Look to this Day, for it is Life – the very Life of Life. In its brief course lie all the verities and realities of your existence: the Bliss of Growth, the Glory of Action, the Splendor of Beauty.
For yesterday is already a dream and tomorrow is only a vision; but today, well-lived, makes every yesterday a dream of happiness and every tomorrow a vision of hope.
Look well, therefore, to this Day. Such is the salutation of the Dawn.
-Kalidasa
For 40 years, I have been practicing and teaching the wisdom traditions at UC San Diego.
“Practice Makes Permanent. Perfect Practice Makes Perfect” so still working at it…
During Covid, I have been doing this virtually every week at work as an act of service to support our mental wellbeing and practice self-care.
One helpful skill has been learning to quiet the mind and practice present moment mindfulness by going within, exploring inner space (Psycho-nauts instead of Astro-nauts), and connecting via intuition and inner knowing with our deepest and most authentic self.
Many of us when striving to sit quietly, find our time and space hijacked by our monkey mind, so we need a redirect that tames that pesky beast in order to go deeper.
“All’s Well That Begins Well”
Here is a sampler, if you could use a 15 minute tune up, to Start the Day Right. You can also just plug in some headphones, line down on your bed if you prefer, and set the intention for the day.
If you find this valuable, we can add a few more sessions, from progressive relaxations, to guided meditations, to energy center tune ups, to out of body visualizations to a YouTube channel and send you a link- just let me know.
If you find this blog valuable, please subscribe and share it, as many of us are not ok, and you never know whose life you are going to positively touch with a small act of kindness:
Optical Illusions: What Causes Them? Try Some Out! Abigail Howell, a biomedical student at Arizona State University, explains that there are three different types of optical illusion, in which the brain incorrectly interprets what the eyes are seeing:
Only 1% Of People Can Spot Second Tiger In This Optical Illusion Get your eyeballs around this trippy tiger picture, and prepare for your mind to start fizzing as you try to spot the hidden second tiger
A rare, 5-planet alignment will take over the sky this month Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn will align in the month of June, with the waning crescent moon making a special appearance on June 24.
Watch Carlos Santana Re-Record ‘Oye Como Va’ With Musicians From Around The World The Playing For Change video features Cindy Blackman Santana, Becky G, Tito Puente, Jr., Rubén Rada, and more than 20 others
Thanks this week goes to Bob C, technologists making life better, and musicians playing for joy and change!
Please pay it forward this week, as many of us are not ok, and you never know whose life you are going to positively touch with a small act of kindness…
An Elementary Schooler Told This Child Psychologist Not To Worry About School Shootings, And The Reason Why Is Gut-Wrenching “I just got done with a session with an elementary schooler who asked me if when I saw the news yesterday, I was sad like her mommy or if I was scared.”
Pope Francis and a cardinal say it’s time for the U.S. to act on guns “It is time to say enough to the indiscriminate trafficking of arms,” Pope Francis said on Wednesday, as he sent condolences to families in Uvalde, Texas.
‘The Onion’ has republished a grim headline about mass shootings 21 times since 2014 The satirical news site publishes modified versions of the article after major mass shootings, always with the same headline: “No Way To Prevent This,’ Says Only Nation Where This Regularly Happens.”
Australia confiscated 650,000 guns. Murders and suicides plummeted. It was one of the world’s largest mandatory gun buybacks — and it was a smashing success.
San Diego students walk out of class to protest gun violence after Texas school shooting In the wake of the Robb Elementary School shooting in Uvalde, Texas, thousands of students from San Diego County and across the country walked out of their classrooms in protest of gun violence.
Comfort dogs have been deployed to Uvalde, Texas, from near and far At least five organizations in and beyond the state have sent dogs to Uvalde, where they are visiting hospitals, churches and schools. Many have responded to other mass shootings across the country.
A Florida class president couldn’t discuss being gay in high school graduation speech — so he talked about his curly hair The class president at a Florida high school says he wasn’t allowed to share his experience as a gay student in his graduation speech or how the state’s so-called “Don’t Say Gay” law will affect students like him, so he talked about something else that makes him a little different from his classmates — his curly hair.
