Several years ago, I had a huge problems with both my prostate and my urinary bladder. Had it not been for modern surgery, I would have died because I could not urinate. It gave me a special appreciation that, not only can my body take in the things that it needs, but it also eliminates […]
Finding the Good - Gratitude
I have been studying mussar a bit at my congregation. Mussar is a Jewish spiritual path of study and the word means moral conduct, instruction, or discipline. The “study units” are called middot and each middah (middah is the singular of the Hebrew plural word middot) is an aspect of the soul. The challenge is to get every aspect of your soul in balance, neither neglected nor over-indulged.
Recently, we studied the middah of hakarat hatov which is generally translated as “gratitude.” I like the literal translation better, though. It means “finding the good” or “recognizing the good.” There is already good in my life. My task is to see it. Once I find the good, having an attitude of gratitude is much easier.
This section of my blog is a personal project to recognize the good in my life, every day. Maybe you will feel drawn to join me in your own way. You could add a comment to one of my posts. Or you could find the good in your own life and recognize it in a way which speaks to your soul.
Finding the Good: Frying Food
I do not know who the genius was who figured out that frying food is a giant leap toward nirvana or heaven or where-ever you believe in. Indubitably, they deserve an especially delicious place in eternity and a never-ending shower of accolades and riches. Mmmmmmmmmmm. Who doesn’t appreciate falafels, Cheetos (the puffy kind not those […]
Finding the Good: Food, Water, and Air
It is easy to take food and water and air for granted but I am lucky to have all in abundance. It is also easy to take it for granted that my body does the right thing when I eat food. And the right thing when I drink water. And the right thing when I […]
Finding the Good: This Blog
Since I started this blog on May 12, 2005, I have had the opportunity to post 805 articles. My subjects have varied from serious health issues to silly six-word stories, from my years-long journey to build and fly my airplane to technology, from men to women, and just about everything in between. The real blessing, […]
Finding the Good: Autumn Mornings
I woke up this morning to delightful chilliness. The low last night was in the mid-50s, quite a change from the 70s (and occasional 80s) that we have had through much of the summer. I parked by the Katy Trail and rode my bike past St. Charles, across the 370 bridge, and down into Earth […]
Finding the Good: My Working Mind
I am lucky. I have a mind that works. It works so well that I can write a blog. It works so well that I can make good decisions about my actions. It works so well that I actually do make good decisions a lot of the time. It works well enough that I usually […]
Finding the Good: Waking Up
I woke up this morning. That’s kind of a miracle, you know. There is no law anywhere in the universe which says that “Art gets to wake up tomorrow.” So I count each day as a blessing and I make the best of it. Well, to be more precise, I do the best I can […]
Finding the Good: Old Friends
I have a few men who have been close friends since my children rode tricycles. They are the kind of friends who won’t hesitate to call bullshit on me when I am doing something stupid. They are the friends who have celebrated my best moments with me. They are the friends who have supported me […]
Finding the Good: Fresh Veggies
I was struck by the vibrant flavors in my salad this morning. My breakfast included tomatoes, English cucumber, celery, and a mild black bean salsa, all fresh. I tossed it with a bit of lemon juice. The result was both simple and mouth-wateringly magnificent. I am blessed to live in a world with fresh vegetables. […]
Finding the Good: Blood Donations
Have you ever thought about how magic it is that we can save lives by donating blood? The donor loses an hour of time and someone else gets to live. Sweet. I am particularly lucky because donating blood is easy for me. I do not mind getting stuck with a needle. I do not have […]
Finding the Good: One Day at a Time
It might be obvious to you but it struck me today that I am lucky to have a brain that naturally breaks things down into steps. I am fortunate to be able to write these posts one day at a time. When I decided to improve my fitness level, I was able to start by […]
Finding the Good: Naps
It is Saturday, sabbath in my Jewish tradition, maybe just a weekend for you. Regardless, it seems like a really good day to indulge one of life’s greatest pleasures: a nap. While you read, I’ll just be drifting off. You take all the time you want with that reading. I’m fine here.
Finding the Good: Individual Spiritual Journeys
I love that each of us gets to choose their own path to spirituality. Your path does not need to be mine. I can respect your path, without imposing my beliefs on you. I do believe that, no matter how our footsteps traverse this world, we each are doing our best to make it a […]
Finding the Good: Cool Mornings
I woke up this morning before the sun came up. The bedroom window was open. The tree frogs were still singing their all-night serenade. A cool breeze occasionally brushed past my shoulder. Life is so so good.
Finding the Good: Garlic
Garlic! Mmmmmm tasty. 🙂 Garlic makes everything better (well, maybe not PB&J sandwiches but darned near everything). Just typing this makes me want to go saute some in butter. By the way, did you know that that spiky weed that grows in your lawn and smells like onion when you mow it down is actually […]
Finding the Good: Landscapers
I was driving along Illinois Route 100 today. Candy and I were on the way to Pere Marquette State Park. I had an ulterior motive, too: checking out the bike trail along that road. Much of that section is part of the MRT, the Mississippi River Trail which runs along the entire length of the […]
Finding the Good: Seeing the Moon
Candy and I were sitting on our patio. I looked up and wow the moon was beautiful. Just my opinion but life doesn’t get much better than this. I took a picture but my phone did not do the moon justice (and I’ll admit that I was just too lazy to go inside and get […]
Finding the Good: Everyday Science
Science, for me anyway, is often either A Big Thing or completely invisible. The Big Things are cool, like when the Hubble sends us another awe inspiring image or paleontologists find a fossil of Titanokorys gainesi. But today I am mindful of the science that I often overlook, like the reading glasses perched on my […]
Finding the Good: Butterflies
Today’s good is butterflies or, more precisely, the noise that butterflies make. It would be so cool to hear this in person but I’m glad that at least I can watch it on YouTube.
Finding the Good: Taste
With a little bit of time and a few ingredients, I made my own hummus. I am immensely pleased that I can taste and enjoy good foods. That probably won’t always be the case but today, chickpeas, sesame seeds, olive oil, garlic, and salt have delighted me. In case you are curious, here is my […]
