Concern

More compassionate mind, more sense of concern for others' well-being is a source of happiness.

~ Dalai Lama

- - - - -

I hate it when people tell me, "This doesn't concern you." I mean, they don't know what my concerns are! Plus I thought it would be helpful for me to tell them what I would do in their situation since I couldn't help but overhear them talking at Panera.

Solitude

Law school is a test -- not a test of strength, creativity, or intelligence, but one of endurance. A law student's greatest nemesis is not mastering legal concepts, but enduring the hours of solitude, which endless studying requires.

~ Kilroy J. Oldster

- - - - -

I think that "The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia" would be a good case study in law school. 

Sleep

Let her sleep for when she wakes, she will shake the world.

~ Napoleon Bonaparte

- - - - -

How I Woke Up This Morning

Me: (Leslie touches my arm) AAAAAAAHHHHH!

Leslie: I thought you had something early today.

Me: I do.

Leslie: What time?

Me: 8:15.

Leslie: It's eight o'clock.

Me: AAAAAAHHHHHH!

Leslie: I can take Lily to school.

Me: Thank you. I had a dream we were in Branson. You didn't want to buy anything.

Leslie: Why were we in Branson?

Me: I don't know. It was SO crowded! We were in line for a restaurant -- no. No, it was a DINNER BUS.

Leslie: Like we would go on a dinner bus.

Me: I know. And I kept seeing people from my childhood church.

Leslie: That's weird.

Me: I know. It was nice to see Brian Banwart and his mom, though.
 

No.

Nobody,

Nobody can be sure they're always right.

The ones who are fullest of themselves that way

Are the emptiest vessels.

~ Seamus Heaney

- - - - -

If you post that it is "leeches and cream" season in the south and someone responds with "No." Then you do your artistic magic and prove that yes, indeed it IS leeches and cream season in the south.

Doing

Most people don't do what we tell them to, they do what we let them get away with.

~ Fredrik Backman

- - - - -

And some people do what we don't want to let them do. Those people are called children or assholes. It depends on how old they are.

Education

(Photo by Kirk Boettcher)

The cure for boredom is curiosity. There is no cure for curiosity.

~ Dorothy Parker

- - - - -

Zak: Is that Aunt Shel?

Kirk: Yep. She does a podcast about school stuff.

Zak: I didn't think she did school stuff.

Kirk: Yep. She does.

Zak: But she's so OLD.

Kirk: She teaches school.

Zak: Oh. Okay.

Empties

We become aware of the void as we fill it.

~ Antonio Porchia

- - - - -

You cannot fill a void by screaming into it. You can, however, fill your mind and the ears of those around you. Maybe then you don't notice the void as much. 

Overstimulated

I believe it may be a symptom of nervous exhaustion, neurasthenia, what some are calling "Americanitis" - an increasingly common condition... Think of your body as a machine, Mrs. Jones. it has a finite amount of nervous energy which it replenishes through rest, recreation, and fellowship. Working too hard for too long in too stressful of an environment overtaxes the body's nervous system. Body pain, dyspepsia, morbid fears, and fatigue can result. As well as acute episodes which resemble heart attack or stroke, but are not dangerous. Nerve attacks... I've seen the affliction in one in 30 of my patients. We believe rapid modernization is exacerbating the condition here in America. Our bodies are simply not designed for such overstimulation. It's plaguing men and women of station and standing. Generals, surgeons, executive officers. Overworked.

~ Taylor Brown, Rednecks

- - - - -

I read this in a novel the other day. The scene was from a conversation about the health and well-being of Mary G. Harris Jones - known as "Mother Jones" around the turn of the last century. That means this was hypothetically said about 100 years ago.

We have always been working too hard for too long in too stressful an environment. 

We oughta quit that.
 

Love

Love has nothing to do with what you are expecting to get--only with what you are expecting to give--which is everything.

~ Katharine Hepburn

- - - - -

It makes me really happy when I heart someone's post on Facebook and it makes the most responses shift from thumbs up to hearts. I feel like I've shifted the balance in a really great way.

(pause)

Because, ultimately, it's all about me.

Research

Research is the process of going up alleys to see if they are blind.

~ Marston Bates

- - - - -

I think when we use social media as a source of research, we have to be careful. People post things they want us to see and read. These things are not always true. Plus, we also bring our own lenses to the posts. We may make meaning of them in ways that may or may not be accurate. 

