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One of my most powerful lessons on creative thinking was my aha! when I realized that half of eight was O! I was in an arithmetic class in elementary school and as I looked at the number 8, I realized that "half of eight equals 4" wasn't the only right answer! This discovery thrilled me and I immediately raised my hand to share this with my teacher and the rest of the class. The teacher was neither impressed nor pleased. She was visibly annoyed. By the time I got home, my dad, a calculus professor at an engineering school, had received a call. He sat me down at the dining room table to have a conversation. His face was expressionless (my dad had made a considerable amount of money in the Korean War playing Black Jack and unlike me, had an enviable poker face). He told me that my teacher had called and given her perspective, quite negative, on my discovery, and he asked me to explain mine. "Well, I just realized that half of eight can be zero," I said quietly, my head down. "Can you prove it?" he asked, and I saw a grin cross his face. He knew I could! So I drew an eight, and covered the top. 0! My dad was not angry. He was pleased! And as I looked at the 8 I realize it could be an E or a 3! And if I turned it on its side, it could be an m or a w! It was then that I realized being creative in school might not be well received. Over the years, many teachers wanted me to memorize and regurgitate. Thankfully my dad, a Calculus professor, wanted me to think. My life would have been very different if he has scolded or reprimanded me as my teacher had. I have often wondered over the years as I've worked with young people, how many times their creative ideas and potential contributions have been squelched. Seeing things in new and different ways adds such joy to life. Just this morning my daughter Mycala came up with an idea that i could see changing everything in her life, and have a humorous and joyful impact on others! I've been smiling since and thinking of how blessed I was to have support in my life for looking for more than one right answer!
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I recently read a story about a man who dreamt he was a softly moving beam of light floating through a crowd. The dream prompted him to consider the impact he had on others as he moved through his day. He made the decision to literally be a 'beam of light'. He made a commitment to bring warmth and light to his personal '10 foot zone". With our 6 feet social distancing area during the pandemic, it is positive way to think of filling the space. There are people who light up the area around them naturally. Wouldn't it be phenomenal if we would all become aware of the warmth we can extend to others, whether in a long line at the grocery store, a traffic jam or passing a neighbor? A smile and a kind word can make all the difference. If they don't smile back, we shouldn't take it personally. We never know what is going on in people's lives. But most of the time people will be receptive, and they'll probably pass the warmth along to others. We can't control what is happening in the world, and the media makes us very aware of the ugliness and injustice. Yet we are much more powerful than we realize. Extend a warm smile, a sincere compliment, gentle reassurance - it doesn't cost anything to use our boundless source of love and energy to make the world a kinder, gentler place. We all have the power to impact our own 6 foot radius. If each one of us commits to that small area, and all of the circles connect, the impact would be immeasurable. “The difference between what we do and what we are capable of doing  Today is the first year anniversary of my brother Benjamin's death - 11-03-2016 - and I miss him. Benjamin's favorite color was yellow, he had a special place in his heart for cats, and enjoyed all kinds of music, He was an expert chess player and played daily. His sense of humor was so dry that most people missed it. He was one of the youngest to receive Eagle Scout, an honor earned by only about 4% of Boy Scouts. He loved his country and served in the Navy and later in the Marines. Benjamin graduated from the University of Texas in Austin and kept his love for all things Texas in his heart by watching westerns, listening to country music and cheering for any sports team within the Texas borders. He was often seen in a cowboy hat and boots, carrying a walking stick in later years.
