life – Page 8 – The Corrigan Encore

Squeeze it

February 23, 2022February 23, 2022 John Corrigan

No one dies from old age. There is a pretty interesting take on this idea that no one dies from old age in this article. The Live Science article is an interesting and short read and basically lets us know that everyone dies from injury or disease not old age. There is no expiration date or guarantee to a persons mortality.

Thinking about how no one really dies from old age got me to thinking about an older news story about Google and the company Calico. Gizmodo broke the story in 2013 introducing the world to Calico. Calico is a company founded by Google with the mission to understand aging and life span. That’s a pretty big swing! Based on some of the drugs and publications from Calico it looks as if they are cracking this age thing.

Calico has money, scientists, doctors, mathematicians all working on longevity. Me and probably everyone reading this do not share these resources so, what can we do if anything about aging and the injuries’ or diseases that come with it?

Obviously we can and should use the resources we have to reasonably protect ourselves and loved ones and then we should live the best life we can while we are on earth!

“Make the most of yourself–for that is all there is of you.”
— Ralph Waldo Emerson

“Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.”
— Maya Angelou

“How noble and good everyone could be if, every evening before falling asleep, they were to recall to their minds the events of the whole day and consider exactly what has been good and bad. Then without realizing it, you try to improve yourself at the start of each new day.”
— Anne Frank

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I am a huge sports fan and I truly enjoy watching basketball. In basketball there is a clock, the clock is counting down and when it reaches zero than the game is over. I see elite athletes and they understand that the real competition is not them versus the other competitor but them versus the clock. The elite athletes push themselves and their team to score as many points as they can in the time that they have. I think this is a great way to live life.

Life as well as you can as much as you can while you can.

From this to That with a lot of fun

February 22, 2022 John Corrigan

I helped my son Johnathan build a city with Legos. The city was a street, bridge, sky scrapers, a few cars, and some pedestrians. I am not sure how long it took but when we were finished I asked Johnathan if he wanted to destroy it and he replied yes. His brother Kyle would hear nothing of it and the city remained safe for another day.

I have a Lego bust of Boba Fett and it is awesome so far it has been built destroyed and rebuilt. That is what I love about Legos and life really. We call life a progression and we try to build on and learn from yesterday however everyday is really starting over and that makes it kind of exciting and fun .

Learning is certainly a progression however what we believe we are storing or keeping if it is not knowledge or experience is very replaceable.

When you put together Legos they can feel pretty permanent however they are not. It may take some coaxing but they will come apart and you can build over and over and over again.

Life can be tough and will get tougher but no matter what has happened I cant help but believe that you can build over and over and over again.

We all do it

February 14, 2022 John Corrigan

This morning I wasn’t sure what to blog about. I was stumped (for a microsecond), then I thought about what I was actually getting ready to do. I was about to blog or tell a story.

Ahh story telling, it is what separates humans from the animals. Here is a wonderful right up on the difference in humans and animals. My wife and I went to a Trace Adkins concert and he told us that he is a story teller. That night I thought it was odd that he called himself a story teller and not a singer but on the ride home as I was getting my hearing back I realized that he was right.

Musicians, teachers, parents, siblings every human on earth who interacts with another human on earth is a story teller. Even the hermits tell stories to themselves.

I think about money and how money is intrinsic to the story that comes with it. There is a book that has been on my to read list forever and one day will move to the read one. It is titled “Money: The True Story Of A Made-Up Thing” and written by Jacob Goldstein. If you think about without story telling money would not work. It is the story and belief in the story that gives the currency its widely accepted value.

How and why we tell stories matter. Stories should be told to build people up and help not hurt. There is a wonderful Disney movie called “Encanto”. The story behind the movie involves a multigeneration family in Columbia and one attractive feature of the story is the lack of a central antagonist or bad guy. Even without the bad guy the story is compelling and the plot moves quickly (its a great movie).

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Bad guys and villains’ in stories can be dangerous. Stories are great at creating empathy but they are also good at creating hate. Who doesn’t love to see a bad guy get his comeuppance? This is dangerous because life is not black and white. Life is messy and very gray.

“The color of truth is gray.” –Andre Gide

When you tell your stories today and you will, be sure to act kindly compassionately and humanely.

This moment

February 10, 2022 John Corrigan

I was watching a Miami Heat basketball game, the coach at the time was Erik Spoelstra and his big three were Lebron James, Dewayne Wade, and Chris Bosh. Erik called a time out and before he drew up a play he let the players know that they needed to “be with him in this moment” and when they stepped out on the court they needed to acknowledge the moment and not get ahead or behind. I remember hearing in my head the Van Halen song Right Now when Erik said that.

I love that song and the lyrics while simple are pretty powerful. Life moves fast and slow. Life is fluid and always moving. We should of course learn from our past and plan for our futures but not at the cost of right now. The odds that you are here on earth are 1 in 10^2,685,000 that’s a 10 followed by 2,685,000 zeroes. Here is an amazing article detailing how special your existence is. The article states that, the odds of you being existing are basically 0. The fact that you are here on earth should give you pause.

