Daily Thoughts & Issues

IN THIS ISSUE:

AUGUST 23

Days left until the next millennium 01.01.3001

Photo of the Week
Joe McBride/Adventure Photo & Film
Achieve Your Dreams

August 23 - Zoroastrain New Year. * National Friendship Week (Family). * Sri Krishna Jayanti - Birthday of Hindu God Krishna (avatar of God Vishnu), beloved of Goddess Radha (avatar of Goddess Lakshmi). Vaishnavites are devoted to God Vishnu and His avatars. * First Man-Powered Flight (1977) Bryan Allen pedaled the 70-lb. Gossamer Condor for a mile at a "minimal altitude of two pylons. Starting in the evening through August 16, the Feast of the Furies - punishers of murderers, abusers rapists, and exploiters of others - dedicated to Goddess as Sekhmet (Old Egyptian), Erinyes (Old Greek) and Furiae (Old Roman). The Mystic's Wheel of the Year * Romania surrenders to USSR (1944). Romanian King Michael I removed pro-German Premier Jon Antonescue from his position, dismissed his entire government and broadcast to the people of Romania that all hostilities had ceased and that he had accepted all peace terms demanded by the Allies. Most important, the Ploesti oil fields would be secured by the Allies. * The Pan American Games concluded in Indianapolis(1987) with the U.S. winning 369 medals of which 168 were gold. * Birthdays: Gene Kelly, Edgar Lee Masters, Michael James (Mike) Boddicker, Kobe Bryant, Sonny Jurgensen, Mark Russell (Mark Ruslander), Rik Smits, Rick Springfield, Sir Astley Cooper, Edgar Lee Masters.

DAILY THOUGHTS

Just as in every other major passage, during late middle age we enjoy a heightened potential for making a leap of growth but we can also fall back into entropy or depression or simply ignore the impulse to change. New Passages

"It is not your environment, it is you - the quality of your minds, the integrity of your souls, and the determination of your will - that will decide your future and shape your lives/" Benjamin E. Mays, educator The Old Farmer's Almanac

I wish she could let go and not worry about all the superficial stuff in bed - Kyle, 24. Location, location, location. Spontaneity coupled with the possibility of being discovered always makes for incredible sex - Regina, 28. Best of 1001 Sex Secrets Every Man & Woman Should Know

The distinctions "nerd", "geek," "dweeb," and "loser" are related in part to clothes and how they are worn. A little fashion sense as you select your child's school clothes can go a long way toward reducing other children's verbal cruelty toward your child. Dr. Buff's 365 Day Parenting Calendar

Regardless of how we ascribe them or where we locate them, the "miracles" indicate that our growth as human beings is being assisted by a force other than our conscious will. To further understand the nature of this force I believe we can benefit from considering yet another miracle: the growth process of all life itself, to which we have given the name of evolution. The Road Less Traveled

Sexual attraction, for all its beauty and grave, may have within it seductions and deceptions that help give sex its rich texture and dimension but also make it difficult sometimes to bring into life. Soul Mates

Men are not prisoners of fate, but only prisoners of their own minds. - Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Achieve Your Dreams

Things to Be Happy About:  Talking about what you want to accomplish. The last camp out of summer. Recouping your losses. 14,000 Things to Be Happy About

More is not always better. Really Important Stuff My Kids Have Taught Me

It is easy to love those parts of yourself that you already perceive as lovable, but far more difficult to give up your beliefs of how you should look. There is much documented proof that the mind and body are connected, so acceptance of your body is not only essential for your emotional well-being, it is essential for your physical health as well. Denying your body complete acceptance can lead to illness, whereas practicing acceptance can heal disease.  If Life is a Game, These are the Rules

It was common lore in medieval France that a person's gender might change while walking under a rainbow.  Gay & Lesbian Calendar

Learn to say no without giving an excuse. Simply say, "I'm sorry. I won't be able to make it." Period. You'll be amazed at how liberating this is.  Simplify Your Life