Benjamin loved numbers. He kept notebooks filled with the numbers the way I keep journals filled with words and sketches. He assessed life through numbers, daily listing dates, temperatures, check book balances, stock figures, and some I can't decipher. When I would grumble about math or balancing the check book, he'd grin and say, "What's the problem? There are only 10 of them." My dad, who passed on his fascination with numbers, was a calculus professor at an engineering school. His death anniversary was yesterday - 11-02-1963 - twenty days before President Kennedy was assassinated. That's another post. They both viewed the world numerically, a skill I've never quite embraced. If you look at the categories to the right on the side bar, you'll see that I have at times attempted to give them more attention. They've been on my mind more than usual lately since I'm keeping a daily word count for NaNoWriMo and keeping statistics on on my website. In an attempt to keep my brother's memory closer, I'm committing to paying more attention to the numbers in my life.  Have you noticed a pattern? My last numerical post was the number 12, and today's is 12,000. This wasn't planned. It's the result of a story a friend shared. Her husband decided to plant marigolds. A lot of marigolds. 12,000 to be exact. He planted them in a relatively small area - a few feet wide by about two car lengths. - I'm guessing about 12 feet. I found myself smiling for the rest of the day, elated at the thought of the excessiveness. What a creative, grand gesture! Large numbers can lift what would be a rather mundane, every day event to extraordinary. Memorable moments can be achieved quickly through multiplication! Amethysts are the treasure most likely to use excess and exaggeration in memorable gift giving. Scroll down to the section on how each of the treasures use roses in gift giving for examples. Those of you who have been following my posts probably know that I am enchanted with the legends, lore and history of plants. You may also know that I visited India where the extravagant use of marigolds is a daily occurrence. So there were a number of things about the marigold planting that delighted me. I arrived in India in the early hours of a full moon night. Even though the hour was late, the traffic was still memorable. It was shortly after my ride through the streets of Delhi, weaving in and out of patternless traffic completely amazed that no one hit anyone, that I learned that marigolds were credited with protection. Strands of marigolds were draped from rear view mirrors, piled on dash boards and draped across laps as unsecured seat belts. This from Article VI of Peter Hughes hilarious 12 rules of the Indian Road. (The number 12. There is it again. None of this is by accident). Article VI - "in the absence of seat belts (which there is), car occupants shall wear garlands of marigolds. These should be kept fastened at all times." |
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The average number of days we are given on this earth is estimated to be roughly 30,000. That may seem like a lot if you have recently made your debut, but for some of us, there are more days behind us than ahead. By the time we are 54 years old, the estimated amount of days left is 10,000.
My dad spent roughly 16760 days on this earth. He taught me many lessons, and still provide valuable inspirations. When I think of numbers, which is becoming more and more frequent, he comes to mind.
When he died, I wrote a poem about a falling star and how quickly something could end. Recent events have reinforced the value of each day. There is an illusion that tomorrow will come. It may not - for us for those we love.
Living each day with gratitude, and an appreciation of the present moment will ensure that we best use the time we have been gifted!
Today is Saturday, and counting days reminds me of a story that we used in time management trainings years ago.
My dad spent roughly 16760 days on this earth. He taught me many lessons, and still provide valuable inspirations. When I think of numbers, which is becoming more and more frequent, he comes to mind.
When he died, I wrote a poem about a falling star and how quickly something could end. Recent events have reinforced the value of each day. There is an illusion that tomorrow will come. It may not - for us for those we love.
Living each day with gratitude, and an appreciation of the present moment will ensure that we best use the time we have been gifted!
Today is Saturday, and counting days reminds me of a story that we used in time management trainings years ago.
1000 Marbles
The older I get, the more I enjoy Saturday mornings. Perhaps it's the quiet solitude that comes with being the first to rise, or maybe it's the unbounded joy of not having to be at work. Either way, the first few hours of a Saturday morning are most enjoyable.
A few weeks ago, I was shuffling toward the backyard patio with a steaming cup of coffee in one hand and the morning paper in the other. What began as a typical Saturday morning, turned into one of those lessons that life seems to hand you from time to time. Let me tell you about it.
I turned the dial up to listen to a Saturday morning talk show I heard an older sounding gentleman, with a golden voice. You know the kind, he sounded like he should be in the broadcasting business. He was telling whoever he was talking with something about "a thousand marbles".
I was intrigued and stopped to listen to what he had to say...
"Well, Tom, it sure sounds like you're busy with your job. I'm sure they pay you well but it's a shame you have to be away from home and your family so much. Hard to believe a young fellow should have to work sixty or seventy hours a week to make ends meet. Too bad you missed your daughter's dance recital."
He continued, “Let me tell you something Tom, something that has helped me keep a good perspective on my own priorities."
And that's when he began to explain his theory of a "thousand marbles." "You see, I sat down one day and did a little arithmetic. The average person lives about seventy-five years. I know, some live more and some live less, but on average, folks live about seventy-five years."
"Now then, I multiplied 75 times 52 and I came up with 3900 which is the number of Saturdays that the average person has in their entire lifetime.
Now stick with me Tom, I'm getting to the important part."
