In an August 2010 blog called, “Not well”, I concluded with this statement and challenge:
“Just a little reminder to all here, and especially myself, that next time, before I speak, I stop, think and mean what I say! Will you try that too? Good for you! “
To which my good American blogger mate, wrote: “My aunt always said it was rude to say anything else - that no one REALLY wanted to know.”
To which I replied: “Also very true ******. And relevant too, as I once knew a man you never asked how he was, for he would literally take 15 minutes to tell you. And believe me, after you heard it once, you didn't really get anything new. So you learnt to choose your words very carefully around him. And that was what I was trying to achieve with this blog. I was just trying to show how trite some things have become to us and how often we tritely and unthinkingly respond. After all, I could have said anything other than that I was well. I could have said something like, "doing okay i guess". Or as a late great friend used to say, "Suffering in silence!" And He did!”
Yes although he did suffer greatly in his later years, he never bothered you with the details, unless you really wanted to know, and asked specifically. That was him but what about you and me? Yes, although I know I am getting a little personal here, I can’t help asking you, how much care to you take before speaking?
Well must be off now, but would love to have your thoughts on the subject.
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Monday, May 30, 2011
Learn to write on the appropriate material.
Received this great e-mail a little while back and thought I just have to share it with you too:
“TWO FRIENDS WERE WALKING THROUGH THE DESERT. DURING SOME POINT OF THE JOURNEY, THEY HAD AN ARGUMENT; AND ONE FRIEND SLAPPED THE OTHER ONE IN THE FACE. THE ONE WHO GOT SLAPPED WAS HURT, BUT WITHOUT SAYING ANYTHING, WROTE IN THE SAND, ‘TODAY MY BEST FRIEND SLAPPED ME IN THE FACE “.
THEY KEPT ON WALKING, UNTIL THEY FOUND AN OASIS, WHERE THEY DECIDED TO TAKE A BATH. THE ONE WHO HAD BEEN SLAPPED GOT STUCK IN THE MIRE AND STARTED DROWNING, BUT THE FRIEND SAVED HIM. AFTER HE RECOVERED FROM
THE NEAR DROWNING, HE WROTE ON A STONE: 'TODAY MY BEST FRIEND SAVED MY LIFE'.
THE FRIEND WHO HAD SLAPPED AND SAVED HIS BEST FRIEND ASKED HIM, 'AFTER I HURT YOU, YOU WROTE IN THE SAND AND NOW, YOU WRITE ON A STONE, WHY?' THE FRIEND REPLIED 'WHEN SOMEONE HURTS US WE SHOULD WRITE IT DOWN IN SAND, WHERE WINDS OF FORGIVENESS CAN ERASE IT AWAY. BUT, WHEN SOMEONE DOES SOMETHING GOOD FOR US, WE MUST ENGRAVE IT IN STONE WHERE NO WIND CAN EVER ERASE IT'.”
The e-mail then ends with this sage advice which we could all benefit from if we were to put it into practise: “LEARN TO WRITE YOUR HURTS IN THE SAND AND TO CARVE YOUR
BENEFITS IN STONE. “
Again great advice that I thought worth trying to implement in my own life and to share with you. What say you?
“TWO FRIENDS WERE WALKING THROUGH THE DESERT. DURING SOME POINT OF THE JOURNEY, THEY HAD AN ARGUMENT; AND ONE FRIEND SLAPPED THE OTHER ONE IN THE FACE. THE ONE WHO GOT SLAPPED WAS HURT, BUT WITHOUT SAYING ANYTHING, WROTE IN THE SAND, ‘TODAY MY BEST FRIEND SLAPPED ME IN THE FACE “.
THEY KEPT ON WALKING, UNTIL THEY FOUND AN OASIS, WHERE THEY DECIDED TO TAKE A BATH. THE ONE WHO HAD BEEN SLAPPED GOT STUCK IN THE MIRE AND STARTED DROWNING, BUT THE FRIEND SAVED HIM. AFTER HE RECOVERED FROM
THE NEAR DROWNING, HE WROTE ON A STONE: 'TODAY MY BEST FRIEND SAVED MY LIFE'.
