Book Nook Cafe discussion

“He respects Owl, because you can’t help respecting anybody who can spell TUESDAY, even if he doesn’t spell it right; but spelling isn’t everything. There are days when spelling Tuesday simply doesn’t count.”
‘

A.A. Milne
The House at Pooh Corner’ (1928)

:)

Larry wrote: "“He respects Owl, because you can’t help respecting anybody who can spell TUESDAY, even if he doesn’t spell it right; but spelling isn’t everything. There are days when spelling Tuesday simply does..."

I'm fine with Toosday but Weddingsday i NEVER spell right the first time.

L’expèrience nous montre qu’aimer ce n’est point nous regarder l’un l’autre mais regarder ensemble dans la même direction.

Life has taught us that love does not consist in gazing at each other but in looking together in the same direction.

Antoine de Saint-Exupèry 1900-44
‘Terre des Hommes’ (translated as ‘Wind, Sand and Stars’, 1939) ch. 8

Very nice. 💜

This is a wonderful quote and idea. Thank you for sharing, Larry.

What a wonderful quote to think about. It gets to the heart of the matter that is the difference between new love and a relationship weathers the test of time.

I could see the above quote read aloud at an anniversary party, after several decades of marriage. It's such a good definition.

Rachel wrote: "What a wonderful quote to think about. It gets to the heart of the matter that is the difference between new love and a relationship weathers the test of time."

Rachel, we've been married 51 years ... I think it works for us.

Congratulations, Larry! And to your wife, as well.

That is wonderful, Larry. Not many can say that.

“He says, you have to study and learn so that you can make up your own mind about history and everything else but you can’t make up an empty mind. Stock your mind, stock your mind. It is your house of treasure and no one in the world can interfere with it. If you won the Irish Sweepstakes and bought a house that needed furniture would you fill it with bits and pieces of rubbish? Your mind is your house and if you fill it with rubbish from the cinemas it will rot in your head. You might be poor, your shoes might be broken, but your mind is a palace.”

Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt

Very Nice quote.

It's one of my favorites. I loved his books and miss him.

True confession--i've not read any McCourt books. I intended to do so, just didn't.

Alias Reader wrote: "“He says, you have to study and learn so that you can make up your own mind about history and everything else but you can’t make up an empty mind. Stock your mind, stock your mind. It is your house..."

I really enjoyed Angela's Ashes. But I never went on to the other books. I think that one of the reasons was the poverty that McCourt grew up in just made me so sad even though he went on to overcome it. "Stock your mind, stock your mind. " That repetition is so powerful.

madrano wrote: "True confession--i've not read any McCourt books. I intended to do so, just didn't."

Angela's Ashes
and
'Tis

I enjoyed both very much.

I know you don't like audiobooks, deb, but I also love McCourt's Irish accent.

Larry wrote: " I think that one of the reasons was the poverty that McCourt grew up in just made me so sad even"

'Tis is about his time as a teacher in NYC.

The Irish accent would be appealing!

"Another nice mess you’ve gotten me into."

‘Another Fine Mess’ (1930 film) and many other Laurel and Hardy films; spoken by Oliver Hardy

How many times in my married life have i uttered those words? LOL--good laugh, Larry.

Above all, do not lose your desire to walk: every day I walk myself into a state of well-being and walk away from every illness; I have walked myself into my best thoughts, and I know of no thought so burdensome that one cannot walk away from it.
~Søren Kierkegaard
Søren Kierkegaard

I agree ! Be it country or city. It does the body and soul good.








Central Park, NYC


Botanical garden

We live in a townhouse community with good sidewalks that allow for miles of walking. That said, my favorite walks have been in cities where I can just get lost and stop for coffee, wine, or a meal … and then walk some more.

Larry, very true. I love it all.

I love walking in Manhattan. There is just so much to see the time just flies by. I also love walking in parks and in the country side.
The Brooklyn Botanical Garden is just magical. It's a great place to walk. And believe it or not, Greenwood Cemetery in Brooklyn is has lovely paths to walk.

I'm on day 577 without missing a day walking a minimum of 10K. Which is 4-5 miles depending on stride. I usually do it on a treadmill and lift light weights most days. But I also love walking outside.

John, I just saw on FB that March 30 is National take a walk in the park day !

Happy National Take a Walk in a Park Day! What a concept for a celebratory day. I wonder if parks were more crowded.

Like others here, walking in nature is a big draw. I like city walks but am easily distracted, not to mention, being "directionally challenged", getting lost.

The photos of walks are a feast for the eyes.

Alias, congratulations on 577 days of not missing your walking 10,000 steps! I recall when we all learned and discussed this "new" idea of 10,000 on this GR board. Yes, that long ago!

Thanks, deb. Trying to keep the streak helps to motivate me.

"How much time he gains who does not look to see what his neighbor says or does or thinks, but only at what he does himself." ―Marcus Aurelius


The Essential Marcus Aurelius by Marcus Aurelius

Marcus Aurelius ... always good ... any day ... any time of day.

Larry wrote: "Marcus Aurelius ... always good ... any day ... any time of day."

If you enjoy the Stoics, do you follow Ryan Holiday? He's on YouTube, FB, written books and has a podcast about the Stoics.


The Daily Stoic: 366 Meditations for Clarity, Effectiveness, and Serenity

https://www.youtube.com/c/DailyStoic/...

Alias Reader wrote: ""How much time he gains who does not look to see what his neighbor says or does or thinks, but only at what he does himself." ―Marcus Aurelius..."

Sage advice from waaayyy back. Good point to share this week.

Alias Reader wrote: "Larry wrote: "Marcus Aurelius ... always good ... any day ... any time of day."

If you enjoy the Stoics, do you follow Ryan Holiday? He's on YouTube, FB, written books and has a podcast about the ..."

