People are social animals. The importance of social connections is inarguable among experts in the medical community. We need help form friends and family even if it is just a phone call or sitting in silence. Hermits risk loneliness and health problems.
Being there for others and reaching out to others is a totally healthy normal thing to do. When I think about friends and families helping each other I cannot help but hear the Beatles song, “with A Little Help from My Friends”. What an amazing song, great lyrics and a tune that is amazing!
Take time today to call or visit a friend or family remember we all need each other.
The United Nations has 193 countries in it and among the countries 7 of them do not mandate paid maternity leave for parents. The United States of America finds itself among the 7 countries. Child care in the United States for working parents costs the parents more than 20 % of their income again among developed nations the United States is last, most nations offer heavily subsidized or free child care. In June of 2022 the United States quit protecting women’s right to health care for abortions. Health care costs for families in the United States are almost twice as much as all other United Nation countries.
The election season will start soon and the politicians will lean heavy on the family and the importance of the family. However if that politician is not addressing the families needs through policies their words are nothing more than lip service and the family doesn’t matter enough for the them to do work.
When something matters and is a priority we will find ways to make that something work.
Yesterday evening, I was finishing up my work for the day at a site. As I was walking through the hall I noticed a bulletin board on the wall. The board had a rainbow and the words “be a RAINBOW in someone else’s cloud” written on it.
On the way home from this site I noticed some pretty dark clouds forming and I felt what I often do when I see the clouds like that a little foreboding then a little excitement. Storms are chaotic that way. Of course when asked everybody will say they want sunny and 70 weather its amazing and bucolic even. But storms come and they are in their own right pretty incredible.
Two songs came to mind when I thought about the bulletin board and the storm clouds. One was an REO speed wagon song called Riding out the storm. In the song riding out the storm, the band sings about times in life that seem like storms will come and it will be ok we will be ok if we just ride them out.
I also thought about A Doors song called, Riders on the Storm. In the song Riders on the storm the band sings about a chaotic life and what it is like to navigate this with help from friends and loved ones (kind of like being a rainbow). This is what I thought the Doors song was about however I did two things and went down a rabbit hole with the lyrics from this Doors song and totally forgot about the lyrics from verse one in the song. In my defense the song starts with the chorus so verse 1 was easily forgettable for me.
Verse 1
There’s a killer on the road His brain is squirmin’ like a toad Take a long holiday Let your children play If you give this man a ride Sweet family will die Killer on the road
Pretty dark right? I totally forgot about this part of the songs lyrics. I have found myself doing this often in songs and literature I read where I do not remember the all the parts. SO art is of course subjective and in a gestalt manner I find the song by the doors Riders on the Storm to be uplifting and what I said before. I am not going to try and dissect the song anymore because I don’t want to get any darker and part of me thinks that the writers of Riders on the Storm may have just dropped acid before writing the lyrics. The song was written by The Doors.
So enjoy the song that is both uplifting and a little dark as well as this trippy video and be some ones rainbow or girl that can save everyone be a rainbow.
The rain had just started and was not in full swing. I have never been a fan of wearing wet clothes as such I put on my rain jacket. One of my colleagues saw this and asked why I was putting on the jacket. I let him know that I was not a fan of rain. He told me that perhaps I could imagine that I was dry and on a beach with sunny 70 degree weather and maybe the rain would not affect me as much.
I am a fan of visualization just as much as the next guy but I choose to wear the jacket.
Visualization is a powerful tool when it comes to dealing with anxiety and accomplishing goals.
Through visualization we can make our minds believe that we are not experiencing some trauma and actually put ourselves into a calm state.
It is a tragedy that we belittle those who have and use their imagination. Lets work hard today to not belittle anyone especially those using their imagination or stop from using our imaginations
Kintsugi is an Japanese art of repairing broken pottery using gold as the material for repairing the cracks. The philosophy behind Kintsugi is very similar in nature to wabi-sabi , which is embracing the imperfect.
There is a great song written by Trains lead singer Patrick Monahan and performed by Train and Ashley Monroe called Bruises.
The song deals with embracing our flaws as part of who we are. It can be tempting to cover up imperfections but it will not work. People can spot fake people a mile away.
It’s all right to make mistakes, you’re only humanInside everybody’s hiding something.
Its important to put forth your “real self” flaws and all to the world, especially our family and friends. If your relationships are loving ones the family and friends will not only accept you flaws and all they will celebrate you with gold, flaws and all and, if they don’t they will eventually come around.
This is by no means a recommendation to hurt someone. It is ok to celebrate your flaws however it is never ok to break another person. Never
I have started watching my new favorite tv show on DIsney +, Secret Invasion. I have to warn you now that, this post has one only one small spoiler. The tv show follows Nick Fury and Talos as they uncover a conspiracy plot to take over earth.
