Head-dibs

One reason I find Stoicism so captivating is because they don't waste time with deep or wandering explanations. Stoic philosophy is put forth in "fortune cookie" sayings--short and to the point. Emperor and Stoic philosopher Marcus Aurelius wrote this note to himself in his journal.  “Today I escaped anxiety. Or no, I discarded it, because it was within me, in my own perceptions—not outside.” Take whatever it is that troubles you and put in in the blank. Stress, fear, intimidation, hate . . .  “Today I escaped ________. Or no, I discarded it, because it was within me, in my own perceptions—not outside.” Interesting how that works, eh?

Looking up the history of the meaning of a word is more important to me than searching for a definition for a couple of reasons. First, the general rule of thumb in serving a definition is that a word is never to be explained by itself. Consider Marriam-Webster's definition of the verb form of "fortune": "to give good or bad fortune to" and "to endow with a fortune." Nothing learned except to find another dictionary. Second, by considering etymology, one returns to the source of a word and there we find the core of a word. "Fortune," in this case means, "that which is brought." Think now on what this means: a wealthy man may be considered "fortunate" if one considers fortune to be money, property or all the good things in life. Does this mean the unhealthy are not fortunate? One philosopher observed that to want nothing is to own everything.  One of the greatest philosophical debates of all time is found in Shakespeare...

Made it another year! SO grateful for family and friends, near and far. Have a piece of cake!

Shameless pic of Carter, after getting his hair did in the vacuum hose:

Ok, so I didn't hold the phone the right way. Here's another look at carrots trying to happen through the seed tape: And the finished row, soil tamped with an iron rake to "tuck" the seeds into bed.

I was challenged by a friend to, over the next 10 days, post the cover of an album that shaped and/or influenced my musical taste. No explanation or commentary.

I was challenged by a friend to, over the next 10 days, post the cover of an album that shaped and/or influenced my musical taste. No explanation or commentary. 

I was challenged by a friend to, over the next 10 days, post the cover of an album that shaped and/or influenced my musical taste. No explanation or commentary. 

I was challenged by a friend to, over the next 10 days, post the cover of an album that shaped and/or influenced my musical taste. No explanation or commentary. 

I was challenged by a friend to, over the next 10 days, post the cover of an album that shaped and/or influenced my musical taste. No explanation or commentary. 

Mowed my face and mowed the yard. Now I look like a homeless guy. Prolly smell like one too . . .  Weeded, cultivated, replanted a few beans (only half came up). Tomatoes, broccoli, cabbage, squashes and few cukes are doing fine. Cut up some logs (not all pictured here). Some ready to split already! Can't wait! Might be soda . . . The rest of the evening is reading the English translation of Méthode nouvelle de dresser des recueils (New Method of Organizing Common Place Books) by John Locke (1685) to see what I can learn about changing my journal methodology. Besides, reading is what cool people do.