Ignore the Polls

Robert Hubbell’s newsletter started as a letter he sent out to his family.

Robert Hubbell sends out a daily newsletter on politics that is well worth the read. It originally started out as a letter to family members. He describes his intent as "a reflection on today's news through the lens of hope." I take a look at it every morning after I read Heather Cox Richardson. This entry today (October 27, 2022) is particularly good so I'd like to share it with you--important for all of us to read as we lead up to the elections.

Ave Maria

Two friends of mine who have a lifetime's intereest in music have a weekly radio show every Tuesday evening on WRFR.org, a community radio station in Rockland, Maine. It is always a treat to spend two hours listening to their eclectic mix of great music and hear the knowledgeable banter between two brothers who, amidst the teasing, clearly show that they enjoy each other's company.

All that to say that last night they played a surprising choice as part of their sweet lullaby section. It was R&B and soul singer Aaron Neville's version of Ave Maria. I am not a religious person and this piece of music has no religious connotation for me--all I can say is that this particular version of this song is beautiful beyond words...

There is a comment section under every video on youtube and I loved this quote from self professed heavy metal devotee Malin Choneska: "I'm a metal head to the bone. This song not only choke(sic) me up, but I actually shed some long overdue tears. How could this happen? I think I need those tears, not from pain, but from joy. There's now light at the end of this tunnel."
I couldn't agree more!

Liner Notes by the Whitt Brothers can be heard every Tuesday from 6-8pm eastern time online on wrfr.org.

Michael Singer Quotes

Michael Singer, illustration courtesy of nowwatch.org

I wrote about Michael Singer recently in another blog post. Here are a few choice quotes from him that struck a chord with me. I hope they interest you enough that you will want to look further into his books--they have had a tremendous effect on me!

"The mind is a place where the soul goes to hide from the heart."

“To get some distance from this, you first need to get some perspective. Walk outside on a clear night and just look up into the sky. You are sitting on a planet spinning around in the middle of absolutely nowhere. Though you can only see a few thousand stars, there are hundreds of billions of stars in our Milky Way Galaxy alone. In fact, it is estimated that there are over a trillion stars in the Spiral Galaxy. And that galaxy would look like one star to us, if we could even see it. You’re just standing on one little ball of dirt and spinning around one of the stars. From that perspective, do you really care what people think about your clothes or your car? Do you really need to feel embarrassed if you forget someone’s name? How can you let these meaningless things cause pain? If you want out, if you want a decent life, you had better not devote your life to avoiding psychological pain. You had better not spend your life worrying about whether people like you or whether your car impresses people. What kind of life is that? It is a life of pain. You may not think that you feel pain that often, but you really do. To spend your life avoiding pain means it’s always right behind you.”

"Do not let anything that happens in life be important enough that you're willing to close your heart over it."

“If you want to be happy, you have to let go of the part of you that wants to create melodrama. This is the part that thinks there’s a reason not to be happy. You have to transcend the personal, and as you do, you will naturally awaken to the higher aspects of your being. In the end, enjoying life’s experiences is the only rational thing to do. You’re sitting on a planet spinning around in the middle of absolutely nowhere. Go ahead, take a look at reality. You’re floating in empty space in a universe that goes on forever. If you have to be here, at least be happy and enjoy the experience. You’re going to die anyway. Things are going to happen anyway. Why shouldn’t you be happy? You gain nothing by being bothered by life’s events. It doesn’t change the world; you just suffer. There’s always going to be something that can bother you, if you let it.”

“There is nothing more important to true growth than realizing that you are not the voice of the mind - you are the one who hears it.”

“Imagine if you used relationships to get to know other people, rather than to satisfy what is blocked inside of you. If you’re not trying to make people fit into your preconceived notions of what you like and dislike, you will find that relationships are not really that difficult. If you’re not so busy judging and resisting people based upon what is blocked inside of you, you will find that they are much easier to get along with—and so are you. Letting go of yourself is the simplest way to get closer to others.”

Products of the Week:
Cutting/Cheese Boards

These Cutting/Cheese Boards (16" x 10.5" x 0.5") and more products available on our website: www.pamelasmilow.com/shop-all

Charity of the Week:

ACLU Legal Defense Fund

About The Author

New York City based contemporary artist, Pam Smilow, began writing the creative lifestyle blog “things we love” in an effort to foster a sense of community during times of isolation and reflection. To read more about her and her art, visit her website and check out the essay written by the Hammond Museum's Frank Matheis entitled The Sophisticated Innocence of Pam Smilow.