lived it before reading it

“It’s a paradox: those who have trouble accepting the help they need get discouraged and depressed. Those who can accept help without shame are the ones who become more self-reliant.”
~ Fred Epstein, M.D. on pg. 142, in _if I get to five_

 

mind, self, society revisited

“A human being is part of the whole called by us universe, a part limited in time and space. We experience ourselves, our thoughts and feelings as something separate from the rest. A kind of optical delusion of consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from the prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty.” ~ Albert Einstein

 

“Holy Cow!”

“One guy is even thinking about putting a skybox up there. Can you believe that?” Quigley said at the time.

You should read this.

 

don’t forget your tambourine for the jamoboree

“Truck show at I-80 truck stop. Might cause me 2 b an extra day l8.”

 

What’s Important Now

“WIN”

That was the take-home acronym from his* visit to the basement of Lewis Hall, early in my undergraduate years at Notre Dame.

Thanks for all the memories, Lou, and for your continued brand of humor!

As an incidental note, John Cooper was the OSU QB when my trusty neurosurgeon, Dr. Robert L. Campbell, was attending The Ohio State University.

And Bonus photo:

* View linked story prior to May 9, 2008; courtesy of South Bend Tribune.

 

here comes the sun

“It is not by accident that the happiest people are those who make a conscious effort to live useful lives. Their happiness, of course, is not a shallow exhilaration where life is one continuous intoxicating party. Rather, their happiness is a deep sense of inner peace that comes when they believe their lives have meaning and that they are making a difference for good in the world.”

–Ernest Fitzgerald

 

Instant Carma

“Usually, our concept of compassion or love refers to the feeling of closeness we have with our friends and loved ones. Sometimes compassion also carries a sense of pity. This is wrong—any love or compassion which entails looking down on the other is not genuine compassion. To be genuine, compassion must be based on respect for the other, and on the realization that others have the right to be happy and overcome suffering just as much as you. On this basis, since you can see that others are suffering, you develop a genuine sense of concern for them.”

–Dalai Lama

 

Success: Empathic understanding expressed when faced with car turning into the path of one-way traffic, in the center of a semi-major metropolitan statistical area. (Caused disturbance in timing required to pass through subsequent series of traffic lights without stopping or speeding.)

 

Some practice to go: Not being totally baffled by drivers’ inability to navigate a round-a-bout on the outskirts of town, despite excessive signs and structural barriers.

 

games people play

“You do better when you don’t look at the score.
…
Or maybe you just don’t look at the score when you’re doing better.”

 

sack it to ‘em

Way to go TEAM, and yet another Irish alum! Is it ever said enough?

“Defense wins championships!”

 

“Are freaks like frogs?”*

I’ve got a backblog of material/posts, but in the meantime I feel compelled to recommend a grand read:
The Short Bus: A Journey Beyond Normal, by Jonathan Mooney.

I’m only about a third of the way into it, yet there are so many facets to compliment already. There are TONS of subtle (and many not-so-subtle) gems throughout.

For now: I thoroughly appreciate how seamlessly Mooney weaves experiential tangents into the narrative. Yet there’s so much more. Like I said: TONS.

You really should read it.

* pg. 93
“Can we measure the health of our society by the number of freaks walking the street?” –Jonathan Mooney**

** not even close to the best quotation in the book, but relevant to frog theme and my repeated references to indicator species, as well as a few boatloads of connected themes and perspectives.

 

it’s no secret

“In the end, social movements carry the day, not rock stars.”

– Bono, Rolling Stone Magazine interview, 2007

 

if it hadn’t a been for the moon

“This is just wrong. It’s equivalent to Kermit eating at Doc Hopper’s.”

 

what’s the time?

“I’ve never eaten at Pantera.”

 

“Put a tent around that circus!”

I think this one ranks up there with, “good seats, eh buddy?”

(The voice used in conveying baseball commentary/exclamations makes all the difference!)

 

perfect timing

“Big truck jamboree @ Iowa 80 truck stop! Would U like 2 meet me there 2mrw?”