3 books all recent college graduates should read, according to a career expert There’s no manual for what to do after leaving school, but books can provide practical advice and inspiration on how to succeed in this next chapter.
Why we need to keep every soul safe, alive and thriving-
5-year-old Italian piano prodigy plays astonishing Mozart for competition audience The young pianist impressed the competition judges with instinctive talent, well beyond his years…
The world’s oldest person is a French nun who enjoys chocolate and wine A 118-year-old nun living in a nursing home in southern France has become the world’s oldest living person, according to the Guinness World Records.
There’s a reason humans melt when they see ‘puppy dog eyes,’ new research reveals Researchers compared facial movements among wolves and dogs, finding that the domestication and the desire to be chosen has shaped dogs’ muscles.
My neighbor got a pre-declined credit card in the mail.
CEO’s are now playing miniature golf.
Exxon-Mobil laid off 25 Congressmen.
I saw a Mormon with only one wife.
McDonald’s is selling the 1/4 ouncer.
Angelina Jolie adopted a child from America.
Parents in Beverly Hills fired their nannies and learned their children’s names.
A truckload of Americans was caught sneaking into Mexico.
A picture is now only worth 200 words.
The Treasure Island casino in Las Vegas is now managed by Somali pirates.
Called to get Blue Book Value on my car. They asked if gas tank was full or empty.
And finally…
I was so depressed last night thinking about the economy, wars, jobs, my savings, Social Security, retirement funds, etc., I called the Suicide Hotline. I got a call center in Afghanistan, and when I told them I was suicidal, they got all excited, and asked if I could drive a truck.
(Suicide is no joke. If you are struggling please call 800-273-8255.)
Gratitude-
Thanks this week go to Starla L, UCSD Alumni everywhere, Bob C, & The Mission Fed ArtWalk Team with help from Simpler and Simpler
Please Pay It Forward, Share with your Social Network and Subscribe to make it easier to get this to you…
Global and local implications of looming climate catastrophe continue unabated. What will it take for us to attend to this perilous condition without denying reality on the one hand, or awfulizing it on the other?
Here are some powerful examples of what is happening that are worth our attention, and some positive responses both from indigenous traditions as well as from modern science…
Outside the Supreme Court, A Life of Purpose and Pain Ends in Flames:
Wynn Bruce, whose life was shaped by a devastating car accident and Buddhism, set himself on fire on Earth Day in what his father believes was a climate change protest. If the world ignores Bruce’s death and disregards the warnings from scientists about the actions needed to curb the world’s warming, they argued, millions more people will die by fire.
“We See the Storm Coming”: U.S. Struggles to Contain a Deepening Global Food Crisis: Biden officials are scrambling to limit the damage from fast-spreading food shortages sparked by Russia’s war in Ukraine, but they face an array of complex political and logistical challenges.
An Ice Shelf the Size of Rome has Collapsed in Antarctica Nasa scientist says complete collapse of Conger ice shelf during unusually high temperatures is ‘sign of what might be coming’
As Lake Powell hits landmark low, Arizona looks to a new agency, a $1 billion investment and Mexican seawater Gov. Doug Ducey hopes to solve the state’s water woes during his last year in office as decades of drought strain water supplies from the Colorado River.
Lake Powell officials face an impossible choice in the West’s megadrought: water or electricity Lake Powell, the country’s second-largest reservoir, is drying up.
An Ocean of Noise: How Sonic Pollution is Hurting Marine Life: Today’s oceans are a tumult of engine roar, artificial sonar and seismic blasts that make it impossible for marine creatures to hunt or communicate. We could make it stop, so why don’t we?
Whale Takes Tourists for Ride Near Mexico By Lifting Boat on Its Back and Swimming Away: A passenger aboard the boat said the playful whale “gently” lifted the boat and swam with the vessel on their back “twice” before swimming away
For the First Time, Wind Power Eclipsed Both Coal and Nuclear in the U.S.: For a single day at the end of March, wind was the second-largest source of electricity generation, the Energy Information Administration says. Natural gas is still the nation’s largest power source.
Learning From the Ingenious Wisdom of Our Ancestors-
Why Did the Ancient Maya Abandon Their Cities?