For example, I once wrote to a friend of mine after doing online research about someone, "I thought she met some country singer I didn't recognize, but turns out it was a guy she works with who was holding a guitar." 

Truth is elusive.

Stories

There's no rush to write something sad.

~ Jami Attenberg

- - - - -

Would it be sad for a boy to be changed into a cat? 

(pause)

That would depend on the boy.

(pause)

And the cat.

 

Drive

I see my path, but I don't know where it leads. Not knowing where I'm going is what inspires me to travel it.

~ Rosalia De Castro

- - - - -

Not too long ago, I was dreading a trip I had to go to Chicago. I don't like cities that much, though I do love driving. However, I was excited when I got to Ohio and then Indiana and then Illinois. 

Somehow I forgot that I had to drive across the Midwest to get to Chicago.

It's not for everyone, but seeing the landscape around you brings me a sense of calm, peace and security. You have time to hide from things on the horizon moving toward you. Tornadoes, robots, alien spacecraft. And that's what I'm always trying to be on the lookout for, I guess.

 

Nose

Instinct is the nose of the mind.

~ Delphine de Girardin

- - - - -

I have a weird sense of smell. Sometimes it is very strong. Other times things get stuck in it. Like if I'm around an everything bagel, I'm going to have that smell in my nose for a while.

(pause)

And I do not care for everything bagels.

 

Children

(photo from Buzzed Viking website)

In America, a parent puts food in front of a child and says, "Eat it. It's good for you." In Europe, the parent says, "Eat it. It's good!"

~ John Levee

- - - - -

I don't know who came up with this menu, but I am very fond of them.

 

Wishes

My wish is to stay always like this, living quietly in a corner of nature.

~ Claude Monet

- - - - -

My life priorities have changed as I've gotten older. I keep seeing versions of a quote that I know to be true for me moving forward. If you are important to and good to me, I wish you to be close and constant. If you are not good for me, I am letting go and wishing you down a well.

(pause)

Or maybe it's "wishing you well."

Whatever.

 

Viking

Be your friend's true friend.

Return gift for gift.

Repay laughter with laughter again

but betrayal with treachery.

~ The Havamal

- - - - -

I am a good friend. I have been betrayed a few times, but that is okay because I am good at treachery and need some legitimate reasons to engage in it from time to time.

(pause)

Beware false friends.

Be happy true friends.

(pause)

Not that I'm the boss of you.

 

Celebrate

To be an artist is to believe in life.

~ Henry Moore

- - - - -

If my name was Arturo, I'd like for my neighbors to call me "Local Art" or "Public Art" but not so much "Nude Art" (or FArt).

 

Fire

Game, set, match equals tennis. Set, match, run equals arson.

~ Demitri Martin

- - - - -

When the police officer brought my brother to our door, we weren't sure what to expect. "He was lighting matches down at the park," the officer said.

My mom pretended to be angry with my brother until the police officer left. She looked at my brother, then turned and walked away. I overheard her say, "Well, that's better than in the basement."

Touch

People deal too much with the negative, with what is wrong. Why not try and see positive things, to just touch those things and make them bloom?

~ Thich Nhat Hanh

- - - - -

Today is Ezra's birthday. He is seven. He is pretty chill (pardon the pun with the image of "Don't Break the Ice" in the photo above). He looks for good things and - at least around me - doesn't complain too much.

I hope you have a great birthday, Ezra. If not, it's probably because you were negative. That is going to be easier and easier as you get older. But don't do that. Be cool. Be calm. Seek joy.

And if you seek Almond Joy, let me know. I love those things.

 

Wisdom

One must wait until evening to see how splendid the day has been.

~ Sophocles

Trees, though they are cut and loped, grow up again quickly, but if men are destroyed, it is not easy to get them again.

~ Pericles

I will always be in your way.

~ Obstacles

Pause

Under trees, the urban dweller might restore his troubled soul and find the blessings of a creative pause.

~ Walter Gropius

- - - - -

As I look back over my blog (which I've been working on for more than a decade now), I find that there are occasional gaps where I did not post. Most of these align with a loss of some kind in my life - usually the death of a family member.

I fin that sometimes I'm not in the mood to pay attention to the interesting things or to share the kindnesses. Sometimes I need to pause. I need to think about the past and the get ready to re-engage with the world. 

