Law of the Garbage Truck

One day I hopped in a taxi and we took off for the airport. We were driving in the right lane when suddenly a black car jumped out of a parking space right in front of us. My taxi driver slammed on his brakes, skidded, and missed the other car by just inches! The driver of the other car whipped his head around and started yelling at us. My taxi driver just smiled and waved at the guy. He was really friendly. So I asked, “Why did you just do that? This guy almost ruined your car and sent us to the hospital!” This is when my taxi driver taught me what I now call, “The Law of the Garbage Truck.”

He explained that many people are like garbage trucks. They run around full of garbage, full of frustration, full of anger, and full of disappointment. As their garbage piles up, they need a place to dump it and sometimes they'll dump it on you. Don't take it personally.

Just smile, wave, wish them well, and move on. Don't take their garbage and spread it to other people at work, at home, or on the streets.

The bottom line is that successful people do not let garbage trucks take over their day. Life's too short to wake up in the morning with regrets, so love the people who treat you right, and don’t worry about the ones who don't.

Life is ten percent what you make it and ninety percent how you take it!

Have a happy, garbage-free day!

(from an email somebody sent me a long time ago; author unknown)

Spider Boys

Cool picture of a flower design

(click to enlarge)

Found on page 15 of the Ensign - June 2016

We live in details.

We live in details. Sometimes the best course of preparation and recuperation is to do nothing. To rest. To sit still. To think. We are young. We live in rhythms, waves. To dream. To pray. The thought cycle. My meandering, pondering mind. Away from television. To dream personally. The waking moments. The life awaiting me. To do my best, ever more awakening.

(texted while sitting in a park, away from duty birds)

"Cast Thy Burden upon the Lord" with new lyrics by David Petersen and Tim Brooks

Here is the song "Cast Thy Burden upon the Lord" (LDS hymn #110) with additional lyrics. Verse 1 is by Tim Brooks, verse 2 is by David Petersen, and verse 3 (the original verse) is by Julius Schubring.

To hear it performed live, click here or below:

The Brookses with Brooks the Bison

Sam and Joe Brooks with the new "Brooks the Bison" bronze statue on the campus of Dixie State University. The new mascot was named after Sam's father Samuel Brooks, Sr. (1886-1962), who slept on the steps of the registration office building the night before the school opened so he could be the first student to register at the school in 1911.

Why Liz Wiseman Doesn't Work on Sundays

“The French artist Paul Gauguin once said, “I shut my eyes in order to see.” On Sundays, I shut out the world. For me, it’s a Sabbath observance, an opportunity to rest from responsibilities and focus on other purposeful activities, such as devotion and family.

“Every Sunday, after going to church (which in my faith literally takes longer than running a marathon), I plop down on my couch and read until it is time to drive to our weekly family dinners–a tradition built over the last 20 years. While my Sunday routine varies somewhat, there is one thing that remains consistent: I don’t work. I’ve come to really appreciate the power of the pause–the virtue of stepping away. Resting from our work offers more than just sanity; pausing sharpens our minds. Research in neuroscience shows that we are more creative after stepping away from a problem. When our pre-frontal cortex is too focused on the task at hand, it can’t combine information about the problem at hand with information stored in our memory. When we take a break, these neural connections occur and lead to new insights. Indeed, all work and no rest makes our minds very dull instruments.

“Last year when I was writing my most recent management book, my commitment to the “Sunday pause” was put to the test. Each Saturday I would take inventory of my unfinished work from the previous week and then check next week’s upcoming deliverables. Panic always ensued (and generally was warranted). I inevitably came to the same conclusion each week: I have no choice but to work on Sunday. Yet, every week I decided against it. I stepped away. On Monday I would resume my work, with a clear head and fresh legs. And everything always got done. This is the power of pausing–letting go, clearing the mind, and trying again. While a Sabbath may feel old-fashion or only for religious types, the practice of pausing is perfect for our modern world.”

(From Liz Wiseman’s article, “Why this Executive Never Works on the Weekend”)

Who's Really Poor?

One day a father of a very wealthy family took his son on a trip to the country with the firm purpose of showing his son how poor people can be.  They spent a couple of days and nights on the farm of what would be considered a very poor family.

On their return from their trip, the father asked his son, "How was the trip?"

"It was great, Dad."

"Did you see how poor people can be?" the father asked.

"Oh, yeah," said the son. 

"So what did you learn from the trip?" asked the father.

The son answered, "I saw that we have one dog and they had four. We have a pool that reaches to the middle of our garden, and they have a creek that has no end. We have imported lanterns in our garden, and they have the stars at night. Our patio reaches to the front yard, and they have the whole horizon. We have a small piece of land to live on, and they have fields that go beyond our sight. We have servants who serve us, but they serve others. We buy our food, but they grow theirs. We have walls around our property to protect us, but they have friends to protect them.”

With this the boy's father was speechless.

Then his son added, "Thanks dad for showing me how poor we are."

Too many times we forget what we have and concentrate on what we don't have. What is one person's worthless object is another's prize possession. It is all based on one's perspective.