"It took me until I was fifty-five years old to think about all this in any detail", he went on, "and by that time I had lived through over twenty-eight hundred Saturdays. I got to thinking that if I lived to be seventy-five, I only had about a thousand of them left to enjoy."
"So I went to a toy store and bought every single marble they had. I ended up having to visit three toy stores to round-up 1000 marbles. I took them home and put them inside of a large, clear plastic container right here in the shack next to my gear. Every Saturday since then, I have taken one marble out and thrown it away."
"I found that by watching the marbles diminish, I focused more on the really important things in life. There is nothing like watching your time here on this earth run out to help get your priorities straight."
"Now let me tell you one last thing before I sign-off with you and take my lovely wife out for breakfast. This morning, I took the very last marble out of the container. I figure if I make it until next Saturday then I have been given a little extra time. And the one thing we can all use is a little more time."
"It was nice to meet you Tom, I hope you spend more time with your family, and I hope to meet you again.
You could have heard a pin drop on the radio when this fellow signed off. I guess he gave us all a lot to think about. I had planned to work that morning. Instead, I went upstairs and woke my wife up with a kiss. "C'mon honey, I'm taking you and the kids to breakfast."
"What brought this on?" she asked with a smile. "Oh, nothing special, it's just been a while since we spent a Saturday together with the kids. Hey, can we stop at a toy store while we're out? I need to buy some marbles."
Source: Anonymous – received by email in mid 90’s.
A few weeks ago, I was shuffling toward the backyard patio with a steaming cup of coffee in one hand and the morning paper in the other. What began as a typical Saturday morning, turned into one of those lessons that life seems to hand you from time to time. Let me tell you about it.
I turned the dial up to listen to a Saturday morning talk show I heard an older sounding gentleman, with a golden voice. You know the kind, he sounded like he should be in the broadcasting business. He was telling whoever he was talking with something about "a thousand marbles".
I was intrigued and stopped to listen to what he had to say...
"Well, Tom, it sure sounds like you're busy with your job. I'm sure they pay you well but it's a shame you have to be away from home and your family so much. Hard to believe a young fellow should have to work sixty or seventy hours a week to make ends meet. Too bad you missed your daughter's dance recital."
He continued, “Let me tell you something Tom, something that has helped me keep a good perspective on my own priorities."
And that's when he began to explain his theory of a "thousand marbles." "You see, I sat down one day and did a little arithmetic. The average person lives about seventy-five years. I know, some live more and some live less, but on average, folks live about seventy-five years."
"Now then, I multiplied 75 times 52 and I came up with 3900 which is the number of Saturdays that the average person has in their entire lifetime.
Now stick with me Tom, I'm getting to the important part."
"It took me until I was fifty-five years old to think about all this in any detail", he went on, "and by that time I had lived through over twenty-eight hundred Saturdays. I got to thinking that if I lived to be seventy-five, I only had about a thousand of them left to enjoy."
"So I went to a toy store and bought every single marble they had. I ended up having to visit three toy stores to round-up 1000 marbles. I took them home and put them inside of a large, clear plastic container right here in the shack next to my gear. Every Saturday since then, I have taken one marble out and thrown it away."
"I found that by watching the marbles diminish, I focused more on the really important things in life. There is nothing like watching your time here on this earth run out to help get your priorities straight."
"Now let me tell you one last thing before I sign-off with you and take my lovely wife out for breakfast. This morning, I took the very last marble out of the container. I figure if I make it until next Saturday then I have been given a little extra time. And the one thing we can all use is a little more time."
"It was nice to meet you Tom, I hope you spend more time with your family, and I hope to meet you again.
You could have heard a pin drop on the radio when this fellow signed off. I guess he gave us all a lot to think about. I had planned to work that morning. Instead, I went upstairs and woke my wife up with a kiss. "C'mon honey, I'm taking you and the kids to breakfast."
"What brought this on?" she asked with a smile. "Oh, nothing special, it's just been a while since we spent a Saturday together with the kids. Hey, can we stop at a toy store while we're out? I need to buy some marbles."
Source: Anonymous – received by email in mid 90’s.
Wishing you a day filled with precious and memorable moments.