Alias, thanks. I'll look at both.

Thanks for the Søren Kierkegaard quote. I walk about 4 miles every other day and it is one of my favorite things to do. An audiobook is my companion and I come back energized.

Rachel wrote: "Thanks for the Søren Kierkegaard quote. I walk about 4 miles every other day and it is one of my favorite things to do. An audiobook is my companion and I come back energized."

I usually walk to a podcast or audiobook. I agree with you. It's energizing and also mood lifting.

There are times in the lives of most of us when we would have given all the world to be as we were but yesterday, though that yesterday had passed over us unappreciated and unenjoyed.

~~~ William Edward Hartpole Lecky
William Edward Hartpole Lecky

Quoted in the book
The Happiness Project: Or Why I Spent a Year Trying to Sing in the Morning, Clean My Closets, Fight Right, Read Aristotle, and Generally Have More Fun

Excellent point! Savor Today!

Ditto to Vincent!

"The poetry of motion! The real way to travel! The only way to travel! Here today—in next week tomorrow! Villages skipped, towns and cities jumped—always somebody else’s horizon!"

‘The Wind in the Willows’ (1908) ch. 2.
Kenneth Grahame 1859-1932

In 1980/81, we lived in Canberra, Australia. Most mornings my son, who was three years old, would start off his day with a warm bath and I would read to him while he played in the bath ... often from a Winnie the Pooh book or from The Wind in the Willows. Life was simpler then.

I hear ya, Larry. For me, i was unfamiliar with Pooh and Willows, they were not part of my upbringing. To be introduced to them as i read to my children was pure joy. Simpler, indeed. A game of Pooh Sticks made our day back then.

I thought this quote was a great way to reframe decluttering.

"Look around your environment.

Rather than seeing items as objects, see them as magnets for your attention. Each object gently pulls a certain amount of your attention toward it.

Whenever you discard something, the tug of that object is released. You get some attention back."

~~~~ Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones---James Clear

Clever to come up with that. It also seems a strong case for keeping one's goods in boxes. But then, i suppose it's the boxes that would tug at my attention...

Alias, I was reminded of this one by the quote you shared ... maybe especially because baseball has started up again.

"You can observe a lot by just watching." ~Yogi Berra

But I'll also add that your quote is incredibly deep and meaningful to me ... as we keep on slowly decluttering.

Almost all of us have to deal with this issue. I sent the quote to two friends who are also dealing with big decluttering tasks. It's hard to give stuff away or throw things away but in the end it really makes you feel better.

Having clear spaces really calms the mind. (no, deb, boxes to hide clutter is not allowed ! LOL
Don't organize your clutter, get rid of it ! :)

It's often noted that clutter, and not having clear surfaces can be a cause stress. I think this is true for most of us.

Even small tasks where your mind is constantly triggered, when you say, yes, I need to do XYZ , is really stressful.

There are many good podcasts, online websites, Facebook groups, and books with excellent advice on how to tackle the issue.

One idea I like is from Gretchen Rubin's podcast, The Happiness Project and book, it is t=The One Minute Rule. If you can do it in one minute or two minutes, don't put the task off. (make bed, clean off counter, hang up clothes etc.) Also 10 min. evening rule. A quick 5 or 10 min. so you don't wake up to clutter. For example, I have to have a clean kitchen sink and counters before I go to bed. I just can't wake up to a messy kitchen.

ANYway, I'm glad you enjoyed the quote.

Larry, great Berra quote. It's one my husband didn't know, which is odd, as i thought he knew them all.

Alias Reader wrote: "Having clear spaces really calms the mind. (no, deb, boxes to hide clutter is not allowed ! LOL
Don't organize your clutter, get rid of it ! :) ..."

While i have decluttered, what is in our storage unit is what i want when we finally settle down. However, i eliminated much clutter with the thought i could replace it later.

What? I have always liked cluttered desks and rooms called "libraries" in private homes. It makes the room and books and desk feel used, a feeling i like. I rid myself of clutter because we were moving & it seemed wrong to cart those items into boxes/storage. But it's that "mess" which makes a room alive to me.

When i walk into someone's home or office and see clutter, i think positive things, as though "it's at their fingertips". While this may not always be true, it's my mindset. In films, the person i most want to "know" is the one with the cluttered desk/office. They just look exciting, eager to learn new things, even though they haven't learned as much as they wanted from the previous search.

I know i'm in the minority. But there, i sit. And when that moment appears, when i have my own "area", i will probably be quite glad that i can start from scratch making a new mess of my new interests. I know, i know--hopeless.

That written, the rest of my house i like in order. In fact, all you mentioned from Rubin i have been doing since reading it in Heloise books and The I Hate to Housekeep Book, a Peg Bracken winner. I suppose each generation comes up with their own version. Neither Heloise nor Bracken gave a time limit, which may be what we need today, but their points were the same.

I'm with you on waking up to a messy kitchen. It's just a lousy way to start the day. Worse if you live in parts of the country where roaches abound. Yuk.

"They kept asking me why I had an AIDS foundation: why I cared? I wasn't gay and I didn't have AIDS. And I told them that the only reason anyone knows who I am in this world is because of the support and efforts made on my behalf by gay people. They believed in me when I didn't know how to believe in myself.

Take away all the paintings, all the music, all the dance, all the films, all the theater, all the architecture and design, all the science, all the books; everything that was created by gay people. There would be so little left that what was left wouldn't even matter."
~~~~ Elizabeth Taylor, 1990

Perfect.

Ditto. 🌞

She had a huge heart.

Alias Reader wrote: ""They kept asking me why I had an AIDS foundation: why I cared? I wasn't gay and I didn't have AIDS. And I told them that the only reason anyone knows who I am in this world is because of the suppo..."

Love it!