Another closely-guarded secret has been unearthed, this time without the help of Julian Assange. Internet Today has published the list of Colonel Sanders’ 11 secret herbs and spices, the recipe to KFC’s stranglehold on America’s fried chicken addiction.
What makes us wa
nt to know someone's deepest thoughts? Is it trust? It is the desire to make a connection with a person or a thing? Evolutionary monkey curiosity?
When someone asks if you want to know a secret (or vice versa), the question denotes two qualities: the deep sense of trust conveyed by sharing one and the august responsibility associated with knowing the secret.
Is it better to tell secrets? There are consequences and benefits of secret-keeping. Scientific studies have shown that divulging secrets does improves your health, but concealing them does not necessarily cause physical problems.
The fact that it is a secret makes us more curious. Do we want to know the secret because we think it may benefit us in some way, or do we want to know why it is a secret? We all have a skeleton or two in our closet, sometimes small and mostly inconsequential, sometimes large, perhaps criminal.
Where would humans be without a thirst for knowledge? The world around us holds countless secrets waiting to be unearthed.
For many years he was the only other male in the household. Creamsicle, a marmalade tabby with a square dog face and I were the men of the house. The two of us shared a special bond, guys sticking together in a home filled with females.
It is hard for me to remember a time when cats weren't part of my life. Midnight, Snowball, Bif and Stewart were among the cats at my parent's house. There was Seymour, the orange and white tabby who started off as a neighbor's cat and eventually came to live at our house instead. As an apartment dweller in college, my roommates and I named the local cats after cheese (Jack, Monterrey, Colby, Brie).
Creamsicle lived with us for nearly 15 years, arriving as a tiny scrap of fur and leaving us as a senior citizen. In between he was Laura's constant companion, through school years, friends that came and went, various houses and two cities. He was her first alarm clock, licking her face when it was time to get up in the morning. When she read a book, he was in her lap. When she sat at the computer, he shared the desk with her.
Creamsicle welcomed each additional cat and dog into our home with open paws. A gentleman to the very end, he lost his eyesight but managed to get around fairly well with hardly a complaint. As with all God's children, he is now free of pain and happy once again, never wanting for laps, open doors, catnip toys or full dishes of food.
St. Thomas Aquinas wrote about animals possessing a soul that is different than what humans have; St. Francis of Assisi saw animals as God's creatures to be honored and respected. God created heaven to be a place of perfect bliss, and I no doubt God will complete my happiness by having Creamsicle and other pets that have owned me over the years by my side.
Time has been a recent strong focus for me. Good times, bad times, productive times, wasted times. Time in front of me, time behind me. Time heals all wounds. Or as Nick Lowe put it, "Time Wounds All Heels".
Time is the measuring syst
em used to compare the durations of events and the intervals between them. We use it to quantify rates of change such as motion, growth, appearance, etc.
Dinner time. Work time. Free time. Play time. Class time. Bed time. Time is a valuable commodity, even if we don't always value it. Who wouldn't want more time to sleep? Or less time sitting in traffic? More time to chat with co-workers instead of just a quick hello, I’m fine. More time for projects, for priorities, for whatever makes us happy. Less time taken up with drama, more time for being productive.
Time is a valuable resources, one we do not have the luxury to waste. Money, gold, any material thing, can be recovered. The time we spend can never be recovered.
Time is fleeting. Make good use of your time.
For much of human history people didn’t locate their thoughts and emotions within the brain. The ancient Egyptians considered the heart to be the organ associated with an individual's intelligence and life force and was preserved for the afterlife, while the brain was removed and discarded. In numerous places the Bible uses the word "heart" as a place of intellect, thought, emotions, character, love, compassion and faithfulness.
Recently I read a study that suggests gut instincts don't come from your gut, but rather your heart. The findings did not indicate your heart is terribly good at providing insight into what to d
o, nor did the research indicate any particular way to improve decision making.
Then, you may ask, why bother talking about it? The study did find evidence there is more to the idea of trusting your heart than we may realize. People who were more aware of their heartbeat, meaning those who could estimate how fast their hearts were beating without directly measuring their pulse with their fingers, were better at tests that relied on intuition rather that logic or strategy.
The heart is the central link between itself, our brains, and our hormonal system. The heart is in a constant two-way dialogue with the brain; emotions change the signals the brain sends to the heart and the heart responds in complex ways.
Following the path of the heart can be a messy business. There might be bumps, bruises, cuts, and scratches as you move along the road. The mind may be the content of who you are, but the heart contains the distillate of your very being, the essence of what makes you who you are. Listen to your heart.
New Year's Day is a clean slate, a chance to begin anew, a time of hope and renewal for us all.
In truth, today is just 
another day; nothing has changed except the date on the calendar. Still, as the new year begins, most of us think about the positive changes we would like to make, for the good things we would like to see the coming months bring to our families, friends, co-workers, the nation and the world.
Resolutions will be made; some will be kept, some will be broken and we'll look forward to the next New Year's Day for another opportunity at starting anew.
Why wait until the next January 1st? The Chinese New Year is in February, April brings the Hindi New Year, Buddhist's celebrate in May, Summer Solstice in June, Rosh Hashanah in September...you get the general idea.
Unlike Christmas, new year celebrations happen many times during the course of the year. Every day is a new year. Each and every day we find ourselves standing at a crossroads. Keep smiling in your heart, no matter what that day brings you. And vow to make the next day a new year.
With love overflowing
With joy in our hearts
For the blessed new year
nt to know someone's deepest thoughts? Is it trust? It is the desire to make a connection with a person or a thing? Evolutionary monkey curiosity?