THE FRIEND WHO HAD SLAPPED AND SAVED HIS BEST FRIEND ASKED HIM, 'AFTER I HURT YOU, YOU WROTE IN THE SAND AND NOW, YOU WRITE ON A STONE, WHY?' THE FRIEND REPLIED 'WHEN SOMEONE HURTS US WE SHOULD WRITE IT DOWN IN SAND, WHERE WINDS OF FORGIVENESS CAN ERASE IT AWAY. BUT, WHEN SOMEONE DOES SOMETHING GOOD FOR US, WE MUST ENGRAVE IT IN STONE WHERE NO WIND CAN EVER ERASE IT'.”
The e-mail then ends with this sage advice which we could all benefit from if we were to put it into practise: “LEARN TO WRITE YOUR HURTS IN THE SAND AND TO CARVE YOUR
BENEFITS IN STONE. “
Again great advice that I thought worth trying to implement in my own life and to share with you. What say you?
Do you find these articles Longueur?
Longueur is the Word of the Day for Monday, May 23, 2011, and as a noun means: “A dull and tedious passage in a book, play, musical composition, or the like.”
Looking back in my memory I can recollect a few occasions where some books, TV, & speeches have had their fair share of longueur moments.
Then I started to ponder just how many moments of longueur that there may have been where I may have also inflicted it on others, including in these articles that I write and post here.
So your task now is to decide whether these items, to you at least, have or are passages of Longueur in them. And if so, to let me know, so that I can consider what to do about correcting those passages. So again, over to you now for comment. Thanks.
Looking back in my memory I can recollect a few occasions where some books, TV, & speeches have had their fair share of longueur moments.
Then I started to ponder just how many moments of longueur that there may have been where I may have also inflicted it on others, including in these articles that I write and post here.
So your task now is to decide whether these items, to you at least, have or are passages of Longueur in them. And if so, to let me know, so that I can consider what to do about correcting those passages. So again, over to you now for comment. Thanks.
Saturday, May 28, 2011
"How To Stay Young by John Campbell"
The following is not original to me nor can I remember where I got it from a couple of years back, but while some doctors might fault it in places, it makes a lot of sense in others, and is worth not only reading, but also being put into action in our own lives too, where applicable.
“ How To Stay Young by John Campbell
Just remember that getting old is caused by staying alive but being old is caused by giving up on life.
1. Throw out nonessential numbers. This includes age, weight and height. Let the doctors worry about them. That is why you pay them. Let others who don't have anything more important to do worry about them but you get on with your life unhindered by irrelevant information. Just think about it this way.
What would you do if you did not know how old you were?
The shape, and state, you are in is far more important that what you weigh.
There is no correlation between your height and your IQ or your personality.
2 Keep only cheerful friends. The grouches pull you down. Beware of being with, or being an "energy vampire" (someone who brightens up the room by leaving!) Your attitude is affected by the company you keep so develop an attitude that keeps you in the company of exciting enthusiastic people.
3. Keep learning. Learn more about the computer, crafts, gardening, whatever. Never let the brain idle. The greatest investment you can make is in yourself and medical science has shown that there is no limit to how much you can learn other than how much you choose to learn.
4. Enjoy the simple things. Either everything is a miracle or nothing is a miracle. The reason that we stop enjoying the simple things is that we take them for granted.
5. Laugh often, long and loud. Laugh until you gasp for breath. Laughing is one of the best exercises that you can get. Just remember, to get the most benefit learn to laugh with others, not at them. If you must laugh at someone learn to laugh at yourself.
6. Tears happen. Endure, grieve, and move on. The only person who is with us our entire life, is ourselves. Be ALIVE while you are alive. Allow yourself to experience your emotions, they are what make you, you. Remember these four words. "This too, will pass"
7. Surround yourself with what you love, whether it's family, pets, keepsakes, music, plants, hobbies, whatever. Your home is your refuge. Take the time to take stock of your spiritual wealth. What is it that you have that makes life worth living?
8. Cherish your health: If it is good, preserve it. If it is not good, improve it. If it is beyond what you can improve, get help. Take good care of your body. It is your vehicle on this journey called life and it is the way that you get to experience all your physical interaction with others.
9. Don't take guilt trips. Take a trip to the mall, to the next county, to a foreign country, any where but NOT to where the guilt is. When people start offering guilt trips keep your emotional bank account safe, decline the offer. And what ever you do, do not put others on a guilt trip because no matter what you do, you have to go with.
