Being Happy

Earlier this week on The Vitruvian Man blog, I posted an article about Anne Frank.  The heart of the post was one of the last entries into her diary:

Wednesday, 23rd Feb 1944

“As long as this exists,” I thought, “and I may live to see it, this sunshine, the cloudless skies, while this lasts, I cannot be unhappy.”  The best remedy for those who are afraid, lonely or unhappy is to go outside, somewhere where they can be quite alone with the heavens, nature, and God.  Because only then does one feel that all is as it should be and that God wishes to see people happy, amidst the simple beauty of nature.  as long as this exists, and it certainly always will, I know that then there will always be comfort for every sorrow, whatever the circumstances may be.  and I firmly believe that nature brings solace in all troubles.

I took Anne Frank's advice this morning.  My wife, Marie was in Maricopa babysitting our granddaughters.  It was too windy for my bike ride, so I decided to take a hike into the Picture Rock Wash.  I was excited to find a new trail, The Prophecy Trail.  It was excellent.  I covered 6.5 miles in all.  Somewhere out there in the middle of the Tucson Mountains, I stopped intentionally to listen to the wind.  I looked all around me, and there was no sign of civilization, and no sound other than the wind and the bird that decided to accompany me up the trail.

Anne Frank was so right even though she could not do what was in her heart:  be alone with the heavens, nature and God.  You will be absolutely amazed at the peace and solace it will bring to you regardless of the troubled waters you may tread.

Self-sufficiency and Minimalism

"Minimalism" is a new catch word, and it has caught me.  I follow several blogs that offer good ideas for simplifying your life by employing simple tactics like removing the clutter from your closets, keeping a clean desk, etc.  I have been applying minimalism and self-sufficiency in some areas of my life for decades; I'm trying to apply it to all areas of my life today.  I believe minimalism and self-sufficiency have a lot in common, and practicing both can reduce your expenses.  This is particularly important when our government makes it difficult for the average Joe to make ends meet.

1,000 miles

The 1993 film "Benny and Joon" featured the song "I'm Gonna Be (500 miles).  Occasionally, I'll be riding my bike and the chorus repeats itself over and over in my brain:


              But I would walk 500 miles
              And I would walk 500 more
              Just to be the man who walks a thousand miles
              To fall down at your door

Well this week, your Mom hit that 1,000 mile mark.  On Thursday, she broke the 1,000-mile bike barrier and upped her annual total to 1,019.87[today it reached 1,035.02] NOT including the several hundred miles she accumulated before she started using the Forerunner.


WELL DONE, MARIE!

50

Okay, kids .... you'll remember when we used Mom as a "cone" when we played our physical games.  Let me tell you:  a LOT has changed over the years, particularly in 2011 when Mom as committed herself to riding her bike Monday through Friday [10 miles minimum, up to 20 and averaging 75 miles/week] and swimming 120 laps  [3/4 mile daily] AND power hiking with me on weekends.  This afternoon, Mom topped me two games to three in pool volley ball, and it took me three games to knock her and Grandpa off ... six games total for the weekend.  Miom is setting an example of commitment and determination.  Pick up the gauntlet!  By the way, up until today, my top bike ride was 47 miles.  I set out this morning at 0615.  Twenty miles in when I reached the Red Hills Visitor Center at the Saguaro National Park, I told myself I would get to 50 miles on this ride.  When I pulled into the garage, I logged 59.25 miles.  That puts me at 447.83 for the month of July; I've never topped 400 miles before.

from Albert Einstein

Still true today ....


"The World is too dangerous to live in -- not because of the people who do evil, but because of the people who stand by and let them."

Albert Einstein, physicist and human rights activist.

Off the Map

Rarely do I watch a film more than once, and rarer still that I would actually rent a film more than once.  Last night was one of those rare occasions.  We netflixed "Off the Map" for the second time in five years or so.  This quirky film stars two of my favorites, Sam Elliott and Joan Allen -- both are excellent -- and Valentina de Angeles plays the lead role of 11-year old Bo.  "Off the Map" is one of those great fills that you just stumble into, like I hope readers might stumble into it from this blog.  This film is about depression, growing up, self-discovery and in its own unique way about minimalism, which I doubt was a much-used term when the fill was made in 2003.  It will make you laugh and it may make you cry, but it will certainly make you feel good about your place in the world.  Check it out.  You'll be glad you did.

Lindbergh, Education and AT&T

This afternoon, I attempted to contact AT&T to cancel my aging father's Internet service that he quit using three months ago.  I needed to cancel it because payment is automatically deducted on his debit card.  While it might be simple to handle this on the AT&T site, my 89-year old father has difficulty remembering passwords, etc. and fails to write them down ... so I called AT&T after picking up a telephone number from the "contact us" page on their website.  After calling the number and selecting numerous options, I still had not spoken to a person after 15 non-productive minutes, nor had I come close to resolving the situation.  Remember, I'm calling AT&T, the source of all telephone communications since Ma Bell set up her first phone in Boston in 1877, and I can't even talk to a human being.  I ended up calling my trusted bank to resolve the issue, because AT&T clearly is not in the business of customer service and would not be bothered by a physical telephone call.

I held my boiling temper as I chatted with the young man at my dad's bank.  As I did, I recalled a statement by Charles Lindbergh who -- despairing at the effects of 'technological progress' that resulted from his solo, trans-Atlantic flight in 1927 -- reflected in 1964, "I realized if I had to choose, I would rather have birds than airplanes."  Wanting to at least make a point with this young man on AT&T's technological failure, I asked, "How old are you?"

"I'm 28," he answered.

"Do you know who Charles Lindbergh was?"

"I think he was a President of the United States," he answered.

I finished my business and left the young man to his ignorant illusions and misguided education.  Does this country even educate any longer?