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Thursday's Essay Preview
The first paragraph of Thursday's essay, "Aesthetics --- A well ordered, well-organized, disciplined life, " reads as follows:
As I was sitting having breakfast before dawn one morning (on many mornings!), I enjoyed subdued lighting, gentle, comforting music, and a clean, neat relaxing dining room ambiance. Suddenly, as I enjoyed this incredibly satisfying environment, I realized that it was aesthetics — characterized by an appreciation of beauty or good taste — that was engaging my senses and providing the balance that an ordered, well-organized, disciplined life can bring.
Thursday's Essay Excerpt - from the last paragraph of the essay
I totally agree with this comment, however, I have also discovered that there is surprising beauty in everything with which we have contact. It may need us to look more closely; it may need us to draw back to see the greater picture. Once we have satisfied the lower-order needs on Maslow’s Hierarchy, the likelihood that we can see and appreciate the aesthetics in everything we encounter becomes more likely. And when we get to that point, we get closer to achieving the balance that an ordered, well-organized, disciplined life can bring.
And Then Some News
Thursday's Essay Preview
The first paragraph of Thursday's essay, "Taking the long way home" reads as follows:
It was Dale Carnegie who said, “One of the most tragic things I know about human nature is that all of us tend to put off living. We are all dreaming of some magical rose garden over the horizon instead of enjoying the roses that are blooming outside our windows today.” I have always been a person who enjoyed his life, no matter what stage, no matter where, and no matter when.
Thursday's Essay Excerpt - from the last paragraph of the essay
So the simple question becomes, how do you take the long way home? The answer lies, in part, in what Dale Carnegie said at the outset of this essay, “enjoying the roses that are blooming outside our windows today.” It means taking longer, observing more, experiencing further, thinking deeper, and, in all cases, appreciating wholeheartedly. It may even mean getting outside of ourselves and becoming immersed in the world around us. Taking the long way home is pursuing life — and then some!
And Then Some News
Thursday's Essay Preview
The first paragraph of Thursday's essay, "Coincidence --- Keep your eye out for the levers and pullies" reads as follows:
“Mark Twain was born on the day of the appearance of Halley's Comet in 1835, and died on the day of its next appearance in 1910. He himself predicted this in 1909, when he said: "I came in with Halley's Comet in 1835. It is coming again next year, and I expect to go out with it."
([N.a.]. (05-02-07). Oddee, “20 Most Amazing Coincidences,” Retrieved January 26, 2011.).
Thursday's Essay Excerpt - from the last paragraph of the essay
Robert Novella, cited above, concludes his essay in this way: “. . . the vast majority [of coincidences] that we experience turn out to be much more probable than they appear, if analyzed critically. When this is taken into account, along with our propensity for selective validation, our desire to believe in something akin to fate, and our coincidence-detection hardwiring, the true deceptive power of coincidence is realized.” Emma Bull said, “Coincidence is the word we use when we can't see the levers and pulleys.”
And Then Some News
Thursday's Essay Preview
The first paragraph of Thursday's essay, "The power lies within you" reads as follows:
The internal locus of control concept is so important and can have such a powerful influence on people’s lives, that I spent one entire lecture in my basic speech-communication class discussing it. I would give students a “test” in lecture without them having a clue about what its subject or nature was, I would “grade” it for them orally (again, without them having any idea of what it was all about), I would ask for a show of hands only (and without the results of the “test” having been interpreted — in other words, only with their “test” numbers in hand) I would ask them how they performed, and, finally, with their results in front of them, I would interpret their results for them. Never did they have to reveal their results once the interpretation of their results was provided.
Thursday's Essay Excerpt - from the last paragraph of the essay
How much people believe they have control over their lives makes a significant difference now and for their future. There are a number of sources online where tests can be taken to determine internal versus external belief systems. The biggest discovery — and the point of this essay — is that it all depends on choice. And moving from an external to an internal belief system can be accomplished. Sure, it takes patience and perseverance, but what in life that is worth achieving does not require time and effort?
And Then Some News
Thursday's Essay Preview
The first paragraph of Thursday's essay, "When I get up in the morning" reads as follows:
Often I can predict what kind of a day I’m going to have by the way I get up in the morning. I’m not always accurate, but I use my “getting up” as an indicator. When I showed one of my granddaughters my daily log, she asked me why I begin each day with the time I get up? What she was really asking was, What difference does that make? I explained that the time I get up each morning is just one of the indicators I use for what kind of a day I’m likely to have. When my log indicates that I woke up just before the alarm clock, that is a signal to me that I’m likely to have a very productive day. (Remember what I said above, “I’m not always accurate.”)
Thursday's Essay Excerpt - from the last paragraph of the essay
When I wake up in the morning, I am always grateful for the day I have ahead of me. I never (and have never) seen any day as a burden that I just have to “get through.” I see each day as an opportunity to do something meaningful, beneficial, and satisfying. What is important, especially for the purposes of this essay, is that what I do during the day has a direct and immediate effect on what happens every night and what it will be like when I get up in the morning. I love the quotation attributed to J.M. Powers, “If you want to make your dreams come true, the first thing you have to do is wake up.”
And Then Some News