Stuffed Tomatoes: A tasty grown-up lunch that little chefs can help to prepare: Cut a thick slice from the top of two tomatoes and a thin slice from each bottom (so they will stand). Using a teaspoon, scoop out enough pulp to make a 1/2" hollow. Save the thick slices; discard the thin slices and pulp. Here's where pint-sized chefs come in: Make chicken salad by combining 1 1/2 cups diced, cooked chicken, 1/3 cup finely chopped celery, 2 Tbs. mayonnaise, and 1/8 tsp. salt. Snip 1 Tbs. of fresh dill into the salad and mix together. Scoop chicken salad into the tomatoes using an ice cream scoop. Arrange tomato tops on chicken salad. Parents Tips & Tricks

Misunderstanding can cause a great deal of relationship stress at home and at work. To avoid this when the communication is important, practice repeating back to the speaker what you heard them say. For example: "Let me see if I understand you clearly. You said..." or "You feel...because..." Stress Busters

Squish as many activities into the day as you can! Encourage your kids, with their friends, to list the things they didn't get to do this summer or want to do one more time. Offer to drive them around so they can do them all!  It'll be a tight schedule, but they'll never forget this day! To Do Today

We are continuously faced by great opportunities brilliantly disguised as insoluble problems. - Lee Iacocca Win the Day!

La playa (PLAHyah) Beach. Vamos a la playa!  Let's go to the beach! Living Language

TODAY'S ISSUE: GRATITUDE

Between the time a gift comes to us and the time we pass it along, we suffer gratitude. - Lewis Hyde. A true gift, according to many systems of belief, cannot be held or possessed; it must be passed along. The gratitude we suffer for a gift we can't pass on may be humiliating; it may keep the recipient stuck in a passive position that impedes growth. By giving the gift away, we liberate ourselves. Suppose parents scrimp and save to give music lessons to a talented child - the music that child plays is a gift that passes on the parents' original gift, and they are richly repaid. Everything parents give their children resembles this kind of gift, because children will pass along to the world everything they receive. If parents give nurture, humor and balance, these will become the child's gifts also. If the gifts are violence and despair, these too will be passed along. Even when "gifts" are destructive, they can be transformed. If I have been given a violent temper, I can learn to redirect the violent energy creatively, through much prayer and meditation. Strong faith and spiritual surrender can perform this alchemy; the most lethal gift can be turned to love by human powers of acceptance and compassion. I may not be able to choose all my gifts, but I can decide how to pass them on. Family Feelings

Gratefulness in the character is like fragrance in the flower. - Hazrat Inayat Khan. When our worries suddenly outnumber our joys, when our thoughts become hurried and unfocused, we can stop what we're doing. Every moment carries small surprises: the movements of a spider traversing the windowsill, the wind blowing leaves in spirals in the air. Our lives are full of gifts, if we will see them: we have our bodies, our breath, our beliefs. We have a private collection of memories and dreams. We have the support of the earth under our feet, the support of our minds as we travel the past, the present, and the future. To turn inward to appreciate these wonders is the practice of gratitude, a nearly lost art. A Quiet Strength: Meditations on the Masculine Soul

Hey Man: Did you make a difference yesterday? Let us know at Contact Us. Today I'll practice gratitude. By remembering what I've been given, I'll discover new treasures within myself. A Quiet Strength: Meditations on the Masculine Soul Want to make a difference but you don't know where to start?

BOOK OF THE WEEK

 

 Infinite Playlist: How to have conversations (not conflict) with your kids about music. by Todd Stocker. Your daughter listens to the radio on the Internet. Your son has iPod buds permanently attached to his ears. You've heard your youngest innocently sing lyrics that make you gasp. Times are changing. With iTunes and MP3s readily available online, our teens are encountering new musical influences every day. How can we help our kids make God-honoring decisions when it comes to their playlists? Don't get swept up in a playlist war. Let the author teach you how to have conversations, not conflict, with your kids about music. Realizing that one-size-doesn't-fit-all, he offers guidelines to help you and your teens decide what music is acceptable and healthy. Born out of a deal he made with his son, his practical tips foster open conversations and valuable discussion with your teen. An accessible and quick read, this book features notes from the author's son, who provides a young music lover's perspective and demonstrates how conversation is not only possible, but also fun. Kregel Publications, 2010, ISBN 978-0-8254-3656-7

SPECIAL URLs

 