It's important that we all pause on occasion. 

Of course, there are other times when I don't post on my blog. And those times it's because of something you have done. You know what I'm talking about. Don't deny it. 

Home

People don't leave home because things are going well.

~ Vanessa Vaselka

- - - - -

I think sometimes people do leave home when things are going well. The difference maybe if they are running away from home or leaving home to pursue something else. 

Like an acting career or ice cream or to get a different home more suited to their evolving needs.
 

Olympics

The most important thing in the Olympic Games is not winning, but taking part; the essential thing in life is not conquering but fighting well.

~ Pierre de Coubertin

- - - - -

I hope one day that Ezra gets to light the Olympic torch. This isn't a torch he is running with, it's a kaleidoscope. That's not my point. My point is how awesome it would be to show photos of him lighting the Olympic torch next to these photos of him running with something that sort of looks like a torch. And even more exciting than that is how much money I might get for this photos if that happens.

Ghosts

Ghosts are all around us. Look for them and you will find them.

~ Ruskin Bond

- - - - -

This photo is evidence that there is a ghost in our house.

And that, apparently, ghosts can still burn their fingers.

Nose

No matter how little money and how few possessions you own, having a dog makes you rich

~ Louis Sabin

- - - - -

And when you are sad, a dog can lift your spirit. And a dog always nose when you are sad.

Kids

All kids need a little help, a little hope, and someone who believes in them.

~ Magic Johnson

- - - - -

Even though the the psychotherapist was quite old, he maintained the outlook and enthusiasm of a kid. You see, he was Jung at heart.

Cat

A cat has absolute emotional honesty: human beings, for one reason or another, may hide their feelings, but a cat does not.

~ Ernest Hemingway

- - - - -

Leslie: You know. That cat. From Cats. Angelica Morellica.

Now, Leslie doesn't love cats (the animal or the musical). What I'm not sure about is if she, in the comment above, is referencing Jellicle Cats as related to the Jellicle Ball or maybe McCavity, the mystery cat. Or even Skimbleshanks or Grizzabella.

It's not that I care that much, but it's like she isn't even trying. 

Life

Build yourself a life you don't need a vacation from.

~ Some Guy on House Hunters

- - - - - 

We can spend our lives wishing for things. We can spend our lives doing things. We can spend our lives celebrating things. The thing to remember is that life is a limited treasure, so choose carefully how you spend it. 

You can live for a lot of years and not get as big a return on your investment as someone who spends their time wisely even with fewer years to invest. 

Life is a lot like banking. And, like banking, it's good to have a lot of lollipops on hand in life. You can give them away or keep them for yourself, but remember if you keep them too long they get kind of gummy.

This concludes my advice for today.

Unknown

The challenge of the unknown future is so much more exciting than the stories of the accomplished past.

~ Simon Sinek

- - - - -

I wonder what would happen if you didn't sit on the front porch and yell at those kids to get out of your yard.

 

Pickleslie

 Hunger is the best pickle.

~ Benjamin Franklin

- - - - -

Leslie: OH. MY. GOD. You have no idea what Picklesburg is like! You know how much I love pickles, and if I'm going to avoid it, you know it's a nightmare!!!

Head

Being angry and resentful of someone is like letting them live rent-free in your head.

~ George Foreman

- - - - -

I see a lot of people posting things like, "This video lives rent-free in my head," or "What song stays rent-free in your head?"

My question is, "How do we get those things to actually PAY rent?"

Child

When I approach a child, he inspires in me two sentiments - tenderness for what he is and respect for what he may become.

~ Louis Pasteur

- - - - -

Zak: I'm sorry for growling at you.

Kirk: I didn't even hear you growling at me. I was upset because you were talking back to me.

Zak: Okay, I'm sorry about that, then.

 

Bears

Creativity itself doesn't care at all about the results - the only thing it craves is the process. Learn to love the process and let whatever happens next happen, without fussing too much about it.

~ Elizabeth Gilbert

- - - - -

I'm working on a screenplay for a movie about two bears. They are both trying to catch the same salmon in Oregon. When one of them finally catches it, the other starts to fight for it, but the salmon is so big that they share it. Then the bears become romantically involved and live happily ever after. The title is going to be "Eat, Prey, Love."

(pause)

I anticipate having a very difficult time securing funding for this film.