Makes you wonder what would happen if we all gave thanks to God for all the bounty we have been provided by Him, instead of worrying about wanting more.

May God bless each and every one of you.

Have a great day.

(Taken from an email sent to me several years ago -- author unknown)

What is love? According to children....

A group of professional people posed this question to a group of 4 to 8 year-olds, "What does love mean?" The answers they got were broader and deeper than anyone could have imagined. See what you think:

"When my grandmother got arthritis, she couldn't bend over and paint her toenails anymore. So my grandfather does it for her all the time, even when his hands got arthritis too. That's love."

- Rebecca, age 8

"When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different. You just know that your name is safe in their mouth."

- Billy, age 4

"Love is when a girl puts on perfume and a boy puts on shaving cologne and they go out and smell each other."

- Karl, age 5

"Love is when you go out to eat and give somebody most of your french fries without making them give you any of theirs."

- Chrissy, age 6

"Love is what makes you smile when you're tired."

- Terri, age 4

"Love is when you kiss all the time. Then when you get tired of kissing, you still want to be together and you talk more. My Mommy and Daddy are like that. They look gross when they kiss."

- Emily, age 8

"Love is what's in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents and listen."

- Bobby, age 7

"If you want to learn to love better, you should start with a friend who you hate."

- Nikka, age 6

"Love is when you tell a guy you like his shirt, then he wears it everyday."

- Noelle, age 7

"Love is like a little old woman and a little old man who are still friends even after they know each other so well."

- Tommy, age 6

"During my piano recital, I was on stage and I was scared. I looked at all the people watching me and saw my daddy waving and smiling. He was the only one doing that. I wasn't scared anymore."

- Cindy, age 8

"My mommy loves me more than anybody. You don't see anyone else kissing me to sleep at night."

- Clare, age 6

"Love is when Mommy gives Daddy the best piece of chicken."

- Elaine, age 5

"Love is when Mommy sees Daddy smelly and sweaty and still says he is handsomer than Brad Pitt."

- Chris, age 7

"Love is when your puppy licks your face even after you left him alone all day."

- Mary Ann, age 4

"I know my older sister loves me because she gives me all her old clothes and has to go out and buy new ones."

- Lauren, age 4

"When you love somebody, your eyelashes go up and down and little stars come out of you."

- Karen, age 7

"You really shouldn't say 'I love you' unless you mean it. But if you mean it, you should say it a lot. People forget."

- Jessica, age 8

And the final one -- Author and lecturer Leo Buscaglia once talked about a contest he was asked to judge. The purpose of the contest was to find the most caring child. The winner was a four-year-old child whose next door neighbor was an elderly gentleman who had recently lost his wife. Upon seeing the man cry, the little boy went into the old gentleman's yard, climbed onto his lap, and just sat there.

When his mother asked what he had said to the neighbor, the little boy said, "Nothing, I just helped him cry."

(From an email I received years ago. Source unknown)

What About Abstinence? by Robert Layton

I was holding a notice from my 13-year-old son’s school announcing a special parents’ meeting to preview the new course in human sexuality. Parents could examine the curriculum and take part in an actual lesson presented exactly as it would be given to the students.

When I arrived at the school I was surprised to discover only about a dozen parents there. And I was the only Latter-day Saint father. As we waited for the presentation to begin, I thumbed through page after page of instructions in the prevention of pregnancy or disease. I searched for the word abstain and any related words but found the idea of abstinence mentioned only in passing.

When the teacher arrived with the school nurse in tow, she asked if there were any questions before she began. I asked why abstinence did not play a noticeable part in the lesson material.

What happened next was shocking. I was verbally assailed by the other parents. “How stupid are you?” one sneered. “Idiot!” someone else muttered. There was a great deal of laughter, and someone suggested if I thought abstinence had any merit, I should go back to burying my head in the sand.

Through it all, the teacher and the nurse said nothing as I drowned in a sea of embarrassment. My mind had gone blank in the unexpected attack, and I could think of nothing to say.

The teacher explained to me that the job of the school was to teach “facts,” and the home was responsible for moral training. I sat in silence for the next 20 minutes as the course was explained. The other parents seemed to give their unqualified support to the materials presented.

“Donuts at the back,” announced the teacher during the break. “And since we’re all getting along so well, I’d like you to put on the name tags we have prepared—they’re right by the donuts—and mingle with the other parents and get to know them.”

Everyone dutifully stood and moved to the back of the room. As I watched them affixing their name tags and shaking hands, I sat deep in thought. I was ashamed that I had not been able to come up with an argument that would convince them to include a serious discussion of abstinence in the lesson materials. I uttered a silent prayer for guidance.

My thoughts were interrupted by the teacher’s hand on my shoulder. “Won’t you join the others, Mr. Layton?” The nurse smiled sweetly at me. “The donuts are good.”

“Thank you, no,” I replied.

“Well, then, how about a name tag? I’m sure the others would like to meet you.”

“Somehow I doubt that,” I replied.

“Won’t you please join them?” she coaxed.

Then I heard a still, small voice whisper, “Don’t go.” The instruction was unmistakable. “Don’t go!”

