Posts Tagged ‘future’

Resolution Reboot – v2.0

March 25, 2020

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Looking in the Rear-view Mirror: Resolution Reboot

Now that we’re over two-and-a-half months into 2020, I wanted to check in, see how you’re doing, tell you how I’m doing – resolutions kept, resolutions broken, resolutions revised or tossed – and perhaps chart a course for what’s left of 2020.

“Keep your face always toward the sunshine and shadows will fall behind you.” (Walt Whitman)

A Note about the Music

The two pieces of music in this blog are by Vangelis. The 76-year-old Greek composer is one of the most important, influential figures in the history of electronic music as well as the world of film scores. His best-known works are the Chariots of Fire (1981) and Blade Runner (1982) soundtracks and the tracks used in the Cosmos (1980) television series. I find Vangelis music very thought-provoking and relaxing. I recommend ear buds or headphones to better appreciate the music.

Vangelis: L’apocalypse des animaux (soundtrack)

 

Sidebar: COVID-19

Just an aside to give you some of my thoughts on the virus. Less than two weeks ago I was still going to the gym three times a week, swimming, and running (actually, I still run three times a week). However, my well-meaning adult children, said, “Dad, you have to stay home.” No matter now, they closed all the gyms where I live. I’m not panicking, just waiting for a cure and waiting for COVID-19 to run its course. Without getting religious on you, I’ll just say that I’m confident that it will be resolved and our normal lives will be resumed.

Going Beyond New Year’s Resolutions

Although I love Woody Guthrie’s no frills doodle-filled list of New Year’s resolutions from 1943, to broaden your mindset, think of New Year’s resolutions as tools that we use for self-improvement. You might want to go back to an article I included in my January 7 blog, written by David G. Allan. His concept I thought was very interesting, his “meaning of life” exercise. Granted it goes beyond a simple list of resolutions that you write down and try to accomplish. If you read the entire article, note that he suggests that you turn your “purpose” into action.

Allan gives examples of some very famous people’s answer to the meaning question:

“Only a life lived for others is a life worthwhile.” (Albert Einstein)
“Throw little torches out to lead people through the dark.” (Whoopi Goldberg)
“Love.” (David G. Allan)

A couple of life meanings I thought of for myself were – “show more compassion to others” and “try to be less judgemental”.

Another good reference, if you’re serious about finding your “purpose”, is Rick Warren’s book, The Purpose Driven Life.

My Own Resolutions List

For each of my resolutions below, I’ll give some of the affirmations from Daily Word that seemed relevant to me.

  • Relax more. A good, personal mantra to remember when you’re stressed is – just breathe.
“Relax: I relax my mind, heart, and body.” (Daily Word, March 7, 2020)
  • Pray for others and pray at least once a day.
“My prayers bless others and uplift the world.” (Daily Word, April 25, 2020)
  • Good deeds – think of others; small deeds count too.
“The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.” (Mahatma Gandhi)
  • Don’t judge others – this one is high on my list of resolutions.
“For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil.” (Ecclesiastes 12:14)
  • Stay healthy – take care of myself.
“I choose to create and experience abundant life.” (Daily Word, February 23, 2019)
  • Forgive – all others and myself.
“Then Jesus said, ‘Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.’”
  • Write more – at least once a day.
Why not, it worked for Stephen King.
  • Be fair-minded and less opinionated.
“Everyone is entitled to his own opinions, but not to his own facts.” (Daniel Patrick Moynihan)
  • Spend more time with my family.
“The family is the first essential cell of human society.” (Pope John XXIII),

More Brainy Quotes about family.

A Beacon of Light

“Be a beacon of light in the forest of uncertainty.” (My own “purpose” mantra for the time being)

I’ll wrap up this blog with some media information that you might find useful. I’m constantly looking for independent, unbiased, and accurate news sources. As always, you may choose to disagree with anything I write, and your feedback is welcome.

The following are new media sources on my list and not fully vetted, i.e. I haven’t checked them out thoroughly, but I thought they were worth looking at.

“We just want the facts ma’am.” (Sergeant Joe Friday, Dragnet TV series. OK, you’re right, only a boomer would know that quote)

Epoch Times is a subscription publication, but you might want to check it out. To see other examples of their news coverage, go to their podcast:

Judicial Watch (free subscription). You be the judge.

There are quite a few Christian news outlets, I selected this one at random.

Another site (not a news source), “Protect Press Freedom”, the mainstream media apparently are supporting – Nora O’Donnell (CBS?) mentioned it on one of her broadcasts. Why was I watching mainstream news media, must have landed on it when I was channel surfing. I decided not to provide a link to the PPF site until I vetted it.

