I had to share this photo with you. I had it framed and is on my office wall.

We were having dinner early one evening across San Francisco Bay.

After all my years of yacht racing, I was drawn to the beauty of those red sails, blue water and my FAVORITE CITY that was populated after the1848 gold rush.

Do you look for beauty in this world of ours?

It’s all around you if you’ll take a moment to notice.

Have you recently taken a good, long look at a beautiful flower close up?

The intricacy and perfection boggles the mind.

How about the giant redwood forests that extend from California into southern Oregon? Some of them are 2,000 years old and help us appreciate the miracles of MOTHER NATURE.

Most beauty is not manmade. It has always been here.

Don’t be too busy that you can’t stop and “Smell the roses!”

If not today, when?

Do people look forward to being with you?

Oh, I know these times may not bring out the best in you.

But, why not?

I think each of us has a duty to lighten the load of others. Not add to it.

I am not naive. We all have issues we’re constantly dealing with.

None of us have THE PERFECT LIFE.

If you wrote lists of the good and bad aspects of your life, which list would be longer?

You can be a fun person if you always concentrate on YOUR BLESSINGS!

And if you need to put your life in its proper perspective, watch the evening news.

Millions upon millions of people are suffering with NO HOPE for their future.

SO, GET A GRIP AND DON’T LET IT SLIP!

If not today, when?

“It’s the courage to carry on that counts.” (Winston Churchill)

He also said, “Success is going from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm.”

We have all failed at something both big and small.

Churchill was very familiar with failure. So, that makes him an expert.

Immediately after saving England from German domination and winning WWII, he ran for re-election as prime minister.

And he was DEFEATED. Another FAILURE to detract from his resume’.

So, how does his story relate to your story?

Are you able to GLOW in your successes and SHRUG OFF your failures?

It all comes down to the thoughts you permit yourself to have.

Are you your own worst enemy or do you keep past experiences in a healthy perspective?

BTW, Churchill was re-elected as prime minister in 1951 and served until 1955.

FAILURE IS NOT FATAL!

There are two things in life: fact and perception.

And fact doesn’t count because people make decisions based upon their own perception of fact.

Two people can witness an auto accident in which the red car and green car collide. One person thinks it was the fault of the red car while the other person says it was the green car.

And that is the present state of America.

Like the car accident, there is only one set of facts, but two perceptions of those facts.

We have always had disagreement in the public discourse and that is healthy.

But, the present habit of demonizing one another will lead eventually to our downfall.

We are talking past each other and not truly listening to the opposing view.

Conspiracy theories, deliberate lies and orchestrated misinformation abound.

Because of that, I have never been as concerned about the Future of America as I am now.

Let’s hope we will come to our senses and treat each fellow-citizen with respect and kindness.

If not today, when?

What a beautiful statement I heard just yesterday!

I still grieve the death of the loved ones who have gone before me.

I particularly grieve those who died at a young age before life really got interesting.

I loved them all for who and what they were and the values they lived by.

Life is a struggle!

And I admire most those deceased loved ones who struggled valiantly.

The BEST WAY we can honor those who have gone before us is not simply to remember them with fondness.

No, we must try to embrace their behavior and live honorably as they did.

Imitation is still the sincerest form of flattery.

If not today, when?

Sorry that I’ve been absent from my daily blog.

I had a temporary memory loss while speaking with one of our sons on the phone.

I couldn’t remember the names of his wonderful wife and children.

It took me about 15-20 minutes for my memory to return.

My wife drove to Henry Ford Hospital here in the Detroit area.

After many tests, including an MRI, doctors concluded the cause was dehydration.

We had driven on this past Monday from Birmingham, Alabama to Detroit.

I deliberately didn’t have much to drink on the trip because I didn’t want to make stops along the way.

That’s a mistake I don’t want to make again.

Dehydration can produce the same symptoms as a stroke.

If you ever need hospital care, after 50 years as a patient there, I highly recommend it.

While lying in that hospital bed, I thought about all the people in the world who live their entire lives without access to good hospitals.

Ironically, my wonderful nurse was from Ethiopia and the neurologist was also an immigrant. I am so thankful to all those who dedicate themselves to healthcare.

I’ve written over 600 blogs.

Every morning, I sit with my laptop looking for inspiration.

If you are a regular reader, you’ll know by now that my daily message is always short and to the point.

I do this with the fervent hope that my 145 words will enrichen your life in some small way.

I love to write as my wonderful mother did before me.

I was a nationally syndicated newspaper real estate columnist in 130 papers.

It’s not easy coming up with a topic 7 days a week.

I have a big picture of Jesus on the wall. He’s looking right at me.

His expression seems to ask, “Well Tom, what profound message are you going to come up with today?”

You and I know they are not always profound.

But, they are an honest attempt to help you cope with this world!

If not today, when?

Speaking of mistakes, Warren Buffet, in his annual report, admitted to making a big mistake when buying Precision Castparts Corp. in 2016. He lost 9.8 BILLION DOLLARS.

Yes, all mistakes teach valuable lessons, but are we open to learning from them?

Evidently not, because some of us go on to repeat them. And repeat them.

Why is that?

Is it possible that you would rather blame someone else for some unfortunate event rather than rightfully claim the responsibility yourself?

If that is your response, you’re bound to repeat it again.

Taking ownership, however, begins the process of assimilating wisdom.

There seems to be a shortage of honesty these days.

If you are ever to grow in wisdom, you must be able to recognize yourself as the cause of a mistake and strive to make amends.

In order to live peacefully with yourself, you must be honest with yourself.

And the dividend is that you will become more trustworthy.

If not today, when/

So, how much are you of each?

There are, of course, extremes on one side or the other.

Many of us make too many decisions emotionally while others over-think everything.

Some decisions have to be rendered on an issue that has a large emotional impact on us.

It that happens, it’s hard to have a cerebral approach when we are so emotionally overwrought.

At these moments, we may do or say something that we regret and can’t take back.

We must admit, however, that “We are a drop of intellect in a sea of emotion.”

If we can rely more often on our intellect, which includes the ability to recall lessons learned, we should be able to say and do fewer things we have to take back.

Think about it!

If not today, when?

He was moved to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, where he “received follow-up procedures on his injuries this morning.” A tweet posted Friday to Woods’ Twitter account said. “The procedures were successful, and he is now recovering and in good spirits.” (CNN)

His life has certainly had its ups and downs. What an under-statement!

Of course, he’s made some bad decisions along the way.

But, there is a lesson that can be drawn from his life for all of us.

HE KEEPS COMING BACK!

There is no QUIT in him!

After five back surgeries, he had his body ready to play in this year’s Masters Tournament.

Will you rise from your struggles and disappointments to enjoy a better life?

Don’t let the negative aspects of your life define you!

You are much more than that and you have much more to become!

If not today, when?