MY FAVORITE NEIGHBORHOOD IN CHICAGO

Lincoln Square is a neighborhood on the north side of Chicago that is filled with young families and even though it is surrounded by a huge city, it seems like a friendly small town. The business district has unique  European-style cafes, delis and specialty stores. You can get virtually anything you need within walking distance of where you live. Surrounding the business district there are quiet, tree-lined streets where close-knit residents gather for events year around in the area's parks, churches and public squares. They have a Summer Concert Series, Folk and Roots music festival, and a German/American Festival that draws people from all over the midwest.

My daughter Marcy, her husband Stephen Riley, and her 3 year old daughter Emily, are lucky residents of this lovely area. I am visiting them this week to help get things ready for the arrival of a baby boy. Marcy is pregnant and due to deliver in two weeks. It is an exciting time in the life of the Riley family. Yesterday, Marcy and I had lunch on the outside patio area of a quaint cafe called Selmarie. It is located next to the beautiful downtown square. We had an enjoyable discussion about how life will change for them upon the arrival of Emily's baby brother. It was perfect weather, a delicious lunch, and a stimulating conversation about one of life's great events! Life is good.

SINCERE GRATITUDE CAN CREATE AN ABUNDANCE OF WHAT YOU WANT IN LIFE.

I recently bought a train ticket and the first words on the reservation were “Thank you for choosing Amtrak”. Almost all services and products have a “thank you” on the receipt. There is a reason why companies and people express gratitude. It is a powerful emotion that creates more business for companies and more benefits for people. In fact, psychologists tell us that it can create wealth and happiness. Gratitude has been said to have one of the strongest links with mental health of any trait. Grateful people are more likely to have higher levels of happiness and lower levels of stress and depression. There are positive consequences from being a more grateful person!

So, how can we develop more of this valuable attitude that unleashes blessings? To begin with, we should all be grateful for the adventure that is life, including all of its twists and turns. When you feel grateful for existence itself, it becomes part of your identity. You are broadcasting gratitude all the time. Ultimately you attract circumstances that are beneficial for you. Developing an attitude of gratitude is one of the most important things you can do for attracting the things you desire into your life. According to Cicero, “Gratitude is not only the greatest of the virtues but the parent of all others.”   Hey, thanks a lot for listening! I am very grateful. 

CONTROVERSIAL SUBJECTS_POLITICS & RELIGION

Last Wednesday I discussed politics. Now, I will discuss the other taboo subject. Religion is a very touchy subject that people either avoid or hide their true feelings. It is not a matter of what you know but it is a matter of what you believe. And what you believe depends on who your parents were and what experiences you have had. Both atheist and theist are usually dogmatic and unyielding in what they believe. No matter how reasonable your argument, you are not going to change what another person believes. You can’t reason a person out of a position that they didn’t reason themselves into in the first place. It’s just what they believe or have faith in. And that is why it is a subject that is usually avoided. It is a difficult subject to discuss. Nobody is going to change their mind so don’t try to win an argument. You are just wasting your breath!

I find agnosticism to be a perfectly respectable and tenable position. It is not dogmatic and makes no pronouncements about the ultimate truths of the universe. It remains open to evidence and persuasion; lacking faith it, never the less, does not deride faith. Atheism, on the other hand, is as unyielding and dogmatic about religious belief as true believers are about their faith. It tries to use scientific reasoning to demolish something that is not built upon reason but is built on faith. That ain’t gonna work! It has been my experience that there are good people in all the religious faiths as well as atheism. So let’s live and let live! That is my philosophy. Amen.

I TOLD YOU SO!

What a mess we are in. I tried to warn that this would happen but nobody listened. On May 18, 2010, my blog was written about the dangers of too much debt in our government. I said a crisis was coming and a time of reckoning: http://freelancethinker1.blogspot.com/2010/05/mysterious-dumbness-in-our-land-why.html   “Fueled by President Obama’s huge stimulus package, the US budget deficit is projected to exceed $1.6 Trillion! Spending, borrowing, and debt are out of control. This is a dire situation. This is an unmanageable burden on future generations. We must stop the dumbness in Washington.”

We are now on an unsustainable path with a credit rating reduction and a crashing stock market. The only good thing about it is that we have hit bottom. When a drug addict hits bottom, he is usually ready to reform and kick the habit. Let’s hope our representatives are now ready to kick the debt habit. If they don’t, let’s hope our citizens are ready to kick their collective ass!! I’m mad as hell and I’m not going to take any more dumbness from Washington. How about you?

WEDDINGS AND FUNERALS

This past week I attended a wedding reception and a funeral. Both were emotionally moving experiences. The wedding was for a young friend and the funeral was for an old friend. The young friend’s event reminded me of my own wedding.  I was excited, worried but hopeful that everything would turn out alright. Everything turned out more than alright. My lovely bride and I have had a terrific marriage that has produced 5 children and 10 grandchildren (so far). To say that we have been blessed would be an understatement!

The old friend’s event was expected but still sad. She was an 88 year old woman who had been a good friend of my wife and my wife’s parents. The parents are gone and so is their friend. The dear departed one had many friends and a large loving family. I have many fond memories of some good times with her and my wife’s parents. Part of the joy of marriage comes from involvement with your spouse’s family. Families joining other families through marriage can be a very good thing!