AN OLDIE RETIRED

Well, I finally did it. I broke down and bought me a new playstation2 game machine. My philosophy is If ya got a good horse ride it but don't break it down. I'm not one to change things too much if all is working well. I know I am more than just a little behind on all the new technology but what the heck. Way back in 1988 I was in a beautiful relationship with a wonderful lady who had 2 darling little girls when I met her. I absolutely adored and still do those 2 girls. They were so beautiful and I loved them with all my heart. And I'm so thankful that today they both are grown and married with families of their own. And even tho I dont get to see them very often since they both live in another state I do keep in touch.Anyway back in 1988 I bought them a Ninento 8bit game console.I remember we had so much fun trying to save the Princess in the Mario Bros. game. As a matter of fact I played it more than they did.So at the time I bought another one of the consoles to have a t my house. Well after my relationship with the girls mother came to an end and I had no one to play Mario with me I kept the game console and bought some sports games to play on it. It served me well during the years I was a "bachelor" again and I kept it even after I met and married my sweet wife in 1995. All these years she would ask me why I didnt get a newer game machine and I always said I was gonna get a new one some day. But the years kept racing by and still I kept the old game and played it quite often. I would even pull out the old Mario Bros game every once in a while and save the Princess just for old times sake. And I never failed to think about those 2 wonderful "little" girls Rina and Renee while I was playing that particuliar game. I suppose that hundred dollars I spent on the original Ninento was one of the best investments I have ever made. As I put in away in a box with all the games the other night it was kinda like burying an old friend. And I do reckon that one of these days I will get it out and play some more just to remember all the good times of the past.And it still works as good as it did on the day I bought it. And yeah, I admit the new Playstation and the games are a lot better graphics and more real but I can only hope I get half as much fun from it as I did my Nintendo. And I sometimes wonder what the girls ever did with the one I bought them.Just call me a dinosaur if you want but sometimes I wonder if newer is really better than a golden oldie.Happy gaming to all of you.

A PEACEFUL MIND

I truly believe that above all else in this life a peaceful mind has to be one of the most important assets that we acquire. I know that one has to have love good health money and a few other things to be quite satisified but all of these without a peaceful mind still leaves a gaping hole in our lives and I think we will find ourselves unhappy. I'd much rather be a poor man ,alone, sick, and hungary but have a peaceful mind than to have all of the aforementioned without the peace. Each of us must find the key that opens our lives to finding the peace of mind we deserve and need to be happy and fulfilled. I will share with you a piece I ran across the other day. It says "Have patience with all things but first with yourself. Never confuse your mistakes withyour value as a human being. You are a perfectly valuable, creative, worthwhile person because you exist. And no amount of triumphs or tribulations can ever change that. Unconditional self-acceptance is the core of a peaceful mind."
May you all have a most wonderful weekend filled with much love joy fun and above all else peace of mind!

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

You can make more friends in a month by being interested in them than in ten years by trying to get them interested in you.
Charles L. Allen--Roads to Radiant Living

THE FENCE

There was a little boy with a bad temper. His father gave him a bag of nails and told him to hammer a nail in the back fence every time he lost his temper. The first day the boy drove 37 nails into the fence. Then it gradually dwindled down. He discovered it was easier to hold his temper than to drive those nails into the fence. Finally the day came when the boy didn't lose his temper at all. His father suggested that the boy now pull out one nail for each day that he was able to hold his temper. The days passed and the young boy was finally able to tell his father that all the nails were gone. The father led his son to the fence. "You have done well son, but look at the holes in the fence," he said. "When you say things in anger, they leave a scar just like the nail holes. You can put a knife in a person and draw it out. It won't matter how many times you say I'm sorry, the wound is still there. A verbal wound is just as bad as a physical one."
So heres hoping that your "fences" are intact and without any holes. Bless your hearts!

SAIL ON DOWN THE LINE

If our lives here are like a ship on the ocean then its probably time we set our course for greater and higher destinations. I know from experience that a lot of us tend to get mired down in a routine and find ourselves altho not unhappy just a wee bit restless. Atleast I find myself feeling this way from time to time. And even though I really like where I am in this life at the present moment I have no doubt that there are still places I need to go and things I need to get done. I love the quote from William Shedd that says;"A ship in a safe harbor is safe, but that is not what a ship is for." I agree with that wholeheartedly so Heaven help me get up off my lazy rear in the future, get out of my little ruts and set my course to a larger part of the ocean. My hope is that all of your particuliar journeys will be filled with much excitement, much love, joy, and much learning. May this present moment be your most fulfiling one ever!

A SIMPLE THOUGHT FOR TODAY

If there is no wind, row!

IT AIN'T WHATCA EAT, IT'S THE WAY HOW YA CHEW IT

HI folks. I sure hope all of you beautiful people are enjoying this very moment right now and that things in your life are going the way you had envisioned. But just in case some things may be a little worrisome or not quite going the way you would like I thought I'd put this entry in for ya. I know from my own personal experience that oft times things get really screwed up (never my fault of course--Ha! You outta know better than that cause I can at times really screw up badly!) and it is at those times when we wonder why we even bother and try to get things going. Just seems like its one thing after another that goes wrong and robs us of being happy and content. Well as the title of this entry states it ain't alwas what happens to us as much as it is our reaction to it. We all have to "eat" stuff at times that doesn't go down real good. But Ive found out that if I "chew" it really good I can always find something positive from the experience. And yes, I have to chew things sometimes for days or longer before the "positive" comes into my mind. I really do hope that you are well satisified with things in your life at this moment and I hope that is always the case. But when things do go wrong just remember "It ain't what ya eat, its the way how you chew it." Take care friends and remember to be good to yourself and even better to those you love. And while you are at it why not do something nice for a stranger? Bless your hearts. I love ya all.