Own

Sing, sing a song

Make it simple

To last your whole life long

Don't worry if it's not good enough

For anyone else to hear

Just sing

Sing a song

~ Joseph G. Raposo

- - - - -

It is important to sing your own song. Whatever is in your heart. Even if it is trespasSing.
 

Crisis

Only a crisis, actual or perceived produces real change.

~ Milton Friedman

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Skeletor

I shall never be ashamed of citing a bad author if the line is good.

~ Lucius Annaeus Seneca

- - - - -

My nephew Zak loves villains. I sent him a number of Little Golden Books a few months ago -- including some about Scooby Doo and Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Skeletor. Skeletor was the one he wanted to read right away.

Sorry, Scoob. Sorry RBG.

Also, interesting choice in subject matter to make a book about Skeletor, Little Golden Books.

House

Most importantly, I strive for function above all in every house.

~ Hilary Farr

- - - - -

I watch a lot of home makeover shows. On a lot of them they are very worried about creating "a teen space". My parents never worried about that. I think they didn't really want any teens in the house. Including us when we were teens.

In all fairness, I met us when we were teens. I wouldn't want space for those teens, either.

Appliances

Guarantees are for major appliances, not for murder.

~ Laurell K. Hamilton

- - - - -

And "fuaruntees" are for no one and nothing, even if that is what I accidentally typed earlier in the post (I corrected it, though so you would never know I made such an error).
 

Accident

They're funny things, Accidents. You never have them till you're having them.

~ A. A. Milne

I don't think this is a real outline of a body. It's spray paint and I don't think they use spray paint to outline bodies in police investigations. Also, the proportions are weird and there is no neck on this person. But I don't mind accidents (in the spray painting, that is. The accidents where people die - sometimes I mind those). Some accidents are, in fact, pretty fun.

For example, when people are posting or texting and they type "me" instead of "my" -- I love that. It makes them sound like a pirate...

* I want to celebrate me mom's birthday today!

* Me kids are driving me nuts!

* I love me dog.

* I found me buried treasure.

* I love being a pirate on me pirate ship!

You know... that kind of thing.

Kayaking

If in doubt, paddle out.

~ Nat Young

- - - - -

Leslie loves kayaking. 

"Why doesn't she marry it?!" you ask?

"What are you, nine?" I ask.

 

Chew

I love biting off more than I can chew and then figuring it out.

~ Jordan Peele

- - - - -

Lily doesn't really bite off more than she can chew. I have found she can chew on most anything.

Home

 A good home must be made, not bought

~ Joyce Maynard

- - - - -

Tell that to the people who live in this home. I moved in and tried to make it my own and they got all mad.

Mailbox

Whoever knowingly and willingly deposits mailable matter such as statements of accounts, circulars, sale bills, or other like matter, on which no postage has been paid, in any letter box established, approved, or accepted by the Postal Service for the receipt or delivery of mail matter on any mail route with intent to avoid payment of lawful postage thereon, shall for each such offense be fined under this title. 

~ 18 U.S.C. 1725

- - - - -

So this law was established in 1934. Stamps were three cents then. I wish they were only two cents then. And I wish the USPS would have done a survey requiring patrons to mail in their opinions and that they called the survey "Give us your two cents worth."

Of course, as I was often told as a child, "If wishes were pennies, we'd all be rich."

Sky

Only from the heart can you touch the sky.

~ Rumi

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You can kind of touch the sky from a parachute, too, Rumi.
 

Resemblance

Admiration, n. Our polite recognition of another's resemblance to ourselves.

~ Ambrose Bierce

- - - - -

I saw this at an auction place one time. It reminded me of someone, but I couldn't think of who it was. Then I saw a photo of the child of someone I know on Facebook. That child is who I was thinking of when I saw this doll scary thing. 

I don't think it is mean of me to think this looks like that kid. I think it would be mean of me to say who the kid is. 

(pause)

So I shan't.

Concepts

The very concept of objective truth is fading out of the world. Lies will pass into history.

