NEW MOTTO

Divided we stand, united we fall.

or

Carpe diem Life,
David Kuhn

And now a word from . . .

H. G. Wells

Adapt or perish, now as ever, is Nature's inexorable imperative.

Carpe diem Life,

David Kuhn  

PS My twin brother turns 60 tomorrow.  It's got me thinking of my own life.  For years now I've been looking in the mirror and asking who that old man is looking back at me.  How the hell did this happen?  Hell, I still recall going through puberty and anxiously checked for hair and ZITS!  

The zits are gone -- so, too, is most of my hair.  At least on top of my head.  Ears, nose, etc. is another story.  

Robert Fulghum says that his reflection of the man in the mirror is the oldest ritual of his life.  A sacred habit. 

Me?  Not so sacred. I try not to look anymore.  

New Take On Ancient Story

There is a Taoist story of an old farmer who had worked his crops for many years. One day his horse ran away. Upon hearing the news, his neighbors came to visit. “Such bad luck,” they said sympathetically.

“Maybe so, maybe not.  We shall see.” the farmer replied.

The next morning the horse returned, bringing with it three other wild horses. “How wonderful,” the neighbors exclaimed.  “Maybe so, maybe not.  We shall see.” replied the old man.

The following day, his son tried to ride one of the untamed horses, was thrown, and broke his leg. The neighbors again came to offer their sympathy for what they called his “misfortune.”  “Maybe so, maybe not.  We shall see.” answered the farmer.

The day after, military officials came to the village to draft young men into the army. Seeing that the son's leg was broken, they passed him by. The neighbors congratulated the farmer on how well things had turned out.  “Maybe so, maybe not.  We shall see.” said the farmer.
 - - -
Of course, today’s version would continue.  One day — about a month or two too late — the government announced a deadly disease called COVID-19.  Everyone at first said, “Quarantine or you’ll die!”  The old man replied, “Maybe so, maybe not.  We shall see.”
Then, after a few weeks, mobs of protesters screamed, “End the quarantine.  Open the economy. It’s the right thing to do!”  The farmer replied, “Maybe so, maybe not.  We shall see.”

The economy was opened up, people gathered and celebrated.  One morning neighbors knocked on the door of the old farmer and said, “The economy is open.  We can bring our crops to the market now.  We’re saved!”  And the old farmer replied . . .

Of course, he didn’t reply because he died a horrible death last night. 
Was it because of the opening of the economy?  “Maybe so, maybe not.  We shall see.”

Carpe diem Life,
David Kunn

Time

This is how crazy this whole "no live sports" has gotten:  I've been hearing a long of people talk about this ESPN ten-hour special on Jordan.  Why ESPN would want to dedicate that much time to the capital of Amman is beyond me.

Quote of the day:

“Lots of people wait around "for the right time." People don't know that there is no such thing as a right time. Time is never right nor wrong. The only negative factor of time is that you can lose it and the only positive factor of time is that you can seize it.”
― C. JoyBell C. 

Carpe diem Life,
David Kuhn  

An open letter

To my friends who love to bitch on social media,

Seems like all those "Stay Calm and . . . " posts I used to see have been replaced with "Stay Panicked and Bitch!"

Here's one:  "Hi, I'm the government.  If you think your problems are bad, just wait till you see our solutions."

I'm not saying that all the "solutions" that our government -- and governments around the world -- have come up with to combat this war we're in are all perfect -- but damn!  Just imagine having to sit in a room and create the plan that is going to get us out of this mess?  Hell, I'm having a hard enough time taking care of my own life, family, house, etc.

We're in uncharted waters here.  And if we're brave enough to try to navigate those waters on behalf of our fellow man, we're going to sail off course from time to time -- perhaps most of the time.  But I'm begging you to keep an open mind.  I know I don't have a solution.  Do you?  If so, I'd love to hear it.  In fact, please share it with the world. 

"Only he who does nothing (except bitch on social media) makes no mistakes." -- old and new proverb

I really don't know very much; however, I do know that if you take actions to the best of your current ability, sometimes you succeed and sometimes if you keep an open mind, you just learn. 

Keep calm and persevere!  And stock f'in bitching!

Sincerely,
David Kuhn
Carpe Diem Life

Here's My Sign

So, yesterday I completed my second "101 Things To Do During This Quarantine" list -- it includes the 26 or so things that I didn't get done off the original list.