As we face an uncertain future of our own amid a climate crisis, are there any lessons we can learn from the Maya about how to live sustainably on this planet?
The ancient Maya flourished in modern day Mexico and Central America for millennia. They built incredible cities and they had sophisticated knowledge of astronomy, architecture and the natural world. But although Maya culture continues to exist today, around 900 AD, many of their great settlements collapsed, and today they lie in ruins. CrowdScience listener Michael wants to know – how did the Maya sustain their populations successfully for so long? And what happened 1000 years ago that led them to abandon their cities? To find out, presenter Melanie Brown travels to the forests of Western Belize. She visits the archaeological site of Xunantunich to learn about what life would have been like for the Maya living in what was once a prosperous city. She hears about the importance of water to the Maya way of life in this region, and their ingenious methods for capturing and storing rainfall. She meets archaeologists using lasers and drones to map Maya settlements that have lain hidden by jungle for centuries. And she discovers what material from the bottom of lakes can tell us about how the Maya faced a changing climate, which may have had huge consequences for their society. This episode was released on Earth Day 2022.
Spring Time: Why an Ancient Water System is Being Brought Back to Life in Spain: A project to restore a 1,000-year-old network of water channels is helping farmers in the Sierra Nevada adapt to the effects of the climate crisis
The most important story is the story you tell yourself, about yourself!
Warning- Adult Content
This Poem was shared with me recently-
This Be the Verse by Philip Larkin:
While I appreciated the sentiment, I also felt a compelling urge to offer up a counter-narrative, and composed this alternative rejoinder in about 10 minutes:
This Be The OTHER Verse
(Philip Larkin In Reverse)
We all have a mum and dad.
You would not be here if they weren’t.
Generations survived when others died.
Paranoid, hoarders, but yes they thrived.
With their history comes some baggage.
It’s inevitable, like rotten cabbage.
That over time will surely decay.
But it’s what we make of it on the way.
Take the good. Improve the bad.
Pass it forward or pass it back.
Evolution means we change.
For the better- not victims of the deranged.
We all have a story, a script, and a state.
Change your story or own your fate.
Turn stumbling blocks into stepping stones
Warrior mind in ancient bones.
Women passes on life to all.
Each one special, large or small.
Make every moment count and matter.
For better pancakes use better batter!
Yes some will try to “fuck you up”.
Choose your mindset, say enough!
Then Philip Larkin will eat his words.
And cast his poem to the birds.
What is the story you tell yourself about yourself?
Your story is what happened- objectively
Your script is how you choose to interpret what happened to you- subjectively
Your state is what you are doing in this moment, to move you closer to your purpose or alternatively away from it
Manage your state in this moment, and if you don’t like the script that was written for you, rewrite it!
“Don’t Believe Everything You Think!”
Too much pleasure can lead to addiction. How to break the cycle and find balance:
Radical honesty promotes intimacy
Be it sugar, social media or sex, the response in our brain is the same: It produces the “feel-good” neurochemical called dopamine, which brings on feelings of pleasure and motivation. “It may be even more important for motivation than for actual pleasure,” says Dr. Anna Lembke, a Stanford Medical School psychiatrist, researcher and author of the new book, Dopamine Nation: Finding Balance in the Age of Indulgence.
Have you ever been in a position where you had to choose between someone you care about and a value that you hold dear? Maybe you had to decide whether to report a friend who was cheating on an exam, or a co-worker who was stealing from the tip jar. This week, we tell the story of a Detroit police officer who found himself in this sort of dilemma, forced to choose between people he loved and the oath he swore to serve his community. What happens in our minds when we have to decide what is right and what is wrong?
Mental Health Awareness Month is just a few days away. Let’s do our part to help ourselves and one another
Witticisms
Mission Fed ArtWalk 2022
The Earth’s Prayer for Earth Day- A 21st Century Complement to the Lord’s Prayer (written on a trip to Europe 13 years ago in 2009)
Rather than even attempt to outdo perfection, given a world view that extends beyond Christianity, coupled with current Eco-Consciousness, could one take the essence of the Lord’s Prayer and extend its reach and impact to a larger audience?
Our Mother, who is here on Earth,
Timeless may you reign and may we never take your compassion for granted.