“I think I’ll just wait here,” I said.

When the class was called back to order, the teacher looked around the long table and thanked everyone for putting on their name tags. She ignored me. Then she said, “Now we’re going to give you the same lesson we’ll be giving your children. Everyone please peel off your name tags.”

I watched in silence as the tags came off.

“Now, then, on the back of one of the tags I drew a tiny flower. Who has it, please?”

The gentleman across from me held it up. “Here it is!”

“All right,” she said. “The flower represents disease. Do you recall with whom you shook hands?”

He pointed to a couple of people. “Very good,” she replied. “The handshake in this case represents intimacy. So the two people you had contact with now have the disease.” There was laughter and joking among the parents. The teacher continued, “And who did the two of you shake hands with?”

The point was well taken, and she explained how this lesson would show students how quickly disease was spread.

“Since we all shook hands, we all have the disease, and there is no escaping that fact.”

It was then I heard the still, small voice again. “Speak now,” it said, “but be humble.” I noted wryly the latter admonition, then rose from my chair. I apologized for any upset I might have caused earlier, congratulated the teacher on an excellent lesson that would impress the youth, and concluded by saying I had only one small point I wished to make.

“Not all of us were infected,” I said simply. “One of us … abstained.”

(Taken from The Ensign September 1996)

Three Men Discuss about Their Wives

Three men were sitting together bragging about how they had given their new wives duties.

The first man had married a woman from Alabama, and bragged that he had told his wife she was going to do all the dishes and house cleaning that needed to be done at their home. He said that it took a couple of days but on the third day he came home to a clean house and the dishes were all washed and put away.

The second man had married a woman from Florida. He bragged that he had given his wife orders that she was to do all the cleaning, dishes and the cooking. He told them that the first day he didn't see any results, but the next day it was better. By the third day, his house was clean, the dishes were done and he had a huge dinner on the table.

The third man had married a girl who was an active Marine from Texas. He boasted that he told her that her duties were to keep the house cleaned, dishes washed, lawn mowed, laundry washed and hot meals on the table for every meal.  He said the first day he didn't see anything, the second day he didn't see anything but by the third day most of the swelling had gone down and he could see a little out of his left eye just enough to fix himself a bite to eat, load the dishwasher, and call a landscaper.

(taken from a circulating email some years ago; author unknown)

Thoughts to Make You Think

1.  Love is grand; divorce is a hundred grand.
2. I am in shape. Round is a shape.
3. Time may be a great healer, but it's a lousy beautician.
4. Remember, amateurs built the ark. Professionals built the Titanic.
5. Conscience is what hurts when everything else feels so good.
6. Talk is cheap because supply exceeds demand.
7. Even if you are on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there.
8. Politicians and diapers have one thing in common. They should both be changed regularly and for the same reason.
9. An optimist thinks that this is the best possible world. A pessimist fears that this is true.
10. There will always be death and taxes; however, death doesn't get worse every year.
11. In just two days, tomorrow will be yesterday.
12. Dijon vu- the same mustard as before.
13. I am a nutritional overachiever.
14. I am having an out of money experience.
15. I plan on living forever. So far, so good.
16. A day without sunshine is like night.
17. If marriage were outlawed, only outlaws would have in-laws.
18. It's frustrating when you know all the answers and nobody bothers to ask you the questions.
19. The real art of conversation is not only to say the right thing at the right time, but also to leave unsaid the wrong thing at the tempting moment.
20. Brain cells come and brain cells go, but fat cells live forever.
21. Age doesn't always bring wisdom. Sometimes age comes alone.
22. Life not only begins at forty, it also begins to show.
23. You don't stop laughing because you grow old, you grow old because you've stopped laughing.

Things That Make You Go Hmmmmmmm.....

1.   Why does the sun lighten our hair, but darken our skin?
2.   Why doesn't glue stick to the inside of the bottle?
3.   Why don't you ever see the headline "Psychic Wins Lottery"?
4.   Why is "abbreviated" such a long word?
5.   Why is a boxing ring square?
6.   Why is it called lipstick if you can still move your lips?
7.   Why is it considered necessary to nail down the lid of a coffin?
8.   Why is it that doctors call what they do "practice"?
9.   Why is it that rain drops but snow falls?
10.   Why is it that to stop Windows 95, you have to click on "Start"?
11.   Why is it that when you're driving and looking for an address, you turn down the volume on the radio?
12.   Why is lemon juice made with artificial flavor, and dishwashing liquid   made with real lemons?
13.   Why is the man who invests all your money called a broker?
14.   Why is the third hand on the watch called a second hand?
15.   Why is the time of day with the slowest traffic called rush hour?
16.   Why is the word dictionary in the dictionary?
17.   Why isn't there a special name for the tops of your feet?
18.   Why isn't there mouse-flavored cat food?
19.   You know that little indestructible black box that is used on planes, Why can't they make the whole plane out of the same substance?
20.   Why do you need a driver's license to buy liquor when you can’t drink and drive?

Sam Brooks Sr. (1886-1962), Dixie University's First Student in 1911

(click on photo to enlarge)