Sign
A Coffee Shop Sign that is Easy to Understand
Author: equipsblog
Writer and oenophile in training
Who Packed Your Parachute?
When I got my hair done recently, the shampoo girl gave me a wonderful shampoo–no soap got into my eyes or ears plus a relaxing head and neck massage. In California, there are no shampoo girls because you need a license to work in a salon so the stylist gives you a shampoo which usually translates into soapy eyes and ears, and no massage.
You can find similar scenarios in health care, restaurants, housekeeping, etc. The people that provide the services that make us feel loved, pampered or cared for are usually not the ones with the money, titles, or prestige.
Who Packed My Parachute
Charles Plumb was a US Navy jet pilot in Vietnam. After 75 combat missions, his plane was destroyed by a surface-to-air missile. Plumb ejected and parachuted into enemy hands. He was captured and spent six years in a communist Vietnamese prison. He survived the ordeal and now lectures on lessons learned from that experience!
One day, when Plumb and his wife were sitting in a restaurant, a man at another table came up and said, ‘ You’re Plumb! You flew jet fighters in Vietnam from the aircraft carrier Kitty Hawk. You were shot down!
‘How in the world did you know that?
‘I packed your parachute,’ the man replied.
Plumb gasped in surprise and gratitude.
The man pumped his hand and said, ‘I guess it worked!’
Plumb assured him, ‘It sure did. If your chute hadn’t worked, I wouldn’t be here today.’
Plumb couldn’t sleep that night, thinking about that man. Plumb says, ‘I kept wondering what he had looked like in a Navy uniform: a white hat; a bib in the back; and bell-bottom trousers. I wonder how many times I might have seen him and not even said ‘Good morning, how are you?’ or anything because, you see, I was a fighter pilot and he was just a sailor.’ Plumb thought of the many hours the sailor had spent at a long wooden table in the bowels of the ship, carefully weaving the shrouds and folding the silks of each chute, holding in his hands each time the fate of someone he didn’t know.
Now, Plumb asks his audience, ‘Who’s packing your parachute?’ Everyone has someone who provides what they need to make it through the day. He also points out that he needed many kinds of parachutes when his plane was shot down over enemy territory – he needed his physical parachute, his mental parachute, his emotional parachute, and his spiritual parachute. He called on all these supports before reaching safety.
Sometimes in the daily challenges that life gives us, we miss what is really important. We may fail to say hello, please, thank you, I missed you, or congratulate someone on something wonderful that has happened to them, give a compliment, or just do something nice for no reason. As you go through this week, this month, this year, recognize people who pack your parachutes.
I am sending you this as my way of thanking you for your part in packing my parachute. And I hope you will send it on to those who have helped pack yours! Sometimes, we wonder why friends keep forwarding jokes to us without writing a word. Maybe this could explain it! When you are very busy, but still want to keep in touch, guess what you do – you forward jokes. And to let you know that you are still remembered, you are still important, you are still loved, you are still cared for, guess what you get? A forwarded joke. So, my friend, next time when you get a joke, don’t think that you’ve been sent just another forwarded joke, but that you’ve been thought of today and your friend on the other end of your computer wanted to send you a smile, just helping you pack your parachute.
My thanks to you for making my life better.
We can’t all be stars, but we can all twinkle.
Raised in Supplication
Buds formed. Promises made. Beseeching branches ask when.
Swami Cat Wisdom – meme…
Good advice. Why does WP allow us to reblog something if it does not allow us to show the content?
When Are You Old?
Age is a sliding scale. At what age are you really old?
My cousin’s husband shared this story. At Marian Manor (a Catholic home for the aged), a bus was available on Christmas Eve to take those residents that wanted or needed to ride from the residence to the nearby church. He was offering the residents assistance up the stairs if they needed it. One lady asked him to please fetch her glasses from her room because she would need them to follow the mass. When he gave them to the lady, the 90 something told him “I don’t like to wear them normally because they make me look old.”
My youthful friend in her late 80s, laughed at me this week when I complained about getting old. She graduated from high school the year after I was born.