The time is now, your spirit be served, with our full intention and energy to create a Planet Earth as abundant and blessed as Heaven.
Give each person today, their daily grain so no one goes hungry, and affirm our inherent goodness to care for one another,
as we give thanks for those who today in their actions put the collective good ahead of personal self-interest and remind us to do the same.
And inspire us in all things to maximize our potential for the greatest good as we preserve and protect the legacy we leave for future generations.
For this is our planet, with problems and possibilities, to do with what we can in the time we have got.
Now is forever. Aum, Peace, Amen
Champion of the Earth!
Sir David Attenborough has been named a Champion of the Earth by the UN’s Environment Programme
The prestigious award recognises the 95-year-old’s commitment to telling stories about the natural world and climate change.
Accepting the award, Sir David said the world must take action now to protect nature and the planet.
“The greatest threat to our planet is the belief that someone else will save it.”
Mental Health Awareness Month is just a few days away. Let’s do our part to help ourselves and one another
First apologies to all the people experiencing mental health challenges at work.
A global study by Qualtrics found 42% of people have experienced a decline in mental health.
67% of people are experiencing increases in stress while 57% have increased anxiety, and 54% are emotionally exhausted.
53% of people are sad, 50% are irritable, 28% are having trouble concentrating, 20% are taking longer to finish tasks, 15% are having trouble thinking and 12% are challenged to juggle their responsibilities.
Other data suggests that 67% or 7 out of 10 people’s feel that no one checked up on their mental health in the workplace. This is a travesty and unconscionable…
Using the indigenous wisdom traditions of Polynesia and the Ho’oponopono framework, please accept my apologies. As a system we have failed you!
We are very Sorry
We Love & Value You
Please Forgive Us
Thank You!
Authentically Navigating Mental Health in the Workplace is powerful and very relevant work arguably a meta-competency for 21st century leadership and culture and portends the future of HR Leadership!
In a post pandemic environment, Pandora’s Box is opened and there is no stuffing everything back in. Sunlight is the greatest disinfectant.
This might mark the beginning of the demise of a command and control model of running organizations, with the power imbalances and systemic disenfranchisement that goes along with it.
Hell bloodletting was a best practice for over 1,000 years and we got rid of that. How is this any different? We are sucking the lifeblood out of people just using bigger leeches!
and communication is the most powerful socio-emotional learning tool, then it is time for a new model that girths all the work we do in stakeholder-centric systems to meet the moment, as well as to counter the great resignation/great migration with the great rejuvenation.
Note: I use stakeholder not employee because all the people in the ecosystem (not ego-system) matter!
No more “othering”…
This is a systems thinking problem not an individual human capital deficiency. People are disengaged and unwell not because they are bad or sick people, but because we have built maladaptive systems.
Think of all the lost potential in every organization ☹
“At the heart of a learning organization is a shift of mind – from seeing ourselves as separate
from the world to connected to the world, from seeing problems as caused by someone or
something ‘out there’ to seeing how our own actions create the problems we experience. A
learning organization is a place where people are continually discovering how they create their
reality. And how they can change it.” — Dr. Peter Senge
Renormalizing “its ok to not be ok” and destigmatizing stigma and shame around mental health is a cultural and paradigm shift in dire need of an intervention.
The piercing pain of the first arrow is hard enough. We don’t need the second arrow.
The parable of the second arrow is a well-known Buddhist story about dealing with suffering more skillfully.
It is said the Buddha once asked a student,
‘If a person is struck by an arrow, is it painful? If the person is struck by a second arrow, is it even more painful?’
He then went on to explain, ‘In life, we can’t always control the first arrow. However, the second arrow is our reaction to the first. This second arrow is optional.’
Let’s equip each other not to create self-inflicting wounds with that darned second arrow!
The Old model of mental health DSM-5 with all its controversies typically focuses on symptomology and severity
The New model must both look at symptoms (low to high) and languishing v. flourishing on another axis
One can have symptoms of “dis-ease” and still be flourishing.
Most of us have symptoms as the data indicates…
The old model of stress was “can I cope”? The new model recognizes that when demands exceeds resources we experience stress
Now, more than ever, we need to resource our individuals, teams, and organizations better to meet the deep stack of demands that are thrust upon us.
