Bodhi Tree

franciscan monk

lotus of the wandering gypsy

guitarman

jazzman

hippy

(do not stand at my grave and weep)

Do not stand at my grave and weep
I am not there; I do not sleep.
I am a thousand winds that blow,
I am the diamond glints on snow,
I am the sun on ripened grain,
I am the gentle autumn rain.
When you awaken in the morning's hush
I am the swift uplifting rush
Of quiet birds in circled flight.
I am the soft stars that shine at night.
Do not stand at my grave and cry,
I am not there; I did not die.

( Author unknown )

desiderata - by max ehrmann

Go placidly amid the noise and haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence.

As far as possible, without surrender, be on good terms with all persons. Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even to the dull and the ignorant, they too have their story. Avoid loud and aggressive persons, they are vexations to the spirit.

If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain and bitter; for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself. Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans. Keep interested in your own career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.

Exercise caution in your business affairs, for the world is full of trickery. But let this not blind you to what virtue there is; many persons strive for high ideals, and everywhere life is full of heroism. Be yourself. Especially, do not feign affection. Neither be cynical about love, for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment it is perennial as the grass.

Take kindly to the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth. Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. But do not distress yourself with imaginings. Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.

Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself. You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here. And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be, and whatever your labors and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life, keep peace in your soul.

With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world.

Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.

Max Ehrmann c.1920

quote

"My education was dismal. I went to a series of schools for mentally disturbed teachers."

(Woody Allen)

Quote

"The first panacea for a mismanaged nation is inflation of the
currency; the second is war. Both bring a temporary prosperity; both
bring a permanent ruin. But both are the refuge of political and
economic opportunists. "
Ernest Hemingway (1899-1961), (September 1932)

Quote

"If you judge people, you have no time to love them."

Mother Theresa

from Church of the Customer Blog by Ben McConnell

Have an important problem to solve

from Church of the Customer Blog by Ben McConnell

In researching the science of how things replicate and spread, I've spent time time catching up with the work of Dr. James Watson who, with Francis Crick, discovered the structure of DNA in 1955, eventually earning the duo the Nobel Prize.

Dr. Watson could easily be a consultant about success. He gave a fascinating talk at Google last year and began with "a few reasons why we became famous."

In the interest of replication and spreading his knowledge, here's my summary of Dr. Watson's prescription for work:

1. Have an important problem to solve.
While in college, Watson saw an x-ray photograph of DNA. It captivated him. What was its physical structure? The two-dimensional structure of DNA had already been solved, but no one knew its three-dimensional structure "probably because it was too complicated." Except for Linus Pauling and "some people in London," no one else was working on the answer. That was the motivation Watson and Crick used. "We worked on something before it's time had come," Watson says.

2. Give yourself time, but cap it.
The choreographer Twyla Tharp says the paradox of creativity is that it's better when it's restricted. That squares with Watson's teaching, too. "You shouldn't work on a problem if you think it'll take you 10 years, particularly when you're young. You'll be out of a job." Watson recommends giving yourself three years to solve a big or important problem. "People will sort of of trust you and put up with you for three years," he says.

3. Talk to your competitors.
The x-ray of DNA that inspired Watson was taken by Rosalind Franklin. She was trying to figure out the 3-D structure of DNA, too, but she didn't want to work with Watson and Crick. "She didn't like Francis because he was loud." Plus, Franklin wanted to discover the structure herself. Watson and Crick reached out to their competitors; "you tell them what you think, and they'll tell you what they think and pretty soon, you can get very close to the answer."

4. Never be the brightest person in any room.
If you are, no one can help you. Neither Watson or Crick knew chemistry, even though it was at the heart of what they were trying to solve. Watson had copied diagrams out of a chemistry textbook, but the textbook was wrong. If he and Crick hadn't made friends with a quantum chemist who helped them with their chemistry equations, they never would have discovered the double helix, Watson says. The lesson is that "It was very useful for me to be brought up thinking I wasn't bright because it was very easy then to ask for help."

5. If you need help, ask for it quickly.
"Don't wait a week to ask for help!" Speed matters. After all, you only have three years.