One More Vangelis to End With

You’ll recognize the music if you’re a Harrison Ford fan.

Vangelis: Blade Runner (End Titles), 1982

Pictures, of Course

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Physical, Mental, Emotional, and Spiritual: Part III – Emotional

January 7, 2020
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Dad and son

Introduction: Type A or Type B?

What are Type A and Type B personalities according to Wikipedia?

I think in my last post in this series, Mental, I got into some really heady stuff (sorry, “heady” wasn’t intended to be a pun) about memory, about the long-term effects of marijuana, etc. Obviously mental and emotional are very closely connected and interactive, but think of mental as the engine and emotional as the resulting output – keep the “engine” tuned up and the “output” will be efficient and reliable.

I would label myself as a Type A person – hard for me to relax, always working on something. The Wikipedia definition fits me very well, especially “impatient” and “more competitive”.

Two days ago my morning Daily Word reading (affirmation) was:

“I give my mind and body permission to rest and relax”.

The accompanying Bible verse for that day was:

Psalm 23:2-3: “He makes me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside still waters; he restores my soul.”

Wow, even if you don’t read the Bible you have to admit the Psalm verses are powerful and calming.

A Brief Flashback

Looking at my 2019 New Year’s post if you want to check it out. You might want to take the time to think about “what is the meaning of life” or “what is my purpose in life”. David Allan’s Reader’s Digest article provides ideas on how to figure it out.

Don’t Overthink It

Some of the solutions to keeping your emotions in working order are very simple and attainable – try relaxing, practice breath control, do yoga, exercise, hang out with your friends (or if you don’t have a lot of friends, make new friends).

Wrapping It Up

Just quotes . . .

For a creative writer possession of the ‘truth’ is less important than emotional sincerity. (George Orwell)

Here’s a link to a bunch more quotes if you’re interested.

Music and pictures are always a challenge, I hope you like my visual and auditory offerings in my blog posts.

Joe Cocker: Feelin’ Alright

 

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It’s 2020: What’s Next?

January 5, 2020
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It’s a Brand New Year

Digifish Music: Second Dawn

Prelude: You Must Expect It of Yourself!

In the pool area of my gym, the quote below is in huge letters superimposed over the picture of a swimmer looking directly at you with a knowing look in her eyes and saying:

“Before you can accomplish something, you must expect it of yourself.”

Maybe that’s the ticket for making New Year’s resolutions and actually keeping them. As I noticed a couple of days ago, the gym where I work out was very busy. As they say, the traffic will subside when people lose the motivation that prompted their “resolution list” and they stop coming to the gym on a regular basis.

If you read this blog, you know that I’m a big believer in fitness – all kinds, physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual. It’s challenging, but really worth it in the long run. My goal this time is to throw some ideas your way, just to plant some good thoughts about what to expect of yourself this year.

Seriously, Woodie Guthrie?

I ran across this item, Woody Guthrie’s No Frills Doodle List-Filled List of 33 New Year’s Resolutions from 1943 and wanted to include it – you’ll find it both amusing and titillating. Guthrie’s 33 list of resolutions is impressive, some tongue in cheek, but others are right on:

  • Wash teeth if any
  • Listen to radio a lot
  • Learn people better
  • Love (4 occurrences)
  • Change socks (love that one)
  • Help win war
  • Wake up and fight
  • Dream good

After you see Woody’s list, you might want to check out the Open Culture web site offerings.

A Humorous Sidebar: Humorous Words

Not to distract you from our main goal, pondering our 2020 resolutions, this humorous Reader’s Digest item was too good not to share. Ignore the ads and enjoy!

A More Serious Item

I watched a program on public TV about N. Scott Momaday, the other night and found his ideas very thought-provoking. Here’s a quote from the program “The Man Made of Words”:

“Most of us have developed an attitude of indifference towards the land. We Americans must come to the moral comprehension of the earth and air. We must live according to the principle of a land ethic. The alternative  is that we shall not live at all.”

By the way, he won a Pulitzer Prize for his book, House Made of Dawn. I haven’t read it, but I plan to.

I can’t say that I’m an environmentalist, but I try to be aware of the small role I can play. The part of the country where I live just outlawed the use of plastic grocery bags. If you forget to bring your tote bags, you can buy paper bags for a nickel when you check out. At my house we recycle. Maybe it’s too little too late to undo the damage and save the earth, but you have to try. OK, so you can add that resolution to your list, “don’t forget your tote bag”.

