WOW! All I can say is . . .

Football teaches us a lot of great life lessons.  Two of the most important are to never stop believing in yourself and never give up!

Things started out pretty bleak last night for Deshaun Watson and the Clemson Tigers, but he lead Clemson back from a two-touchdown deficit to take down the kings of college football.

Clemson beat Alabama 35-31 on Monday night in a game for the ages, and it was Watson's 420 passing yards, 43 rushing yards and four total touchdowns (three passing) that ensured the Tigers won the 2017 College Football Playoff National Championship.

In the game of life nothing is less important than the score at half time.

Carpe Diem Life,
David Kuhn

CarpeDiem-Life.com

Happy Cold, Flu, and Dabbing Season

It's that time of year when we're seeing more and more cough- and sneeze-related dabbing going on.

Thanks ifunny.com for the image

I grew up with a "Cover your mouth!" whenever I sneezed or coughed.  Later, it evolved to "Cover your mouth with the back of your hand!"  Now, it's "Cover your mouth by shoving it into the crook of your elbow like you're dabbing!"  Dabbing seems to have its roots in the Atlanta hip-hop scene and later popularized NFL's Cam Newton.  Must be a lot of sneezing and coughing going on there.

Speaking of roots . . .
Having German roots, the automatic response to a sneeze was "Gesundheit!" which simply means something like "healthiness" (Gesund = health.  Heit = iness.  Okay, actually state) or "good health."

Now, more than not, I hear "God Bless you" or "Bless you."  Other cultures have their own sneeze responses.  The Greeks wish each other "long life."  People in Arabic countries say "God be praised."
Others are "Live well," "Be Healthy," and in China when a child sneezes "May you live 100 years."

Why did people start wishing each other "good health" upon sneezing?  According to several sources, including the book An Uncommon History of Common Things, "It was mainly because in ancient times people thought that the force of a sneeze could propel a person's soul right out the body.  By uttering kind of incantation or invocation, bystanders believed they could stop evil spirits from taking the sneezer's soul, as well as protect against spirits entering the body."

So, this cold and flu season, it's okay to say "Gesundheit!" or "Bless you" when someone sneezes -- even if they're looking as if they're dabbing while doing it.  But, when you see someone dabbing to be dabbing, perhaps the better response would be, "Bless his heart!"  That's what my Granny Kuhn used to say when she saw someone doing something ignorant.  Sort of a passive-aggressive way of insulting someone.  

I don't know if "Bless his or her heart" will stop evil dabbing spirits from taking the dabber's soul.  I'm thinking our society needs some sort of dabbing exorcism. 

Gesundheit!

Carpe Diem Life
David Kuhn

CarpeDiem-Life.com
 
 

History of Texting LOL!

A conversation with some old friends at dinner last night and a “This Date in History” story this morning got me thinking . . .

Imagination a communications tool that uses the fewest and shortest words possible to communicate a thought or idea.  One that “old timers” say will surely ruin future generations’ ability to speak or write the English language.

Texting, right?

Sometimes it’s fun to reverse engineer current technology to see how we got here. 

On this day in 1838, Samuel Morse’s telegraph system is demonstrated for the first time. The telegraph, a device which used electric impulses to transmit encoded messages over a wire, would eventually revolutionize long-distance communication. He demonstrated his invention using Morse code, in which dots and dashes represented letters and numbers.

GR8, right?

In May 1844, Morse sent the first official telegram over the line, with the message: “What hath God wrought!” (Today, that would probably read: “WHGW!”).

L8R, private companies, using Morse’s patent, set up telegraph lines around the Northeast. Then came Western Union, the first transcontinental line across the United States, the first successful permanent line across the Atlantic Ocean (imagine the logistics of laying a permanent line across the Atlantic).  By 1870s, world news could quickly spread worldwide.

Because telegraph companies typically charged by the word, telegrams were known for their succinct prose “stop”

"stop"?

Here’s a bit of trivia:  The word “stop” was used in place of a period because, for some odd reason, the word “stop” was free and there was a charge for the period.  WTF?

Of course, time and technological innovation marches on.  Over the course of the 20th century, telegraph messages were largely replaced by long-distance phone serve, fax, email, and now texting.  Western Union delivered its final telegram in January 2006 “stop”

At this point some of you may be thinking DILLIGAS  (Do I Look Like I Give A Sh**), so I’ll just wrap this up.

We can thank Mr. Samuel Morse’s telegraph system (demonstrated for the first time on this date) for laying the foundation of this epidemic that is texting.  But, if you’re one of those who people who believe texting is “penmanship for illiterates” and will ruin future generations ability to speak or write the English language, you can thank Samuel Morse for being able to send out the International Morse code distress signal of SOS (· · · – – – · · ·) stop

TYVM for reading today’s post stop  TTYL stop HAGW stop

Carpe Diem Life,
David Kuhn

CarpeDiem-Life.com

First Snow Of The Year

Gazing out my window

The year's first snow 

Whispering through the glass

Inviting me back

To my childhood

Memories

Drifting down to the ground

Snowman and Snow Angels

Snowballs and Snow Forts 

Maybe E.E. Cummings was right,

"The show doesn't give a 

soft white damn

whom it touches."

