The saying is not original – it is from Seneca.
The following article is not original either – I got this from a group that focuses on Stoicism. (Roger, remember?)

Got a chuckle out of reading this. Well made points with simple explanations.
—
When you zoom out far enough, almost everything becomes absurd. Think about it: We are monkeys living on a space rock. We are a split second of the infinity of existence. If humanity survives long enough, people will laugh at us the way we laugh at Neanderthals. People used to have serious arguments about how many angels could fit on the head of a pin or whether the world was flat. They not only thought kings were a good idea, they thought they had divine right! What do you think they’re going to think about the arguments we have today? Or even our cutting edge science?

Even WWI is funny with enough distance. One archduke was assassinated and the entire world went to war over it. For basically no reason. And then, even after millions of people died, everyone was so stupid that they immediately forgot the lessons of the war and had to fight it again a generation later!

The troubles you’re having at work will be ridiculous to you three jobs from now. Think about all the things you cared about when you were a teenager and how silly they seem to you today—now consider that this exact evolution will happen to you at middle age, and again in old age if you are lucky enough to live that long. Think about something that’s really frustrating you about your neighbor or your parents. Now imagine telling a person in Syria or North Korea about it. Your neighbor doesn’t mow his front lawn or trim his bushes? Your dad forgot about your daughter’s dance recital? They would think you were joking! You’re seriously telling me that’s what’s on your mind? That’s what bothers you? You’re hilarious!

Draw back and laugh. It’s freeing. It’s a relief.
—
Credits to “The Daily Stoic”

Tonight is our Day Light Savings night. Basically, at after 1:59am, the clocks jump to 3:00am. Which means 2 am is the same as 3am. And yet, when I went to check the weather channel for the forecast, this is what I got…

How can we have 50% forecast of rain and also 80% for exactly the same moment of time?

I was reading this book last night – Wisdom 2.0 – and came across a data that caught me by surprise. It is the amount Americans spend on fighting sleeplessness. To follow up, did some snooping around this morning to get some more data. Turns out we are spending somewhere around $50B on drugs and medicine every year to stave off insomnia. Consumer Reports has some informative articles on this.

To get a perspective on that number – that is $150 per year per man, woman and child in this country! Enough to make me lose sleep right now!!

On the other hand, maybe that is where we should take $5B from and give it to Trump to build the wall. Maybe we should stay sleepless. We are the ones who elected him, right? 🙂

Keeping up with my tradition of starting the year by “wishing you enough”. A message worth repeating every year. Also acknowledging Larry Mason who had originally wished me enough…

It would never be the start of a new year for me if I did not send my “I wish you enough” message like every year. Again, credits are to Larry who had “wished me enough” for the first time many years back.

“I wish you enough!”
By Bob Perks
———————–
I never really thought that I’d spend as much time in airports as I do. I don’t know why. I always wanted to be famous and that would mean lots of travel. But I’m not famous, yet I do see more than my share of airports.

I love them and I hate them. I love them because of the people I get to watch. But they are also the same reason why I hate airports. It all comes down to “hello” and “goodbye.”I must have mentioned this a few times while writing my stories for you.

I have great difficulties with saying goodbye. Even as I write this I am experiencing that pounding sensation in my heart. If I am watching such a scene in a movie I am affected so much that I need to sit up and take a few deep breaths. So when faced with a challenge in my life I have been known to go to our local airport and watch people say goodbye. I figure nothing that is happening to me at the time could be as bad as having to say goodbye.

Watching people cling to each other, crying, and holding each other in that last embrace makes me appreciate what I have even more. Seeing them finally pull apart, extending their arms until the tips of their fingers are the last to let go, is an image that stays forefront in my mind throughout the day.

On one of my recent business trips, when I arrived at the counter to check in, the woman said, “How are you today?” I replied, “I am missing my wife already and I haven’t even said goodbye.”
She then looked at my ticket and began to ask, “How long will you…Oh, my God. You will only be gone three days!” We all laughed. My problem was I still had to say goodbye.