MENSTUFF COLUMNS BY AUTHOR

  • The Advice Diva - The Advice Diva - relationship and sexuality issues discussed - www.menstuff.org/columns/advicediva/archive.html
  • Peter Alsop - Song of the Month - www.menstuff.org/columns/alsop/archive.html
  • Reid Baer - A Man Overboard - Interview of the Month - www.menstuff.org/columns/overboard/archive.html
  • Reid Baer - Poetry - poetry read on YouTube - www.menstuff.org/columns/baer/archive.html
  • Molly Barrow - Shrink About This - www.menstuff.org/columns/barrow/archive.html
  • Peter Baylies - At Home Dads - on at-home-dad issues that impact fathers who stay at home to raise their kids - www.menstuff.org/columns/baylies/archive.html
  • Tom Blake - Middle-Age Relationships - from an expert on dating after 50. www.menstuff.org/columns/blake/archive.html
  • Mark Brandenburg - Great Fathers - on fathering issues - www.menstuff.org/columns/greatfathers/archive.html
  • Ted Braude - BoysWork - a columnist in the The Detroit Free Press "Body and Mind" section www.menstuff.org/columns/braude/archive.html
  • Armin Brott - A Father's Guide - hosts "Positive Parenting" on radio www.menstuff.org/columns/brott/archive.html
  • Dan Bulf - Get Real - weekly pod cast on men's issues - www.menstuff.org/columns/bulf/archive.html
  • Ken Byers - Transition - on men's life transitions - www.menstuff.org/columns/byers/archive.html
  • Sandra L. Caron - Sex Talk - college students get answers to their questions - www.menstuff.org/columns/sextalk/archive.html
  • Neil Chethik - Relationships - www.menstuff.org/columns/chethik/archive.html
  • Otto & Susie Collins - Susie and Otto - relationship issues discussed - www.menstuff.org/columns/susie&otto/archive.html
  • David Copeland - How to Succeed with Women - www.menstuff.org/columns/howtosucceed/archive.html
  • Forrest Craver - Spirituality & Social Change - www.menstuff.org/columns/craver/archive.html
  • Layne & Paul Cutright - Powerful Partnerships - relationship issues - www.menstuff.org/columns/cutright/archive.html
  • Ron DesMarais - Cavemen in the Kitchen - great recipes for men - www.menstuff.org/columns/desmarais/archive.html
  • Jed Diamond - Irritable Male Syndrome - www.menstuff.org/columns/diamond/archive.html
  • Doc Love - Women Don't Lie, Man Don't Listen - answers to relationship issues - www.menstuff.org/columns/doclov/archive.html
  • Barry Durdant-Hollamby - Creating Change - creating change in your life - www.menstuff.org/columns/durdant/archive.html
  • Irv Engel - The Real Deal - www.menstuff.org/columns/engel/archive.html
  • Nancy Fagan - Expert Dating Advice - with Nancy Fagan - www.menstuf.org/columns/fagan/archive.html
  • Warren Farrell - Men's Issues: Facts and Perspectives www.menstuff.org/columns/farrell/archive.html
  • Leonard Felder - Wake Up or Break Up - www.menstuff.org/columns/felder/archive.html
  • Marty Friedman - Strong Men, Strong Marriage - www.menstuff.org/columns/friedman/archive.html
  • Kim Garretson - Mansgland - using humor to encourage prostate exams - www.menstuff.org/columns/mansgland/archive.html
  • Lion Goodman - How to get Women to Love You - www.menstuff.org/columns/goodman/archive.html
  • Liz Halliday - In a Man's World - www.menstuff.org/columns/halliday/archive.html
  • Rick Hanson - Your Wise Brain - www.menstuff.org/columns/hanson/archive.html
  • Tim Hartnett - Daddyman Speaks - being a father www.menstuff.org/columns/daddyman/archive.html
  • John Hershey - Blood, Phlegm & Bile: Parenting with Humor - He writes a syndicated biweekly humor column about parenting and family life. www.menstuff.org/columns/hershey/archive.html
  • Gary Hoeber - Psychotherapy as Soul Work, www.menstuff.org/columns/hoeber/archive.html
  • Patrick Houser - Fathers Make a World of Difference, www.menstuff.org/columns/houser/archive.html
  • Paul Joannides - The Guide to Getting It On - on sex - www.menstuff.org/columns/getiton/archive.html
  • Jack Kahn - NOMAS Boston - www.menstuff.org/columns/kahn/archive.html
  • Patrick Kennedy - Seniors - www.menstuff.org/columns/kennedy/archive.html
  • Joe Kort - Gaydar - to increase understanding between gay and het men - www.menstuff.org/columns/kort/archive.html
  • David Kundtz - David Kundtz - presents seminars, workshops, retreats, and conference presentations in the areas of men's emotional health, stress management, and spirituality. www.menstuff.org/columns/kundtz/archive.html
