Category Archives: Thoughts For the Day

The first day of March augurs change.  The winter season is ending, of course, but another season is ending, as well.  A seventeen-year season of living in north Dallas in a home too big for two average people, but just … Continue reading →

When trees begin to bud, when traces of green peek through the straw-colored mat of the Winter lawn, when the chill in the air melds into the bright warmth of sunlight, Spring is days or weeks away.  It’s one of the … Continue reading →

Today will be an exceptional day, full of excitement and newness.   Good things will happen today. The power of positive thinking is more than a wish; it is a fact.  That is not to say miracles happen; but, good … Continue reading →

At 4:00 in the morning, what else does one have to do but drink coffee and wonder about zoosemiotics? This morning, that is what I am doing. The consideration of zoosemiotics began when I saw a photo of a dog … Continue reading →

I have a thin, slow-growing beard that will never give me impressive facial hair.  But I consider that a blessing.  Outside the traditional workforce, I can get away with shaving every two or even three days.  I like that.  But … Continue reading →

The weather tricked me into believing February had come and gone.  And I believed the calendar’s lies; I had my shorts ready for months of use. How can the calendar be so cruel?

Though not a legitimate “quote” from the Buddha, I find this aphorism especially meaningful: Thousands of candles can be lighted from a single candle, and the life of the single candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being … Continue reading →

At some point, every generation must acknowledge its decay.  In one sphere, today, Jimmy Fallon is forcing that acknowledgement.  It’s not intentional, nor is it with any rancor, yet it’s happening nonetheless.  I wonder how that acknowledged decay, or the … Continue reading →

Everything is temporary.  The pain of a loss is temporary.  The joy of an accomplishment is temporary. Even the life we live is temporary. The value ascribed to us by others, and even by ourselves, based on the title or … Continue reading →

I think there’s a visual artist locked somewhere inside of me.  Not necessarily a creative genius, but a competent technician; someone who, with the proper training in technique, could produce art that’s not half-bad. My occasional dabbles into art…pencil sketches, … Continue reading →

Here’s the thing. The character of a place can influence a person’s mood. A person’s mood or sense of comfort in his or her environment are defined by the place, then.  So, it makes sense to say changing  places is … Continue reading →

Dreams can drive us to do exceptional things, or they can drive us to curse the distance between our dreams and reality. I’ve had both dreams; the former is more fulfilling, the latter more upsetting.

One way of looking at pulled muscles, blisters, and aches and pains  is this: their absence makes even a ho-hum day seem rather pleasant.

There is such a small circle of people who are really important in one’s day-to-day life. Those are the people for whom one should be prepared to sacrifice almost anything. Beyond that small circle, there are incrementally larger numbers of … Continue reading →

Thirty spokes join together in the hub. It is because of what is not there that the cart is useful. Clay is formed into a vessel. It is because of its emptiness that the vessel is useful. Cut doors and … Continue reading →

There is no poison worse than hatred, nor no medicine better than love.

Today is Valentine’s Day.  I have participated, begrudgingly, in certain aspects of the corporate greed-driven celebration, but I do so very sparingly and only under mild duress. Valentine’s Day is a corporate greed-fest sponsored in large part by people who … Continue reading →

I often wonder if other people have thoughts like mine.  Do other people wonder whether extroverts’ emotions are less brittle than the emotions of introverts ? Do other people listen to music and think it may have been written specifically … Continue reading →

Words cannot describe everything. The heart’s message cannot be delivered in words. If you receive words literally you will be lost. If you try to explain with words you will not attain enlightenment in this life. ~Mu-Mon~

One of my brothers returned from a trip to Mexico several years ago with some gifts for me…including two masks, carved and painted to look pretty frightening.  Both of them have long, twisting tongues emerging from their mouths and both … Continue reading →

“Walk a mile in another man’s shoes.” The source of this aphorism is variously ascribed to the Bible, to American Indians, and others, but the intended meaning is clear: empathy arises from having put oneself in the place of another, … Continue reading →

“Few will have the greatness to bend history itself, but each of us can work to change a small portion of events. It is from numberless diverse acts of courage and belief that human history is shaped. Each time a … Continue reading →

My time alone with my thoughts is precious.  My time with my wife is precious.  My time with my family, my brothers and sister and my sisters-in-law and nieces and nephews is precious.  Every moment is precious. Today, I am grateful … Continue reading →

Today is Friday, the end of a work-week for many.  This week is a bit unusual, inasmuch as it is the end of the first work week in February, which happens only once a year. Wouldn’t it be refreshing to … Continue reading →

Today, I’m thinking of the aphorism attributed to Lord John Emerich Edward Dalberg Acton: “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” While I agree, on principle, there are days I think I would greatly appreciate being absolutely corrupt.