One of the items is to read from my 21st Century Dictionary of Quotations book.  
Literally (and I can literally use the word "literally" to literally describe what happened), this is from the first day's reading:

"Who begins too much accomplishes little." -- German Proverb

What is this old German to do? 
 Carpe diem Life,
David Kuhn

Angels Don't Fall From Heaven

Had this idea for a song. 

"Angels Don’t Fall From Heaven"  By David Kuhn

Angels don’t fall from Heaven
Angels rise up from the Earth
Angels sometimes just stay hidden
‘till the world starts to hurt

Angels don’t fall from Heaven
Angels masked in plain sight
Angels, when the world goes to hell (when the world grows darkest)
Appear in the light  (come to the light)

Brothers and Sisters
What have you done for your fellow man?
When I was a stranger
Did you reach out a helping hand?

When I was hungry 
Did you give something to eat?
When I was thirsty
Did you pour something to drink?
When I was sick
Did you try to heal me?
Did you show your faith
By your good deeds?


Angels don’t fall from Heaven
Angels rise up from the Earth
Angels sometimes just stay hidden
‘till the world starts to hurt

Angels don’t fall from Heaven
Angels masked in plain sight
Angels, when the world goes to hell (when the world grows darkest)
Appear in the light  (come to the light)

Angels don’t fall from Heaven
They’re just like you and me
Showing our faith
By our good deeds
Angels don’t fall from Heaven



- - -

Carpe diem Life,
David Kuhn

C A R P . . .

When this “Great Quarantine of 2020” started I didn’t think it would seriously go much past Easter.
I was obviously wrong.  A lesson: hope for the best but plan for the worst.

So far, not the WORST. We still have our health and we’re still working some — at a hospital, which creates some anxiety, but . . .  still thankful.

So, how did I do on my original “101 Things To Do During This Quarantine” list?

76 out of 101 -  finished or at least a strong start. Considering all the extra time I’ve had, that’s pretty weak (though I did get a considerable list of things accomplished that weren't even on the list). Unfortunately, the latest news reports say that I have time to redeem myself in the coming weeks.

I won’t bore you with the details, but I’ve created a new list (The C and A of Carpe diem Life plan).
It’s now time to P!

Carpe diem Life,
David Kuhn

On Our Walk

On our walk the other night.

Carpe diem Life,
David Kuhn

A View From Space

I’ve always been fascinated by space.  So, when I ran across this article and video, I just had to share it. Even if you’re not into astronauts and living in space, I believe that this will be extremely valuable to you — especially over the next days and weeks.

How to survive self-isolation, according to an astronaut
By Georgina Torbet March 22, 2020

With so many of us staying home and practicing social distancing due to the global pandemic of coronavirus, officially called COVID-19, people are thinking about how to stay sane and achieve some goals while stuck in self-isolation. To help with this, retired Canadian astronaut and national treasure Chris Hadfield has made a video offering advice on how to cope with isolation.

It’s a topic Hadfield has plenty of experience with, having served as commander of the International Space Station and having spent a total of 166 days in space, dealing with cramped conditions and limited social contact.

“I’ve spent a little time self-isolation onboard a spaceship,” Hadfield began his video. “It’s an extremely dangerous environment up on board the space station, and yet we find a way to thrive and be productive that far away from our normal lives.”

He offered four tips for those struggling with self-isolation:

    1.    Understand the actual risk. Hadfield said that generalized fear is not helpful and that people should look to credible sources to find out the real level of risk that they personally are facing based on their particular situation.
    2.    What’s your mission? Hadfield suggested people pick a mission or think about their objectives, and try to decide what they hope to achieve and what they want to get done.
    3.    Look at your constraints. As well as the need to stay away from others consider factors like financial resources and your obligations.
    4.    Take action. Once you know what you want to achieve and what your limitations are, you can start acting, whether that’s taking care of family members, learning an instrument, studying a language, reading, writing, or any other activity. “It’s a chance to do something different,” Hadfield said.

- - -

Here is a link to a video (I hope it works for you): https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=2596621673930371

If not, just Google :
Chris Hadfield - An Astronaut's 4 Tips To Survive Self-Isolation

Carpe diem Life,
David Kuhn

Grass Time

Planted grass the other day.  Turned the soil, added nutrients, spread the seed, watered.  Where’s the grass?  Seriously, WHERE IS THE GRASS!