  • Bruce Linton - Dr. Dad - on fathering - www.menstuff.org/columns/drdad/archive.html
  • Ron Louis - How to Succeed with Women - www.menstuff.org/columns/howtosucceed/archive.html
  • Tom Matlack - Tom Matlack - Good Men Project - www.menstuff.org/columns/matlack/archive.html
  • Wendy McElroy - Wendy McElroy on Feminism, www.menstuff.org/columns/mcelroy/archive.html
  • Robert N. Minor - Minor Details - on GBT sexuality - www.menstuff.org/columns/minordetails/archive.html
  • Robert L. Moore - Man & Mythology - www.menstuff.org/columns/moore/archive.html
  • Dennis W. Neder - Being a Man - general questions about men's lives - www.menstuff.org/columns/neder/archive.html
  • Marty Nemko - Worklife - general questions about men and work - www.menstuff.org/columns/nemko/archive.html
  • Eli Newberger - Eli Newberger - general information on men's lives - www.menstuff.org/columns/newberger/archive.html
  • Linda Nielsen - Embracing the Father - working with the father/daughter relationship. www.menstuff.org/columns/nielsen/archive.html
  • Kathy Noll - Bullies and Youth Violence - working with schools, teachers and parents to end school violence - www.menstuff.org/columns/noll/archive.html
  • Mark Phillips - Stay-at-Home-Dads - helping men maintain that which makes us men, instead of becoming hairy Mom-substitutes - www.menstuff.org/columns/phillips/archive.html
  • Carey Roberts - Socialism & Feminism - is a social commentator on political correctness. www.menstuff.org/columns/roberts/archive.html
  • Perry Rose - Dating, Relationship, Sex
  • Glenn Sacks - His Side - on fathering - www.menstuff.org/columns/sacks/archive.html
  • Trudy Schuett - Domestic Violence - serving the under-represented www.menstuff.org/columns/schuett/archive.html
  • Carl J. Schutt - Circumcision - social commentator on circumcision - www.menstuff.org/columns/schutt/archive.html
  • Hugo Schwyzer - A Pro-feminist's Response - www.menstuff.org/columns/schwyzer/archive.html
  • Michael Shaffran - Men's Issues - www.menstuff.org/columns/shaffran/archive.html
  • Judith Sherven - Judith & Jim - discussion and answers regarding relationship issues - www.menstuff.org/columns/judith&jim/archive.html
  • Judith Sherven - The New Intimacy - www.menstuff.org/columns/newintimacy/archive.html
  • George Simons - Bellicose Veins - is a US specialist in intercultural and gender communication who hangs out in Mandelieu - la Napoule, France, as well as in Santa Cruz, CA. www.menstuff.org/columns/simons/archive.html
  • Andy Smith - Hard Hat Brotherhood - www.menstuff.org/columns/hardhat/archive.html
  • David B. Smith - Fighting Father Dave - www.menstuff.org/columns/smith/archive.html
  • Jim Sniechowski - Judith & Jim - discussion and answers regarding relationship issues - www.menstuff.org/columns/judith&jim/archive.html
  • Jim Sniechowski - The New Intimacy - www.menstuff.org/columns/newintimacy/archive.html
  • Reena Sommer - Custody - is an internationally recognized relationship and divorce consultant. www.menstuff.org/columns/sommer/archive.html
  • R. Don Steele - Don Steele - relationship questions answered -
    www.menstuff.org/columns/steele/archive.html
  • David Steinberg - Comes Naturally - on sexuality - www.menstuff.org/columns/steinberg/archive.html
  • Mary Lou St Lucas - A Mother's Love - www.menstuf.org/columns/stlucas/archive.html
  • Surprise - Surprise Author - From a new columnist every month - www.menstuff.org/columns/surprise/archive.html
  • Steven Svoboda - Fatherhood, Activism and the Law www.menstuff.org/columns/svoboda/archive.html
  • Michael Taylor - A New Conversation with Men - www.menstuff.org/columns/taylor/archive.html
  • Bruce Van Horn - Yoga for Men - issues around the health benefits of yoga for men - www.menstuff.org/yoga/archive.html
  • Michael Webb - Secrets of Blissful Relationships - on relationship - www.menstuff.org/columns/bliss/archive.html
  • Stuart Wilde - Spirituality - www.menstuff.org/columns/wilde/archive.html
  • Dr.Williams - Sex Health - on sexual health - Dr. Williams, www.menstuff.org/columns/sexhealth/archive.html
  • KC Wilson - On Gender Politics is a social commentator and author. www.menstuff.org/columns/wilson/archive.html

