Heart, Mind, and Soul

Don’t do things that make your soul cry, even if they make your heart race.

People like to say “Trust your heart,” but the heart has a long track record of bad decisions.

The heart encourages us buy things that we don’t need, agree to terms that don’t serve us, and do things that we don’t want to do because it’s what everyone seems to be doing.

The heart makes decisions for sentimental reasons. It pairs us with situations that don’t serve us and delays the eventual resolution.

One can argue that making decisions with the heart brings us joy, and that is often true in the short term. If we made decisions with the analytical mind, we might miss out on life’s most rewarding experiences.

Consider trusting the soul.

The soul listens to both the heart and the mind and tempers their perspectives with wisdom and a deep understanding of what is right and wrong for the individual.

The soul understands that fads fade, that impulse purchases are often a bad idea, and that thrills are not always worth the risk. The soul knows when to get out of a bad investment, a dull relationship, or a job that drains your enthusiasm. The soul knows what you should be doing with your time if you want to be deeply fulfilled.

Let the mind weigh alternatives. Let the heart dream big dreams. Trust the soul to make the ultimate decision.

JD Vance and Teachers

JD Vance claims that people without children can't be effective teachers. Apparently, Vance doesn't realize that the nuns and priests who teach at Catholic institutions don't have children. Vance also fails to realize that in the not too distant past, school teachers tended to be unmarried women. Pre-1970s, women with children stayed home while women without children worked as teachers, nurses, secretaries, and a few other traditionally female jobs. It's surprising that someone who wants to take the country back to the past doesn't understand what life in the past was actually like.

The Moment

Before I die

I want to be your lover

To celebrate for real

What we feel

For each other

To kiss your warm skin

As I hold you

Night and day

And treasure

The miracle of love

Before our moment

Slips away

Conventional Wisdom

As we watch the Bidens, the Obamas, and the Clintons speak at the Democratic National Convention, notice what was missing from the RNC. President George W. Bush. Vice President Dick Cheney. Vice President Mike Pence. Presidential nominee Mitt Romney. The family of Ronald Reagan. The family of John McCain. None of them even attended, let alone spoke at the RNC.

Reject the cult. Reject the big lie. Reject the insurrection. Reject the felon. Reject the hoarder of classified documents. Reject book bans. Reject misogyny. Reject weird. Vote for democracy. Vote for Harris/Walz.

Inflation Rates

MAGA blames Biden for inflation while simultaneously praising authoritarian leaders. Let’s compare inflation rates.

USA (Biden): 3 percent

Russia (Putin): 9 percent

Hungary (Orbán): 16 percent

Egypt (Sisi): 27 percent

Venezuela (Maduro): 50 percent (down from 2,000,000 percent in 2018. That’s not a typo.)

Turkey (Erdogan): 71 percent

Argentina (Millei): 272 percent

Good Humor

Trump calls Harris “Laughing Kamala.” What does he call is wife, “Scowling Melania?”

We should be grateful that the Vice President is a warm, genuine, and joyful person, unlike the bitter emotional train wrecks of trump world.

J.D. Vance and Success

J.D. Vance thinks that if you’re poor, it’s your fault. You should have done what he did to succeed.

1. Find a billionaire who will give you multiple cushy jobs where you don’t do any real work.

2. Write a book that trashes your hometown community.

3. Have your billionaire friend bankroll your Senate campaign, the most expensive in history.

4. Suck up to the guy you once called “America’s” H**ler” until he gives you a big opportunity.

The Best Exercise

Dr. Ruth died at 96. Richard Simmons at 76. Sex is the best exercise.

Record Heat

Record heat and destructive storms brought to you by the fossil fuel industry. Fossil fuels - You’re going to die anyway; why not make us rich in the process?

Air Quality

I went for a short run this evening. The heat was manageable, but the air quality is awful. I could feel the particulate matter collecting in my mouth. It was like inhaling soot.