My dad had a delightful way of viewing life. He combined his logical, linear left brain thinking skills with creative and intuitive right brain skills, and approached life with masterful intelligence, lack of judgement, humor and insatiable curiosity. He had a genius IQ, was a member of Mensa, a Mason and a college professor. He was creative, open minded, and loved thinking 'outside the box', decades before the now overused term was coined. When an elementary school teacher was annoyed with me for stating that half of 8 was 0, he was amused, because as we both knew, I could prove it! In a school system that limited us to finding the one and only answer, he encouraged me to keep looking.
"Experiment. Think. Use your brain. Don't accept anything anyone says as the only way. It will limit you."
After he died at the very young age of 46, there was no one to encourage me to think creatively. I watched as my classmates beamed with pride at knowing the one right answer, usually memorized, not thought out. I no longer dared verbalize a different perspective or point of view.
Half of eight is four. Period.
Or is it? Of course there is 0. Cut 8 in half horizontally and there is no denying it. Slice it vertically. It could be E. Could be 3. Turn 8 on it's side and slice it horizontally. You'll find an m or a w. If we begin with a roman numeral, half of VIII may still be VIII. And on it goes . . .
But why does thinking creatively matter? It's just a game . . . a trick . . . a diversion. Fluff, right?
My most valuable aha in regard to the power of creative thinking occurred in Washington D.C. when we attended Colin Powell's celebration of the 100 Best Communities to raise young people in the country. Harrisburg, PA was proud to be included, and the highlight of the trip was listening to the stories about other winning communities across the nation.
There was a town in West Virginia in economic decline. Coal mining had been their main source of revenue, but it was no longer lucrative and the young people were leaving their families and friends to find work in other areas. There was a sense of hopelessness as more and more people left the area, having given up on revitalizing the town. Their paradigm was the only way to make a living there was through coal mining.
Then they began to look for alternative solutions. Could anything be done in a coal mine other than mining coal? They began to look at the characteristics of the mines and discovered that the temperature in a coal mine was ideal for raising fish. A new industry was born and the town began to thrive. Families were able to stay together and the quality of life improved by quantum leaps.
Looking beyond the traditional correct answer can move us to new alternatives, and those choices can improve the quality of every aspect of our lives.
"Experiment. Think. Use your brain. Don't accept anything anyone says as the only way. It will limit you."
After he died at the very young age of 46, there was no one to encourage me to think creatively. I watched as my classmates beamed with pride at knowing the one right answer, usually memorized, not thought out. I no longer dared verbalize a different perspective or point of view.
Half of eight is four. Period.
Or is it? Of course there is 0. Cut 8 in half horizontally and there is no denying it. Slice it vertically. It could be E. Could be 3. Turn 8 on it's side and slice it horizontally. You'll find an m or a w. If we begin with a roman numeral, half of VIII may still be VIII. And on it goes . . .
But why does thinking creatively matter? It's just a game . . . a trick . . . a diversion. Fluff, right?
My most valuable aha in regard to the power of creative thinking occurred in Washington D.C. when we attended Colin Powell's celebration of the 100 Best Communities to raise young people in the country. Harrisburg, PA was proud to be included, and the highlight of the trip was listening to the stories about other winning communities across the nation.
There was a town in West Virginia in economic decline. Coal mining had been their main source of revenue, but it was no longer lucrative and the young people were leaving their families and friends to find work in other areas. There was a sense of hopelessness as more and more people left the area, having given up on revitalizing the town. Their paradigm was the only way to make a living there was through coal mining.
Then they began to look for alternative solutions. Could anything be done in a coal mine other than mining coal? They began to look at the characteristics of the mines and discovered that the temperature in a coal mine was ideal for raising fish. A new industry was born and the town began to thrive. Families were able to stay together and the quality of life improved by quantum leaps.
Looking beyond the traditional correct answer can move us to new alternatives, and those choices can improve the quality of every aspect of our lives.
One Thousand Ways to Enhance Your Life with Herbs!
At the end of my fourth session of Enhancing Your Life with Herbs workshop I asked my participants how many ways they could list to enhance their lives with herbs. Dorothy Levinson, who inspired my Haunting Herbs e-book responded, "One thousand!" .
Yay for Dorothy - she is such a creative thinker! And yes, one thousand. Easily! I'm working on a handout on the ABCs of using herbs. Dorothy has inspired me once again!
A is Any Herb.
We'll use Basil as an example.
