Welcome to November 6, 2021. It occurred to me yesterday that some of you might think that I’m a naturally optimistic person. I’m not. I’m fully aware that the world is full of pain and suffering. That racism, greed, violence, hate, and ignorance wait for us every morning. I know it’s not going to get better. I can either join the chaos or I can turn away. I’m learning how to ignore the unfairness of the world and to focus on the positive. I’m a work in progress but I’m getting a little better at it each day. Today we can celebrate Basketball Day, National Saxophone Day, National Home Brew Day, National Wine Tasting Day and National Nachos Day. I’ll celebrate home brew and wine tasting day since I now am making my own wine at home. It’s pretty good. Now to the history of this day. In 1528 Shipwrecked Spanish conquistador Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca became the first known European to set foot in Texas. What happened to him? Turns out that he and 3 other people survived and 8 years later made their way to Mexico City. It’s a good google read. This is the day in 1860 that Lincoln was elected as the 16 President. This day in 1917 the Bolshevik revolution began with bombardment of the Winter Palace in Petrograd. This is the day in 1945 that the House Committee on Un-American Activities began its investigation of 7 radio commentators. Today we can celebrate the birthday (1926) of Zig Ziglar who was a salesman and trainer of salespeople. Lots of excellent quotes from Zig. I’ll end this post with some of them: “Life is an echo. What you send out comes back. What you sow, you reap. What you give, you get. What you see in others, exists in you.” “The greatest source of happiness is the ability to be grateful all the time.” “Don’t judge me by my past, I don’t live there anymore.” “Until you are happy with who you are, you will never be happy with what you have.” Zig was a smart guy. Love to spend an afternoon with him. Abide.