 

Dreams

At the end of the day, I have to please myself.

~ Jeff Lynne

- - - - -

If Lily ever starts a band, I hope she names it The Traveling Lilburys. And I hope I get to manage her wealth. And I hope they make a "Behind the Music" episode about her. I imagine it will be mostly blurry footage of her running around and then flopping down to get belly rubs.

Lost

Some beautiful paths can't be discovered without getting lost.

~ Erol Ozan

- - - - -

People talk about losing themselves sometimes. I think those people are wack jobs.

 

Trees

A short story is what you see when you look out of the window.

~ Mavis Gallant

- - - - -

I think there have to be trees that look at their own reflections. Occasionally, one of them probably says to the others "Cedar tree?" But no one laughs. Is it because trees don't think that is funny? No. It's because trees don't have diaphragms.

Children

If there is anything that we wish to change in the child, we should first examine it and see whether it is not something that could better be changed in ourselves.

~ Carl Jung

- - - - -

I think if there is something to be changed in a very small child - something about them we think stinks or that makes us want to tell the child that they stink - we should first examine it's diaper.

Reflection

Your words reveal your personality, for what you criticize in others is often a reflection of your own flaws and insecurities.

~ Shabira Banu

- - - - -

Boy is this ever true! When people say to me, "I hate how mean you are and the mean things you say to me all the time," I know they are struggling with themselves and their own flaws and insecurities. I pause and then tell them, "Be nicer to yourself, jackass!"

Tree

No tree, it is said, can grow to heaven unless it's roots reach down to hell.

~ Carl Gustav Jung

- - - - -

Really, Carl? Really?? Who said that? I bet not an arborist.

 

Community

What is a community? It is the sum total of our choices.

~ Fredrik Backman

- - - - -

We are not who we say we are. We are who we do we are.

(pause)

What are not who we say. We are who we do.

(pause)

We are not how we speak of ourselves. We are how we do for ourselves.

(pause)

You know what I mean. 

 

Doubt

Understand: people will constantly attack you in life. One of their main weapons will be to instill in you doubts about yourself - your worth, your abilities, your potential. They will often disguise this as their objective opinion, but invariably it has a political purpose - they want to keep you down.

~ Robert Greene

- - - - -

I wish I had a voice in my head that argued with the voice in my head that is already there. I'd cheer for that other voice because the current voice isn't very nice.

Of course after a while I'd just wish they would stop arguing. Mainly, I'd like the mean voice to agree with the voice that says how awesome I am. 

Because... have you MET me? That second voice is definitely right.

 

56

The secret of change is to focus all of your energy not on fighting the old, but on building the new.

~ Socrates

- - - - -

I read that the number 56 is a number of change and transformation. This is especially true if you are 55 and about to turn 56. Your age is going to change. And you are going to be transformed into a 56-year-old.

(pause)

When you think about it, pretty much all numbers are symbols of change and transformation. At least around birthday time. 

Democracy

This is your democracy. Make it. Protect it. Pass it on.

~ Thurgood Marshall

- - - - -

Maybe democracy is kind of like a group project. If you don't do your part it either won't get done or someone else will do it, but it won't be the way you wanted it done. You still have to share the grade and you have to remember that there are some people who might not be worried about getting a passing grade.

Swing

The end of childhood is when things cease to astonish us. When the world seems familiar, when one has gotten used to existence, one has become an adult.

~ Eugene Ionesco

- - - - -

I think the reason kids like swings so much is because it makes you feel out of control a little bit. You get that funny feeling in your stomach. And then, sometimes, the branch the swing is on breaks and you get a different feeling in your tailbone. At least that happened at my Uncle Paul and Aunt Miriam's house one time. 

 

Families

I come from a family where the only emotion respectable to show is irritation. In some, this tendency produces hives, in others literature, in me both.

~ Flannery O'Connor

- - - - -

Families can get on your nerves. Deal with it.

If it's way worse than just getting on your nerves, you don't have to deal with it.

You can famileave if you need to.

Ultimately I hope your next of kin are next of kind.

Hot

Then came July, like three o'clock in the afternoon, hot and listless and miserable.

~ Allie Ray

- - - - -

I heard a news story over the summer about the earth. The reporter said, "The earth has had its hottest day ever reported by humans."

Um. Who else is reporting how hot our days are?