Consequences

(Photo: Mr. Dickie - dogs next door)

... most of what happens in a day is of little lasting consequence. (Karen Casey, Keepers Of The Wisdom, 14 March)

A long life does not always improve us; in fact, it often adds to our problems! (Thomas 'A Kempis, The Imitation Of Christ, Book 1, Chapter 23, p. 55)

If you had an extended illness or recovery from surgery or have grieved the loss of someone close to you, you know something about the isolating impact of illness and grief. (The Upper Room Disciplines - 2008, 7 June)

Anxiety, it seems, is the raw material of guilt.  At the very least, anxiety is a standard companion to good behavior. (Ratey and Johnson, Shadow Syndromes, p. 281)

We look at our fellow men too much from the standpoint of our own prejudices. (Elizabeth Prentiss in A Gentle Spirit, 1 April)

You always have options.  In every situation, you can chose how you are going to deal with it and how you are going to feel about it. (Dr. Wayne W. Dyer, Pulling Your Own Strings, p. 208)

[Blows or trauma to the head are never trivial.] Inside the brain, a car crash today keeps right on happening tomorrow and the day after; it is a terrifying process to contemplate. (Ratey and Johnson, Shadow Syndromes, p. 344)

... trouble comes to pass, not to stay. (Iyanla Vanzant, Until Today! 31 January)

... the easiest way to get what you want is to help others get what they want.  This principle works equally well for individuals, corporations, societies, and nations. (Deepak Chopra, The Seven Spiritual Laws, p., 31)

Many of us grew up in families with an addicted parent. (Touchstones, 6 January)

It is not a sign of loving someone to withhold information you think will distrub them. (Iyanla Vanzant, Until Today! 16 February)

If the best man's faults were written on his forehead, it would make him pull his hat over his eyes. (Gaelic Proverb, in Touchstones, 8 February)

"Mediocrity finds safety in standardization." (Frederick Crane in Pulling Your Own Strings by Dr. Wayne W. Dyer, p. 77)

Gangs are classic examples of mass cowardice. (Craig Nakken, Finding Your Moral Compass, p. 115)
7 April 2012

Humility

A good teacher must believe in the ideas he teaches, but he must meet another condition; he must believe in the students to whom he offers the ideas. (A Course In Miracles, Chapter 4, I, 1, 4)

People who think themselves wise are seldom humble enough to allow others to guide them.  It is better to be stupid and slow and to be humble about it, than to possess vast knowledge and to be smug about it. (Thomas 'A Kempis, The Imitation Of Christ, Book 3, Chapter 7, p. 94)

Goal-directed behavior, one of the bases of any kind of success in life and love, depends upon being able to organize one's thoughts and hopes, and act upon them in a direct and timely fashion. (Ratey and Johnson, Shadow Syndromes, p. 62)

There is one thing that keeps many people from gaining ground and from fervently striving to improve: the dread of difficultly, or more accurately the effort of the struggle. (Thomas 'A Kempis, The Imitation Of Christ, Book 1, Chapter 25, p. 60)
26 March 2012

Perfect Harmony

Blackwater Falls, WV

Those who strive to be perfect, though, are not so quick to believe everything that is said, because they understand human weakness, which is prone to evil and is slippery enough in words. (Thomas 'A Kempis, The Imitation of Christ, Book 1, Chapter 4)

Strain, struggle, frustration, tension, anxiety, compulsion, obsession and fear are the results you get when you are pushing too hard. (Iyanla Vanzant, Until Today! 11 March)

... insight alone is not sufficient to ... [solve a problem,] simply knowing that we have a problem does not solve the problem, although it helps. (Ratey and Johnson, Shadow Syndromes, p. 335)

... the anxious person may spend hours of his day ruminating about whatever worry currently lays claim to his soul. (Ratey and Johnson, Shadow Syndromes, p. 280)

When you are not in perfect harmony with yourself, you are your own worst enemy. (Thomas 'A Kempis, The Imitation of Christ, Book 1, Chapter 13, p. 100)
25 March 2012

Everything Matters

Life is so much easier if we don't feel sorry for ourselves. (Helen Casey in Keepers Of The Wisdom by Karen Casey, 3 February)

We have been given certain tools with which to run our life, and the free will to use them. (One Day At A Time In Al-Anon, 3 February)

When it comes to making small changes in our lives and brains, the motto to embrace is: everything matters.  Exercise, food, sleep, whom we marry, the work we do - all of it counts; all of it affects our brains. ... Paying attention to the detail of daily life, and making good choices, is the way to mental fitness. (Ratey and Johnson, Shadow Syndromes, p. 351)

