The Best Of The First Year / The Best Of The First 100: Posts 1-50

My first post was exactly one year ago today...this is my 100th post!!

Without further adieu, here is a "Best Of..." list; one quote from each post, in order:

_________

1. I firmly believe we are uplifted when we talk and we share; when we teach and we’re taught; when we validate and become validated; when we connect and become connected. If more people looked outward instead of selfishly focusing inward, a lot of the worries have in our society would not be as widespread.
2. … life is not just about the journey, but the journeys within the journey. The little trips in life we choose to take, or many times are forced to take due to the prior choices we’ve made and the directions the pavement runs in front of us. Our journey is a series of intersections and little towns and at every junction we have a choice to make, a direction to choose. 
3. …if we could all form our own opinions about things and be confident in what we believe without having to try to prove to everyone else (and secretly ourselves) why OUR opinion should be THE definitive opinion…maybe we could all get along?   
4. It’s never too late to learn; there’s no such thing as failure, learn from your mistakes, forgive and be forgiven, take the high road, don’t sink to the gutter. 
5. I hope to be back to posting soon, but at times like this, my employer needs me. I hope you understand!
6. The problem with labels is (as Chris Rock implied and I agree): do we stop thinking for ourselves, and instead fall into the trap of labeling or being labeled, which in turn leads to acting without thinking?
7. …I’m not interested in labeling myself, or worrying about labels that anyone wants to put on me, even if they are good labels. I’m not interested in comparing myself to others, or to stereotypes, or to others expectations.  
8. The travels of a Federal tax Cut = simple non-fuzzy math.
9. I try to live my life to appreciate every moment for what it is, as every moment that passes is a moment that can never be changed and a moment you can never get back. 
10. Please, both of you [NFL players and owners], stop whining about being portrayed as whining rich people, count the money you have, stop taking us for dumb…
11. And we all know the theory…get the best defense money can buy. Is THAT where we are, really? My innocence or guilt is dependent on the level of defense I can buy, judged by twelve average random people who aren’t getting paid, who are getting their minds played with, where probably don’t understand the rules?
12. [NFL players] get traded. OK, maybe this is a fair comparison [to slavery]. Oh wait. When a player is traded, many times they end up making MORE money. 
13. The person you are inside is all you need to be and you must protect and cherish and be one with yourself.
14. http://www.irishmemorial.org/
15. …[the remaining citizens of Centralia, PA] watched their hometown get destroyed NOT in an instant, but slowly, very slowly, piece by piece and building by building, over 50 years. I find that strong sense of home inspiring. 
16. “The road of life is always under construction.” – Michelle Hange, Weight Watchers
17. And where we’re headed, I’m afraid, in all this increased focus on quantity, and the resulting decreased focus on quality, is down a road paved with apathy. 
18. I went through the full spectrum of negative emotions when reading [an article about the possible impacts of labels on the success of kids going through school]: sad for those who have to deal with this; fear for what my son may (and probably will) have to go through; and anger that people can be so ridiculous.
19. The most important thing, in my opinion, is this:  how do you define your own happiness? Then the question is no longer “are you happy?”, it’s “are you meeting your personal definition of happiness?”  
20. I shouldn’t be so self-critical during my apathetic moments, for those moments serve a purpose, and being self-critical sends me down a darker path that I’d rather not go down. Life is not worth that, even if at times it seems that our parameters and boundaries oppress us deeply. Life is meant to be so much more, in spite of what may trap us.
21. …we all need a place of solitude – a place where we can go to be totally ourselves, free from stress or criticism or pressure.
22. …when elected officials can behave themselves as they wish, for their own personal gain or motive without regard to the people who elected them into their position, then…
23. Why are there so many questions? Do all of these questions have answers? What if these questions don’t have answers? Will everything come to an end? Will life keep moving forward? Why do we spend so much time on asking so many questions? Are all of these questions a waste of time? Did I just write a post of only questions? 
24. “Now my life has changed and now my eyes can see - Now I'm living on the morning side”  - Steve Winwood
25. I am proud of the fact that a generation of kids growing up in a small suburban town had the chance to experience something different, and so innocently simple, and give that experience legendary status.
26. “The planet will be here for a long, long, LONG time after we're gone, and it will heal itself, it will cleanse itself, 'cause that's what it does. It's a self-correcting system. The air and the water will recover, the earth will be renewed, and if it's true that plastic is not degradable, well, the planet will simply incorporate plastic into a new paradigm: the earth plus plastic.” – George Carlin