Talos is an alien and unbeknownst to Nick Fury allowed all Aliens from his home planet (which was destroyed) to come to earth. There is a great scene where Talos confesses to Nick Fury that he has requested his fellow refugees come to earth.
Nick Fury asks Talos what he was thinking. Talos confesses that he was hoping that the aliens and the humans could live in peace. Nick Fury let Talos know that this was probably not possible because humans could not even live in peace with each other.
This scene made me think about how humans have consistently chosen violence over peace.
There is a great article in the scientific journal concerning War and human nature. The major surprise from the article is that war or violence is not human nature. Basically complex societies seem to be the reason for the violence.
I always take issue when humans try to make themselves out to be more than they really are.
We ain’t nothing but mammals
Eminem
Humans are part of the animal kingdom. I was asked by someone why I choose to become a vegetarian and I answered them saying that I don’t see why a humans life should be considered more important than a cows or a chickens.
Society has tricked us into a hubris state bordering on solipsism. This selfish state has justified genocide lives and the destruction of our planet.
Lets start rejecting the lies of complex society today and embrace life.
Did you know that the average age of most successful entrepreneurs was 42? When I say average age I mean average age at the start of their companies. Did you know that Mark Twain did not start writing until he was 42?
Age really is just a number. We are often conditioned to think that there is a prime time in our lives, but honestly their isn’t there is just our lives. Don’t let anyone tell you that you are too old or too young to do something especially since age is just a number.
Bart Simpson has worn a red shirt and blue shorts every day for 32 seasons. I often wonder about this. does Bart have a closet full of clothes that are all the same? Does Bart have a pair of clothes that never fall apart in the wash? Is part a cartoon character and live by a different set of rules?
I was once in the US Army and every day I wore the same uniform to work. I got into the corporate world and switched my clothes and shoes every day. I once wore a different pair of shoes to work every day for two months straight. I am a big fan of change. I like to consistently change things up as long as I can keep some basic things the same.
Change everything except your wife and kids
Lee Kun-hee
That quote comes from one of the heads of Samsung. The leader was worried about the lack of innovation at the company and wanted to shake things up. I honestly do not think I would be able to wear the same thing for the rest of my life over and over again, if I had to though I guess I would wear an outfit that could reflect my family, like a tunic with my family crest.
My wife and I have been married for three years now, we dated for 9 years and I can honestly say I have loved every minute of it. It’s true I am very very lucky. I remember early on while we were dating and talking about our lives before we meet each other we realized that we had been at the same concerts and other venues and never ran into each other. That’s when she told me it’s all about timing.
I have lived through some stretches in life where it has felt like I have had the timing off. Just a little to soon or a tad to late however looking back even those moments where I was “off” were not wasted. I needed to fail and not get the jobs I applied for so that I could learn more and get to where I am now.
It’s fine to celebrate success but it is more important to heed the lessons of failure.
Bill Gates
My failures have taught me to understand when the right moments are and that the moment that matters the most is the moment that we are all in right now.
be mindful of the future but not at the expense of the moment
Qui Gon Jinn
Make today the best day you possibly can and if it is not working out just remember… chances are high that your timing could be off.
I won’t let you down I will not give you up Gotta have some faith in the sound It’s the one good thing that I’ve got
Freedom Freedom Freedom You’ve gotta give For what you take
Freedom Freedom Freedom You’ve gotta give For what you take
I loved all the George Michaels songs growing up and now the song Freedom is going to be stuck in my head all day. Freedom! Freedom! Man such a good song.
Freedom is pretty interesting concept. I was 17 years old when I decided I wanted freedom from my parents tyrannical rule (total joke there I had it made honestly, dad and mom only bugged me when I got out of line otherwise they supported me 100 %), looking for freedom from the parents and the town I grew up oin I joined the US Army.
I was told when to wake up, when to eat, when to go to sleep, where and how to do all that as well, so not much freedom. I finished up my contract with the US Army and entered the civilian world a free man. A free man with a family and bills to pay. To pay the bills I got a job and started school. The workplace bosses told me when to arrive at work when I could eat and how to do that.
No one is truly free, they are a slave to wealth, fortune, the law, or other people restraining them from acting according to their will.
At one point in my career I had a very long commute that involved getting on and off the highway. Everyday at an intersection I would see a person with a cardboard sign asking for money. I felt bad for this person and if I had any cash I would try to give it to him.
There is legislation popping up now all over the United States that has made it illegal to be homeless. The cost of not working in a capital society seems to be homelessness and relying on others who are working or living “off the gird” like Thoreau did while writing Walden. Making it illegal to live this way seems to be an infringement of freedom.
For me freedom is the ability for me to make a choice and live with it.
The Corrigan Encore 