Basil - herbal vinegar, herbal oil, pesto, Bacon, Basil and Tomato Sandwiches, add fresh leaves to a salad a tossed salad, make a salad dressing using basil, make a spread using basil - use butter, cream cheese or cottage cheese base. Drink 1/2 cup basil to remain upright on a broomstick, hand basil to someone you are attracted to and . . . see what happens, make a basil rub for chicken or pork with basil, rosemary and garlic, layer with tomatoes and mozzarella. carry it in your pocket to attract money, grow in a place of business to attract customers, use in the room of a person who is ill to purify the air, give as a gift to bring luck to a new home.
Go on line and look up basil recipes. You’ll find 10,500,000 results. Really, do NOT go on line and find recipes. Use your imagination! Make up your own! Make a 'walk around' salad, using what you find in the garden or grocery store. Use what is fresh and fabulous right now!
That is one herb. There are hundreds (I've illustrated and presented over 200 for the course so far). You could do an entire alphabetic exploration of individual herbs!
B for Bouquets - from victorian Tussie Mussies, symbolism including color and design, and the language of flowers, bouquets for the bath, cooking - pick a cuisine - Thai, Italian, Chineses, herbs as garnishes for place settings - can be seasonal, symbolic, they can encourage, protect, celebrate - endless! I haven't even begun to list all in the possibilities using bouquets!
And then we have the herbal Butters!
I can hardly wait for next weeks class!
Yay for Dorothy - she is such a creative thinker! And yes, one thousand. Easily! I'm working on a handout on the ABCs of using herbs. Dorothy has inspired me once again!
A is Any Herb.
We'll use Basil as an example.
Basil - herbal vinegar, herbal oil, pesto, Bacon, Basil and Tomato Sandwiches, add fresh leaves to a salad a tossed salad, make a salad dressing using basil, make a spread using basil - use butter, cream cheese or cottage cheese base. Drink 1/2 cup basil to remain upright on a broomstick, hand basil to someone you are attracted to and . . . see what happens, make a basil rub for chicken or pork with basil, rosemary and garlic, layer with tomatoes and mozzarella. carry it in your pocket to attract money, grow in a place of business to attract customers, use in the room of a person who is ill to purify the air, give as a gift to bring luck to a new home.
Go on line and look up basil recipes. You’ll find 10,500,000 results. Really, do NOT go on line and find recipes. Use your imagination! Make up your own! Make a 'walk around' salad, using what you find in the garden or grocery store. Use what is fresh and fabulous right now!
That is one herb. There are hundreds (I've illustrated and presented over 200 for the course so far). You could do an entire alphabetic exploration of individual herbs!
B for Bouquets - from victorian Tussie Mussies, symbolism including color and design, and the language of flowers, bouquets for the bath, cooking - pick a cuisine - Thai, Italian, Chineses, herbs as garnishes for place settings - can be seasonal, symbolic, they can encourage, protect, celebrate - endless! I haven't even begun to list all in the possibilities using bouquets!
And then we have the herbal Butters!
I can hardly wait for next weeks class!
I applaud you, Stephen Strogatz, for truly putting the joy back in math! My life might have been very different if I had read this book in high school. Biology was my passion, but I avoided the field because of the math courses required for a bachelor of science degree.
My father was a calculus professor and he made math interesting and approachable. He died when I was 13 and afterwards numbers became a challenge because my teachers never explained them with flair and passion. My dad said, "If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it." Strogatz understands it and effectively communicates so that YOU will understand.
Words and art have been my passion all my life, but the world of numbers left me cold. After a life time of being intimidated by numbers, I'm falling in love with math again.
If you, or anyone you know is intimidated by numbers, find a copy of this book and settle in for a delightful spin on the world of math!
My father was a calculus professor and he made math interesting and approachable. He died when I was 13 and afterwards numbers became a challenge because my teachers never explained them with flair and passion. My dad said, "If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it." Strogatz understands it and effectively communicates so that YOU will understand.
Words and art have been my passion all my life, but the world of numbers left me cold. After a life time of being intimidated by numbers, I'm falling in love with math again.
If you, or anyone you know is intimidated by numbers, find a copy of this book and settle in for a delightful spin on the world of math!
"My mission is
to help others see and cherish the beauty,
romance and treasures within and around them
that are often dismissed or completely overlooked."
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Mikell
Mikell is a writer, artist and professional treasure hunter, finding the greatest treasures in the wonderful people who enter her life!
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