a reset” and alleviate the stressors tightening my shoulder muscles. Runners like to brag about the endorphin rush after a nice run, which relaxes you in a different way. Also, our pets help us to de-stress (and it de-stresses them) as we spend time with them.
Cherries or Lemons?
Metaphorically speaking, cherries or lemons, which is it for you – did you win, did you manage to hit the jackpot before you ran out of quarters? Or, did you keep getting lemons and gave up before even considering making lemonade? What’s the point you say, I don’t even like lemonade. When your life is that off-kilter, what’s the best way to regroup?
Diversions Can Be a Lifesaver
Trust me, I understand the cherries and lemons question, but sometimes a diversion works wonders. In June, on a very warm Tuesday I decided to do a late run. Because it was so warm and sunny, I headed over to a nature park near my home – the park has plenty of shade. Moving into the wonderful shade from the brightly lit street, I felt like one of the children in the C. S. Lewis book, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, stepping into the closet and then out into the forest. The temperature was at least 10 degrees cooler thanks to the canopy of trees. I started running slowly on the trail, a familiar route, following it until I came to a pond. This is one of my “meditation spots” that I often enjoy in the nature park. In the middle of a run I almost always stop, at least for a few minutes, to think about stuff and often to pray. Each meditation spot in the park has its own unique attraction for me. At the pond, sometimes I’ve spotted a Belted Kingfisher, usually on a branch overhanging the pond – he’s looking for a meal. Kingfishers are an unusual bird, scarcely bigger than a robin, it is easily distinguished by its oversized head and large beak, which it uses to catch small fish.
Halcyon Days
According to Google, “Halcyon Days, which have come to mean any time of happiness and contentment, are actually the 14 days around the winter solstice. According to Greek legend, the halcyon, or kingfisher, built its floating nest around the 14th of December, during which time the gods calmed the seas for the nesting and hatching time.”
Another version of this story about the kingfisher, claims that “the Greeks had a myth that the Halcyon, a bird we think was a kingfisher, could calm a little area of sea to float its nest upon.” Hence, “halcyon days” are a lucky respite from the storms of life. Strangely enough, real-life kingfishers raise their young on a heap of regurgitated fish bones at the end of a hole in a mud stream bank.
OK, what’s the bottom line in this effort to convey my thoughts about how important it is to let go and relax. I hope I at least made you think about putting away the “to-do list” and the cell phone for a brief period, long enough to look up at the blue sky, take some deep breaths, and calm the seas in your life.
Some Finishing Quotes to Inspire You
“You’re only here for a short visit. Don’t hurry, don’t worry. And be sure to smell the flowers along the way.” (Walter Hagen)
“Consult not your fears but your hopes and your dreams. Think not about your frustrations, but about your unfulfilled potential. Concern yourself not with what you tried and failed in, but with what it is still possible for you to do.” (Pope John XXIII)
Blogger’s Note about the music:
I’ve been a big fan of Vangelis for a long time and love the calming sound of his music, which explains why I’ve included his music a lot in my posts. If you saw the movies Chariots of Fire or Blade Runner, the soundtracks were done by him. I’ve never seen the documentary Apocalypse of the Animals (maybe I will), but the piece I included in this post is a version of that music. I say “version” because there have been many recordings of his music. I’m including a Wikipedia link if you’re interested in knowing more about Vangelis and his amazing music.
If you read my blog, you know that I often will try to honor a person or persons and recognize the significance of special holidays. I’ve done that with Memorial Day before. A friend posted a list of the number of deaths in past wars shown in the photo above.
For this Memorial Day, first a bit of history about the holiday. According to Google (who else), here are some of the over 1 billion hits about “Memorial Day. I’ll just quote the Google text.
From marco.com (news) web site:
Memorial Day is a day of remembrance for U.S. soldiers who died in military service. It was first observed in 1868, when flowers were placed on graves of Union and Confederate soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery. It later changed from honoring the dead from the Civil War to honoring the dead from all American wars.
Unknown source (information that I Googled)
“It is a day for honoring the men and women who have died while on duty with the US military and it is a day where Americans across the country pay their respects, often by visiting military cemeteries or memorials.
On Memorial Day you can honor the fallen by attending memorial services within your community or laying flowers and planting flags on graves at your local Veterans cemetery. Veterans Day is an opportunity to do the same, but it is also an appropriate time to show your appreciation to Veteran friends and family.”
Here is a link to the Home for our Troops blog that I liked that explains the differences between Memorial Day and Veterans Day. I’m adding the following (from the unknown source) in case you still aren’t sure of how the two holidays differed.
“Unlike Memorial Day, Veterans Day pays tribute to all American veterans—living or dead—but especially gives thanks to living veterans who served their country honorably during war or peacetime.”
Because the holiday we’re celebrating on May 31 is Memorial Day, you may be wondering why I’m belaboring the difference between the Memorial Day and Veterans Day holidays. I don’t mean to diminish the ultimate sacrifice made by fallen veterans, but I wanted to shift the focus a bit and remind people that many living veterans need attention.