Plus

  • Health Tips - on general health - www.menstuff.org/columns/healthtips/archive.html
  • Independent Means - resources for raising financially fit kids - www.menstuff.org/columns/independentmeans/archive.html
  • Numbers - www.menstuff.org/columns/numbers/archive.html
  • Questions - www.menstuff.org/columns/q&a/archive.html
  • Surprise - from a new columnist every month - www.menstuff.org/columns/surprise/archive.html
  • Words Can Heal - helping children grow up healthy - www.menstuff.org/columns/wordscanheal/archive.html
  • Wuzup?! - National or international events happening this month - www.menstuff.org/columns/whassup/archive.html

AWARENESS EVENTS THIS MONTH

August is Admit You're Happy, Black Business, Cataract Awareness, Children's Eye Health and Safety, National Immunization, Spinal Muscular Atrophy Awareness, Children's Vision and Learning, Family Fun, National Back-to-School, National Inventor's, National Win with Civility, Spinal Muscular Atrophy Awareness Month. Aug 1-7 Simplify Your Life, World Breastfeeding, International Clown Week, Simplify Your Life Week. Aug 1-11 - World Breastfeeding Week. Aug 2-6 - Psychic Week Aug 8-14 - National Resurrect Romance, Thanks for All the Gifts Week. Aug 12-19 - Truck Drivers' Week. Aug 15-21 - National Health Center, Reduced the Clutter, Weird Contest Week. Aug 16-22 - National Avidatoin Week. Aug 22-29 - National Save Your Smile, National Truck Driver Appreciation Week. Aug 1 - National Kids, Respect for Parents, National Night Out Day. Apr 3 - Nation Night Out, Coast Guard day. Apr 6 - National Fresh Breath, National Pamper Yourself day. Aug 7 - National Mustard Day. Aug 8 - Admit You're Happy Day. Apr 9 - UN International Day of the World's Indigenous People. Apr 11 - Presidential Joke Day. Apr 12 - UN International Youth, Vinyl Record Day. Apr 14 - International Nagging, National Garage Sale Day. Aug 15 - National Relaxation Day, World Day of Keiki. Aug 16 - Stay Home with Your Kids, National Airborne Day. Aug 17 - Sandcastle Day. Aug 18 - Bad Poetry Day. Aug 19 - National Avidation Day. Aug 21 - Children's, Poets, Sandcastle and Sculpture. Southern Hemisphere Hoodie-Hoo, Vinegar Day, National Homeless Animals Day and Candlelight Vigils. Aug 22 - Be an Angel, National Punctuation Day. Aug 24 - Vesuvius Day. Aug 25 - Kiss and Make Up Day. Aug 26 - Women's Equality Day. Aug 28 - Race Your Mouse Around the Icons Day. Aug 29 - According to Hoyle Day. Aug 31 - Love Litigating Lawyers Day.

* Means a Presidential Proclamation has been made.

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Men are so competitive that we even "out-die" women in all 15 of the major causes of death in the U.S. Most of these deaths are preventable with a positive change in life-style, eating habits, and/or general health care. Let's not strive so hard to hold on to this record. See what you can change now to live a healthier life.
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