~ George Orwell

- - - - -

Oh, George. You are so silly. Lies have been passing into history since forever ago. 
 

Reading

Books remain the same, but we certainly have changed, and this later encounter is therefore completely new.

~ Italo Calvino

- - - - -

I read a lot as a kid and then kind of fell out of love with reading. Then I started liking it again.

I should write a story about that sometime. Then people could read it. And be inspired.

(pause)

Maybe that's exactly what I just did! You're welcome, reader.
 

Congregations

Worship isn't God's show. God is the audience. God's watching. The congregation, they are the actors in this drama. Worship is their show. And the minister is just reminding the people of their forgotten lines.

~ Soren Kierkegaard

- - - - - 

Overheard at the dog park...

I wanna be like Bessie and Anna when I get old. Those two women were in my congregation well into their 80s and were god damn sharp as tacks!

Imagination

Don't let your imagination be crushed by life as a whole.... stick with the situation at hand.

~ Marcus Aurelius

- - - - -

A lot of people ask me, "Michelle, how do you come up with so many creative blog posts. Also, could I pay you a gabillion dollars for some of them?"

Okay, not a LOT of people. Not yet. But it will only take one.

Scary

Last night I saw upon the stair a little man who wasn't there. He wasn't there again today. Oh how I wish he'd go away.

~ William Hughes Mearns

- - - - -

One time in October we were driving home from somewhere. It was late. We decided to listen to some "mystery theater" episode. Tammy Grimes was on it - the best of all radio mystery voices ever, if you ask me. We listened to the episode. Got a little creeped out. Got home. Looked up the episode and it had originally been broadcast on the EXACT SAME DAY IN OCTOBER. Weird, right? Weird and scary enough to make its own episode of a mystery theatre radio show?

No. 

Growth

When we find those special people who offer us that perfect combination of comfort and stimulus to grow, we are very fortunate.

~ Madisyn Taylor

- - - - -

And when we find those plants that reclaim things as they seek comfort while having the stimulus to grow it is magical! 

And a little scary.

Writing

Given the initial talent... writing is largely a matter of application and hard work, of writing and rewriting endlessly, until you are satisfied that you have said what you want to say as clearly and simply as possible. For me, that usually means many, many revisions.

~ Rachel Carson

- - - - -

When I was little I wanted to be a writer. I am a writer now - it's part of my job. I also live with a writer. There are lots of times that is fun. There are times when it is aggravating -- like when she takes my treatise on generating low-radiation energy through nuclear fusion and publishes it as her own.

Grrr. I'm so angry about that.

 

Bed

Life is always a tightrope or a feather bed. Give me the tightrope.

~ Edith Wharton

- - - - -

I think that to Lily every bed is a dog bed.

Longing

Maybe when people longed for a thing that bad the longing made them trust in anything that might give it to them.

~ Carson McCullers

- - - - - 

I recently read The Heart is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers. I love southern writers. I haven't read as much of her work as some other, but I like what I have read so far. She is an excellent writer.

I think I can kind of understand what she is saying in this particular quote. What I can't understand is why these half-women collectibles exist.

Exit

 

Leave other people to themselves. You have enough to worry about.

~ Ryan Holiday

- - - - -

Or maybe, leave other people to themselves. You have nothing to worry about. 

(pause)

Maybe that is really profound. Let's pretend it is. Or I will. And you... you, I'll leave to yourselves.

Art

The most regretful people on earth are those who felt the call to create work, who felt their own creative power restive and uprising, and gave to it neither power nor time.

~ Mary Oliver

- - - - -

I think the most regretful people on earth are the ones who accidentally step on dead birds in brand-new socks.

Storytelling

The purpose of a storyteller is not to tell you how to think, but to give you questions to think upon.

~ Brandon Sanderson

- - - - -

Sometimes those questions are, "What is life all about?" or "Am I good person?" or "Do I appreciate enough beauty as I go through each day?"

Sometimes those questions are, "Is someone breaking into my house right now?" or "I don't think I believe in ghosts, but what if they're real?"

