Living or Being Alive, Johnny's Lies, Stewards of Time

Good Morning from Prince Edward Island,

Thank you for the invite in today, put the kettle on, it's tea time.

It is spring on the Island; we never know what we will have for the weather. I took the phone photo from our front deck this morning at 8:30 am. 

Shirley, my wife's morning musing today is: 

This wintery day is not a set back on the road to Spring...it is merely a bump along the way to sunshine flowers and warm water beaches. We should always use our imaginations for the good. Let it work for us and not against us. I imagine a better day, a better me, a better world. 

Last week your comments regarding my brothers-in-law passing were touching and appreciated. 

Susan Waterman of Rhode Island won our Our book giveaway of Max Eisen’s Holocaust memoir By Chance Alone which was CBC’s annual Canada Reads competition winner for 2019.

Last weeks blog. 

I have been mindful lately that the time we have left is a gift and we need to be good stewards of that time. 

A man who procrastinates in his choosing will inevitably have his choice made for him by circumstance. Hunter S. Thompson

Taking full responsibility and getting things done means not blaming others for our difficulties. List the priorities, recognize the obstacles, take charge and find a way, or accept what needs to be accepted, or at least recognize my part in the dynamic I have created.

Taking leadership is taking responsibility for creating a better dynamic.

There is a difference between living and being alive. There is a difference between letting life happen to you and creating a life you desire. Lisa Larter

Reach in and find the best of who you are and nurture it, grow it and give it back to the world.

When a person knows who they are, they can be comfortable in any situation. They don't spend energy worrying about what others think.

In Stephen Covey’s top-rated book, Seven Habit’s of Highly Successful People he shares a principle, seek first to understand, than to be understood. I find this to be a firm principle and useful for solving a lot of interpersonal issues. 

I have also learned that if you are not worried about how others think about you, you can spend your energy genuinely listening. If you can understand them, or at least hear in an empathetic manner, you are expressing love for your neighbour.  

Do I profess to have a perfect score on being a good listener? NO. I have an ego, as we all do. And more times than not, as a man certainly, I rush to the solution instead of just listening.

A humous example perhaps…a bit of a generalization but speaks to the need to listen first. 

“Knowledge is important, but only if we're kind and gentle with ourselves as we work to discover who we are. Wholeheartedness is as much about embracing our tenderness and vulnerability as it is about developing knowledge and claiming power.” Brene Brown

If I spend too much time thinking about the wrong things, I will never get anything done, spend it on the right things, and I can move anxiety creating procrastinated tasks along and off the table of my mind. 

On that note, got to run...too much to do. LOL

Be kind to yourself and others.

Hope you have a fruitful and joyous weekend. Find the love you have and give it away.

While writing this morning, I have been listening to Pianist David Fray.  Apple music editor comments, David enjoys a fine reputation as a stylish Bach player—elegant, focused, and alive to the rich fantasy that underlies so much of the music. Here, joined by Renaud Capuçon, he plays four of the six sonatas for violin and keyboard with a winning restraint and a songful beauty. Fray is wonderful at the fast-flowing counterpoint, his fingers skipping over the keys and making magic happen. Yet in a movement such as the “Adagio ma non tanto” of the Third Sonata, these two players find stillness and poise that melts the heart. Heavenly music making.

Bach: Sonatas for Violin & Keyboard Nos. 3-6 Listen here. 

Last evening we listened to Rose Cousins and her new album a few times. Love this artist from Prince Edward Island who is travelling and having just finished her California tour is performing now in England. Schedule here. 

Her latest album Natural Conclusion is a real treat. Listen here. 

Wishing you a great week ahead.

With love from Prince Edward Island,

Bruce

ps. 
A woman is getting lunch ready when the phone rings.

"This is the middle school calling about your son Johnny. He's been caught telling unbelievable lies."

"I'll say he has," the woman replies, "I don't have a son."