Create your future - Milton Berle(?) - DON'T WAIT, START TODAY

If opportunity doesn't knock, build a door.

from: Milton Berle (Maybe, don't care)

Normally I research ( not real "research," just internet research ) the crap out of my quotes. But not today. Milton Berle's "quote" came up on a number of quotation websites so I am using it "as is" because I have to GSD! I have to grow my future.

The pollen of this drive to GSD came (again) this morning while out walking. I was listening to the wonderful Terry Gross on NPR interview Annette Bening. In her movie "20th Century Women," an essay is mentioned. The title of the essay is "It Hurts to be Alive and Obsolete" and just the title struck me. I researched that essay and found out it is about middle-aged women. But the title applies to any marginalized group/person. This reminds me something that was said in a self-improvement class I went to long ago. The speaker pronounced "What people want is to be useful." This moves through me many times. When I am at my worst, darkest moments I feel that I don't have a use.

The ovary of this drive is that my "retirement" is less than 10 years away.
But before, I had decades to get set up. I could be useful to others and put off securing a future - a fine happy retirement. But now I am in my last decade (probably) before retirement so I have to get the ovary fertilized and grow my future.

So I have to change because how things are going is not leading to a clear future. Keep in action. Move quickly through non-productive emotions and get busy.

Gratitudes: Ibuprofen, Bluetooth earphones, quality socks.

Comments

Don't trust a skinny cook - Vinne Vrotny - Teacher Hypocrisy

Adults want comfort, but expect students to go into [the] discomfort zone. Are we hypocrites? from Vinnie Vrotny - Blog post Multi-faceted Refractions I live with the thought that I am a hypocrite. I am a teacher almost every day I implore, cajole, push, and pull students to learn more about the immediate subject and themselves. And yet I feel guilty when I don't do the same thing. To find today's quote, I Googled "quotes teacher hypocrisy" and got no love. I got quotes from Don King, Malcom X, Alan Dershowitz (black pot) and others. But no listed, no famous quotes about teachers and hypocrisy. Then I Googled "teacher hypocrisy" and oh boy, were there hits!. Grass roots education ; Condor Voice ; I, Hypocrite Teache r; and today's quote were just a start. I realized that I am not alone. I must admit I also hate lazy teachers. They are robbing students' time. Teaching is a hard job, both emotionally and phy

Anger and Work - Toni Morrison - Tired of being angry

I get angry at things, then go on and work. from: Toni Morrison Author and Teacher Disclosure: I know little about Toni Morrison. Yes, I should read her writings. But I have my own writings to get out of my head. I found this quote because I have become tired of being angry. Maybe I should just scream myself into a coma, but I think I would still wake up anger. Screw the Serenity Prayer. Stuff admonitions of how anger is caused by fear. Stifle thoughts of turning the other cheek. Suffocate ideas of rising above. Smother the idea that this is not productive. But then, a sliver of sanity and the simplicity of Morrison's quote. As I have written before, I like to find the origin of quotes I use, and this one I found (unless this is photoshopped ) So, my two options are to keep my hand in the fire or to move into action. Since I am writing this, I have chosen movement. This entry can be considered the equivalent of picking myself up and brushing myself off.

Constant Growth - Jack Kornfield - Shedding Old Skin

Just as a snake sheds its skin, we must shed our past over and over again. from: Buddha’s Little Instruction Book I got this one from Good Reads website: And again I doubled search the source and found out that even though it is attributed to Gautama Buddha, it is really from Jack Kornfield. Hats off to Fake Buddha Quotes “I Can't Believe It's Not Buddha!" website. I was pulled to this quote because what I am trying to do is start a new phase in my life. I have done this before, as we all have. Sometimes with more success than others. But when I am getting discouraged, I think "How many rabbits can I pull out of my hat." The past for me, at this point, is to get rid of bad habits and substitute in better ones. Unlike the snake, which has only one skin to shed, we have many "skins." Laziness, Ennui, Memories, Weight, Sedentary days and nights, Wasting time, TV, Facebook, Instagram, Video games, Youtube, "What if's"

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