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“Life Moves Pretty Fast. If You Don’t Stop And Look Around Once In A While, You Could Miss It.” — Ferris.

Honestly I think that Ferris put it best in the movie Ferris Buellers Day Off. In case you haven’t seen it, and you really should see it, the movie is amazing. But Ferris is our teenage protagonist in Chicago Illinois and he decides that he and his friends need a day off from the rat race. Ferris and his friend skip school and have quite the comedic adventure, again this is a great movie go watch it. Watch t again if you have already seen it.

Vacations are great and should be had as often as possible. My mom used to accuse me of acting as though I was always on vacation. I think it is because I do not live in a rushed manner. I do not see the value of living in this rushed manner. I think about people who speed and their justifications for it. Speeding really doesn’t get you to work any faster than someone who follows the speed limit. Life should is not a race, there is no prize for the person that finishes life first or finishes life with the most stuff. Life is a gift a unique rare 1 in a 10 followed by 2,685,000 zeroes gift and should be savored and enjoyed with every moment if you can. Take time appreciate everything and be grateful even when it seems like you shouldn’t be grateful you are something special. Life is special and if you rush through it, well…….. You Could Miss It.” — Ferris.

Decisions

January 27, 2022January 27, 2022 John Corrigan

I grew up watching the tv shows Star Trek. In the show Star Trek the captain was an American Cowboy type. The captain was named James T. Kirk and he was always ready for a fight. The captained acted impetuously and was evened out by his commander S’chn T’gai Spock. Commander Spock was a Vulcan. The Vulcan species were governed only by logic. All decisions made by a Vulcan were the most logical ones possible with the information provided during the series we the audience learn that Spocks mother was human and father Vulcan, this allows for Spock to make some illogical yet practical solutions to save his captain and crew.

Life is full of decisions. Everyday we decide at least 35,000 decisions. That 35,000 comes from this article. Just thinking about that amount makes me tired. I have always assumed that I’ve always made the most logical decisions but this assumption is a bit of solipsism on my part. I have acted impetuously on way more than one occasion.

I’ve always assumed that the most logical decision would be the correct one until recently. There are many examples where logical decisions provide some awful results. One example is the way that airlines are boarded. Some airlines use zones others board all at once and none of them get it right.

Are decisions today will lead us to actions and logic deals with theory and fact not actions. Practical decision making deals with action and practice. On the TV show Star Trek the combination of Spock and Kirk lead to practical thinking and decision making (as practical as a fiction series can portray).

At the end of the day it is important to realize that all decisions we make come from an emotional place. We should employ logic, emotion and practical reasoning and feel good about our choices. If you think you made a bad one don’t worry you have 34,999 chance today to make a better one.

What we allow

January 25, 2022 John Corrigan

“No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.”
Eleanor Roosevelt

My step son complained to my wife about his older sister. His sister had said something sideways about my step son, some insult from an older child to a younger one. My wife let the older child now that she should not insult her brother then, my wife let the younger child know that he was allowing his sister to live in his brain rent free. She let the boy know that he should not do this.

My wife is a wise woman and this advice was wisdom incarnate. It really was.

Not everyone will be your cheerleader or your supporter, it is a sad truth that there may come a time when someone is working against you. There maybe someone who is trying to hurt you and they may try to physically hurt you but more often you will find that they will try to psychologically, and mentally harm you.

If someone can live in your mind the damage they do there is far more impactful than physical damage. We may or may not have a choice about physical damage but we do have a choice about our mentality.

Be cautious today about who we allow to impact our minds.

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“I will never let anyone walk through my mind with their dirty feet.” – Gandhi

We should never allow anyone to walk through our minds or live rent free in our minds if they are negative and trying to harm us. We should work to help those folks and give them positive enforcement and support.

Get out of town

January 20, 2022 John Corrigan

Get out of town! No seriously you really should get out of town of course this travel should be done as safely as possible with the current pandemic still raging. Get the vaccination and booster prior to traveling and when in a crowd wear that mask.

Travel brings with it perspective and education. Every group has a culture that is part of that places and persons identity. It is perspective and education that bring unity and compassion along with understanding.

When we get out of town we learn that the world is big and small at the same time. People who look and speak differently than us still have the same primary concerns. No matter who or where you are Maslovs hierarchy of needs seems to be the goal. How we meet those needs can differ wildly and that is where it can be interesting and educational.

I live in a pretty warm climate, I rarely break out a sweater or jacket, I used to live in a more severe climate and would be often seen wearing a sweater and jacket.

I have lived and worked on US military installations and security was present and not uncommon, I have also lived in areas where the security presence was almost non existent and was on the periphery. Security was handled through trust and was reactionary.

In the Steve Jobs biography there is some detail about the time Jobs spent living on a commune picking Apples. Commune living is attractive to some for various reasons I have never lived this way however the strong family bonds are quite attractive.

Different areas of the world honor different people for various accomplishments. Some rural places award livestock raised by farmers and produce grown by farmers. Other communities give out awards for running or cutting down trees the fastest.

