Have you ever been heard to utter one or more of these statements? I’m confident that all of us have at one time or another.
And that, My Friend, is just the beginning! Most of what you’ll view and read here are the words of others — my thinking is to mash a bunch of stuff together with the hoped for result of providing some good fodder for you to chew on, think about and ponder … hopefully with a positive result.
Speaking of chewing … how about this question?
Before I go on, I need to tell you that these doodlings are all taken from a short booklet published in 1973 by Wally Armbruster, titled “A Bag of Noodles.”
As we continue down the page … I don’t really have any philosophical comment to offer regarding this Fido-Human comparison of life which Wally presents here:
Meanwhile … as we humans go through life, day-by-day, my longtime broadcast industry friend, Jerry Del Colliano, whose life has included being a radio station program director, industry newsletter publisher, and now college professor, provides a new reminder about an old item which has been addressed numerous times over the decades:
The past is filed away in a cabinet or computer to be accessed when needed to give us information we may need, but keeping that file open in the present is the road to unhappiness.
The future is a blueprint — a concept, an idea, a way of deciding what is important to pursue, but living in the future is the original virtual reality.
The present is currency to be spent now or lost later. It’s the only place that life truly exists — the only place that brings happiness and gratitude at the same time.
“Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards.”
— Kierkegaard
As Wally described how Edwin Land came to invent the ground-breaking Polaroid instant-picture camera … we turn to Jerry, who describes what brought another individual to success for his sports team under the heading, “The Smartest Person in the Room.” Before you read, make note that this was written prior to the Phillies even winning the National League championship.
- You don’t necessarily win by being the smartest person in the room.
- You win by making everyone else the smartest people in the room.
- Being skilled at helping others reach their potential is the definition of a leader.
- The unlikely Philadelphia Phillies are in the playoffs after a poor start, firing a manager and appointing a person who never managed in the major leagues.
- Here’s what one of his players said about how the 59-year old Rob Thomson did it:
“He’s such a people person… he can have a conversation with anybody about anything and definitely on anything baseball. I think he just feels relatable.”
Having read about Wally’s defining of our five senses, now take a moment and consider this set of five elements which I came across just days ago, offered by one Patricia Lorenz, writing in a Guideposts publication …
“I believe that we only need five things to be happy: someone to love, something to do, something to hope for, something to believe in, and something to laugh about.”
Finally, let’s turn to Jerry Del Colliano for this bit of encouragement which he so aptly headlines, “One More Time“:
It isn’t the person with the brains that clearly outperforms everyone else.
It’s the one with the work ethic — more specifically, the person who never gives up.
Thomas Edison failed thousands of times before he successfully invented the light bulb — who would do that?
Here’s his most memorable and inspiring quote from the man that did:
“Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time.”
Here’s some detail regarding the two sources I’ve borrowed from:
I’m not even sure how this booklet, which runs only 48 pages, came into our hands — I know that we had it for many years. Likely was picked up somewhere by my wife Alicia. I find that there’s just a handful of used copies available on Amazon, although most not particularly cheap.
As for Jerry’s messages, which he calls DayStarters, are delivered to E-mail boxes most every weekday morning. If you’d like to receive, go here to subscribe!
NOW … once you’ve read all the way down to here and taken time to sufficiently ponder and gather your reaction to any or all of the pieces … please send me your comments and/or questions, using either the Contact Marlin form on the home page, or simply E-mail me at marlin@marlintaylor.com
Wally, Jerry, and I thank you for reading!
