Jack’s Winning Words 11/1/21

“Promise yourself to be so strong that nothing can disturb your peace of mind.”  (The Optimist Creed)  What is it that disturbs your peace of mind?  A family problem…an illness…a situation at work…the news...money?  For 50 years, I’ve made “that Promise” weekly, not to let anything disturb my peace of mind.  I still experience things that disturb me, but my “goal” is not to let them ruin my life.  I try to choose friends wisely.  I try to find the positive side of issues.  “The Creed” goes on to say:  “to think only of the best, to work only for the best, and to expect only the best.”  It works for me.  Perhaps it will help you to find peace of mind.  ;-)  Jack

FROM ST PAUL IN ST PAUL:  this WWs brings back good memories of the Keego Optimist Club.  "to forget the mistakes of the past and to press on to the greater achievements of the future..."   i still recall breakfasts at Frank Spadafore's (spell?) restaurant in the basement.  can't recall the name of the place right now.   and did not like being in that basement with one exit.  kind of a fire trap but we all survived.  then later we moved over to Gino's,  i think.  interesting bunch of guys to say the least.  ===JACK:  Fire trap restaurant?  How about standing in the middle of a busy road selling flags?  Krazy Kats with 9 lives...  The club is observing its 50th Anniversary and recently has a Steak 'n' Shoot event.  Cook your own steak...then Skeet Shoot with your own gun.

FROM THE UNDERTAKER:  Jack, I know you would differ, but you are a Saint among us.  I celebrate knowing you today.===JACK:  You're right!  Who am I compared to St. Francis, Mother Theresa, St. Benedict...and the like?  There's a song that you can find on YouTube:  "I sing a song of the saints of God."  It's worth listening to.

FROM IKE AT THE MIC:  On that thought, I thought you might appreciate a sign above my desk that states:  "Worrying will do nothing about solving  tomorrow's problem, but it will sure mess up your today"mmm ===JACK:  or....worrying is like a rocking chair.  It gives you something to do, but gets you nowhere.

FROM JP IN MERRILL:    I was a member of the Merrill Optimists for around 20 years but dropped out when work took me out of town regularly.  I am sad to say that I have forgotten the entire creed but recognized the quote immediately.  I still have it pinned to the noteboard on my desk.  I've forgotten the Jaycee creed too, after aging out of that group 30 years ago.  Sadly, our local club disbanded many years ago.  We/they used to do great things for the community.  Our Optimist club and Rotary club are still active but with greatly reduced numbers.  That, unfortunately, is pretty common.  What happened to "service to humanity"?===JACK:  "Service" is still being done, just by different people in different ways.  Time marches on.