Color

Colors are the smiles of nature.

~ Leigh Hunt

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Fog is the farts of nature. 

(pause)

Especially if there is a startled skunk in that fog.

Waterfalls

Two waterfalls do not hear each other.

~ African Proverb

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Waterfalls don't have ears. They can't hear anything.

Joy

You get to feel what you are feeling right now. It's going to be more than some people and less than others. (Also it is okay to find joy in the world right now).

~ Nadia Bolz-Weber

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So, earlier this month, I had a moment where the universe was reaching out to me. I won't tell you how I know this because you might mock it and, ultimately, it's for me and not for you. You have to find your own way. 

Anyway, I was about to write in this blog about how joy can be good at hiding. The reality is that it really doesn't hide at all. We just don't look for it all the time. Or we expect it to show up in huge events and moments. Instead, it is embedded in every moment in more ways than we can count. It's not about searching. It's about staying still and looking and listening and feeling. 

Unless you're talking about my friend Joy. She can be pretty good at hiding. She's a sneaky pisshead.

Smiles

Just be a joy to be around.

~ Sasha Colby

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I think most dogs live in joy. Unless it gets messed up by humans. Of course humans can mess up the joy of other humans, too. 

So quit doing that.

 

Beer

Beauty is in the eye of the beer holder.

~ Kinky Friedman

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I understand that sometimes people drive you to drink, but when that happens, I think it's equally important to have someone drive you home from drinking.

Coveting

I don't read advertisements. I would spend all my time wanting things.

~ Franz Kafka

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Wow is coveting a popular sin right now. Wanting instead of giving is popular in our culture, in our churches, in our minds. 

There are a few, however, who are not coveting or wanting or focused on what everyone else has. Their brains are quiet. They are at peace.

I wish I had what they have.

Cat

The worthy administrators of justice are like a cat set to take care of a cheese, lest it should be gnawed by the mice. One bite of the cat does more damage to the cheese than 20 mice can do.

~ Voltaire

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Some days you see injustice in the world and don't know what to do. Other days you see injustice in the world and you know exactly what to do. Like when they degrade and dismiss heroes and you join the Cats on a Couch on Instagram as an act of subversion.

(pause)

Some days you take smaller steps to eradicate injustice than others.

World

Don't worry about the world coming to an end today. It's already tomorrow in Australia.

~ Charles M. Schulz

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I had a conversation with a friend a few days ago. It went something like this:

Ryan: How are you doing?

Me: I have food, shelter, and people who love me, so I'm doing all right despite the fact that the world is a shitshow.

Ryan: Let me offer you a reframe on that. The world is beautiful. It is filled with beautiful people. And a few selfish people who are making decisions with no regard for the consequences to others.

I have some wise friends.

And, yes, this is a photo of Canada. And, no, that isn't an accident.

Hope

They say a person needs just three things to be truly happy in this world: someone to love, something to do, and something to hope for.

~ Tom Bodett

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I might add food, shelter, and potable water to that list. 

Humor

Talk sense to a fool and he calls you foolish.

~ Euripides

Once upon a time I was in a meeting. We were talking about someone named John Schmidt. I feel comfortable sharing this because there are a lot of John Schmidts in the world. Anyway, I wanted to share a thought with the group, so I posted the following:

This may be the single most hilarious thing that I will ever share in work chat. As you can see, two of my colleagues appropriately acknowledged this comment. There were more than two people in the meeting. The ones who failed to laugh at this... I am not angry at them. I am sad for them.