Senses working overtime #355

1 Obi-Wan Kenobi

2 The four Buddhist mantras for turning fear into love

3 Francis Coppola at 82

4 Why are letters shaped the way they are?

5 The comedy of survival - Austin Kleon

Overtime: Begrudgingly - Seth Godin

Social niceties are easy to do half-heartedly.

But they’re not for us, they’re for the other person.

When you show up begrudgingly, it’s not half-hearted, it’s cold hearted.

A handshake, a greeting, the way we sit in a meeting or wear a mask–it’s a chance to connect and to make a difference for the person we’re with.

All in, or not at all.

Senses working overtime #354

1 The nearly impossible quadruple axel

2 How and why love songs work.

Photo by Christine Sandu on Unsplash

3 Did jazz forget about Oscar Peterson?

4 Anne by CMarie Fuhrman

5 The Living an Inspired Life blog takes a look at Netflix.

Overtime:

"Many situations in life are similar to going on a hike: the view changes once you start walking.

You don't need all the answers right now. New paths will reveal themselves if you have the courage to get started."

James Clear 

Senses working overtime #353

1 The greatest guitar solos of all time

2 

 3 Might as well quit

4 Betty White was always on TV

5 Poetry corner

Epitaph on a Tyrant Perfection, of a kind, was what he was after, And the poetry he invented was easy to understand; He knew human folly like the back of his hand, And was greatly interested in armies and fleets; When he laughed, respectable senators burst with laughter, And when he cried the little children died in the streets. W. H. Auden (1939)

Overtime: 

Biochemistry professor and science fiction author, Isaac Asimov, on the unnoticed good in the world:

"It is important to remember that the viciousness and wrongs of life stick out very plainly but that even at the worst times there is a great deal of goodness, kindness, and day-to-day decency that goes unnoticed and makes no headlines."

Source: The Roman Empire (Courtesy of James Clear)

Senses working overtime #352

1 How science is uncovering the secrets of Stonehenge

2 Books for the journey 

From Seth Godin

3 Poetry corner

The Goodyear Blimp The Goodyear Blimp has lost itself, has gone down peaceful in a cornfield. The grounded pilot walks out of the field, no one hurt, no one around but the blackbirds, who laughed and kept laughing. He walked down the empty road in the middle of the day. It was fine to be uninjured, to have hurt no one, to walk in the brief sweet world of the saved. Laura Jensen (1982)

4 Sleeping Dogs

I spent a lot of time listening to this soundtrack from 1977 this week.

5 Spotify - its new priorities

Overtime:  Taking action

Stoic philosopher Epictetus on taking action:

"Now is the time to get serious about living your ideals. How long can you afford to put off who you really want to be? Your nobler self cannot wait any longer.

Put your principles into practice – now. Stop the excuses and the procrastination. This is your life! You aren’t a child anymore. The sooner you set yourself to your spiritual program, the happier you will be. The longer you wait, the more you’ll be vulnerable to mediocrity and feel filled with shame and regret, because you know you are capable of better.

From this instant on, vow to stop disappointing yourself. Separate yourself from the mob. Decide to be extraordinary and do what you need to do – now."

Source: The Art of Living (courtesy of James Clear)