I thought about calling the grass seed company; however, I know that they would just patronize me --  say something like,   Be patient.  Give it time!

Patience? Give it time?  

Damn, didn’t I learn anything in freshman Biology — other than my lab partner Tony had a huge crush on Shelly (who didn’t) who sat in front of us?

Okay, back to the grass.  I do remember planting something in little paper cups and spending weeks observing.  Watering.  Observing.  Nurturing. Observing.  The ecstasy of actually seeing something starting to sprout and blossom (sort of like the courtship of Tony and Shelly).   It was all a mystery. 

Today, sitting around in the Quarantine classroom, it's still all a mystery. 


Question: If I were to start a landscaping company, what would be a good tag line?

“No job is done until we say it is”
“Our customers are so happy with our complete work that they tell us we need not come back - ever!”
“It may not look better, but it looks different!”
“Sure you can get better service, but you won’t pay more!”
“Our work looks sort of okay from Google Earth”
“Your neighbors will ask, "Who the hell did that to your lawn?”
And an idea from my friend Jim:  "The grass is always greener on the other side -- because it is!"

Maybe, while we all have downtime to let the grass grow under our feet, it’s a reminder that the world right now doesn't so much need judgment as it does patience.  After all, it is how it is and not how I believe it should be. 

True, I  can’t rush the tiny seeds in the paper cup -- or planted in my lawn.   But, I can work at being patient and giving it time.

After all, time is a pretty great gift.

Carpe diem Life,
David Kuhn

Bears

Went for a walk around the neighborhood the other day.  And I noticed an odd phenomenon -- teddy bears and pictures of rainbows in the front windows of some homes.  Why?

Turns out that parents are spreading the word over social media, asking people to place stuffed bears and rainbows in their windows to create a social-distancing-approved scavenger hunt. The teddy bears idea was inspired by a popular book and song for preschoolers called “We’re Going On a Bear Hunt.”

Both the song and book start out:

“We’re going on a bear hunt. We’re going to catch a big one. I’m not scared. What a beautiful day!”

The bears and rainbows scavenger hunt is a good reminder for kids (and adults) to look for the good in the world at a time of uncertainty and worry.

When I got home,  I searched the grandkids' toy box and found this cute (yes, this old man said "cute) red bear with a heart with the word LOVE.  

I've been putting it on the mailbox right next to the street.  Why risk having it missed by putting it in the window.  LOVE.  Some bears should be very easy to find.   

Carpe diem Life,

David Kuhn

Real or not . . .

So, there's a story going around the interweb thingy that goes like this:

"History repeats itself. Came across this poem written in 1869, reprinted during the 1919 Pandemic.
 This is Timeless...
 It was written in 1869 by Kathleen O’Mara:"


Again, I don't know if it's the real deal or not; however, it is pretty good.  So, I'll play along:

And people stayed at home

And read books

And listened

And they rested

And did exercises

And made art and played

And learned new ways of being

And stopped and listened

More deeply

Someone meditated, someone prayed

Someone met their shadow

And people began to think differently

And people healed.

And in the absence of people who

Lived in ignorant ways

Dangerous, meaningless and heartless,

The earth also began to heal

And when the danger ended and

People found themselves

They grieved for the dead

And made new choices

And dreamed of new visions

And created new ways of living

And completely healed the earth

Just as they were healed.


Allegedly reprinted during Spanish flu
 Pandemic, 1919
 and

A photo that was taken during the Spanish flu.

A real story or not -- Carpe diem Life,
David Kuhn 

It IS what it's cracked up to be!

Scene:  My mouth
Dateline: Yesterday

When you hear the word “cracked,” you probably think of something that’s been damaged. However, in some parts of the world, the word “crack” or “craic” can mean things like news, gossip, or fun. Some might also define it as “banter” or “to talk.”

So, sometimes something isn't at all what it's talked up/cracked to be.

In my case, my tooth was definitely what it was cracked up to be: cracked! At least a portion flaked off causing major irritation where my tongue kept rubbing against it.

Called my dentist knowing what I'd find -- taking emergency cases only.  But, they did offer a temporary solution:  Orthodontic Wax.  Just roll up a little, smash it in where the chip came out and no more irritation.  Orthodontic Wax -- It's definitely what it's cracked up to be.  At least temporarily.

When things aren't what they're cracked up to be, seek solutions!

Carpe diem Life,
David Kuhn