The present has a name. It’s January 17, 2023. Buddha said, “Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate your mind on the present moment.” I do my best to follow Buddha’s advice because it produces contentment which is just another word for happiness. I agree with John Lennon who, when asked as a child what he wanted to be when he grew up, he said “happy”. This is Ben Franklin Day, Cable Car Day, Customer Service Day, Ditch New Year’s Resolutions Day, Hot-Buttered Rum Day, Judgment Day, National Bootlegger’s Day, and National Hot Heads Chili Day. Now some history is in order: On this day in 1775, 9 old women were burnt as witches after being accused of causing a bad harvest in Kalisk, Poland. On this day in 1873 a group of Modoc warriors defeated the US Army in the 1st battle of the Modoc War. The Modoc tribe lived in Northern California. If you’ve got an extra 5 minutes, search on it and read. It’s interesting. On this day in 1899 the US took possession of Wake Island in the Pacific. This is the day in 1917 that the US paid Denmark $25 million for the Virgin Islands. On this day in 1929 Popeye made his first appearance in the comic strip “Thimble Theater”. This is the day the Great Brinks Robbery took place. 11 men robbed an armored car of $1.2 million cash and $1.5 million is securities. On this day in 1961 Eisenhower delivered his farewell address to the nation. He warned against the accumulation of power by the “military-industrial complex. Today’s advice comes from the English writer T.H. White who stopped living in 1964. T.H. said, “The destiny of man is to unite, not to divide. If you keep on dividing, you end up as a collection of monkeys throwing nuts at each other our of separate trees.” Seems to be where we are today doesn’t it? Next is the Washington Post columnist Art Buchwald who said, “Whether it’s the best of times or the worst of times, it’s the only time we’ve got” and “On the whole, I woke up in the morning and was happy to be alive.” Me too Art. Abide.
