I envy Tiny Tim. (The "singer," not the Christmas Carol Kid.)
Yes, I mean that 60s, long-haired, falsetto who tiptoed through the tulips and married Miss Vicki on the Johnny Carson show.
Tiny was performing in a room full of his fans in Minneapolis when he died of a massive heart attack.
So where does the envy part come in?
In an interview after Tiny tipped his last toe, his wife summed up the experience by saying, "He died singing Tiptoe Through the Tulips. The last thing he heard was applause, and the last thing he saw was me."
Herbert (Tiny Tim ) Khaury died doing what he loved, being rewarded for doing what he loved and lying in the arms of the one he loved. Neat eh?
I envy Tiny Tim.
Lesson: Even a mediocre performance can be salvaged by a classy exit.
The all-leather, NFL-regulation football, inscribed -- 1963 Chicago Bears
Friday, June 24, 2011
Thursday, June 16, 2011
THE SOUNDS OF SILENCE
Meditating doesn't necessarily require staring at a crystal while sitting in the lotus position, humming a mantra in the red rocks of Sedona, Arizona.
If that works, fine. But meditating, while having many meanings, to me means simply sitting still for a minimum of 15 minutes, breathing correctly and deeply, listening to what I have to say to myself.
How many people do you know spend 15 minutes a day to just "be," sitting back and letting what happens, happen? I know, we're all too busy. When can you find an uninterrupted 15-minute block of time what with the bosses, unreasonable requests, the kids' soccer practices, walking the dog and can't miss TV?
As hard as it might sound, taking personal time is possible. Mahatma Gandhi meditated for 24 hours straight once a week, and he seemed to get other things accomplished. (Of course he was the boss, not a soccer mom, and the cell phone reception was lousy.)
You may not see yourself as having the mental discipline of Gandhi, but why don't you even take a shot at it? Could it be when you're alone, eyes closed, breathing deeply, your conscious mind disengages and you access your subconscious mind and unasked questions begin to float to the surface? Questions such as:
"Am I growing and having fun on my job?"
"Are my relationships rewarding and full of mutual satisfaction?"
"Is my life playing out the way I thought it would?"
"OK enough of that," you say. "Let's turn on the radio and the TV, and call somebody on the phone while waiting for the computer to boot up"
As Blaise Pascal, a French mathematician and philosopher, said, "All man's miseries derive from not being able to sit quietly in a room alone." If meditation is so helpful, what is the real reason so many people don't take this beneficial time alone? Could it be they don't like the company?
Lesson: You have the answer; listen quietly for the question.
If that works, fine. But meditating, while having many meanings, to me means simply sitting still for a minimum of 15 minutes, breathing correctly and deeply, listening to what I have to say to myself.
How many people do you know spend 15 minutes a day to just "be," sitting back and letting what happens, happen? I know, we're all too busy. When can you find an uninterrupted 15-minute block of time what with the bosses, unreasonable requests, the kids' soccer practices, walking the dog and can't miss TV?
As hard as it might sound, taking personal time is possible. Mahatma Gandhi meditated for 24 hours straight once a week, and he seemed to get other things accomplished. (Of course he was the boss, not a soccer mom, and the cell phone reception was lousy.)
You may not see yourself as having the mental discipline of Gandhi, but why don't you even take a shot at it? Could it be when you're alone, eyes closed, breathing deeply, your conscious mind disengages and you access your subconscious mind and unasked questions begin to float to the surface? Questions such as:
"Am I growing and having fun on my job?"
"Are my relationships rewarding and full of mutual satisfaction?"
"Is my life playing out the way I thought it would?"
"OK enough of that," you say. "Let's turn on the radio and the TV, and call somebody on the phone while waiting for the computer to boot up"
As Blaise Pascal, a French mathematician and philosopher, said, "All man's miseries derive from not being able to sit quietly in a room alone." If meditation is so helpful, what is the real reason so many people don't take this beneficial time alone? Could it be they don't like the company?
Lesson: You have the answer; listen quietly for the question.
Thursday, June 9, 2011
LET US SPRAY
Jean and I had a log cabin in the Jemez Mountains of New Mexico. It was a place we used to get away from the hustle and bustle of big city Albuquerque. Like anything else worthwhile, it required maintenance. Log maintenance required wood preservative.
To apply the preservative we decided to use a sprayer. Spraying the preservative was basically spraying oil in a windstorm, a disgustingly nauseating, but necessary, task.
I wore goggles, carried the heavy, unwieldy and sticky sprayer and covered myself from head to toe to keep the spray off any part of my body. Next I took a deep breath and sprayed for as long as I, or the sprayer, lasted. Then it was time to pump the sprayer, take a deep breath and go at it again.
After a few rounds I realized I needed to step back and take a time out. I needed time to see that the job was coming out the way I wanted.
I asked myself:
"Have I covered everything I want to cover?"
"Is what I'm doing making a difference?"
