For this artsy Saturday, I want to once again keep it simple. How often you do take the time anymore just to look up. No, I don’t mean at the ceiling, but instead the sky. There is a lot of beauty there if you take the time to see it. Lord knows there is enough ugliness in your world today that we certainly need a regular dose of beauty. Continue reading Looking Up…
I want to start off this Cackle with the thought that we need to welcome a much higher number of people to our country than we presently are. Our immigration quotes are shamefully low. Being a self-proclaimed progressive liberal, it might be a surprise to you that I am not as entrenched in the immigration debate as I’m supposed to be. I can see some logic in both sides of the argument. One thing I ran across recently that pushed me a little to the conservative side is the following quote: Giving amnesty to the “Dreamers” is like allowing the … Continue reading A Country of Immigrants…
I don’t try to understand how my mind works. But, I am totally happy that I get quick broad streaks of inspiration on a regular basis. Sometimes I get quick mental flashes that interrupt whatever I was doing that demands my immediate attention. In the past, I would most likely decide to write it down when I got back to my desk. But, of course, most often the thought would vanish as quickly as it appeared. So, now I immediately jot them down. Getting to the point of the post, I have always admired those who can take a pencil/pen/brush and create … Continue reading Wild Inspirations…
I don’t know if I invented the phrase in the title above, I kinda doubt it, but it does pretty much describe how I feel about the subject. Getting to the very core of this subject I wish I had learned most of my lessons earlier in life. What good is that wisdom now that I am out of the mainstream and heading downhill? If I had just learned some lessons earlier I could have more successfully addressed the problems in my life. I like to think that I am a better person as a result of looking at the world … Continue reading Wisdom Is Wasted On The Eldery
Will Rogers is my favorite source for quotes but sometimes I discover wisdom elsewhere. :) In this case, it is Socrates. For those who might not know the guy, he lived 2500 years ago and is credited with being the founder of Western Philosophy. His words above are probably more relevant today than when he originally spoke them. Now I know this message is very counter to capitalism and if it were fully practiced in the USA our current economic foundation would likely collapse. Our economy depends on each of us spending more and more, so developing the capacity to enjoy … Continue reading The Capacity To Enjoy Less…
I have never been a person who patiently waits in a line. It has always seemed like a total waste to me. I will most often do anything to keep from having to stand behind other people. Now that I have taken the “One day at a time” approach to life, I want to live what I have left of life as fully as I can. Waiting in line is just not in that scenario. And as Will said in the quote above many things just aren’t worth the wait. Most of my grocery shopping occurs during the early hours when the store … Continue reading Waiting In Line…
The topic of this post is the new quote in the header above. I imagine everyone with an IQ above a cucumber knows who I am talking about. #CO3 thinks he is the greatest human being ever to walk the earth! But, I guess there are also some around, who do have the IQ of a cucumber who agree with him. I’m sorry Will, but I gotta improve what you said here with some similar words of my own. This one just seems more appropriate to today’s primary situation, doesn’t it? If my quote is applied, #CO3’s greatness is about … Continue reading No Man Is Great If He Thinks He Is – Will Rogers
You know the old saying that “money can’t buy happiness”, and happiness is the most sought-after thing in life for most of us. Happiness is even embedded in our constitution, Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. So, the question is just what does bring on happiness. Obviously, money is not the answer so what is? To answer that question we need to find the happiest people in the world and ask them that question. In the March 30, 2018 edition of The Week magazine, they identified Finland, closely followed by Norway and Denmark as the happiest people. That just doesn’t make sense? For … Continue reading The Happiest People in the World?
I have about 20,000 pictures in my personal portfolio. Probably one-third of them could be deleted and not really missed but that is beyond the purpose of this post. I have a list of about a hundred or so that are 5stars. One of the top ten in that category is shown below. I entitle it “Box of Eggs”. I think my attraction to this picture is because of its symmetry. My Aspie traits are particularly honed to order and symmetry. I found the picture in a Des Moines museum some years ago. So, for this artsy Saturday, I give you a “Box … Continue reading The Perfect Picture
Sometimes I get the feeling that I am the only one in the world that doesn’t lead an “Ozzie & Harriet” life. I know I am dating myself with that phrase as it refers to Ozzie and Harriet Nelson which was a TV show eons ago. :) They were America’s ideal fantasy couple in the 1950’s. It seems my wife and I are constantly arguing about almost everything. If I say up, she says down. I have it seems more than my share of health maladies that plague me. Bad bones, a prostate the size of a watermelon (just kidding), a … Continue reading Everybody’s Happy But Me…
We need the above quote now more than ever. With #CO3 trying to shut down our shores to keep everyone out, we must remember that is simply NOT what America is about. That paranoia is driven by the 25% of us who fear one thing or another. #CO3 and his supporters see others different from them as potential competitors for jobs or at the worst as those who might do us harm or threaten their lifestyle or even their very lives. America has been and will be again the land of opportunity for each us who are willing to put the work in to … Continue reading The Land of Opportunity.
Let’s face it, America is becoming a nation of fat people. Everywhere you look you see people who are many pounds heavier than they should be. They say that four in ten of us are significantly overweight. The experts say one … Continue reading Fat Americans…
Being over the hill is probably the most often used phrase for getting older. When you turn forty, at least for my generation, you were considered over the hill. My hero Will Rogers certainly was an inventive guy. The way he looked at life such as the words above is what inspires me. I have never really thought about it much, but I never did get the feeling that I was on top the hill. My life has just been happening day-to-day. Uphill-downhill seemed more like potholes in life. When I finally reached retirement, or should I say when it reached … Continue reading Over The Hill…
Since this is my “aging week” here on RJsCorner, I will flat out tell you that I am thoroughly enjoying my “golden years” and yes they are proving to be golden. All my life I have fretted about the future. What will I be when I grow up? Is there some other occupation that I was really built for? Since I am a weird person, should I remain a bachelor? Should I try to get another job or just retire? So many questions about life when you are young. Now don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed every minute of my time … Continue reading A Nice Change…
This and the next few posts are to honor of the new header above about Will’s quote on old age. I don’t know quite what the definition of “old age” is but I kinda think I might be getting there. I just don’t understand how I got all the way to this point in my life? It seems like yesterday that I was in college working my butt off to pay for school and to graduate. Admittedly my high school memories are pretty sparse now. I played those years out in the background as a shy kid who was totally clumsy in … Continue reading Bragging About It…
RJ's Corner - Having My Say 