I just finished a book by Philip Caputo, Hunter’s Moon. It’s a good read. In the last chapter of the book, he writes about a veterans wellness center in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. Caputo’s wellness center is fictional, but there are many real centers that treat veterans with problems such as PTSD.
I’ll give you the Reader’s Digest version of Caputo’s fictional wellness retreat for veterans. The tag line on the web site read: “Renewal and Empowerment for Veterans”. The veterans met on four separate weekends to be mentored by other vets. The “therapy sessions” were interesting if not over the top. The veterans were welcomed in a drum ceremony and later encouraged to let go of their war experiences and to build a dream of a new life.
Veterans and families of veterans deserve our full attention and respect. Here’s something you might want to try, just saying, or at least think about it. The next time you meet a veteran, it’s OK to say “Thank you for serving”, but if possible go beyond that and ask them about their service – ask them where and when they served and just let them talk. Granted some veterans may not want to talk about their experiences, which you should respect.
I’m closing with a Bruce Springsteen song. I chose it mainly because I was going through my pre-Vietnam training in 1969.
Bruce Springsteen: Summer of 69
I’m going to end with a quote, actually it’s a bumper sticker that I saw on a neighbor’s car.
“Except For Ending Slavery, Fascism, Nazism, And Communism, WAR Has Never Solved Anything.”
Matthew 5:4: Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
A Brief Aside about Grieving
Quite honestly, I’ve struggled with this post, trying to pick the right time to write it after my sister’s death on Tuesday, April 27. I wanted my emotions to be under control to the point where I was actually able to sit down at my keyboard and compose the content. I’ve lost other members of my immediate family, my Mom and my Dad, but it has been a long time since I experienced that feeling of loss.
I think that most people when they are grieving look for a way to handle the grief and to process their feelings in a way that lightens the burden of losing someone that you cared about. I decided to do a long run yesterday, and the day before I was lap swimming. The whole time I was running and swimming, I thought of my sister.
Who She Was
My subject is my recently departed oldest sister, Beth. I wasn’t asked to write her obituary, but she deserves a lot of praise for the way she lived her life. She received praise at her recent memorial service, people expressed their thoughts about what a fine person she was. In my own words, as her brother, this is what I have to say about Beth:
I think Beth accomplished the most in her life by being who she was, a loving, caring person who was willing to reach out unselfishly to others. In her professional life she was a career counselor who helped many people orient their lives in a positive way and find self-sufficiency.
The back cover of her book, which was published right before she died, summarizes Beth’s life this way:
“Beth Blazek Buckles Deans is a widow, mother and great grandmother, small business counseling person, educator, horseback rider choir member, skier, professor, and Christian who supports persons seeking to find their fitting career. She has provided her insights and histories of clients who have found their path.”
Here’s the publisher’s link if you’re interested in checking out her book.
Beth had a wide range of musical tastes, but I thought I’d close with this Vivaldi piece.
I read the Comics in the Sunday Oregonian – pretty much that’s all I read, I skip the news part. Anyway, some of my favorites are Pearls Before Swine by Stephan Pastis (always a good one with a tongue-in-cheek perspective on things like Covid), Dilbert (I like the office humor even though I’m retired), Mother Goose & Grimm (usually only 3 panels, large print, and the humor goes straight to the funny bone), Pickles (the main characters are older like me), and Mark Trail (I love the nature stuff).
Where Do We Go from Here?
Is redundancy good or bad? I tend to avoid redundancy except when I’m repeating something that I think may help someone else. Often I include ideas, links, etc. from previous blogs. For example, I found this website with a very interesting Woody Guthrie article, which I included in my New Year 2020 blog. It shows Guthrie’s list of resolutions in 1943 (from his journal). You should look at the entire list of 33 resolutions and think about them. Some are just humorous, but others you might want to add to your own list.
For me, I would change number 8, “Write a song a day” to “Do a good deed every day”. I tried that resolution one year and discovered that it isn’t that easy, so maybe once a week is more do-able. Even something simple like moving your neighbor’s trash containers back into their yard after the pickup. Hopefully, this will be my good deed for January 1, 2021 if someone who reads my blog is encouraged by it.
Other Links that You May Like
You may know or have surmised if you read my blog that I have a daily routine of morning meditation where I read my Bible and make my initial journal entry for that day. The journal entry includes that day’s Daily Word affirmation – today’s is, “New Year: Living from divine nature, I begin again.” The Bible verse is from Isaiah 42:9, “See the former things have come to pass, and new things I now declare.”
Karl Anthony Sings “Angels” at Unity Village. Not sure why I included this piece of music except that I like the singer’s music, and the gesture behind the music (helping the kids) makes you want to shake his hand (well, at least an air-shake).
Besides the Unity publications, which I obviously really like, there are others, such as Guideposts publications, which have daily readings to help get your day started.
Sometimes a reminder is all it takes to get you started, like texts from relatives about a birthday or, in this case it was two birthdays.
