Personal Story

All the lonely people
Where do they all come from
Ah the Beatles not to date myself
I remember their debut singing on the Ed Sullivan show
They kind of shocked me with their performance
Funny I can still remember that
I can have so many memories both good and bad
My memories can have a direct effect on my emotions and actions.
If I am feeling lonely do I consider
being with myself can be an amazing thing if
I can find peace and joy in the stillness of being alone.
Even if it isn’t quiet can I be in the quiet

Retired people need to do a number of things to stay healthy. We need to exercise, eat right, get enough sleep, and stay involved. The last one of these is my topic today. We need to have one or more projects to be passionate about. Mine include serving on a committee for my condo association, volunteering for a local arts organization, and working on Heart Speak. Between these three activities and a few others that I do, I am as busy now as when I was working full-time to make a living.

I am so happy
When I watch a video or read
a story
Of animals being rescued
My heart is stretched
As my eyes fill with tears
But I am in awe of how
Others step in to help
As they figure out a way
To lend a hand with these wonderful animals
That are here a part of creation
I thank the volunteers
Who take their time
Those who give funding
The generosity of others
Who don’t turn away but
Move towards being part of the solution
If only all will find it in our hearts

Did you ever walk through a place and feel that it was watching you?

Like in the woods where you walk at the foot of tall trees, far out of reach above. And if you are really lucky, you come upon a sea of green moss, furry and emerald green, tinting everything it lays upon. Or you come upon a patch of bluebells covering the forest floor – just happening to be there.

When my cat heard about the number of dogs featured on Heart Speak, he demanded equal time.
My cat, Ollie, is 19 years old. In cat years, that puts him well into contention with Warren Buffett. Ollie is at least as wise as Buffett, too.
My cat and I talk to each other a lot. Although I'm not very fluent in cat language, he seems to understand me very well. And I certainly understand him. Whenever he's feeling hungry or lonely, I know exactly what to do.

Here are some principles to live your life by.

Set high performance standards for yourself. Don't set your goals and standards according to what satisfies others. Set goals that seem a little out of reach. Persevere. When those goals are reached, set new ones at a higher level. Keep doing it.

Never be satisfied with what you've accomplished so far. Always demand more from yourself. When you fail to live up to your standards, don't make excuses for yourself. Accept that you failed and resolve to do better next time.

I own two Amazon Alexa devices that I use around the house, mostly to listen to music. This is a little story about how my life has been enriched by this still relatively new technology.

I just read something that I wanted to share with you that I think is a really important message
It was something written from a veterinary of his thoughts from his practice thru out the years
How many pet owners go to his office when it is time for their pets to exit and depart earth and go on to heaven
They do not want to be there when they leave and bring their pet into the office
He was saying and I am saying
Your pet is your family and is part of your family

I was just thinking today about sunsets.
The infatuation we have with sunsets.
Going to see a sunset.
Being at the beach and not leaving.
Waiting for a sunset.

Going on vacation and looking at sunsets.
Hiking and taking time to pause to see a sunset.
Also the other opposite of that is sunrise.
We get up at the crack of dawn.
Just to see the sunrise.
Being one of the first people of the day.

As I woke up this morning
I stumbled into my kitchen to do my dishes
I was half groggy and half asleep
As I was doing my dishes and looked out the kitchen window
I saw this beautiful blue bird, it was like a violet blue, and it was rust colored
It wasn’t a blue bird
I wasn’t sure what kind of bird it was
It was sitting on top of my patios table closed umbrella just perched
Looking all around just like taking in the scene, the scenery around him