This blog is an accomplishment, it is my 250th distinct one. When I started posting back in 2017, I never guessed I had the content to still be posting 8 years later. That many blog posts is over 250,000 words or 800+ pages, which compares with Steinbeck’s East of Eden, Dostoyevsky’s Crime and Punishment, and Melville’s Moby Dick. I am not comparing the quality of my content with those great writers, just the quantity.
To commemorate this milestone, I am doing something unique. I keep a document called “Blog Thoughts for Development.” Whenever I read or hear something that catches my attention, but don’t have an existing concept that it fits, I add it to this document for future use. When starting a new blog, I will ‘word search’ this document to see if there are points to add. Today the document has over 5500 words and 12 pages. This edition combines some of those random thoughts and ideas together. I have extracted a bunch of short statements that I feel stand on their own but can be brought together for a cohesive reflection.
The title, “Eggs Garr-bauge,” is what I call a specialty dish I create, usually for dinner, out of scrambled eggs and anything I can find in the fridge. A collection of individual items, often leftovers, that makes a savory and filling meal to enjoy.
The other title I considered was “Frankenstein.” For those who share my interest in music, this was a song by Edgar Winter Group. It is one of the most famous instrumental rock songs and the last rock instrumental to hit #1 in America (1972). Its title is from the grueling editing that pieced together various splices of tape containing all different pieces – segments of songs that were edited out or never fit into a song.
I love simple, thoughtful sayings and the weight they carry. These have been saved over the years from a variety of sources. I have not listed the originator of these thoughts; some are my thoughts, some may have been said as passing comments, and others are out in the public domain. If needed and interested, credit can be determined by a simple Google search.
In my opinion, here are the best 50 statements and thoughts from my collection:
- If it costs us our peace, it’s too expensive.
- May the best of our todays, be the worst of our tomorrows.
- We do not see things as they are, we see things as we are.
- The truth is whispered, while opinions are shouted.
- Value humanity, not status.
- Refrain from using terms like “obviously” and “clearly” as not everything is perceived the same.
- “Studies show” and “experts say” are dangerous word combinations.
- Perpetual hopefulness is a force multiplier.
- Attention isn’t free. It’s the most valuable thing we spend.
- Funerals in some ways are like weddings, just no dancing.
- If we are more fortunate than others, build a longer table not a taller fence.
- It’s never a rejection, just a redirection towards what’s truly meant for us.
- Fight the battle at the periphery, not at the castle.
- Move towards the next thing, not away from the last thing. Same direction, completely different energy.
- If we’ve got red paint, paint the barn red.
- Difficult roads often lead to beautiful destinations.
- Do what we do, not for applause, but because it’s what’s right.
- All people are born as originals, but many die as photocopies.
- Pain shared is pain divided; Joy shared is joy multiplied.
- Grief is just love that has nowhere to go.
- Time offers so many opportunities, but no “do-overs.”
- Being fit is not a destination, it is a journey.
- Not all mathematicians can teach math.
- African proverb – “The axe forgets, the tree remembers.”
- Stairway to Heaven vs Highway to Hell – consider the number of travelers and the pace of travel.
- Besides being “witnesses to history” we are also “architects of the future.”
- “All lies in jest ‘til a man hears what he wants to hear and disregards the rest.”
- If we get tired, learn to rest not quit.
- No matter where we go, there we are.
- Congolese proverb – “a single bracelet does not jingle.”
- “In my case” is the exception, different from being exceptional.
- Believe the best; assume the worst.
- We can’t make someone else’s choices; we shouldn’t let someone else make ours.
- Resilience is not about how quickly we bounce back — it’s about how fully we recover.
- Our founding fathers were exceptional.
- Pay our RENT in life – Rest, Exercise, Nutrition, Thoughts.
- Stung by a bee, we fear a fly.
- How we think is as important as what we think.
- Sport is a great character builder, but a poor god.
- Awards are given by man; rewards are given by God.
- We can’t get to a place that we don’t believe exists.
- No sin can be undone, only forgiven.
- There is no attorney-client privilege at the judgment seat of Christ.
- God deals with us as gently as he can or as harshly as he must.
- If God does not bring judgment against America, he owes Sodom and Gomorrah an apology.
- Satan believes in God.
- Unfortunately, Christians are more identified by what we oppose than Who we follow.
- Man’s first breath was not of oxygen or air, but of God’s breath.
- If it is needed for our sanctification, God will provide it. If he doesn’t provide it, it was not needed for sanctification.
- God is concerned with our holiness, not our happiness.
Never throw away a simple thought that strikes a chord. The most basic idea can give valuable insight. God often works through seemingly small, basic, or ordinary things to accomplish His will for us and bring about significant change or impact. Rejoice and Godspeed.
An in the words of Sonny and Cher – “The Beat Goes On.”
