Quote of the Day

Remember that there is nothing stable in human affairs; therefore avoid undue elation in prosperity, or undue depression in adversity. – Socrates

It is said an eastern monarch once charged his wise men to invent a sentence, to be ever in view, and which should be true and appropriate in all times and situations. They presented him with the words, ‘And this, too, shall pass away.’ How much it expresses! How chastening in the hour of pride! How consoling in the depths of affliction! – Abraham Lincoln

These both apply to the bigger stuff and the piddly stuff of life. When my wife and kids were going through their medical crises all at the same time a couple of years ago, the refrain, ‘And this, too, shall pass away’ was helpful. And when I play way above or way below my ability in a sport (aka ‘piddly stuff’), it helps, too.

But since neither of those quotes involve ‘learning’, I actually like this quote better:

Each moment is either a blessing to enjoy (and that’s a lesson) or a lesson to be learned (and that’s a blessing). – Polly Berrien Berends

It’s a little new-agey – ‘each moment’? How the hell is each moment of flossing my damn teeth every day either a blessing or a lesson? And the word ‘blessing’ itself bugs me for some reason. Maybe it’s the semantic cargo it carries from my childhood days as a Catholic. So I’ve been trying to come up with a Real Joe version that works for me.

Each day is loaded with the good stuff of life to enjoy (and that’s a lesson) and lessons to be learned (and that’s good).

Got a better version? Let me know.