10. Tell the people you love that you love them, at every opportunity. Treat the living with as much respect as you treat the dead and you will be amazed at the change in your relationships. Don't wait until the "last minute" to mend or maintain relationships, your watch might be slow and you might miss it
No matter what the state of your life right now, just remember this, it sure beats the alternative.
Be Young. Have Fun. Go Live You Life.”
I feel no further comment is needed by me, but if you wish too, please feel free to do so.
“ How To Stay Young by John Campbell
Just remember that getting old is caused by staying alive but being old is caused by giving up on life.
1. Throw out nonessential numbers. This includes age, weight and height. Let the doctors worry about them. That is why you pay them. Let others who don't have anything more important to do worry about them but you get on with your life unhindered by irrelevant information. Just think about it this way.
What would you do if you did not know how old you were?
The shape, and state, you are in is far more important that what you weigh.
There is no correlation between your height and your IQ or your personality.
2 Keep only cheerful friends. The grouches pull you down. Beware of being with, or being an "energy vampire" (someone who brightens up the room by leaving!) Your attitude is affected by the company you keep so develop an attitude that keeps you in the company of exciting enthusiastic people.
3. Keep learning. Learn more about the computer, crafts, gardening, whatever. Never let the brain idle. The greatest investment you can make is in yourself and medical science has shown that there is no limit to how much you can learn other than how much you choose to learn.
4. Enjoy the simple things. Either everything is a miracle or nothing is a miracle. The reason that we stop enjoying the simple things is that we take them for granted.
5. Laugh often, long and loud. Laugh until you gasp for breath. Laughing is one of the best exercises that you can get. Just remember, to get the most benefit learn to laugh with others, not at them. If you must laugh at someone learn to laugh at yourself.
6. Tears happen. Endure, grieve, and move on. The only person who is with us our entire life, is ourselves. Be ALIVE while you are alive. Allow yourself to experience your emotions, they are what make you, you. Remember these four words. "This too, will pass"
7. Surround yourself with what you love, whether it's family, pets, keepsakes, music, plants, hobbies, whatever. Your home is your refuge. Take the time to take stock of your spiritual wealth. What is it that you have that makes life worth living?
8. Cherish your health: If it is good, preserve it. If it is not good, improve it. If it is beyond what you can improve, get help. Take good care of your body. It is your vehicle on this journey called life and it is the way that you get to experience all your physical interaction with others.
9. Don't take guilt trips. Take a trip to the mall, to the next county, to a foreign country, any where but NOT to where the guilt is. When people start offering guilt trips keep your emotional bank account safe, decline the offer. And what ever you do, do not put others on a guilt trip because no matter what you do, you have to go with.
10. Tell the people you love that you love them, at every opportunity. Treat the living with as much respect as you treat the dead and you will be amazed at the change in your relationships. Don't wait until the "last minute" to mend or maintain relationships, your watch might be slow and you might miss it
No matter what the state of your life right now, just remember this, it sure beats the alternative.
Be Young. Have Fun. Go Live You Life.”
I feel no further comment is needed by me, but if you wish too, please feel free to do so.
Friday, May 27, 2011
How much has the other person learned in 7 years?
A little while back I read somewhere that: “Mark Twain said that when he was 14 years old, his father was so ignorant Mark could hardly stand him. But by the time he was 21 he was amazed how much the old man had learned in 7 years.”
Now while many of us might smile and think the same about their own parents, I can’t help wondering if our own children too, don’t feel the same way about us. And I hope that eventually they too will, like us, learn that their allegedly ignorant aren’t as dumb as they first thought and that all of us will learn a lot in a few short years too. If we just give each other a little time and forgiveness. What say you?
Yes who today do you have to allow a little to grow, and to whom do you too have to give credit for how much they/you have grown in the past few years whether shorter or lkonger than seven? Over to you now for your action please?
Now while many of us might smile and think the same about their own parents, I can’t help wondering if our own children too, don’t feel the same way about us. And I hope that eventually they too will, like us, learn that their allegedly ignorant aren’t as dumb as they first thought and that all of us will learn a lot in a few short years too. If we just give each other a little time and forgiveness. What say you?
Yes who today do you have to allow a little to grow, and to whom do you too have to give credit for how much they/you have grown in the past few years whether shorter or lkonger than seven? Over to you now for your action please?
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Which type of megrim do you have most?
