"Be yourself; everyone else is already taken."
- Oscar Wilde

"Start by doing what's necessary; then do what's possible, and suddenly you are doing the impossible."
                                                             – St. Francis of Assisi

About St. Francis of Assisi

St. Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of animals and ecology in Catholicism, was born Giovanni "Francesco" Bernardone into a wealthy Italian merchant family in 1181. As a youth, he was known for carousing. After a series of illnesses, one of which occured while a prisoner of war, he had a spiritual awakening. God came to him in a vision and told him to build up his crumbling church. Taking the dream literally, he began rebuilding a local chapel. He took a vow of poverty and began traveling, preaching, and working to help the sick and the poor. A group formed around him, becoming the Franciscan order. He died in 1226.

   In order to live happy, joyous, and free, I had to give up boredom. At first that was not an easy choice to make, but it came out good.
   Even now, however, I occasionally balk at leaving a comfortable rut that I have created. 
   In the morning my left leg goes into my pants first. I brush my teeth with my right hand. My toilet paper unrolls over the top, not from underneath. I go to the grocery the same way every time. My phone answering message has not been changed in more than a year.
   Yesterday I discovered that I always bake potatoes wrapped in tinfoil. When I'm out of tinfoil I don't eat baked potatoes and I go into a funk.   
   None of these on their own are big deals, but I can improve the level of my happiness by changing only one little thing at a time.
   Oh, by the way, this is the first time I posted two entries on my blog on the same day. Ha! The idea still works.
   I can't explain this ... I'm just reporting.
                     Tom           

"Be aware of wonder. Live a balanced life — learn some and think some and draw and paint and sing and dance and play and work every day some."
                                                               – Robert Fulghum

About Robert Fulghum

American author Robert Fulghum is best known for his book All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten, which dominated the New York Times best-seller list for nearly two years. He was born in 1937 in Texas. In his youth he worked at odd jobs, including ditchdigger, ranch hand, and singing cowboy. After a short career at IBM, he became a Unitarian minister. He has written eight best-selling books of essays. His anecdotes of everyday life encapsulate his down-home philosophy. He lives in Seattle, Washington and on the Greek Island of Crete.

"We must dare to think "unthinkable" thoughts. We must learn to explore all the options and possibilities that confront us in a complex and rapidly changing world."
                                                                – James William Fulbright

About James William Fulbright

James William Fulbright, the US senator who represented Arkansas from 1945 to 1975, is memorialized in the Fulbright Prize, the international exchange program he created. He was born in 1905 in Missouri. As a congressman, he sponsored a resolution to form the peace-keeping organization that became the United Nations. As senator, he chaired the Foreign Relations Committee for 15 years. His book The Arrogance of Power critiques the government's involvement in the Vietnam War. He died in 1995.

"If you want something said,
     ask a man.
  If you want something done,
     ask a woman."
                                 -Margaret Thatcher

"Attempt something so large that failure is guaranteed unless God steps in."
                                 --Debra Kloor

I love this one so I'm repeating it from an earlier blog entry:

"Don't carry a grudge. While you're carrying a grudge, the other guy's out dancing."
                                                                 – Buddy Hackett

About Buddy Hackett

Buddy Hackett, the bawdy American comedian known for his high spirits and expressive face, primarily played comic roles in film and television but shined in his dramatic role in the 1979 TV movie Bud and Lou, about Abbott and Costello. He was born Leonard Hacker in Brooklyn in 1924. He made his reputation performing at nightclubs in the "Borscht Belt" of the Catskills resorts before bringing his act to Las Vegas in 1958. His television work includes the sitcom Stanley, which costarred a young Carol Burnett. He died in 2003.

SUCCESS REQUIRES NO APOLOGIES;
      FAILURE PERMITS NO ALIBIS.
                                  - Think and Grow Rich
                                           Napoleon Hill

"Be thankful for what you have; you'll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don't have, you will never, ever have enough."
Oprah Winfrey

 

"Ever tried? Ever failed? No matter.
              Try again. 
     Fail again. Fail better."