January 19, 2026 a thought for today, A word is enough to the wise. Dutch Proverb

Photos in my life yesterday

This is my first challenge upload was “my choice” and one of my series of “partial”. 

The second was “technology”. There could be more. These were he ones I had
on hand easily. 

The last upload was “today’s vibe”. I felt a “vibe” when I saw the sun peeking through the clouds.  

Life today. I have gotten a lot done today. It has been productive. I was able to get the information I need to complete the bulletin in one day. I will send it for proof reading tomorrow. I got the photos I needed early in the day and had them cataloged and filed. They are ready for upload. I have the Instagram/Facebook Sunday School file composed and uploaded. I was even able to get the dishwasher loaded and running. 

On top of what I already listed I got some research done on a couple of subjects that have been on my mind. One of them was about the trip I am taking tomorrow. Sue is taking me to have the visual test for my license. I found a way to get there that I feel is quicker and a little less traveled. She seems to want to go the way she is familiar with. It takes about ten minutes longer. One thing we will have to deal with is the coldest day of the year so far. I think it is supposed to be well  below freezing.  

We had a dusting of snow but the sun is so bright today that it has already melted even though the temps are in the teens. 

The word today is proper.  There is properly no history, only biography. Ralph Waldo Emerson. Exercise ferments the humors, casts them into their proper channels, throws off redundancies, and helps nature in those secret distributions, without which the body cannot subsist in its vigor, nor the soul act with cheerfulness. Joseph Addison. Our houses are such unwieldy property that we are often imprisoned rather than housed in them. Henry David Thoreau. Be you in what line of life you may, it will be amongst your misfortunes if you have not time properly to attend to pecuniary [monetary] matters. Want of attention to these matters has impeded the progress of science and of genius itself. William Cobbett. The proper method for inquiring after the properties of things is to deduce them from experiments. Isaac Newton. Consequently he who wishes to attain to human perfection, must therefore first study Logic, next the various branches of Mathematics in their proper order, then Physics, and lastly Metaphysics. Maimonides. I, schooled in misery, know many purifying rites, and I know where speech is proper and where silence. Aeschylus.  Those who know how to win are much more numerous than those who know how to make proper use of their victories. Polybius. I have the fault of being a little more sincere than is proper. Moliere.  God, that all-powerful Creator of nature and architect of the world, has impressed man with no character so proper to distinguish him from other animals, as by the faculty of speech. Quintilian. Speak properly, and in as few words as you can, but always plainly; for the end of speech is not ostentation, but to be understood. William Penn. It is not the rich man you should properly call happy, but him who knows how to use with wisdom the blessings of the gods, to endure hard poverty, and who fears dishonor worse than death, and is not afraid to die for cherished friends or fatherland. Horace. Man...is a tame or civilized animal; never the less, he requires proper instruction and a fortunate nature, and then of all animals he becomes the most divine and most civilized; but if he be insufficiently or ill- educated he is the most savage of earthly creatures. Plato. I do not distinguish by the eye, but by the mind, which is the proper judge. Seneca. Remember this-that there is a proper dignity and proportion to be observed in the performance of every act of life. Marcus Aurelius Antoninus. Honor is not the exclusive property of any political party. Herbert Hoover. 

Article summary. I believe in the value of reading, the benefits, the knowledge and much more. Consequently, that explains how the title to this article drew my attention. Furthermore: reading allows for experiencing multiple lives, exploring new worlds, and gaining wisdom from others' lifetimes; prevent cognitive decline and even contribute to a longer life. The article title is  Deep reading can boost your critical thinking and help you resist misinformation – here’s how to build the skill.  JT Torres, Director of the Harte Center for Teaching and Learning, Washington and Lee University. Jeff Saerys-Foy. Associate Professor of Psychology, Quinnipiac University. At theconversation.com. It begins by telling how reading among the people of America is dropping off. They say much of the reason is the “addiction” to their cell phones. It goes on to say that the “challenges” to read are as “relevant” as they have ever been. The authors’ example is parents aren’t reading to their children as was the custom earlier in history. Another example they presented is that some college students “cannot make it through an entire book.” I hadn’t thought of the digital age as offering the scrolling method many use and “passive engagement” with other people. Using what the author is calling deep reading we find our information in “critical, analytical and empathetic ways”. Reading “deeply” offers our making connections more effective along with seeing different perspectives and interpretations. As the article goes on I visited the idea that the attention and effort required for “deep reading” though the work is involved can be “difficult” it in reality adds to our sense of purpose. In my reading here I saw how some social media can be used to help with reading plans. Places like TikTok helps in offering a place that recommends books. In that line I feel a place on line called Goodreads can also help in the effort to encourage reading more in depth. In learning to “deep read” we have control our timing by slowing down when we need to digest a point in the words.

I think I will have poached cod for dinner. 

Photos in my life today

The first upload for today is “my desk”. This one is a little neater than it is at times. Those times would be when I am trying to get more than one thing done at a time. In here you could see a part of the TV that is on most of the time, my monitor, and my Frameo with a slide show of my family all day long. A corner of my printer is in the left corner. 

The second upload is “stars”. I don’t see to many stars in the sky here in the city so I am using the next set of favorite stars that I have on hand. 

The last upload in this series is “bare branches”. Note the gorgeous winter sky in the background of a bare branches to match the season. 

Joy 

         a bonus image of an old bench that had seen it’s better day