One More “Preachy” Item

A parting shot before I wrap this up. I was watching a program about Tuscany the other night – why is it that public TV seems to be the only thing worth my time these days? Anyway, it was interesting, partly because it looks so beautiful, and I would like to go there.

By the way, the TV program is “Rick Steves Europe”, really well-produced show that provides travel information and history. In this segment they talked about the local history and culture and how it affects the citizens (or vice versa). They were in Siena, Italy, where they practice something called “passiegata”. This is a daily evening ritual where the locals walk around in the streets, visiting with friends, eating, and just relaxing. Notice I said walking, that’s right, no cars. One more comment in the Tuscany piece:

“A community ruled by a just government enjoys peace, prosperity, and is great place to raise your kids.”

FYI: Imprimis

I haven’t read all of these Imprimis publications, but I’ve read enough of them to raise my awareness level of important issues in our society and to make me want to learn more. This is the main link to the web site, you can pick and choose the specific publications of interest to you.

More Music and Pictures

The bridge pictures are NOT metaphorical, nah, of course not, too obvious. The clouds, well, you can draw your own conclusions. Bottom line is, I just like taking pictures, and sometimes they are symbolic. The music, yeah, kind of obvious, but I really like the movie.

Back to the Future: Main Theme (from the movie)

 

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The X-Files: 2018 (Part II)

April 17, 2018

 

First Rufous of Spring at My House
Building All is Love: “Where the Wild Things Are” (movie soundtrack)
“The human voice can never reach the distance that is covered by the still, small voice of conscience.” Mahatma Gandhi

A Frame of Reference

Thinking about John 8:32 that I quoted in Part I – OK, admittedly I’ve taken a single verse from the Bible out of context, but I’m just trying to establish a frame of reference. The verse does make sense, right? Obviously, the misinformation, the subterfuge, the biased media reports, and, in my opinion, the indifference of the general public in wanting or caring about the truth have not served to establish an environment of trust in the good ole USA. When you go to the doctor, you want the truth, right – doc, what is the prognosis? I’ve had some very good doctors who were straight shooters and gave me good advice.

Does It Matter?

OK, you may ask, what’s the X-files connection? As Mr. They said in Part I, Does It Matter?” Hopefully, the issues I bring up and the points I try to make will help you connect the dots.

Imprimis Potpourri

Blogger’s Note: I give full editorial credit to the authors of the articles.

I’ll be including snippets from several Imprimis articles. Obviously, feel free to read each of the articles in their entirety, but as I said before, it’s thought-provoking but not light reading.

You Are Not Generation Z (Patrick L. Sajak, Host Wheel of Fortune)

Remember, this is an address to a graduating class in Texas in 2017.

“In short, I’m not sure there’s much need to inspire a group like this. So let me suggest  a pitfall to avoid going forward, a pitfall not only for this year’s graduating class, but for everyone in every corner of American society today. It has altered the way we talk to one another and perceive one another. It has perverted the notion of free speech and poisoned the academic environment. It has turned the American political system on its head, creating a situation where opposing views are not only unwelcome, they are deemed to be signs of evil intent. It has pitted friend against friend and has caused rifts within families. I’m talking about identity politics, the attempt to divide Americans and set us against each other. The attempt to classify and categorize us by all sorts of measurements and standards. To a great degree, those who are making these attempts are succeeding. And their efforts are changing our country in fundamental ways.” You really should read all of this one, especially on page 7, right column.

Next Up?

I’ve decided to continue the Imprimis material in a future blog.

I’ll be including:

  • Are We Free to Discuss America’s Problems by Amy L. Wax.
  • A More American Conservatism by Larry P. Arnn.
  • Immigration in the National Interest by Tom Cotton.
  • The 2016 Election and the Demise of Journalistic Standards by Michael Goodwin.

 

 

 

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To Do or Not to Do: Birthday Blog, 2018

February 23, 2018

My birthday blog for last year is here. I have a new birthday today.

I’ll start with some music – it’s Winter – and some quotes to set the tone for this piece which could go anywhere, hang on . . .

Takako Nishizaki: Very Best of Vivaldi, “Four Seasons, Winter (Largo)”

This BrainyQuote’s page has a wealth of quotes that relate either directly or in some weird, tangential way to this birthday blog. I started reading some of the quotes after doing the search on Shakespeare’s famous quote, “To be or not to be, that is the question,” which is the hook for the rest of this creative dissertation. I’ll explain more in a minute. Check out Jean-Luc Godard’s quote, “To be or not to be. That’s not really a question.” All you ex-English majors, like me, and grammarians should get a chuckle out of it. And check out Chuck Palahniuk, wow, some powerful, some witty, some head-scratcher quotes. By the way, his birthday is February 21, two days before mine. I should find him on Facebook and wish him a belated Happy Birthday. I’m not sure I can compete with the wisdom in some of the quotes, but as I get back on track here, maybe some of it will make sense to you. Nobody has quoted me yet.