The Word of the Day for Wednesday, April 7, 2010, is megrim. Now Megrim is one of those unique words that have a few interpretations, and each one quite different to the other, although technically it is quite possible to experience all 3 different meanings at the one time.
Now Megrim means either: 1. A migraine. 2. A fancy; a whim. Or. 3. In the plural: lowness of spirits -- often with 'the'.
The following examples are used to express the three different meanings more clearly:
1.That might justify her, fairly enough, in being kept away from meeting now and again by headaches, or undefined megrims. -- Harold Frederic, The Damnation of Theron Ware.
2.Tonight, by some megrim of the scheduler, I have the honor of working with the departmental chairman, Dr. B. -- Pamela Grim, Just Here Trying to Save a Few Lives.
3.They do say it's always darkest before the dawn, she thought. I reckon this is proof of it. I've got the megrims, that's all. -- Stephens Mitchell, Scarlett
As already mentioned, I think all of us have had a Megrim before, possibly even all 3 types too, even if not all together.
But the important thing here is not which type of Megrim you have but how you deal with it, that is important.
For the first type often, although you can sometimes control it with medication, often you just have to stop and rest and let it take its course.
For the second, although not as outwardly painful, these fancies or whims if acted upon without careful consideration can cause much long term damage.
As can the lowness of spirit if we let it. So the message here is that with all types of Megrims, we need to take appropriate action and positive steps to overcome them.
So with the megrims currently in your life, what are you doing to overcome them?
Are you getting the appropriate medical and other advice? Are you properly following that advice? And are you actively pursuering the correct action? Or still waiting for others to help you, often without them even knowing you need help? Over to you now for your own action please?
Now Megrim means either: 1. A migraine. 2. A fancy; a whim. Or. 3. In the plural: lowness of spirits -- often with 'the'.
The following examples are used to express the three different meanings more clearly:
1.That might justify her, fairly enough, in being kept away from meeting now and again by headaches, or undefined megrims. -- Harold Frederic, The Damnation of Theron Ware.
2.Tonight, by some megrim of the scheduler, I have the honor of working with the departmental chairman, Dr. B. -- Pamela Grim, Just Here Trying to Save a Few Lives.
3.They do say it's always darkest before the dawn, she thought. I reckon this is proof of it. I've got the megrims, that's all. -- Stephens Mitchell, Scarlett
As already mentioned, I think all of us have had a Megrim before, possibly even all 3 types too, even if not all together.
But the important thing here is not which type of Megrim you have but how you deal with it, that is important.
For the first type often, although you can sometimes control it with medication, often you just have to stop and rest and let it take its course.
For the second, although not as outwardly painful, these fancies or whims if acted upon without careful consideration can cause much long term damage.
As can the lowness of spirit if we let it. So the message here is that with all types of Megrims, we need to take appropriate action and positive steps to overcome them.
So with the megrims currently in your life, what are you doing to overcome them?
Are you getting the appropriate medical and other advice? Are you properly following that advice? And are you actively pursuering the correct action? Or still waiting for others to help you, often without them even knowing you need help? Over to you now for your own action please?
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Should we be Fungible?
Fungible, the Word of the Day for Thursday, May 19, 2011,means:
adjective: 1. (Law) Freely exchangeable for or replaceable by another of like nature or kind in the satisfaction of an obligation.2. Interchangeable.
noun:1. Something that is exchangeable or substitutable. Usually used in the plural.
Although the above was not technically referring to humans, I was wondering, first, whether or not we were in fact Fungible, and then, whether it was a good idea for us to always be fungible too?
On the one hand we need to be fungible to the point that we could be easily replaced without problems in our working lives. But on the other hand, I feel that we should also be in-fungible in other aspects of our life. Otherwise we might as well be fungible robots! Again, what say you?
adjective: 1. (Law) Freely exchangeable for or replaceable by another of like nature or kind in the satisfaction of an obligation.2. Interchangeable.
noun:1. Something that is exchangeable or substitutable. Usually used in the plural.
Although the above was not technically referring to humans, I was wondering, first, whether or not we were in fact Fungible, and then, whether it was a good idea for us to always be fungible too?
On the one hand we need to be fungible to the point that we could be easily replaced without problems in our working lives. But on the other hand, I feel that we should also be in-fungible in other aspects of our life. Otherwise we might as well be fungible robots! Again, what say you?
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