diddlee

“Live with intention. Walk to the edge. Listen hard. Practice wellness. Play with abandon. Laugh. Choose with no regret. Appreciate your friends. Continue to learn. Do what you love. Live as if this is all there is.” I found this quote and really appreciate the sentiment but I don't understand all the content here. I could draw my own conclusions but leaving the statements open gives more opportunity for meaning.

I think I have found out what is going on with me lately. I must be having the old fashioned mid-life crisis. I read over some descriptions in Psychology Today and it fit right down to the ground. Funny thing is I am feeling all these things and I didn't know where it was coming from or why. These pointers included some others which included losing weight, exercise and getting checkups. I think I have those covered. Among these others, they are long on what but short on how. But some of them hit close to what my intuition was telling me. Living in the moment is essential. Books and music are therapeutic. Reduce stress and worry. Stress is a major source of trouble for men in midlife. Reduce stress by living life in the present , letting go of control, dealing with negative emotions and learning to prepare for what is expected and unexpected. Embrace a sexuality appropriate to the second half of life . Young men are often focused on a kind of sexuality that is based on...

A new article raises questions about diet drinks.... So I am planning on leaving off diet soda now for an indeterminate period of time. I seem to remember reading how sweeteners can fool the body into releasing insulin which could contribute to abdominal fat or weight loss resistance. It also can lead to craving greater quantities of sweet foods especially since the body receives no calories per ingestion. Our physiology can't handle the paradox of sweet foods which have no calorie or nutritional value. It just isn't within the scope of our being. So as an experiment I am going to leave them off for as long as I can to see if it makes a difference.

"I don't know how long I will get to be with you, so while I have you here there is something I want you to know about what it means to have you in my life..." I found this line in the body of a blog about how to write a love letter. The author shared her personal view about life, love, and the impermanence of each. I couldn't agree more about those points. I have a Buddhist's attitude about those things and have held those views for a very long time. But even more I have read much about the universe and our tiny, tiny place in it so that I have been forced to reconsider almost everything I've been taught about my world and our place in it. I wonder how I could write these letters but I am interested to see how my family would finish the line. Perhaps I should give each one a sheet of paper with that line at the top and a stamped envelope so they could reply. And as each one does, I could send them my own thoughts about our relationship. Each one getting the l...

I was reading on the NPR website and found a few essays that echoed my experience. One of them contained the "50% Theory". It has been observed that we easily cling to that which supports our own beliefs so I don't want to make that error here, but without straying too far into positivism I can see how one can remain optimistic with a creed like this one yet remain sufficiently pragmatic so one can meet adversity realistically. He wrote: I believe in the 50-percent theory. Half the time things are better than normal; the other half, they are worse. I believe life is a pendulum swing. It takes time and experience to understand what normal is, and that gives me the perspective to deal with the surprises of the future. Steve Porter Understanding what normal is! I can say that I still don't know what normal is. I can say that it is very different from what is was even a few years ago and radically different from what it was in my youth. That difference is in large part d...

Mike's Grandmother passed away this past weekend. It wasn't long ago we were remembering fondly how she would prepare a squirrel and dumpling supper for us while we were out hunting on their land. We got in lots of good hunts back in there. We could come in from the day's hunt and settle down at the table. Mike's Grandfather, "Daddy Doc" would be sitting there. It was a happy scene. When I spoke to Mike the other day he mentioned how we would have to prepare our own dumplings now. He is so right. Now the time has come for us to be the Grandfathers and make our own impression in the minds of the new generations. It is my hope that my own Grandchildren can one day recall some time we had or some moment we had that will be for him a fond remembrance.

This morning I got out for a lonely mountain bike ride. I took about an hour to go over some old familiar road and just get out and spend some energy. The lubrication I performed on the cables seems to have worked out the kinks on the bike. The front brake is squealing but I won't do anything till I get the new ones in. The rain we had left everything very humid. I got as wet as if it had rained on me. Once back home, it really came a good rain. When we arrived at Wal-Mart, the bottom fell out and we got inches of rain in a few minutes. Should be a good run off rain for the lake.

This morning I awoke to the sound of steady rain. This is the first rainy day of this year. We have had an extended drought broken by a few afternoon showers. Finally we have had a restoring, deep slow rain. We didn't get to ride this morning but it was worth missing the ride to get the good rain. We rented a carpet cleaner and tackled the floor in the front bedroom. It was messed up again! Perhaps now, once it has dried, the boys can play in there till we make it suitable for a guest room.

More rain came today. That will be helpful for all the plants. I didn't get to ride to work. It didn't rain much but there was some strong lightning in the west as I was approaching the hospital. The morning was cool and comfortable. The greens were so pretty. You would see the different shades in all the leaves and grass. Next week I'll make up those Alaska days by working for Joe. That should put the money back at par. I think I work too much.