Innovators

She was one of their innovators, unrecognized, of course, but she acted as if she knew. Not a week went by when they didn't get some complaint about her -- the way she voiced her opinion, insisted her name appear on her own papers, refused to make coffee - the list was endless.

~ Bonnie Garmus

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It's obnoxious how some people expect to be given credit for their own work. It's significantly more obnoxious how some people expect to be given credit for other peoples' work. To avoid being obnoxious, I try not to do any work.

Gatepost

Trust in dreams, for in them is hidden the gate to eternity.

~ Kahlil Gibran

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And trust in gates for in them is hidden a cemetery except it's maybe not really hidden all that well. Depends on what kind of gate we're talking about.

Roadtrip

Coming back to where you started is not the same as never leaving.

~ Terry Pratchett

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When you go places, you are changed. You learn things. You learn about others and you learn about yourself. 

Sometimes you go places and never come back to where you started at all. Sometimes when that happens one of the things you learn is that you are really bad with maps.

Light

Some people are in such utter darkness, they will burn you just to see a light. Try not to take it personally.

~ Kamand Kojuri 

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The way people treat us is not about us, it is about them. I wish they felt better about themselves because they're making things really tough for the rest of us.

Sheesh!

 

Thoughts

Stop thinking, and end your problems.

~ Lao Tzu

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Sometimes I think funny and creative thoughts. 

Sometimes I think dark and foreboding thoughts.

Sometimes I think about others.

Sometimes I think about myself.

Sometimes I don't think at all. 

So when you ask me, "What are you thinking about?" you need to prepare yourself for something like, "I was thinking that if dogs drove cars, would they speed a lot because if they got pulled over they might get some pets from the law enforcement officer?"

Pomegranate

One is fruitful only at the cost of being rich in contradictions.

~ Friedrich Nietzsche

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We are all full of contradictions at times. When we are more transparent with those, maybe we get a bit closer to the truth or reality or whatever it is we are thinking.

And those contradictions show up not only in our beliefs and practices, but also in the beliefs and practices of those around us - people, media, politics... 

For example:

That kind of stuff seriously cracks me up.

 

Cereal

Do you know what breakfast cereal is made of? It's made of all those little curly wooden shavings you find in pencil sharpeners!

~ Roald Dahl

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I saw this in the store the other day. When I was a child they had something like this for a short period of time (maybe a year in the 1970s). It was called "Pink Panther Flakes." I begged my mom to get them for me. She said no at first and assured me I wouldn't like them. I assured her she was right - I wouldn't like them, I would LOVE them.

She finally agreed but said that she wouldn't buy me any other sugared cereal until I ate all of the Pink Panther flakes.

It was a long, desperate time in our house after that. Known colloquially as the "good cereal drought" for miles around, the box of pink flakes sat in our cupboard for months. They were, in fact, nasty. I am guessing we might have had the flakes in our cupboard long past the time that they discontinued making the flakes. 

Eventually, we could get sugared cereal again... After I showed my mom that there bugs in the cereal box, so I shouldn't eat that cereal even if I wanted to.

Sure, that was decades ago, but - as you can tell - I'm pretty much over it now.

Clouds

Heavy clouds were putting out the stars.

~ Antoine de Saint-Exupery

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I love a good cloud formation. I guess I love a bad cloud formation if by "bad" you mean one that suggests a storm. Because those are pretty cool. Does it mean I love ALL cloud formations? I'm not sure and also, what a weird question for you to ask.
 

Eden

Higher than the beasts, lower than the angels, stuck in our idiot Eden.

~ Ford Maddox Ford

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It is interesting to me to see trees on top of hotels in cities. Someone cut down all the trees to make the city and then planted a tree on top of it. 

"Why didn't they just leave the trees?" you ask?

Well, you're never going to make a bunch of money as a real estate developer with questions like that.

Graduated

What we learn with pleasure, we never forget.

~ Alfred Mercier

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I like to think that most of my students learn with pleasure. Based on my course evaluations there is usually one who does not. It makes me sad that they don't have more pleasure in their lives, but when you bring negativity into the classroom, negativity is what you're likely to take away.

When you bring positivity into the classroom in the form of Rice Krispie Treats, you're likely to take away fewer Rice Krispie Treats. Ironically, even the negative student might take away a Rice Krispie Treats. I guess maybe my presumption in the first paragraph is wrong. At least when Rice Krispie Treats are involved.

Future

If mankind can remember for centuries backward, we can plan for centuries forward.

~ Nikki Giovanni

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If you want to see an old and beautiful tree you can think back to when it started to grow and think about everything it has experienced. Or you can think to the future and imagine how long it might live and what it will see next. Or you can appreciate its beauty today and be in the moment.

You can do the same with people, but keep your thoughts in your head. In my experience people don't like questions like "Wow. You are pretty old. What all have you seen in life that makes you look so old?" or "When do you think you might probably die?" or "You're so pretty today. I'm just going to stand here and appreciate you."

Like

To me, my nephew is the angel of my world. It is my absolute happiest moment when he smiles at me.

~ Li Bingbing

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This is a photo from quite a while ago. I like Zak. I LOVE Zak. 

Know what else I really enjoy? I like it when I red heart a post on Facebook and it changes what got the most reactions for that post. Like if it had been mostly thumbs ups but then I red heart it and the most becomes red hearts. I love it when that happens.

I control the destiny of the post. That's what I think when that happens. And I used my power for good not evil. At least in that particular moment I did.

One decision at a time, Michelle. One decision at a time.

Elephant

Our elders say that an elephant does not find its own trunk heavy.

~ Makes Mda

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I saw a post that zookeepers took an elephant around the zoo. The post claimed that the elephant like the sea lions the best. I'd really love to read the elephant's evaluation form. 

(pause)

I be her handwriting is awful.
 

Waiting

Patience is the road to wisdom.

~ Kao Kalia Yang

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I remember one time when I was waiting in the parking lot of a CVS for my COVID-19 test results. All of a sudden, The Battle Hymn of the Republic started playing on the town's bell tower. 

I would have rather been waiting for donuts with Zak.

 

Plants

A beautiful plant is like having a friend around the house.

~ Beth Ditto

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Houseplants can develop deep connections with their owners. So much so, that the houseplants actually die when their owners die.

Because no one waters them.