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.
I watched a program on public TV the other day about Vortex I, a documentary about a 1970 event, really interesting and historic as it relates to the state of Oregon. I may have to do a follow-up blog about the Portland vs Austin question.
Thanks to Portland State University and the Oregon Historical Society for the Vortex I web write-up.
It Is Still 2018?
Yes, as I put pen to paper (actually fingers to keyboard) drafting this post, probably my last post for the year, there is only a full day left in 2018 before the big ball drops in Times Square. No, I won’t be there, but I have a runner friend who lives in Oregon but really likes New York.
The first and only time I was in New York occurred when I was a teenager. I was with my oldest sister and her husband, and it was Christmas time. We did a lot of “tourist stuff”, went to Rockefeller Center with the big tree and the ice skaters. We also went to a supper club in mid-town Manhattan where Joan Rivers was performing. She was pregnant, and I thought her jokes were pregnant. Anyway, for a boy who had grown up in small-town Texas, New York was an amazing experience – from a town of less than 8,000 to New York City, walking down 5th Avenue where people were packed in practically elbow to elbow. The subway and Greenwich Village were fun too.
Was 2018 a Good Year for You?
For me, now winding down 2018. I can say that it has been a good year, possibly a great year, but I’m ready to move on to new challenges. When you get “older and wiser”, you tend to get philosophical (and more forgetful) about life. Hopefully, no matter what your age, if you look back and reflect on 2018, you will smile and say that it has been a hoot or an adventure or whatever, and you will look forward to 2019. There are two quotes, a Nelson Demille quote at the top of that page and a Hunter S. Thompson quote at the bottom in my Favorite Quotes post. In my opinion, those two quotes say it all.
What is the Meaning of Life?
If you are at all interested in the meaning of life or the purpose of life I’m suggesting that you read another Reader’s Digest article, to start you off on the right foot for 2019.
The excellent article, Maintain Your Purpose in Life, was written by David G. Allan.
If you’re old enough, you may remember that screensaver from many years ago, a weird red and green cartoon character, mouth open and tongue hanging out (captioned the “meaning of life”) that flitted around the computer screen daring you to click it with your mouse, and of course it always evaded you. Regardless of the implication suggested by the screensaver creator that it isn’t possible to figure it out, read Allan’s article and give it some thought, about your own purpose in life. For him it’s a yearly exercise, and he says that his answer changes over time. Don’t overthink it – the year he got engaged, Allan’s answer to the question was “Love”.
He also points out that this isn’t a theoretical exercise, you should turn your answer into action. If your answer is “love”, then you should love more.
Bottom line, there is no right answer, only what’s right for you at any given time. He talks about how studies have shown that people who have a specific purpose in life and can articulate it, live longer. He suggests that if you take the time to think about it and answer the question, it will in effect add meaning to your life.
Allan quotes some of the answers from famous people.
“Only a life lived for others is a life worthwhile.” (Albert Einstein)
“The sole meaning of life is to serve humanity.” (Leo Tolstoy)
“There is only the meaning we each give to our life, an individual meaning, an individual plot, like an individual novel, a book for each person.” (Anais Nin)
What’s Ahead – Foreshadowing my Blog for 2019
Stuff about good people and what they do. If you read my November blog, I included a link to Reader’s Digest stories. Every November Reader’s Digest publishes their America’s Nicest Places issue. A couple of other interesting links for you:
Vietnam, my experiences and my observations about the war.
More about “Is Portland, Oregon weirder than Austin, Texas?”
Mindfulness, a continuation of my blog topic. A subject that keeps popping up in the media.
The Big Leap, a book by Gay Hendricks – I included the link in a November post, just boring “self-improvement” stuff. Kind of like meditation, it may require some effort on your part to realize the positive results.
Music and Pictures
Vivaldi, The Four Seasons (Winter)
Vivaldi, The Four Seasons (Spring)
Vivaldi, The Four Seasons (Summer)
Vivaldi, The Four Seasons (Autumn)
Some Parting Shots
I’ve mentioned my Daily Word readings – just a couple of recent ones to pass along that I thought were noteworthy.
December 29, 2018, “Love: It is my nature to extend love.”
“I recognize that forgiveness is easier than condemnation because forgiveness reflects the truth of who I am. God is perfect love and therefore so am I.”
A companion Bible verse, Ephesians 4:26: “Be angry but do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger.”
December 30, 2018: “Power: I am a spiritual being, bestowed with great power.”
“I align my thoughts with my highest good, envisioning health, abundance, love, and success.”
If you have been reading The Big Leap, the last sentence should remind you of Hendrick’s “universal success mantra” that he discusses in the book.
OK, the first post with the picture of the tree and the long caption has been sitting there for a few days, maybe it’s time to explain or expand on what I meant.
First of all, as you probably noticed, the tree in the picture isn’t an oak. I selected it at random out of a bunch of pictures I took on a trip to Houston, my other hometown – I live in Portland, Oregon, but grew up in Texas. I think it’s a Crepe Myrtle, but that’s only a guess. The circle in the middle is kind of cool. Isn’t it interesting how trees will grow around a weakness or injury.
Here’s a bit more to explain the long caption. By the way, I did a blog post last fall titled “Doing Nothing” (it’s in the archives under “Things to Think About”) . The tone of this post is similar. Anyway, to explain the post from earlier this week, I was relaxing in my back yard, just sitting in my comfortable swing, rocking back and forth. It was a really nice spring evening, not too hot or too cold, and dry with a bit of a breeze, and the sun was going down. The tree I was looking at was a large oak tree, fully leafed out. It was back-lit by the dusky sunlight and was fairly dark except for one spot in the center where a ray of light broke through. Stay with me on this, you may have to use your imagination. To me, the dark rounded shape of the oak tree, kind of shaped like your head or your brain and the penetrating ray of light made me think of or represented how a thought or an idea might occur to me. To extend this “thinking analogy” a bit more, there is an ash tree in my yard, but it is bare of leaves. The bare branches curving and stretching out in different directions made me think of neural pathways in the brain. I guess my point is, it’s good to relax and loosen up the thinking processes. You never know what ideas might come up.
This modest blurb was actually an exercise suggested by a relative. She suggested the exercise in her book, Let Go of the Rope, that I was reading, in the Appendix in a section titled “13 Lucky Truths”. Before you start, find a place where it’s quiet, where you can relax and meditate and focus on your breath if you choose. Once that’s done, don’t delay, just start answering the question. It should only take 5-10 minutes at the most. Here are my “truths” – I only did 10 – write down as many as you want, just don’t take all day, it should be spontaneous.
1. It is OK not to love God, but it’s better if you do love God.
2. Life is too short to waste on unfulfilling pursuits.
3. Smiling is more fun than frowning, and it takes less energy.
4. Be up front in all your relationships.
5. It is OK to get mad occasionally; just don’t stay mad.
6. If you help someone, someone will help you.
7. It is OK to be happily married.
8. Never stop saying I love you to your loved ones.
9. Learn to like yourself and be happy with your lot in life.
10. Winning is great, but it is OK to lose.
blazinbernie
Looking for a Rufous 