“The best way to cheer yourself is to try to cheer somebody else up.” — Mark Twain
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Posts Tagged ‘Thoughts’
Cheers to You!
Posted in Other, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2026, inspiration, quotes, Thoughts, ways to be happy on July 15, 2026| Leave a Comment »
A Red Sun Rises
Posted in Other, Science!, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2026, atmosphere, folklore, old sayings, physics, predictions, sailors, Thoughts, weather on July 14, 2026| Leave a Comment »
My trip to the mailbox this morning began peacefully enough, a quiet stroll through a slowly brightening day. Then I looked up. The sun hung in a hazy sky, its light filtered by particulates from fires in Quebec, leaving a visible disk that looked like a second moon. The smoke changed the usual morning light from bright yellow to a darker, ruddier hue. Very dramatic.
Today’s forecast? Thunderstorms, which brought to mind the old adage about skies and sailors. “Red sky at night, sailor’s delight. Red sky in morning, sailor’s warning.” It turns out to be based on atmospheric science, and while the logic doesn’t hold up everywhere all the time (and yes, smoke can interfere with its accuracy), it can be useful.
Red Sky at Night: Is the Sailor’s Saying Really True?
The folklore lines up with two pieces of plain physics: how air moves and how light scatters. Low pressure pulls air together and lifts it, which builds clouds and brings rain. High pressure does the opposite. Air sinks and spreads out, which keeps the sky clear and traps dust and fine particles near the ground. Sailors learned the shorthand long before anyone measured a millibar: low pressure for foul weather, high pressure for fair.
Happily, forewarned is forearmed (to use another old adage). Now I wait, and watch for the coming storm.
A red sun rises.
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The Path to Good
Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2026, another Hank Green quote, art in life, creativity, inspiration, life, practice, Thoughts, writing on July 13, 2026| Leave a Comment »
The path to good runs through bad, and that goes for art forms we don’t even consider art forms, like friendship, parenthood, and citizenship. But the only thing that gets us better is practice. — Hank Green
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Waxing Poetic
Posted in Science!, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2026, beauty, geology, rocks, science, Thoughts on July 12, 2026| Leave a Comment »
We recently spent some time on the road, and drove through some fascinating geology. I had a professor once who was known to wax poetic about highway road cuts, and he wasn’t wrong. Millennia of geological processes are exposed to the light. It got me thinking about geology in general and rocks in particular.
Here’s a general introduction that emphasizes the connection of geology to everything from plate tectonics to the location of our cities:
I’d rather have polished stones from my local highway than diamonds, actually. And for fun, here’s a video on labradorite, a very pretty example of Earth’s stone modification skills:
Thanks for taking us to the Geology Department open house that one time, Dad. I still remember the rock polishing demonstration:)
And if you have a moment next time you’re on the road, watch the road cuts as you go by. Earth’s secrets are out there, waiting for you.
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Time to Get Serious(ly Fun)
Posted in Other, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2026, can't be working all the time, fun, inspiration, Thoughts on July 11, 2026| Leave a Comment »
In a culture obsessed with productivity, fun can feel frivolous. Yet research increasingly shows that play, delight, and shared enjoyment are essential ingredients of a good life.
Here’s to finding time for a bit of fun. Happy Saturday, everyone!
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Tribute to an Inspiration
Posted in Other, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2026, #AmericanDreams, inspiration, kick-ass adults, NASA, persistence, pioneers, space, Thoughts on July 10, 2026| Leave a Comment »
Today, I’d like to pay tribute to Wally Funk, one of the early pioneers in flight and one of the first women to train with NASA. She didn’t get to be an official astronaut in the end, but she could fly just about anything, trained thousands at her own flight school, and much more. She also made a suborbital flight via Blue Origin’s New Shepard ship in 2021, becoming the oldest woman to reach space at 82.
Wally Funk, the oldest woman to venture to space, dies at 87
“I loved every minute of it. I just wish it had been longer.”
If you’re interested in the history of space, or women in space, or kick-ass ladies in general, I highly recommend the 2018 documentary Mercury 13 on Netflix.
Here’s to Wally’s example of determination, perseverance, and all-around excellence, and to finding ways to make dreams come true!
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Listen
Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2026, creativity, life, Thoughts, Writers, writing on July 9, 2026| Leave a Comment »
“Before you tell your life what you intend to do with it, listen for what it intends to do with you.” — Parker J. Palmer
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Great and Glorious
Posted in Other, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2026, all good things, Dolly Parton, quotes, Thoughts on July 6, 2026| Leave a Comment »
“I make a point to appreciate all the little things in my life. I go out and smell the air after a good, hard rain. I re-read passages from my favorite books. I hold the little treasures that somebody special gave me. These small actions help remind me that there are so many great, glorious pieces of good in the world.” ― Dolly Parton, Dream More
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Lessons Learned
Posted in Other, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2026, family, inspiration, lessons for living, Thoughts on July 5, 2026| Leave a Comment »
A brief selection of things I learned from my mother:
- Be yourself, even if it takes a while to figure out what that means.
- Look for beauty, it’s everywhere.
- Keep going, even when the road is long and the night is dark. Tomorrow can always be better.
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Dare to Be
Posted in Holidays, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2026, America, Fourth of July, inspiration, Thoughts on July 4, 2026| Leave a Comment »
Happy 250th birthday, America!
How far have we come? There are a lot of answers to this question, but here I’d like to focus on what life used to be like in the 18th century.
Life in 1776 — Center for the Study of the Presidency and Congress
Step back in time and explore the world of 1776. The features below offer a fascinating journey into the daily lives, culture, and events that shaped this era. Uncover the rich tapestry of life in 1776 and gain a deeper understanding of the foundations of our modern world.
For a (somewhat more recent) perspective on America’s evolution, journalist Derek Thompson takes a look back at what America was like a hundred years ago through the lens of a detailed report trying to capture history for future benefit (with excellent charts and graphs).
What a Forgotten 100-Year-Old Government Report Says About Who We Are
The document is almost entirely forgotten. But today, for America’s 250th birthday, I’m blowing the cobwebs off this sucker and taking readers inside its yellowed pages for a look back at what life was like in the U.S. exactly 100 years ago, when the U.S. was celebrating its sesquicentennial anniversary.
In many fundamental ways, we’ve come a long way. What will the next 250 years bring, and what will we need to bring to it?
“We must dare to be great; and we must realize that greatness is the fruit of toil and sacrifice and high courage.” —Theodore Roosevelt
Here’s to our courageous future.
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