Note: If your organization is looking to up level your resources and apply real world experience to meet the demands of navigating mental health in the workplace, reach out to:
They expanded my understanding and were powerful positive forces of good for me!
Kevin Hines Survived a Jump Off The Golden Gate Bridge- Now, He Is Helping Others Avoid Suicide:
This suicidal person “needs to hear what I needed to hear. That we care about you, your life does matter, and that all we want is for you to stay,” he says. “If someone had looked at me on that bridge or on that bus and said that to me, I would have begged for help.”
Maybe we can all be “that one person” to borrow from the Kevin Hines story, and all be “psychological safety spreaders” at work and in our community.
“No More Suffering in Silence & Running Away in Shame”!
Love,
Neville
On a Far Lighter Note: Witticisms
These insults are from an era before the English language got boiled down to 4-letter words.
What’s your favorite?
“He had delusions of adequacy ” -Walter Kerr
“He has all the virtues I dislike and none of the vices I admire.”- Winston Churchill
“I have never killed a man, but I have read many obituaries with great pleasure. – Clarence Darrow
“He has never been known to use a word that might send a reader to the dictionary.”-William Faulkner (about Ernest Hemingway)
“Poor Faulkner. Does he really think big emotions come from big words?”- Ernest Hemingway (about William Faulkner)
“Thank you for sending me a copy of your book; I’ll waste no time reading it.” – Moses Hadas
“I didn’t attend the funeral, but I sent a nice letter saying I approved of it.” – Mark Twain
“He has no enemies, but is intensely disliked by his friends.” – Oscar Wilde
“I am enclosing two tickets to the first night of my new play; bring a friend, if you have one.” -George Bernard Shaw to Winston Churchill
“Cannot possibly attend first night, will attend second… if there is one.” – Winston Churchill, in response
“I feel so miserable without you; it’s almost like having you here” – Stephen Bishop
“He is a self-made man and worships his creator.” – John Bright
“I’ve just learned about his illness. Let’s hope it’s nothing trivial.” – Irvin S. Cobb
“He is not only dull himself; he is the cause of dullness in others.” – Samuel Johnson
“He is simply a shiver looking for a spine to run up. – Paul Keating
“He loves nature in spite of what it did to him.” – Forrest Tucker
“Why do you sit there looking like an envelope without any address on it?” – Mark Twain
“His mother should have thrown him away and kept the stork.” – Mae West
“Some cause happiness wherever they go; others, whenever they go.” – Oscar Wilde
“He uses statistics as a drunken man uses lamp-posts… for support rather than illumination.” – Andrew Lang (1844-1912)
“He has Van Gogh’s ear for music.” – Billy Wilder
“I’ve had a perfectly wonderful evening. But I’m afraid this wasn’t it.” – Groucho Marx
The exchange between Winston Churchill & Lady Astor: She said, “If you were my husband I’d give you poison.” He said, “If you were my wife, I’d drink it.”
“He can compress the most words into the smallest idea of any man I know.” – Abraham Lincoln
“There’s nothing wrong with you that reincarnation won’t cure.” — Jack E. Leonard
“They never open their mouths without subtracting from the sum of human knowledge.” — Thomas Brackett Reed
“He inherited some good instincts from his Quaker forebears, but by diligent hard work, he overcame them.” — James Reston (about Richard Nixon)
For 38 years, Mission Fed ArtWalk has celebrated both visual and performing arts in San Diego. We believe art has the power to connect communities, cultivate new artistic talent and create a better quality of life for all through cultural enrichment.
On Saturday, April 30 (11am – 6pm) and Sunday, May 1 (10am – 5pm), artwork will fill the Little Italy neighborhood. Attendees come to view and purchase artwork, enjoy music and dance performances, and participate in interactive art experiences.
Thanks this week go to Deborah and Haley U, Jamie J, Dan L, and the Mission Fed ArtWalk Team for your contributions!
Please pay it forward and be a Champion of the Earth…
The Most Important Leadership Skill According to Research:
If you are committed to positive relationships and a compelling organizational culture that drives results, here is the leadership competency that will have a huge bearing on the present and future world of work with constructive effects on:
Innovation
Engagement
Retention
Inclusivity
Work-Life
The mental health stats cited here from September of ’21 have arguably only got worse in our VUCA (volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous) world.