But I learn from goodbye moments, too.

Recently I overheard a father and daughter in their last moments together. They had announced her departure and standing near the security gate, they hugged and he said, “I love you. I wish you enough.” She in turn said, “Daddy, our life together has been more than enough. Your love is all I ever needed. I wish you enough, too, Daddy.”

They kissed and she left. He walked over toward the window where I was seated. Standing there I could see he wanted and needed to cry. I tried not to intrude on his privacy, but he welcomed me in by asking, “Did you ever say goodbye to someone knowing it would be forever?”

“Yes, I have,” I replied. Saying that brought back memories I had of expressing my love and appreciation for all my Dad had done for me. Recognizing that his days were limited, I took the time to tell him face to face how much he meant to me.

So I knew what this man experiencing.

“Forgive me for asking, but why is this a forever goodbye?” I asked.
“I am old and she lives much too far away. I have challenges ahead and the reality is, the next trip back would be for my funeral,” he said.

“When you were saying goodbye I heard you say, “I wish you enough.” May I ask what that means?”
He began to smile. “That’s a wish that has been handed down from other generations. My parents used to say it to everyone.” He paused for a moment and looking up as if trying to remember it in detail, he smiled even more.”When we said ‘I wish you enough,’ we were wanting the other person to have a life filled with just enough good things to sustain them,” he continued and then turning toward me he shared the following as if he were reciting it from memory.

“I wish you enough sun to keep your attitude bright.
I wish you enough rain to appreciate the sun more.
I wish you enough happiness to keep your spirit alive.
I wish you enough pain so that the smallest joys in life appear much bigger.
I wish you enough gain to satisfy your wanting.
I wish you enough loss to appreciate all that you possess.
I wish enough “Hello’s” to get you through the final “Goodbye.”
He then began to sob and walked away.
—

My friends, I wish you enough!

What is wrong with this picture? Notice the Facebook logo.
How did this happen?

And it is true that I – probably like many of us – are doing less and less worth remembering… it is still even more true that being on the other side of 50, remembering itself can be a chore.

Medical science seems to point to how memory deteriorates after an age (unfortunately much before 50). However, science also is suggesting how we can exercise our memory cells and prolong their life.

Personally, it started with learning all the African countries since Natasha decided to spend half a year in Ghana. Then, it was about learning all the African capitals. Then it expanded to all the 195 countries of the UN. Then it was their capitals.

Now I have created a Frankenstein. I want to “remember” more things. Can you help me suggest some interesting things that would be worth (re)learning and remembering? I was thinking of the Periodic Table as an example. What other things are out there that might be interesting to “memorize”?

It used to be – when I was half my age, I could not stand Rabindrasangeet (Tagore’s songs). I found them to be slow and too easy to sing or play with. To be sure, I am one of the rare Indians who went thru a full engineering and MBA course without ever getting into or listening to Western music. I was more about the sophistication of the songs that originated from the Sufi movement and that included Nazrulgeeti.

As I age, I find myself inexplicably attracted to Rabindrasangeet. They are still slow and easy to play with. And that is exactly what I like. The one difference is that as I am forced to slow down, I find meaning in the songs that completely escaped me.

Just like a singer friend of mine two decades ago had predicted will happen to me!!

Be it songs, motorbiking or life, I am finding that momentary speeding up is easy. Slowing down and staying steady is so much more difficult. And yet that is mysteriously attractive.

“Tomar khola haowa 

Laagiye paaley, tomar khola haowa

Tukro korey kaachhi 

Aami doobtey raaji aachhi

Sokal amaar gelo michhey 

Bikel je jay taari pichhey

Rekho na aar bedho na aar

Kuler kaachhakaachhi

Aami doobtey raaji aachhi

Tomar khola haowa”

“Your gush of fresh wind

Has touched my sails

And tore away my anchor

Now, I am even willing to drown

My morning has gone in vain

And my evening will follow soon

No! No! Do not tie me down

To anywhere near the shore

(For I want to be blown away by)

Your gush of fresh wind… “