In my 40’s I thought that old age was glasses, gray hair and wrinkles. I now know that is the easy part and can be tolerated or compensated without a lot of hassles.
What do you consider old and why?
The Labyrinth and the Lady Bug
Four women proceed in silence heads bowed sock clad feet barely whispering on cloth labyrinth Another joins lady bug walking her own path Coincidence?
January 22 is Chinese New Year or Chinese Lunar New Year’s Day or Chinese Spring Festival
All three titles are used in National Today’s January 22nd Holidays.
Chinese Lunar New Year’s Day is celebrated every year on the first day of the traditional lunisolar Chinese calendar, typically occurring between January 21 and February 20. This year, it falls on January 22. It is also commonly referred to as Lunar New Year or Spring Festival. Celebrations last for 15 days, seven of which are work-free. During this fun period, families get together, cash gifts are handed to young people, and homes are thoroughly cleaned to usher in fresh blessings for the new year.
https://nationaltoday.com/chinese-lunar-new-years-day/
The celebration will last until February 5. It is the Year of the Rabbit.
This is one of many Spring holidays celebrated around the world about this time.
January is Not Good for Flies
Fly spun in circles Neither legs or wings could help Now tired or expired?
Merriam-Webster Name that Instrument
Do you know your snare from your kettle or your guitar from your banjo? If so this might be your quiz.
The Man Rules
From a forwarded email
At last a guy has taken the time to write this all down
Finally , the guys’ side of the story.
( I must admit, it’s pretty good.)
We always hear ” the rules”
From the female side….
Now here are the rules from the male side.
These are our rules!
Please note.. these are all numbered “1 ”
ON PURPOSE!
1. Men are NOT mind readers.
(FIRST & FOREMOST RULE)
1. Learn to work the toilet seat.
You’re a big girl. If it’s up, put it down.
We need it up, you need it down.
You don’t hear us complaining about you leaving it down.
(I am pleased to say that my husband was trained as a boy to leave the seat down.)
1. Sunday sports or news, It’s like the full moon
or the changing of the tides.
Let it be.
1.. Crying is blackmail.
1. Ask for what you want.
Let us be clear on this one:
Subtle hints do not work!
Strong hints do not work!
Obvious hints do not work!
Just say it!
1. Yes and No are perfectly acceptable answers to almost every question.
1. Come to us with a problem only if you want help solving it. That’s what we do.
Sympathy is what your girlfriends are for.
1. Anything we said 6 months ago is inadmissible in an argument.
In fact, all comments become Null and void after 7 Days.
1. If you think you’re fat, you probably are.
Don’t ask us.
1. If something we said can be interpreted two ways and one of the ways makes you sad or angry, we meant the other one
1. You can either ask us to do something
Or tell us how you want it done.
Not both.
If you already know best how to do it , just do it yourself.
1. Whenever possible, Please say whatever you have to say during commercials..
1. Captain Cook did NOT need directions and neither do we.
1. ALL men see in only 16 colors, like Windows default settings.
Peach, for example, is a fruit, not A color. Pumpkin is also a fruit. We have no idea what mauve is.
1. If it itches, it will be scratched.
We do that.
1. If we ask what is wrong and you say “nothing,” We will act like nothing’s wrong.
We know you are lying, but it is just not worth the hassle..
1. If you ask a question you don’t want an answer to, Expect an answer you don’t want to hear.
1. When we have to go somewhere, absolutely anything you wear is fine… Really .
1. Don’t ask us what we’re thinking about unless you are prepared to discuss such topics as Football
or Cars.
1. You have enough clothes.
1. You have too many shoes.
1. I am in shape. Round IS a shape!
1. Thank you for reading this.
Yes, I know, I have to sleep on the couch tonight;
But did you know men really don’t mind that? It’s like camping.
Pass this to as many men as you can –
to give them a laugh.
Pass this to as many women as you can –
to give them a bigger laugh.