We may be arrogant, thinking we already know the answers to life's dilemmas; or defiant, thinking we don't want anyone to tell us what to do; or self-indulgent, grabbing for the greatest pleasure. (Touchstones, 29 February) 24 March 2012

Codependency

Codependency could be defined as being compelled to over-involvement with other people's problems. (My (REH) reading of statements in "Shadow Syndromes," by Ratey and Johnson, p. 341)
20 March 2012

Checklist

People can, and do, squander hours of their lives in thought streams that produce nothing of value at all. (Ratey and Johnson, Shadow Syndromes, p. 334-5)

Never be completely idle, but be reading, or writing, or praying or meditating or working some way for the common good. (Thomas 'A Kempis, The Imitation Of Christ, Book 1, Chapter 19, p. 48)

We must examine our outward and inward affairs and set them both in order, for both are necessary for our spiritual progress. (Thomas 'A Kempis, The Imitation Of Christ, Book 1, Chapter 19, p. 48)

... look closely at yourself and your very personal aspirations, and appreciate the absurdity of running your life on the basis of comparisons with others ... (Dr. Wayne W. Dyer, Pulling Your Own Strings, p. 76)
16 March 2012

Progress Follows Intention

Progress follows intention, and a person needs much earnest effort if he wishes to progress well ... (Thomas "A Kempis, The Imitation of Christ, Book 1, Chapter 19, p. 48)

The most effective teacher in the world is behavior.  Action which demonstrates your resolve is worth a million well-intended words. (Dr. Wayne W. Dyer, Pulling Your Own Strings, p. 129)

... many people have chosen to seek knowledge rather than to live well and they are often led astray and their lives come to very little, or nothing at all. (Thomas "A Kempis, The Imitation of Christ, Book 1, Chapter 3, p. 33)

Emotional problems affect the whole family - often the workplace as well - not just the person with the problem. (Ratey and Johnson, Shadow Syndromes, p. 20)

... we must realize that not everyone has the strength of purpose to take decisive action or to make radical changes in their way of life. (One Day At A Time In Al-Anon, 26 February)
13 March 2012

Perseverance

It is in the daily striving that perseverance counts. (Twenty-Four Hours A Day, 16 January)

Who has a more fierce struggle than the person who strives to master himself?  And this must be our occupation: to strive to master ourselves and daily to grow stronger and to advance from good to better. (Thomas 'A Kempis, The Imitation Of Christ, Book 1, Chapter 3, p. 33)

If you are interested in reducing certain behaviors, daily recording of these behaviors could decrease their occurrence. (after Ratey and Johnson, Shadow Syndromes, p. 334-5)
11 March 2012

Missteps

You correct your previous missteps by stepping forward. (A Course In Miracles, 2,II,6,2)

... we could do a great deal to offset ... [personal] damage by turning our examination and criticism on ourselves, and taking energetic steps to correct what we think and do. (One Day At A Time In Al-Anon, 4 February)

... one of the surest paths to doing the right thing is knowing what it is about you that will make you do the wrong one. (Ratey and Johnson, Shadow Syndromes, p. 206)

Work hard at eliminating your own complaints about things you can do nothing to change ... (Dr. Wayne W. Dyer, Pulling Your Own Strings, p. 71)

It is not acceptable to plead bad brain chemicals as an excuse for bad behavior. (Ratey and Johnson, Shadow Syndromes, p. 19)

Mr. Dickie
23 February 2012

Make A Contribution

Have you realized that there is little likelihood that what bothers you, is a concern of anyone else?  (Mr. Dickie, 8 February 2012)

The chronic irritability of urban life ... challenges the belief that being in touch with one's anger is an unalloyed good.  (Ratey & Johnson, Shadow Syndromes, p. 148)

A person who is humble is always at peace, but a proud person carries a heart filled with envy and resentment. (Thomas 'A Kempis, The Imitation Of Christ, Book 1, Chapter 7)

Knowing that our presence, our words, our willingness to listen to someone else has made life better for them makes it better for us too. (Karen Casey, Keepers Of The Wisdom, 28 January)

... get engaged with life, take time for reflection, learn to enjoy it where [you] can and try to make a contribution. (Touchstones, 19 January)

******

Yesterday Melva and I went to the Costco store about three miles from the house to conduct a survey visit.  We are discussing whether we should change our membership from BJ's at the end of the month.  I don't like paying a membership fee and then being asked to checkout my own purchases.  Costco didn't have any self-checkout lines and they had a better selection of merchandise.  Getting to the store was somewhat difficult but it is three miles closer to where we live.

There was a Facebook surprise this morning.  There's a new, very nice, photo viewer.  Maybe that's why Facebook was running slowly yesterday.

Mr. Dickie

8 February 2012