A two day Daily for you today.
Ray Mitchell
The kindest way of helping yourself is to find a friend.
Ann Kaiser Stearns
Today’s daily will have to last two days as I’ll be working phones at a radio station for the next three days answering phone calls from folks making contributions to the Salvation Army Christmas campaign. I’ll be leaving about 5 AM each day so I am shutting down the presses until next Monday later today. I hope you enjoy your weekend, I know I will as I’ll be with a bunch of good people doing good work for others.
~~~
It’s late in the day so I have decided that it might be fun to see what my thoughts were on this day in years past rather than grasping for something new, I hope that is OK with you so here goes.
On December 19, 2002 I wrote:
I have always liked the word empathy and what it stands for. You know, the ability to identify with and understand another person’s feelings or difficulties. If you believe in the principle of doing unto others as you would have them do unto yourself, I think you will find that embracing empathy is the first step to embracing this, the Golden Rule. It is so easy these days to find fault first and understanding later, if at all. Maybe if we put understanding and empathy first before we looked for fault in others our lives would have more meaning and we would share more happiness.
~~~
I don't like that man. I must get to know him better.
Abraham Lincoln
~~~
A year later, 2003, The Daily lead was:
I remember the days when this was the season of the greatest activity and often the most stress. End of the year closings, shop, clean up the years backlog, the kids Christmas stuff, the round of parties, on and on and on it went. It was always next year when things would be less hectic and I would be able to really enjoy the season, or so we hoped. In reality it is how we handle what is on our plate that counts. I wish I would have had the following advice when I needed it.
If you want to be more than "present" on the job or in life, you need three key energy building skills to give you a more balanced life.
a.. You need to intentionally relax several times a day. Take breaks and recapture your energy.
b.. You must develop a realistically optimistic attitude about your circumstances - no matter what they are. It keeps you positive.
c.. And, you must remember that the reason you work so hard is to enjoy life; so don't forget to do so. Put daily fun into your schedule.
Doing these three things will you make more present on the job and in life because you will be fully engaged in living.
Dan Johnston, Ph.D.
~~~
Then the Daily on December 10, 2004 led with:
In everyone's life, at some time, our inner fire goes out. It is then burst into flame by an encounter with another human being. We should all be thankful for those people who rekindle the inner spirit.
Albert Schweitzer
~~~
Is he right, or what? I think the best times in or lives are when we share experiences with friends and loved ones. Once I realized that almost everyone I meet is a potential friend, life got better. It may start with only a smile, a brief recognition of the value of something they are doing, or an expression of appreciation. I suppose some people would measure friendships by the depth of the relationship, but no matter the degree, friendship always comes from human interaction. It can run anywhere from a relationship where we exchange even our darkest secrets to just a wave of recognition across a room with someone you have seen but never really met.
Unfortunately many people are in our lives for only a brief period of time. I suspect if we thought that each day was the last day we ever would see a friend or acquaintance we might take more time to tell them how much they are appreciated.
I am luckier than most as I am often given the opportunity to renew friendships. Today as an example I will attend the Kiwanis International Christmas luncheon. My years of work at Kiwanis were some of the best years of my life, not just because we were doing so much for children, but also because I had a chance to work with so many good people. Once a year I am invited to join them in a brief celebration of Christmas, which is great in itself. The lunch always includes good food and good sprit. But what makes it special for me is the chance to again spend a few moments with people who meant so much to me for so many years.
~~~
A friend is one of the nicest things you can have,
And one of the best things you can be.
Douglas Pagels
~~~
And then two years ago today I opened with:
I think the thing I like best about people I admire is how truthful they are to themselves. Have you noticed how the really smart people find it easy to admit they are wrong. To them truth is worth finding instead of closing their minds to alternatives. It is refreshing to enter into conversations with people who share their thoughts while keeping an open mind.
Unfortunately way too many people seem to feel that they must always be right. They are the ones who always know all of the answers, if we disagree with their belief they think there is something wrong with us. Frequently they use prejudice or hidden motives to color their thinking without realizing that their answers are based only on things that justify their beliefs and any fact that is in opposition is rejected since it must be wrong.
I have a hard time with people who know they are always right, especially when they are not. As you know the world looks different when you can see it clearly instead of looking at it through colored glasses. I prefer to just say thanks and goodbye than to listen to them justifying themselves. Bullheaded they may be but worth spending time with, I think not.
It is too bad that some people seem to feel they must provide rationalization for their behavior no matter what they do. How many times do you hear people give excuses not support a church or charity when in truth all they have to say is I just don’t want to give. I find that those who are self confident and open minded don’t offer excuses, they do what they think is right and if they find that they are wrong they willingly change.
Me, I would rather be found wrong and find out that I am so I can change instead of trying to convince others that I am right when I am not. And you know what? Being right all the time is not all that important. So if you are always right, I am glad but please don’t stop and tell me so, I’d rather spend time with people that make mistakes, they are far more interesting.
~~~
I was not surprised that the common element over the years has been people. And it is you the people who provide the friendship, texture, wisdom and zest to my life that makes it all worthwhile. I wish you the very best both for now and always.
Ray
~~~
More letters to God from children
Dear God, My brother told me about being born, but it doesn't sound right.