New conditions call for new responses, in this case maybe just turning up the volume on this important leadership competency.
Harvard Research Finds Serious Red Flag To Watch Out For At Work If you have a worker that exhibits this trait, you’ll probably agree with the Harvard team’s conclusions
Changing your diet could add up to 13 years to your life, study says Switching from a typical Westernized diet of red meat and processed foods can add up to 13 years to your life if you start at age 20, but even people in their 60s can add years.
Press 3 for a pep talk from kindergartners. A new hotline gives you options for joy What started as an art project at a California elementary school has gone viral. The free hotline offers wise advice and encouraging messages from kids to anyone who calls.
Madeleine Albright- The highest ranking women in the history of American government of her time
Madeleine Albright was a force. She defied convention and broke barriers again and again. She was an immigrant fleeing persecution. A refugee in need of safe haven. And like so many before her — and after — she was proudly American.
As the devoted mother of three beloved daughters, she worked tirelessly raising them while earning her doctorate degree and starting her career in American diplomacy. She took her talents first to the Senate as a staffer for Senator Edmund Muskie followed by the National Security Council under President Carter. And then to the United Nations where she served as United States Ambassador, and ultimately, made history as our first woman Secretary of State, appointed by President Clinton. A scholar, teacher, bestselling author, and later accomplished business woman, she always believed America was the indispensable Nation, and inspired the next generation of public servants to follow her lead, including countless women leaders around the world. Madeleine was always a force for goodness, grace, and decency — and for freedom.
Opinion | Why Dolly Parton was right to turn down the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame At this point, the country music icon’s personal standards may be higher than the Hall of Fame’s.
The Surprising “Disinhibition” Technique Is a Powerful Way to Stop Overthinking, According to Harvard Research Sometimes, data-based decision-making can derail you. Maybe it’s time to trust your gut.
TedX San Diego is happening this Sunday both in person and live streamed, at the Preby’s in La Jolla after 2 years of hiatus due to the pandemic. In person is already sold out, but do join the live stream
The speakers and topics are fantastic!
Mission Fed is proud to support this year’s TedX San Diego event and if you are interested in the livestream experience, sign up. You will really enjoy the content!
Thanks this week go to all women leaders, the Mission Fed Community Relations team, Jack A for holding the space for TEDx for all these years, and all of you doing good work in our world!
This week: Self Care, Ukraine, Spring Has Sprung, Daylight Savings and Cute Nat Geo Photos
Which Wolf Will You Feed?
An elderly Cherokee Brave was teaching his grandson about life.
He said, “A battle is raging inside me…it is a terrible fight between two wolves. One wolf represents fear, anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego. The other stands for joy, peace, love, hope, sharing, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, friendship, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith.”
The old man looked at the child with a firm stare. “This same fight is going on inside you, and inside every other person, too.”
The grandson thought about it for a minute, and then asked his grandfather, “Which wolf will win?”
The elderly Cherokee replied: “The one you feed.”
Make sure to feed the right wolf this week!
Ukraine- No Bystanding!
Ready to Die? Why Most People Flunk the Zelenskyy Test. Tyranny has triumphed in recent years because real courage is rare.
“They’re lying to you”: Russian TV employee interrupts news broadcast Marina Ovsyannikova ran on to the set of the Channel One transmission shouting: ‘Stop the war. No to war’
The Ukrainian girl who sang ‘Let It Go’ from a bomb shelter gave us all hope Every person fighting for Ukraine, every family ripped apart by this war – they grieve because they love. This is the language we all speak.
The power of the dog and how pets are helping Ukrainians cope with war Hundreds of thousands of pets are estimated to have crossed into countries neighboring Ukraine since the war began.
Sleep experts say Senate has it wrong: Standard time, not daylight saving, should be permanent The Senate voted unanimously Tuesday to make daylight saving time permanent, but many sleep experts argue that the U.S. should adopt year-round standard time.
28 tender photos from the Nat Geo archives that will bring a smile to your face See a selection of some of the marvelous images stored in our historic photography collection.