To Do or Not to Do

Many weeks ago I got the idea for this blog. I started a draft on paper – I do that a lot as do many famous writers. Not that I’m famous, but John Le Carre’ is famous and well-published. I was just listening to his latest novel today, A Legacy of Spies. I watched a 60 Minutes interview with him several weeks ago. He lives in England in a remote place called Land’s End and has a separate little house where he writes his books in longhand. His wife types and edits his manuscripts. I thought that his lifestyle was extremely cool. His real name, which he prefers, is David Cornwell. Here he is in Wikipedia if you’re interested.

Back on Track

If you look at the “intro” parts of this blog, Looking for a Rufous, you may have picked up on the whole Rufous thing. Looking for things in life that really, really provide meaning and fulfillment, rather than just “living.” Also, there’s a great quote in Me and My Blog, probably my favorite quote, that says it all in my opinion. Of course, like someone said, if you already know the answer, don’t ask the question. Maybe you’ve figured it out already. Power to you, go for it, I’m perfectly fine with not perpetuating the search for meaning.

Takako Nishizaki: Very Best of Vivaldi, “Four Seasons, Spring (Allegro)”

An Average Day

Early morning sun (unusual for us in our Oregon winter) coming through the living room window, the dogs horsing around, listening to a Chicago song, “Wake Up Sunshine”, feeling good, an upbeat start to my day. I hope your day started on an upbeat note. But not every day starts that way, some days are more of a struggle. More caffeine, doesn’t help. Does that sound familiar? Such is life, eh, ups and downs, it’s normal. But what about the “baseline” parts of your life, the ongoing efforts that help you transcend the temporary mood swings and dark days? Is your baseline OK?

Tom Robbins: “To be or not to be isn’t the question. The question is, how to prolong being.”

I look at the best-selling authors, the scientists who discover cures for diseases, the athletes who strive to do their best, the volunteers who stack sandbags to stop the flood waters, and the others who strive to do things beyond themselves – I look at them in awe, admiring what they do. I’m not saying that being average is bad or that winning second place is not something to be proud of. You were there, that’s what counts.

N. Tonchev, Montana Chamber Orchestra: “Four Seasons, Summer (Presto)”

Parting Words on Starting this New Year (for me)

  • For this year, my plan is to try to stay healthy. If you’re active doing stuff, that’s a great place to start.
  • Do new things like meditation, early in the day. Even if it’s only 5 minutes, just relax, clear your thoughts, and focus on your breathing.
  • Journal, listen to music, watch the birds, cook dinner, talk to your kids or your friends or your dog (you’d be surprised how good a listener a dog can be).
  • Get involved, open up your mind and figure things out by relying on good, solid information. Segue to the Imprimis site, check it out, pick an area that interests you. I love the latest one, Are We Free to Discuss America’s Real Problems?.

More to come in the next blog.

N. Tonchev, Montana Chamber Orchestra: “Four Seasons, Autumn (Adagio-molto)”

Always Pictures

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What’s Next: A Topical Potpourri?

December 14, 2015

2016 Is Right Around the Corner!

Cold Play: You Only Live Twice

What kind of year has 2015 been for you? Taking a minute to reflect, has it been fun, challenging, stressful, chaotic, rewarding, joyful, sad, or maybe all of the above. Did you accomplish your goals or score any personal victories? Are you thinking about 2016 yet, perhaps setting new goals or redoing some of the goals from 2015 that were important but that you didn’t accomplish?

As I thought about 2016, I was looking at my list of possible topics for 2015 that I did not finish. I decided I would allow myself some “do-over’s” or continuations of blog topics from my 2015 list and add some new topics. Look for my 2016 Preview soon.

2015 Preview

As a literal segue into 2016, given that the end of the year is near, take a look at this quote below. This is from the October 2015 Reader’s Digest in the “Points to Ponder” section. I love this quote, give it some thought!

By the way, Reader’s Digest is another very good source of quotes.

On Morals and Values

“People say that these are different times requiring new rules, but I wonder if that’s true. There are new challenges, to be sure, but I view values as a stable force, not something to be swayed by politics, technology, or any modern contrivance. Rather than bend our values to fit the times, we need to fit the times to our values.”

Gretchen Carlson, journalist, in her memoir, Getting Real.
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Armadillo Burger, Anyone?

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