Sometimes those questions are, "I'm a much better person than the protagonist in that story, right? Right?!!!"

It depends on the storyteller.

Dogs

Dogs own space and cats own time.

~ Nicola Griffith

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I don't think that dogs care about time. Well, other than having a good time. Maybe that's a good way to care about time. At least if you are inherently kind and have a lot of unconditional love to give. 

 

Squirrel

Biologists recognize no known species of all-white squirrels in the world. The Brevard white squirrels, with dark eyes and sometimes gray streaked fur, are not albinos but a white variant of the eastern gray squirrel, and make up almost a third of Brevard's squirrel population.

~ Brevard, NC Official Website

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Lily chases squirrels, but she doesn't always see them run up trees. She gets a bit confused sometimes. 

Then she sees a bird or butterfly and shifts gears.

She is an expert at pivoting. 

Flowery

False teachers of the Way of life use flowery words.

~ Bruce Lee

- - - - -

My dad used to say, "A rose, is a rose, is a rose. It doesn't matter what you cauliflower." You'd think that I wouldn't realize how that last word was spelled because he was saying it and not writing it, but you don't know my dad. I'm sure he said "cauliflower" -- ask Kirk if you don't believe that this is true.

Bathrooms

The kitchen. The bathroom. The yin and yang of the household.

~ David C. Holley

- - - - -

So, I watch a lot of home makeover shows. I like them. I also read a lot of real estate listings. I like them. Anyway, how come on so many of those shows people ask for a "bathroom sanctuary"? Whether you define that as a holy place or a place of safety, it seems weird that it would be a bathroom. I'd like to have a basement sanctuary. Or maybe a wildlife sanctuary - though if it was one of those, I probably wouldn't be allowed to live there.
 

Broken

A group is a bunch of people in an elevator. A team is a bunch of people in an elevator, but the elevator is broken.

~ Bonnie Edelstein

- - - - -

An angry mob is a bunch of people in an elevator, but the elevator is broken, and three of the people have fetid flatulence.

Learning

A friend once spotted Marcus [Aurelius] out on an errand. "What are you doing?" he asked. 

"It is good even for an old man to learn," Marcus replied. "I am now on my way to Sextus the philosopher to learn what I do not yet know." It was a stunning scene, particularly after a parade of so many close-minded and ignorant emperors.

"O, Zeus," his friend exclaimed, "The king of the Romans in his old age takes up his tablets and goes to school." 

~ The Daily Stoic

- - - - - 

I'm glad that guy's name was "SextUS" and not just "Sext" otherwise, this story sends a different kind of message.
 

Steps

Well-being is realized by small steps but is no small thing.

~ Zeno

- - - - -

I think maybe we should listen to kids about what life should involve. I think they would say life should be about "Adventures, playing, being around people you like, eating things you like, and puppies." 

(pause)

We might have to impose a few things like bedtime and bathing. That shouldn't be a problem. Kids are not the bosses of us. 

Words

The difference between the almost right word and the right word is really a large matter - 'tis the difference between the lightning-bug and the lightning.

~ Mark Twain

- - - - -

The robots who write social media don't always make sense. The quote above for example - as opposed to those who have happily died.

 

Hawk

The hawk was everything I wanted to be: solitary, self-possessed, free from grief, and numb to the hurts of human life.

~ Helen Macdonald

- - - - -

"Lily watched the hawk like a hawk," Leslie said.

Once again, Leslie showed she was wiser than I. Lily too, for that matter.

 

Blur

In the blur of the photograph, time leaves it gleaming, snail-like track. 

~ Wright Morris

- - - - -

Lily is a very nice dog. She loves everyone. She loves me. I know this photo is blurry, but love is a little bit blurry, too. You remember it with soft edges. At least the good part. Maybe it's more jagged and sharp on the sides when love hurts. I just suggest focusing on the good love. 

See what I did there with the word "focus"? Hahahahahahahahahaha.

Reflection

Reflective thinking turns experience into insight.