But I do!

Snowflakes

Like family & friends

Unique 

Fragile

But look at the beauty

Created

When they stick together!

  

                                                                    David Kuhn 2017                       

Carpe Diem Life
David Kuhn

CarpeDiem-Life.com

"Do you have gas?

One winter night, many years ago when we were over for dinner, I asked my Father that question:

"Dad, do you have gas?"

"That's a personal question, but yes.  And I'm taking Beano, which contains a natural enzyme that are supposed to help digest the complex carbohydrates . . ."

"NO! Gas service to the house.  For your heat!?"

"Oh," embarrassed.  "That, too!"

He had taken for granted that I was asking about the health of his intestinal tract; I had taken for granted he knew I was talking about gas heat.  I thought of that embarrassingly funny memory
around 3 A.M. this morning as I got up and wandered the house.  No, not searcing for Beano!

We have electric heat  -- a "heat pump."  And when temperature plunge below freezing, it's more like a "lukecool heat pump."  After I took care of business (need not say more), I climbed back into our warm bed and began to take notice and be thankful for a lot of the things I take for granted.  Things like an insulated house, insulated windows, warm carpeting, indoor plumbing, heat (even if it isn't gas), and . . .

My god, it's 2017.  Dad's been gone almost a decade.  Still, I'll never take for granted all the things he did for me-- and all the wonderful-- and even sometimes embarrassing-- memories he gave me.

Carpe Diem Life,
David Kuhn

CarpeDiem-Life.com

"Day Of Purging"

I made yesterday my official “Day of Purging” day (usually January 1, but we were out of town).

“Day of Purging” is traditionally the day I get in my closets and drawers and purge items that I haven’t worn or used in the past year.  It usually goes something like this:

First, I take out everything out of the cesspool that is my closets and drawers (I’m a bit of a sentimental hoarder).
Next, I gather up the dozens of empty hangers that have somehow gurgled up to the surface. 
I then start the process of purging.

“Hmm.  Didn’t wear this last year.  In fact, haven’t worn it for years.  However, I do remember when I got it.  It’s still in perfect condition.  Hmm.  I’m sure I’ll wear it this year.  Yes, I think I’ll save it.”

And so it goes.

Every once in a great while I’ll actually throw something away or put in the donation pile.  More times than not, it makes its way back into the closet.  After all, it’s all nice and neat now so there’s plenty of room for . . .

I know that I pledged this year “A place for everything, everything in its place.”  But, now that I’ve organized the closets and drawers (a.k.a. “the place”) I have plenty room for everything.

And so it goes.

Besides, who in their right mind could depart with every softball jersey he’s ever had-- even though I haven’t played for 20 years.  Oh, and there’s a Harry Chapin concert T-Shirt from the 70s.  And then there’s my grade school letter sweater.  And what about . . .

And so it goes.

Or, more precisely on “Purging Day”:  And so it DOESN’T GO!

Another “Purging Day” in the books.  Speaking of books . . .

Carpe Diem Life,
David Kuhn
CarpeDiem-Life.com 

I always wanted to be somebody, but now I realize I should have been more specific!

Lily Tomlin is famous for the joke: I always wanted to be somebody, but now I realize I should have been more specific. 

I can relate. I think, at times, we can all relate. 

So, when it comes to CHOOSING a goal (i.e. New Year’s Resolutions), being specific is no joke.  That's why I’m making “SPECIFIC” one of my mantras this year.

For example, “losing some weight” is a good goal, but “Losing fifteen pounds” is better because it's more specific (okay, okay.  More like twenty pounds would be better, but you get the idea). 

The “Specific” Carpe Diem Life Lesson:

CHOOSE specific goals.

Think about the specific ACTIONS you’ll need to take to reach your specific goal.

The more specific and measurable your goal, the more quickly you will be able to identify, locate, create, and implement the use of the necessary resources for its achievement. -- Charles J. Givens

What specific RESOURCES (people and knowledge) will help you achieve your goal?

Having a clear picture in your mind what success looks like will motive you take PERSISTENT ACTION.

Seeing what the specific success looks like will help you EVALUATE your progress and decide whether or not you’re heading in the right specific DIRECTION.

If you see that you're not heading in the right direction, how will you specifically IMPROVE?

And what about rewards along the way?  What specific things will you do to ENJOY THE PROCESS?

Remember, there is only one person who is responsible for your success.  Specifically, you must never forget that it’s “MY LIFE.”

Wishing you a SPECIFIC 2017!

For the meaning of life differs from man to man, from day to day and from hour to hour. What matters, therefore, is not the meaning of life in general but rather the specific meaning of a person's life at a given moment. Viktor E. Frankl

Carpe Diem Life,

David Kuhn

CarpeDiem-Life.com