Daily Mood Quote - October 26, 2011

 

Daily Mood Quote

Day 175 – October 26, 2011

The best thing about the future is that it comes one day at a time.

~Abraham Lincoln

The more I read about Abraham Lincoln (the name of the book is Worthy Of Their Esteem: The Timeless Words and Sage Advice of Abraham Lincoln, America's Greatest President), the more respect I have for his accomplishments. How many of us just think of tomorrow as a day, one that follows today? I did too, but in actuality tomorrow is the future. It's coming with or without our permission, or approval. Good thing is comes one day at a time.

I never had a policy; I have just tried to do my very best each and every day.

~Abraham Lincoln

Policy to me implies a rule, a law, something that must be followed each and every day. Life can throw curve balls that do not obey rules, at least our rules. So living under the strictest rule doesn't always allow you to do, or be, your best. Sometimes you have to just go with the flow and “be the best you can be.” Life isn't a job, it's an adventure (thank you United States Navy). One where we make the choice to do our best, or not. It's up to us...

I will prepare and some day my chance will come.

~Abraham Lincoln

I have been preparing all my life for what the future holds. First, I served my country, thank you for allowing me to serve you. Then I became a mom, this career never ends and it's one I am very proud of. Now, I am preparing for a second career. All along the way, I have lived life one day at a time, preparing for tomorrow and doing the best I could. Sometimes that worked out, sometimes not. But, each situation I have been through has better prepared me to face the challenges that will come my way, today and when my chance does come (maybe its today). I can think of few things more disheartening than coming upon a great opportunity that I am ill prepared to utilize. I'll be ready for that ol' curve ball, and the opportunity for a home run it presents, when I see it again. I know that from experience. “Fool me once shame on you; fool me twice.....”

In the movie Unstoppable with Denzel Washington (Frank) and Chris Pine (Will Colson), Frank said, “I'm stepping on it, in it, around it and through it.” And, that's what life is, we step on it, in it, around it and through it. We can't get away from it, it happens, yesterday, today and tomorrow and if we're really blessed or lucky, we'll be prepared for the opportunities it presents and meet the future on its terms... successfully.

How will you prepare for the future?

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Thank you for reading.

Daily Mood Quotes - September 23, 2011

 

Daily Mood Quote

Day 143 – September 23, 2011

The truth ... is a beautiful and terrible thing and should therefore be treated with great caution.

~ J. K. Rowling, The Sorcerer's Stone

I heard an interesting statistic this morning. Now, understand something, I don't put a lot of stock, or faith in statistics. There is an old adage, “Statistics lie and liars use statistics.” Even if the numbers are accurate, the interpretation of those numbers is most often subject to multiple points of view. Two equally matched scientists, equally matched theologians, or two equally matched sports fans, could look at the same data and have completely different points of view about what it means. That said, the statistic I heard on a morning radio program still gave me pause. The number was 2.5 billion and the issue was daily texts in the United States. So, I did some quick math of my own and: if we are a nation of 300 million, then that means that there were 8.33 texts per day for every man, woman and child in the country. Now I'm careful of averages, because they only tell a little bit of the picture. As W.I.E. Gates said, “Then there is the man who drowned crossing a stream with an average depth of six inches.” Still, that seems like a lot of communication, so I have to wonder what is being said and why folks think it is so important? Perhaps, it's better not to know...

Anyway, here's how I see that number (2.5 billion). Lots of people, mostly teens through late twenties, who no longer have the benefit of face to face conversation after school or work hours. Lets face it, its a scary world out there for kids and after the teen years, folks are buried in “urgent” work and life issues like video games and DVR movies.

I have to wonder, how many of these texts happen while driving? There are laws against texting and driving in several states, including mine... that doesn't seem to even slow people down. Just yesterday, there sat a young man in the car next to us, wobbling through traffic, cell phone in both hands, texting along. His eyes were on the phone, not the road and his mind obviously elsewhere. So gee whizz, what's more important than careful driving? They won't let me drive, yet fools like this abound on the roads. So, when I heard 2.5 billion texts a day, my concern was; are people texting at work, perhaps in dangerous situations like rail yards, airports, and/or on the roads? What is their response when something happens, or goes wrong????...

It reminds me of the movie Unstoppable, a runaway train story with Denzel Washington and Chris Pine.

Connie (played by Rossario Dawson) said, “How the hell did this happen?'

Dewey (Ethan Suplee): “It just got away from me.”

Connie: “It got away from you? It's a train, Dewey, not a chipmunk!”

Here is some interesting information that I picked up from "PennDOT Teen Driver Safety Week News Release." Pennsylvania Department of Transportation. October 22, 2008.

• AAA attributes 330,000 highway injuries annually to cell phones being used while driving
• Over 60 percent of American teens admit to risky driving, and nearly half of those that admit to risky driving also admit to text messaging behind the wheel.
• Each year, 21% of fatal car crashes involving teenagers between the ages of 16 and 19 were the result of cell phone usage. This result has been expected to grow as much as 4% every year.

The point is; be it statistical or not, the truth is people are texting in hazardous situations, when their mind should be focused on what they are doing. Unfortunately, all to often they are dying, because they are serving the "urgent" and "immediate" need to text. Ask yourself, is anything really that important to risk your life and the life of someone else? Statistics aside, that's the truth.

Let's keep our priorities straight and eyes on the road! TTFN...

Where will you text today?

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