It is through meeting all our needs that we learn who we truly are and chances are high that not all our needs will be meet with the perspective and education that comes from only having seen or experienced one group of people.

The world is roughly 24, 901 miles wide (circumference at the equator) it is large and chances are high that you will through travel find people and places that help you meet your needs or better yet through travel you can help others meet their needs!

Get out of town!! Do it today and do it safely

The difference

January 19, 2022 John Corrigan

Noise and Sound

Last night I watched the new Matrix movie and there was a scene where the general mentions that the Matrix makes a lot of noise in your brain. The line got me to thinking about what noise is exactly and why noise is not the same as sound.

Noise is an unwanted and unpleasant sound that invades and takes over at its apex noise is all that can be heard or even felt. Sound is different in that sound is the vibration that travels through the air. Sounds can be noisy and harmonious. It is odd that as an adjective sound is defined as good or wholesome ie the building is structurally sound, or the theory is sound.

A younger me enjoyed listening to music that my parents thought was noise and now I hear some of my kids’ music and well I can empathize with my parents. I happen to enjoy many genres of music one of my favorite is Jazz. I love the free-form nature of jazz. My favorite part of jazz is improvisation. Jazz has all the same parts as music, melody, harmony, and rhythm. Some people receive Jazz and love it others are not as receptive.

It seems that reception is the key to the difference between sound and noise. How we receive a sound has a lot to do with what makes certain sounds noise.

In the movie, the noise that the general was referring to was noise inside our heads, distractions, disturbances, anything other than what we want our focus to be. Even though the noise is different it still seems that reception is the difference.

A good strategy for handling our overactive noisy brains is to shut off distractions if possible. If it is not possible to shut off the distractions maybe it is time to learn from the distractions or the noises. Be curious, learn what the distractions are why they have manifested.

Venting

January 18, 2022 John Corrigan

This weekend I just finished watching the season finale of the most recent season of The Expanse. The Expanse is a sci fi show on Amazon Prime. The show follows the crew of a space craft as they navigate through discovery and a political minefield set in the future. I am a huge fan of space. I love watching and reading about how humanity has been to and is going to space. Rocket travel huge when it comes to getting to space. Rockets provide the velocity to send objects up and out of the earths atmosphere.

Liquid Oxygen is one of the fuels of choice for rocket launching. If the oxygen that has become hot it needs to vent.

If the rocket does not vent it can explode and cause catastrophic damage to the rocket and crew or payload the rocket is sending.

People are the same as rockets, we need to vent sometimes. If we just take all the emotion dumped on us from the world we may explode (especially the negative emotion).

Everyone vents out the unneeded, some call toxic emotions it is how, when, and how long that seems to make a huge difference.

It can be very tempting to vent to good listeners every time we see them, this should probably be avoided. No one wants to be a “buzz kill”. Our relationships are defined by our interactions and even though venting is needed it is also toxic. If we are always venting to that good listener we have inadvertently created a toxic relationship.

Venting takes place before a launch. If you find yourself constantly venting about the same situation and make no changes then you are not really venting in the sense of venting to create action and this is also toxic. There is a fine line between venting and wallowing in something toxic.

Wallowing is when you roll around and relax in something. The last thing we want to do is roll around and relax in negativity.

The trick is to be like a rocket, vent and rise above toxic situations and negative emotions. You can accomplish so much when this happens.

peace

john3c

Everyone should matter to you

January 10, 2022 John Corrigan

I just finished reading an article on the Inc. website. The article gave some advice to managers on, how one should avoid being friends with any of their employees and exactly how to treat all their employees.

The article used the advice that a 5th grade teacher gave to her students on how to treat everyone.

I think this advice should apply for everyone and should be used throughout our entire lives.

Every person matters and if they do not matter to you then they should and they will if you learn about them. When everyone matters you will notice them, you may not find it easy to be friendly to all of them ( some real a@$$ hats out there), you may also have trouble making room for them, however if you are rooting for them and if you can empathize with them then you maybe able to be more friendly and make some

Of course we will all have special places in our lives and our heart for our family, friends and loved ones however, when we realize how special the act of living is I think then we can find ourselves in a position that will allow us to head the fifth grade teachers advice to her students.

The odds of you me and every person alive being born is 1 in 400 trillion. Some more information here on that math. Basically the odds of you being born are almost zero! Once you let that sink in you should be able to find it in your heart to root for everyone even the a@! hats out there.

The odds were against them even showing up on the third rock from the sun and so after overcoming those odds one has to believe that these folks can and will change right? With some empathy kindness and friends maybe…

The other thing about empathy and friendship is that it beats the alternative. Which is apathy and meanness. when we loose hope in humanity and meanness is a slippery slope. Almost every religious text warns us about being mean. In the King James bible we are warned in provides that a mean person will be paid back with meanness (it really is a vicious circle). With all that in mind there is also nothing wrong with being a friend to yourself first and then others (remember we cannot put the oxygen mask on the kid if we are not wearing our own). It is easy to overlook self care and we should not do that. T

Today lets take care of ourselves, loved ones and everyone.

peace

john3c