August 26, 2023 is this day’s name. I just looked at the National Hurricane Map and there’s a big ugly X sitting off the coast of Southern Mexico headed toward Florida across the Gulf of Mexico’s near 90-degree water. Yikes. My new quote is “If you abuse Mother Earth, she will try to kill you.” On August 21, Lawrence Kansas (home of KU) reached a heat index of 134 degrees. Might as well move on since stopping mankind’s destruction of our environment is outside of my control. Today is Make Your Own Luck Day, Musical Yoga Day, National Cherry Popsicle Day, National Dog Day, National Toilet Paper Day, Kind Words Saturday, National Webmistress Day, and Women’s Equality Day. History time: On this day in 1545 Pope Paul III named his son the Duke of Parma? Son? Did a little research and found to my surprise that celibacy didn’t become Catholic law until 1917. Didn’t know that. On this day in 1843 Charles Thurber patented the typewriter. This is the day in 1873 that the first free kindergarten in the US started in a suburb of St. Louis, MO. On this day in 1874 16 black men were kidnapped from the Gibson County Tennessee jail and lynched by the KKK. None of the KKK were ever convicted of a crime. On this day in 1967 the Beatles, Mick Jagger and Donovan met with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. This is the day in 1996 that President Bill Clinton sighed the Welfare Reform Act into law. This law turned a government program into a block grant for the states, established a work requirement, and set a maximum of 5 years participation for families. If you do some research, it’s not worked out well. Let’s stick with Maharishi and use quotes from him. The Yogi said, “All that we are is the result of what we have thought. The mind is everything. What we think, we become.” “People are influenced by what we are, what we radiate. This has greater appeal than what we say.” “It may take a little self-discipline: be simple, be kind, stay rested. Attend to your own inner-health and happiness.” I’ll end with “If one is not happy, one has lost the very purpose of life.” Abide.