How the Government Could Save Money
From a forwarded email
To help save the economy, the Government will announce next month that the Immigration Department will start deporting seniors instead of illegals in order to lower Social Security and Medicare costs.
Older people are easier to catch and will not remember how to get back home.
Be sure to send this notice to your relatives and friends so they’ll know what happened to you.
I started to cry when I thought of you but then it dawned on me, I’ll see you on the bus.
What Awe Inspires
This, Dr. Keltner said, is especially critical in the age of social media. “We are at this cultural moment of narcissism and self-shame and criticism and entitlement; awe gets us out of that,” Dr. Keltner said. It does this by helping us get out of our own heads and “realize our place in the larger context, our communities,” he explained.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/03/well/live/awe-wonder-dacher-keltner.html?
What Awe Does
- Takes us out of ourselves by quieting our inner critique
- Connects us to other people, places, and events
- Makes us feel better
When I take an early morning walk to focus on what my five senses are experiencing, I am living in the moment and usually trying to enjoy things as they unfold. My sense of awe is special and I’m a participant, not just a spectator.
Awesomeness can not be programmed. We need to be awake and aware–opening ourselves up to awe inspiring moments and opportunities. Sunsets and sunrises are wondrous because they can be enjoyed, but they never last. We may have incredible memories of the experience, but usually can not capture the rapture of the initial occurrence. The same for the first snowfall, the height of Autumn’s colorful leaves or swaths of daffodils in Spring, the first day you go barefoot in the summer, hearing your favorite song live, reading a inspirational poem or essay…
Nature, art, music, literature, life, death, grandeur, destruction can all inspire a sense of awe. For many people, it is literally a religious experience.
From “Have an Awesome Day” to “Awesome Sauce” and the “Shock and Awe” of Desert Storm, humans seem to have this desire to infuse awesome into events that range from mundane to horrendous.
Lord, please give me a sense of awareness so that I may be open and receptive to the many awesome events I might encounter today and all my tomorrows.
Martin Luther King Holiday, January 16
To mark the birthday of Martin Luther King Jr., the chief spokesperson for nonviolent activism in the Civil Rights Movement, which protested racial discrimination in federal and state law.
The holiday was observed for the first time on January 20, 1986. It is observed on the third Monday of January.
The holiday is often celebrated as a Day of Service, so a day on rather than a day off.
A worthy goal worth striving for our progress will be measured in lives not needlessly lost in rules no longer unevenly applied on worth measured by values lived, not lies told by having single standard that applies to us all evenly.
How Strong is a Librarian?
Full Moon 2023
Full moon by any other name will usually shine as bright if there are no clouds to hide on the especial night.
Sorry…Not Sorry
To the women who know they deserve better than what they may be getting…
Good morning, and happy Friday to all. May your weekends be filled with calming energy, fulfilling adventures, and immense joy.
As always, inspire to be inspired by the world around you because, as the saying goes, good things come to those who wait, but you also have to take the time to see them along the way.
Sorry…Not Sorry
You thought I needed you?
Haha… I didn’t tell you this lie.
You thought you could control me?
Haha… I’d like to see you try.
You thought I was the weaker sex?
That’s why I now call you my ex.
You thought I didn’t have a brain?
Tell me, in my life, do you remain?
It may have taken time,
but good things to those who wait.
My slow departure was calculated,
so you could receive your fate.
View original post 3 more words
Buddy, Holly, and Blue
The other day we pulled into the parking lot of Wyant’s store. Holly and Buddy were standing cordially next to each other at the fence and they were not being fed. An older man and his massive pitbull, Blue, were standing at the fence where donkeys allowed their noses to be kissed by Blue’s massive tongue.
As soon as we walked up with the sweet potato medallions and cooked carrots, the donkeys abandoned Blue in favor of food. They began the usual nose pushing to signify, “Get out of my face. This is my food.” The food shortly disappeared and Bob went into the store to fetch dessert.
Buddy began braying his displeasure.
“You know the drill. As soon as Bob gets back with the treats, you’ll get fed.”
“I don’t care, I want FOOD NOW!”
