I have a niece who was in the Marines.

She was on a 15 mile march with her fellow marines.

She was getting very weary when her captain told her to “Look outside yourself.”

He didnt want her to become preoccupied with her struggles, but to focus on all the other marines marching with her.

I think this is good advice for us all.

Many of us are so self-centered that we don’t notice or care about others and their struggles.

We will never be as happy as we could be until we look at the world around us.

There are many people who have greater burdens.

I’ve decided today to educate you on the life & times of the chipmunk.

The name “chipmunk” derives from the chipping call these mammals make.

The genus name is from a Latin word meaning “collector or storer.”

This refers to the Eastern Chipmunk’s winter survival strategy of storing food in its burrow.

Native Americans use an Ojibwa term meaning “red squirrel.”

Now, you know more today than you did yesterday!

The sleek, dark-gray lines of a F-16 Fighting Falcon jet, flanked by two other veterans of the Cold War skies, a French Dassault Mirage IV and a F-104 Starfighter, is not what you would usually expect to come across when walking into the courtyard of a 700-year-old French château.

The conspicuous presence of this triad of combat aircraft in such an unlikely setting offers a foretaste of what this historical manor has in store for its guests.

Château de Savigny-lès-Beaune, in the little Burgundy village of the same name, dates back to the 14th century and would be just one more of the many wine-growing estates that dot this historical region of France was it not for the personal passions and initiative of one man, Michel Pont.

A winegrower, car racer and avid collector, Pont bought the château in 1979 and over the following four decades, until his passing in 2021, turned it into a treasure trove for all those interested in mechanics and engineering. (CNN)

I guess that’s how he chose to spend his fortune!

Are your kids influenced by you or their peers and social media?

It’s a simple question.

Your answer may well determine their future and yours.

I have never seen a more difficult time to raise a family.

In times past, your kids were influenced byparents, peers and popular entertainers.

Today, however, social media and peers can reach them 24/7.

In order to combat those influences, parenting requires a TIME commitment to your kids.

I know your personal time maybe a much demanded resource.

However, if you do have children or plan to, don’t let them have peers and social media set the agenda!

Not today! Not ever!

Beginning in the spring 2024, visitors to the floating city will have to pay 5 euros ($5.40) to enter on peak days if they’re not staying the night.

But this isn’t a permanent move yet – the Venice authorities have committed to a 30-day “experiment,” according to mayor Luigi Brugnaro, who shared the news on Twitter/X.

Rather than operating over a calendar month, the authorities will scatter the chargeable days across the year.

They will pick the days which are predicted to be busiest, for example holiday weekends and peak Carnival periods.  (CNN)

I wonder if this will be adopted by other vacation destinations.

I watch Detroit Tiger baseball games on TV almost every night during the season.

When players get a successful hit, many of them raise their hand thanking God.

How about you?

When most people pray, they are asking for something.

That’s understandable, but I think our relationship with God should be a two way street.

Our prayer should include asking and thanking.

If you look back over your life, you’ll find that God came to the rescue many times.

If you didn’t thank Him for all those miracles, it’s not too late.

Thank God for your life.

If not today, when?

Do you want to slow your life down?

And become wiser in the process?

Read a book!

The beauty of reading a book is that your can do it your own speed.

And on a topic of your choosing.

I have read about anything ever written about the life and times of Winston Churchill.

I think he was the greatest person of the twentieth century.

The world served up a crisis only he could solve. And he did.

Do you have someone who fascinates you

Well, read all you can about him or her.

It will become a great quest that will make you wiser.

If not today, when?

(Bill Richardson with Sadaam Hussein)

Bill Richardson was a SUPER PATRIOT, but he did it HIS WAY.

He was the New Mexico governor and congressman, cabinet member and UN ambassador.

His greatest accomplishments were the successful release of Americans held prisoner by bad dictators around the world.

The title of this blog is the title of his book.

He would go on his own to negotiate the freedom of Americans held captive.

Here was his negotiating approach:

Respect the other side;

Try to connect personally;

Use a sense of humor;

Let the other side save face.

He died this past Friday at the age of 75.

Thank you Bill Richardson for your service to America!

A great Jimmy Buffett song.

“It’s only half past twelve, but I don’t care.

It’s 5 o’clock somewhere!”

I guess most of us live by the clock.

Should we watch our lives tick away?

I say “NO!”

Go out and do something you’ve NEVER DONE.

Live your life with as few regrets as possible!

Remember, we can only go forward. We can’t go back.

It’s 5 o’clock somewhere!

Do you remember, “The little engine that could?”

The little engine had to climb a steep hill.

It began saying, “I think I can.”

All the way up the hill, it kept saying, “I think I can.”

As it reached the top of the hill, it said, “I thought I could!”

Are you that person?

I think every success begins with, “I think I can!”

You may not accurately see all the challenges ahead.

But, you feel you can can overcome them somehow.

Optimism leads to success!

If not today, when?