"Is it OK to move on?"
What about the big "spray job" of life? Might you need to step back, take a time out. Do you need time to see that everything is coming out the way you wanted?
Ask yourself:
"Have I covered everything I want to cover?"
"Is what I'm doing making a difference?"
"Is it OK to move on?"
Lesson: Life, like a log cabin, requires maintenance.
To apply the preservative we decided to use a sprayer. Spraying the preservative was basically spraying oil in a windstorm, a disgustingly nauseating, but necessary, task.
I wore goggles, carried the heavy, unwieldy and sticky sprayer and covered myself from head to toe to keep the spray off any part of my body. Next I took a deep breath and sprayed for as long as I, or the sprayer, lasted. Then it was time to pump the sprayer, take a deep breath and go at it again.
After a few rounds I realized I needed to step back and take a time out. I needed time to see that the job was coming out the way I wanted.
I asked myself:
"Have I covered everything I want to cover?"
"Is what I'm doing making a difference?"
"Is it OK to move on?"
What about the big "spray job" of life? Might you need to step back, take a time out. Do you need time to see that everything is coming out the way you wanted?
Ask yourself:
"Have I covered everything I want to cover?"
"Is what I'm doing making a difference?"
"Is it OK to move on?"
Lesson: Life, like a log cabin, requires maintenance.
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
ME ME ME
You are the Center of the Universe.
A poem I once read said the least important word in the English language is the word "I." Balderdash! "I" is the most important word. The popular saying, "It's not about you," couldn't be more incorrect. It's all about you. How about "No man is an island?" Another dash of balder, of course we are each "islands." No one, and I mean no one, on this earth cares about what happens to you as much as you do. That's all right, after all you are the Center of the Universe.
Skeptics read on.
When people tell you they feel "good," did you ever wonder what their "good" is like? If you were in their body and felt the way they feel when they feel "good," might you be tempted to dial 911?
What does it feel like to them when people tell you they are in pain, hungry or sad. You know how it feels to you when you're in pain. You know what goes on in your innards when you're hungry and in your mind when you're sad. But do others twinge in the same places as you twinge? Are others grabbed in the same place you're grabbed?
You are the Center Of The Universe. Everything that happens in the world is given meaning by you based on your experiences and beliefs. Fred tells you he feels good, you immediately "know" how Fred feels based on how you feel when you feel good. How else could you possibly interpret Fred's condition?
When you walk down the theater aisle to your pricey, front-row seat, the people on your left you would call, "The people on my left." When you leave the theater, the people that you called "the people on my left," would now accurately be called, "The people on my right." The people didn't change sides during the play, but they did in relation to you.
Every way you view the world is in relation to you. Therefore you must be the "center," correct?
Being the Center of the Universe carries with it good news and bad news:
Good news--you're always right
Bad news--the rest of the world doesn't always believe the good
news. (The trick here is to realize that everyone else is also the Center of the Universe!)
You will have made a giant leap forward in living a less stressful and more rewarding life when you realize the truths in life you hold as indisputable are made up by you, judged by you, defended by you, and can therefore be changed by you.
Lesson: Contrary to popular parental precepts, the world does revolve around you.
A poem I once read said the least important word in the English language is the word "I." Balderdash! "I" is the most important word. The popular saying, "It's not about you," couldn't be more incorrect. It's all about you. How about "No man is an island?" Another dash of balder, of course we are each "islands." No one, and I mean no one, on this earth cares about what happens to you as much as you do. That's all right, after all you are the Center of the Universe.
Skeptics read on.
When people tell you they feel "good," did you ever wonder what their "good" is like? If you were in their body and felt the way they feel when they feel "good," might you be tempted to dial 911?
What does it feel like to them when people tell you they are in pain, hungry or sad. You know how it feels to you when you're in pain. You know what goes on in your innards when you're hungry and in your mind when you're sad. But do others twinge in the same places as you twinge? Are others grabbed in the same place you're grabbed?
You are the Center Of The Universe. Everything that happens in the world is given meaning by you based on your experiences and beliefs. Fred tells you he feels good, you immediately "know" how Fred feels based on how you feel when you feel good. How else could you possibly interpret Fred's condition?
When you walk down the theater aisle to your pricey, front-row seat, the people on your left you would call, "The people on my left." When you leave the theater, the people that you called "the people on my left," would now accurately be called, "The people on my right." The people didn't change sides during the play, but they did in relation to you.
Every way you view the world is in relation to you. Therefore you must be the "center," correct?
Being the Center of the Universe carries with it good news and bad news:
Good news--you're always right
Bad news--the rest of the world doesn't always believe the good
news. (The trick here is to realize that everyone else is also the Center of the Universe!)
You will have made a giant leap forward in living a less stressful and more rewarding life when you realize the truths in life you hold as indisputable are made up by you, judged by you, defended by you, and can therefore be changed by you.
Lesson: Contrary to popular parental precepts, the world does revolve around you.
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