October 8, 2026 a thought for today, The advice of the aged will not mislead you. Welch Proverb

Photos in my life yesterday

One of the challenges yesterday was “g is for...”. I used the bunch of grapes from my last grocery order for this image. 

The next assignment was “my choice” and one of my “still life”. This one is asingle carnation on a black background. Carnations seem to be a popular cut flower in my store bought bouquets. 

The last upload was “magic”. I used this playing card “hand” of a royal flush as magic. This is part of what was my son’s card deck for his “magic shows” to family and friends.

Life today. I went to the church for the printing a little earlier than usual today. I had one extra piece to copy and I wanted to put up at least three more placards. When all of that was done, I opened and turned on lights in all of the “fall sale” rooms so that I could get some photos for the newsletter as well as some for my photo club assignments. Some of the volunteers for the set up started arriving about the time that I had those done. 

Once I got home, it was back to the computer as is “the story of my life”, self inflicted for what I consider good mental health practice. I shifted from one project to the next to prevent boredom with the one I was working on, that method seems to help clearer focus on each. I got all the smaller projects on the “check list” done, now finishing on the larger ones. 

I did take one break to put the laundry it will be done shortly then along with folding the laundry,  I can start to close out the day before a small dinner.

The word to ponder today is easy. All truths are easy to understand once they are discovered; the point is to discover them. Galileo Galilei. All things are difficult before they are easy. Dr. Thomas Fuller. Do not pray for easy lives. Pray to be stronger men. Do not pray for tasks equal to your powers. Pray for powers equal to your tasks. Then the doing of your work shall be no miracle, but you shall be the miracle. Phillips Brooks. What does reason demand of a man? A very easy thing--to live in accord with his nature. Seneca. It is easy in the world to live after the world's opinion; it is easy in solitude to live after our own; but the great man is he who in the midst of the crowd keeps with perfect sweetness the independence of solitude. Ralph Waldo Emerson. Sloth makes all things difficult, but industry, all things easy. He that rises late must trot all day, and shall scarce overtake his business at night, while laziness travels so slowly that poverty soon overtakes him. Benjamin Franklin. The books that help you most are those which make you think that most. The hardest way of learning is that of easy reading; but a great book that comes from a great thinker is a ship of thought, deep freighted with truth and beauty. Theodore Parker. Trees, though they are cut and lopped, grow up again quickly, but if men are destroyed, it is not easy to get them again. Pericles. When the stomach is full, it is easy to talk of fasting. Saint Jerome. It is easy to be brave from a safe distance. Aesop. The ingredients of health and long life, are great temperance, open air, easy labor, and little care. Sir Philip Sidney. 

Article summary. The words “care about” and “moral circle” in the title grabbed my attention. I thought I would take a look to see if I need to expand my attitude. The title is Who we care about is limited – but our research shows how humans can expand their ‘moral circle’. James Kirby, Associate Professor in Psychology, The University of Queensland. Charlie Crimston, Lecturer in Psychology, Australian National University. At theconversation.com. I understand that there has been a research study on a situation in life that may expand how people feel about each other. Article summary. During the time of pandemic and other “conflicts” how people may be able to “feel” how the others they meet are experiencing life’s struggles, how to “bridge the divide between “us” and “them” and wanting to help where they may be able to. It’s easy to connect with those around us who are “suffering” but seeing and feeling those of someone outside our “daily lives” is a different matter. Some of those may be folks we don’t particularly “like”. One of the researchers coined a term called “moral circle” to those people we may want to consider “worthy” of our concern. I was interested in how they mentioned “prioritizing” groups outside our family and “ingroup”.  The “groups” they named are what was interesting, “family/friends, ingroup, revered, stigmatized, out group, animals (high *sentience), environment, animals (low *sentience), plants, and villains”. During the studies they considered whether moral boundaries are “fixed” or can we change in an upward movement. Some of the studies showed that empathy and mindfulness may be considered but compassion is stronger in this instance. Compassion can move to a willingness to help even those we may not like. There was a study in **“compassion training”. The training consisted of listening to “audio exercises”, “compassionate breathing” and “imagery” exercises along with meditations. They would “express compassion” for someone they like then “expanded it to strangers and those not liked including animals and other things in our “natural environment”. After two weeks there was improvement and a moral increase carried on into more months. Moral concern had increased including the animal, plants and environmental considerations. In coming to an end it mentions we can “recognize” the rights of others including “creatures to live a life free of suffering”. Further, we may make better decisions, actions and “expand our moral sensibilities”.

Photos in my life today

My first challenge today is “h is for ....”. This hat is one of the items in our church’s annual fall sale. It is one of the items I captured in my personal photo excursion this morning into the rooms set up for this week ends fall sale. 

The next upload is also from my fall sale excursion, “dolls”. The expressions and bright colors on these two caught my attention.

My last assignment for today is another of  “my choice” and another of my
series of “still life”. This is three white blossoms from my current store bought bouquet in my black ceramic bowl. 

Creamed Beef on toast for dinner. 

Joy

* awareness

**(outside research on one method) reduce self-criticism, soothe the nervous system, and cultivate kindness toward yourself and others (hands gently over your heart, yourself in a soft hug, focus purely on the warmth)

my upload to Fine Art America, an abstract in nature edited with my in camera filters. The original was a lone leaf on my windshield

want to shop? Visit: fineartamerica.com search for joy rector click on “view shop”  and redbubble.com search for jarector (and take a look at flickr.com search for rectorjoyce)