~ John C. Maxwell

- - - - -

I believe that when dogs reflect they think, "Yes, I must do more of what I have been doing. I love that stuff." 

 

Food

Fine words do not produce food.

~ Nigerian Proverb

- - - - -

The other day a thing popped up on "internalized cannibalism." I was unfamiliar with the concept, so I started to read the list. Something didn't seem quite right -- and by that I mean something beyond the idea of "cannibalism" itself. 

Then I realized the list was about items related to "internalized capitalism." Not the same.

(pause)

Or maybe it is. I didn't finish reading the list. 

P.S. if you type the word "eading" instead of "reading" it autocorrects to "eating" which is particularly funny in a post referencing cannibalism.

Relaxed

I don't have anything to prove anymore. I can relax.

~ Paloma Picasso

- - - - -

What if we went through our entire lives without anything to prove? We could, I suppose. Most of us aren't willing. I imagine that is because of what it would do to our bread.

Numbers

I'm writing a book. I've got the page numbers done.

~ Steven Wright

- - - - -

I was sick for a few days recently. A couple of people checked in on me. I told them both I was better, but not quite recovered. I wrote one and said, "I'm not quite 10%, yet." I wrote the other and said, "I'm not quite 109%, yet." I probably should have been resting and not texting.

Night

I like the night. Without the dark, we'd never see the stars.

~ Stephanie Meyer

- - - - -

When does night end and morning begin? Is it just after midnight? Is it when the sun starts to rise? 

Nevermind. The truth is, I don't care what you think about this topic.
 

State

Beauty fades. Dumb is forever.

~ Judge Judy

- - - - -

"From Iowa."

 

Dogs

When the dog looks at you, the dog is not thinking what kind of person you are. The dog is not judging you.

~ Eckhart Tolle

- - - - -
 

What if the love of a dog is just Stockholm Syndrome?

Darkness

The darkness declares the glory of the light.

~ T. S. Eliot

- - - - -

It is hard to navigate hard times. Things can seem bleak and dark and heavy. But the next day could be better. Maybe you will find a quarter on the ground. Or maybe you will think a new thought that will give you hope. Or maybe you will think of an old memory that will make you smile.

When people ask you "What is your story?" do you want to tell the story of how you stayed in the darkness or the story of how you danced in the light? Or the story of "Good Country People" by Flannery O'Connor? If it's that last one, let me know so I can hear you tell it. I like that story.

Color

It's okay to show all your colors.

~ Luis Guzman

- - - - - 

People who color outside the lines are crayotic.

Curtains

Behind the curtain's mystic fold

The glowing future lies unrolled

~ Neil Gaiman

- - - - -

Apparently, "it's curtains for you" come from stage plays when he curtain closes at the end of the play. However, if the play is awful, then you're glad when it's curtains. 

Or if it is Jane Curtain and some of her relatives. And if Jane Curtain and her relatives are nice then "It's Curtains for you" when your friend answers the door, well, that could be exciting and a pleasant surprise.

Language is fun.

Mom

Part of adulthood is searching for the people who understand you.

~ Hanya Yanagihara

- - - - -

I have been thinking about searching for my birth mother. 

I'm not adopted. She just keeps hiding from me.

Just because you can, doesn't mean you should.

~ Attributed to a lot of people

- - - - -

No.

Paper is edible too, I suppose, but I'm not drinking your paper lemonade either, Lucretia.
 

Died

 

Sunflowers

We're all golden sunflowers inside.

~ Alan Ginsburg

- - - - -

If that were true it might make surgery easier, but you'd probably need both a surgeon AND a botanist, so I doubt that it would cut the medical costs.
 

Clarity

It's a rather rude gesture, but at least it's clear what you mean.

~ Katherine Hepburn

- - - - -

I think it is a good idea to pay attention to non-verbals and things left unsaid. They can communicate a lot. I'm not saying that you shouldn't try to communicate better, but sometimes silence is the best way to make your point. Plus, when you're silent I have more airtime to make my point.