Blue came up to fence and began licking donkey noses to settle them down. Buddy took longer to be convinced than Holly.
When Bob returned with the cookies, he gave me a two-pack of chocolate chip cookies to feed Holly, while he fed Buddy. I gave one of the cookies to Blue’s owner. He broke it into smaller bites, probably not realizing that either donkey could hoover the entire cookie in one swallow. With Blue’s owner feeding Holly, I had time to take several shots of Buddy who was hamming it up for the camera. (He even seemed to understand my directions to raise or lower his ears!)
January 12 is National Hot Tea Day
A frigid January day would be a perfect day for a cuppa..
History of National Hot Tea Day
Tea has been consumed for almost 5,000 years. In 2737 B.C., during the Tang Dynasty, legend has it that some tea leaves fell into a pot of water that was being boiled for Chinese emperor Shen Nung. He drank the brew and found it delicious and relaxing.
In 2016, the earliest known physical evidence of tea was discovered in the mausoleum of Emperor Jing of Han in Xi’an, indicating that tea, from the genus Camellia, was drunk by Han dynasty emperors, as early as the 2nd century B.C. The Han dynasty work, “the Contract for a Youth,” written in 59 B.C., contains the first known reference to boiling tea. The first record of tea cultivation is also dated to this period, during which tea was cultivated on Meng Mountain.
Tea was first introduced to Western priests and merchants in China during the 16th century. The first recorded shipment of tea by a European nation was in 1607, when the Dutch East India Company moved a cargo of tea from Macao to Java. Tea was sold in a coffee house in London in 1657, Samuel Pepys tasted tea in 1660, and Catherine of Braganza took the tea-drinking habit to the English court when she married Charles II in 1662.
Tea smuggling during the 18th century made tea accessible to the public. The British government removed the tax on tea, thereby eliminating the smuggling trade, in 1785. The popularity of tea played a role in historical events — the Tea Act of 1773 provoked the Boston Tea Party that escalated into the American Revolution. By the late 19th century, tea had become an everyday beverage for every social society.
The Tea Council of the U.S.A. was founded in 1950, and National Hot Tea Day was created by the council in 2016.
Black tea, green tea, white tea, oolong tea, pu-erh tea, and purple tea are all made from the camellia sinensis tea plant. Each of these teas develops its unique characteristics through different harvesting and processing methods. Some teas are steamed, some are pan-fired. Some are allowed to oxidize and some aren’t. Some tea leaves are hand-formed into tightly rolled balls, while other tea leaves are roughly chopped, or left to air-dry in their natural shape. Some teas are harvested in the first weeks of the spring season, while others are harvested in the summer and fall.
What time is best for tea? Any time is fine with me With a group or all alone With just a book to call my own
Can tea from a bag be considered tea?
The Names of All Manner of Hounds
If you don’t know what to call your dog (or anything else) and you want a list that looks and sounds classy, then check this list out.
There are name generators aplenty when it comes to characters. What about their dogs, though? Have you ever been stuck looking for an authentic-sounding name for your medieval or fantasy hero’s four-legged best friend?
Thanks to My Modern Met, you now have the perfect resource to help you out: a unique medieval text that contains 1,065 dog names perfect for (medieval) pups! The list, known as “The Names of All Manner of Hounds,” offers some great names modern dog owners might want to consider such as Achilles, Meryman, Russette, Synfull, and Honeydewe.
The list of dog names was compiled around 1460 and was in the collection of Prince Richard, the Duke of Gloucester. The list of dog names is intended for hunting hounds: “running hounds, terriers, and greyhounds.” Some names take inspiration from royal historical figures, such as Charlemayne, Nero, and Romulus. Others are cute animal monikers like Dolfyn…
View original post 127 more words
Janus Twilight
Morning twilight anything is possible imagination soars Janus looks east and west on a nascent day of his namesake month Westward Wolf Moon merges into clouds chased by by Helios' advance No wind howls effervescent crispness where even frost fails to appear in champagne dry air
e-Quips 