Dear God, If you watch me in church Sunday, I'll show you my new shoes. Mickey
Dear God, We read Thomas Edison made light. But in Sunday School, we learned that you did it. So I bet he stole your idea. Sincerely, Donna
Dear God, I do not think anybody could be a better God. Well, I just want you to know that I am not just saying this because you are God already. Charles
Dear God, I didn't think orange went with purple until I saw the sunset you made on Tuesday. That was cool! Eugene
Dear God, Maybe Cain and Abel would not kill each other so much if they had their own rooms. It works with my brother. Larry
~~~
It's not the fall that injures; it's the sudden stop.
~~~
The preacher was having a heart-to-heart talk with a backslider of his flock, whose drinking of moonshine invariably led to quarreling with his neighbors, and occasional shotgun blasts at some of them.
"Can't you see, Ben," intoned the parson, "that not one good thing comes out of this drinking?"
"Well, I sort of disagree there," replied the backslider. "It makes me miss the folks I shoot at."
~~~
He who laughs, lasts.
MARY PETTIBONE POOLE
~~~
A woman died and found herself standing outside the Pearly Gates, being greeted by St. Peter.
She asked him, "Oh, is this place what I really think it is? It's so beautiful. Did I really make it to heaven?"
To which St. Peter replied, "Yes, my dear, these are the Gates to Heaven. But,........... You must do one more thing before you can enter." The woman was very excited, and asked of St. Peter what she must do to pass through the gates.
"Spell a word," St. Peter replied.
"What word?" she asked.
"Any word," answered St. Peter. "It's your choice."
The woman promptly replied, "Then the word I will spell is love. L-o-v-e."
St. Peter congratulated her on her good fortune to have made it to Heaven, and asked her if she would mind taking his place at the gates for a few minutes while he took a break.
"I'd be honored," she said, "but what should I do if someone comes while you are gone?"
St. Peter reassured her, and instructed the woman simply have any newcomers to the Pearly Gates to spell a word as she had done.
So the woman is left sitting in St. Peter's chair and watching the beautiful angels soaring around her, when low and behold, a man approaches the gates, and she realizes it is her husband.
"What happened?" she cried, "Why are you here?"
Her husband stared at her for a moment, then said, "I was so upset when I left your funeral, I was in an accident. And now I am here. Did I really make it to Heaven?"
To which the woman replied, "Not yet. You must spell a word first."
"What word?" he asked.
The woman responded, "Czechoslovakia."
~~~
"Filthy Stinking Rich -- Well, Two Out of Three Ain't Bad"
~~~
A little girl walked daily to and from school. Though the weather one morning was questionable and clouds were forming, she made her daily trek to the elementary school.
As the day progressed, the winds whipped up, along with thunder and lightning. The mother of the little girl was worried that her daughter would be frightened as she walked home from school, and she herself feared that the electrical storm might harm her child.
Following the roar of the thunder, lightning would cut through the sky like a flaming sword. Being concerned, the mother got into her car and drove along the route to her child's school. Soon she saw her daughter walking along, but at each flash of lightning, the child would stop, look and smile. One followed another, each with the little girl stopping, looking at the streak of light and smiling.
Finally, the mother called her over to the car and asked, "What are you doing?"
The child answered, "God keeps taking pictures of me."
~~~
"I Want It All and I Want It Delivered"
~~~
Used to being the center of attention, Robbie was a little more than jealous of his new baby sister. The parents sat him down and said that now that she was getting older, the house was too small and they'd have to move. "It's no use." Robbie said, "She's crawling good now and she'd probably just follow us."
~~~
"Real Men Don't Waste Their Hormones Growing Hair"
~~~
A man was in bad shape. He constantly gasped for breath and his eyes bulged. The doctors didn't give him long to live. He decided to live it up. Withdrawing all of his money from the bank, he went on a shopping spree. His last stop was at the most expensive haberdashery in the city. He pointed out a dozen silk shirts. He wore a size fourteen.
The clerk said, "Your neck looks bigger than fourteen. You need a sixteen."
The man said, "I know my size. I want them in a fourteen."
The clerk said, "I'll get them for you, but I want to warn you...if you wear a fourteen you'll gasp all day and yours eyes will bulge."
~~~
Pajama-clad tot calling out to family: "I'm going upstairs to say my prayers now. Anyone want anything?”
~~~
Although he was a qualified meteorologist, a local broadcaster ran up a terrible record of forecasting for the TV news program. He became something of a local joke when a newspaper began keeping a record of his predictions and showed that he'd been wrong almost three hundred times in a single year.
That kind of notoriety was enough to get him fired.
He moved to another part of the country and applied for a similar job. One blank on the job application called for the reason for leaving his previous position.
In the blank he wrote quite honestly, "The climate didn't agree with me."
~~~
Love is not a matter of what happens in life.
It's a matter of what's happening in your heart.
Ken Keyes
~~~
Stay well, do good work, and have fun.
Ray Mitchell
Indianapolis, Indiana
Management is not responsible for duplicates from previous dailies.
The editor is somewhat senile.
This daily is sent only to special people who want to start their day on an upbeat. If you have system overload because of our daily clutter, let me know and I will send you the information via mental telepathy. If you have not been getting our daily you can join at http://groups.google.com/group/Rays-Daily. Back issues are posted at http://raykiwsp.multiply.com/journal currently there are about 1500 readers from all over the world.
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