Antonio Vivaldi, Four Seasons (Autumn)
It’s a Special Day, My Mom’s Birthday
The first text had a photo of my mom and my two older sisters. The message said that she was loved, and we did love her and miss her. She was a good mom who raised good kids, and we appreciate her for giving us a good start in our lives. God bless you, mom.
Another Special Birthday Today
The other text from a relative was about our daughter’s birthday, born on November 1, like my mom. Our daughter is a great mother, who puts an amazing amount of effort into her family, and that fact is evident in the kids she (and her husband) are raising. The kids are such a delight to be around and to enjoy.
A Parting Note and a Quote
I think it goes without saying that “the family” is a basic building block in our society and not to be taken for granted. You don’t have to watch the evening news to figure that out, just walk around and observe people with their families.
Family is not an important thing. It’s everything. Michael J. Fox
A bunch more “family” quotes from BrainyQuote – you choose. Sorry about any pop-up ads, not mine.
Are We Having Fun Yet: Just Photos, Music, and a Very Few Words!
I so wanted to do a serious blog this time – there’s so much to talk about. Not so serious this time, I wanted to lighten up.
You have probably seen Raising Arizona, another Coen brother’s cinematic work of art. Anyway, just a segue into this blog topic – “there is so little time, so much to do, little brother” – this would be John Goodman speaking to his little brother as they head over to the “hayseed bank” to relieve them of their cash. I highly recommend your watching Raising Arizona, I do at least once a year.
Regardless of how little time there is to speak about the “serious stuff”, whatever that might be, I’ll move on to more entertaining and hopefully enlightening stuff. I do so like to include pictures and music in my blogs, and words too, but we’ll see what pops up.
Today’s Pictures
I saw this “little library” in a neighborhood where I was running recently. Very cool that people set these up for anyone to borrow or add a book.
Do the best until you know better. Then when you know better, do better. (Maya Angelou)
Today’s Music
Vangelis: Music from Apocalypse of the Animals
Today’s Sidebar
As you know, if you have followed my blog for a while, I tend to repeat certain topics and disciplines. No, it’s not because I’m forgetful (well, occasionally I am), it’s because I learn new things about my favorite topics and want to pass that information along. You can always search for stuff in my blog.
I’ve talked about things like meditation and mindfulness and other ways to de-stress and mellow out. The September 2020 Reader’s Digest article, “How to Build a Better Brain” (starts on page 60), covers areas like:
Eating fruits and vegetables
Neuroplasticity – interesting concept, lots of publications out there
Exercise – what happens when your muscles take over your brain, in a good way
Ways to calm down – things like breathing, meditation, and yoga
A Few Links for More Info
Disclaimer: In trying to observe the rules of publication regarding plagiarism, etc. I try to point out content using links rather than direct quotes. Also, I apologize about any annoying pop-ups over which I have no control.
I recently listened to two of Arthur C. Clarke’s books, 2061: Odyssey Three and 3001: The Final Odyssey, which was published posthumously in 2012. Clarke died in 2008. What an amazing intellect Clarke had. I remember going to see 2001: A Space Odyssey in my hippie days. Wow! I saw the movie in a Cinerama theatre, huge screen with surround sound. What a sensory experience Clarke and Stanley Kubrick created using what was then new technology. The part of the movie where they were entering Jupiter’s atmosphere with all the colors streaming by and the amazing soundtrack was mind-boggling.
Did Clarke have all the answers? It’s interesting that he did have at least some of the answers. Many of the “fictional” concepts he wrote about, such as interstellar space travel, turned out later to be scientifically achievable.
Bottom Line
I really don’t have all the answers, at least not on the same scale as Arthur C. Clarke. If I did, I could have passed the Calculus course in college, many years ago when I was a Chemical Engineering major (ironically I loved Chemistry). As a result of having to take Calculus, I decided to change majors to a much less technical field, Journalism. It was a good choice for me. Notice I said “for me”. Reminds me of that scene in City Slickers, another good movie, where Mitch (Billy Crystal) and Curly (Jack Palance) were having a deep conversation. Check it out.
So, no matter what advice I give you, no matter how astute, genius-level, or just plain old practical advice, it’s up to you to decide what to do with the advice. Personally, I like it when people give me good advice.
Proverbs 18:2: A fool finds no pleasure in understanding, but delights in airing his own opinions.
A Few of My Own Answers
You may want to try some of these.
Don’t Worry, Be Happy – From a previous blog, a picture of one of my hats.
Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending. (Maria Robinson)
Respond, Don’t React (from a book by Dan Harris, 10% Happier)
Stay healthy – exercise, eat sensibly, especially now during Covid.
Read good books regularly, not just non-fiction for information, but fiction for entertainment. Some of my favorites (audio books) are C.J. Box, William Kent Krueger (currently listening to Mercy Falls), and Craig Johnson (Longmire series).
Meditate – It’s surprisingly easy to integrate it into your regular routine, and it has many benefits. I’m planning to do a new blog on practical applications of meditation, admittedly inspired by Dan Harris’s book and other good books on the subject.
Politics – I hesitate to even bring up the topic and won’t be giving you advice, no way, Jose, on political issues and events. You’re on your own.
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