27. If we’re not careful, then we start to lose ourselves underneath all the pressure. We stop being ourselves and start being someone else defined by all of the outside measurements and definitions that we allow to change us.
28. “… faith is like a glass of water. When you're young, the glass is full, and it's easy to fill up. But the older you get, the bigger the glass gets, and the same amount of water doesn't fill the glass anymore. Periodically, the glass has to be refilled.” - from the movie Dogma
29. To see the raw power of nature unleash herself is well, awesome. And in those moments, I’m blinded from everything; everything is a blur, being washed away by sheets of water just getting thrown at me from every direction.
30. Whatever happened to the Golden Rule? “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you?” Maybe if we went back to that simple rule life would be a lot easier. 
31. “And finally, the objectives of the two games are completely different: In football, the object is for the quarterback, otherwise known as the field general, to be on target with his aerial assault, riddling the defense by hitting his receivers with deadly accuracy in spite of the blitz, even if he has to use the shotgun. With short bullet passes and long bombs, he marches his troops into enemy territory, balancing this aerial assault with a sustained ground attack that punches holes in the forward wall of the enemy's defensive line. In baseball the object is to go home! And to be safe! "I hope I'll be safe at home!” - George Carlin
32. So, the intentionally rhetorical question I’m left to ask is this:  if the killing of Saddam Hussein and Osama bin Laden has not ended terrorism, what will? If anything? …or is the potential answer that, as Americans, now that we’ve symbolically avenged those who were killed in the 9/11 attacks and since, do we need to adapt our views of, and reactions to, terrorism?
33. And when you’re unique, it’s good to be around similarity. Somewhere along the way, having such a unique cultural background has helped me become comfortable and confident with the fact that I am so unique in many many ways.  
34. As I said, I get my compassion and emotionality (if that is a word) from my mom. I get my patience from my mom. I get my caregiver side (including the part where I get involved more than I should!) from her.
35. What is perfection? What is happiness? An abstract by definition has no definition. And yet we try to define it. Why? Or better yet:  When is good enough actually good enough? 
36. … it felt good to do an honest morning’s work, physical work, and be rewarded by the appreciation and happiness of those who make that YMCA their home, their social life, or their career.  
37. If you live life every day the best you can, then when the end comes, whether it's your end or the end of the world, you can ride off into the sunset. Period. 
38.  “And the pool of liquid hate begins to spin. Round and round it spins, faster and faster. And the faster it spins, the bigger it gets, faster and faster, bigger and bigger, until the whirling pool of hate is bigger than the entire universe and then suddenly it EXPLODES into trillions of tiny stars. And every star has a trillion planets. And every planet has a trillion Uncle Dave's. And all the Uncle Dave's have good jobs and perfect eyesight and shoes that fit. They have great sex lives and free health care. They understand the internet and their kids think they're cool. And they all love their neighbors. And every week, without fail, Uncle Dave wins the lottery. Forever and ever, until the end of time, every single Uncle Dave has a winning ticket. And Uncle Dave is finally happy.” – George Carlin
39. “I think New Horizons provides incredible opportunities for adults to explore music - both at an introductory and advanced level with some high caliber instructors. The study and enjoyment of music keeps the mind sharp and the body in motion. Routine gatherings provide structure to some schedules that might otherwise be fairly empty, and many opportunities for fellowship and friendship.” – Jennifer Horn
40. …centered simplicity
41. Anyone who has worked with me over my 15-year career knows that “it is what it is” is my most often quoted line. It’s an Accountant’s motto and best friend…”it is what it is.” 
42. "I don't know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everybody." – Bill Cosby
43. We do the nine-to-five in Corporate America, those of us who aren’t rich, to enjoy the nights and the weekends and family and friends. So as songwriter Rod Temperton wrote for Quincy Jones, who asked a young Michael Jackson to sing, when he was still a young kid in the body of a barely 20-year old kid:  “So tonight-Gotta leave that nine to five upon the shelf-An' just enjoy yourself-Groove-Let the madness in the music get to you-Life ain't so bad at all-If you live it off the wall...”
44. If nothing else, and in spite of everything else, I am definitely sympathetic to it all. And In every situation, I want to believe that this too shall pass. And I hope that turns out to be true. And in every situation, I have hope in that belief. Sometimes it may be the only thing I have to offer, and I know sometimes that may initially add to the darkness, but I have hope. I believe that in the end, everything will turn out alright. And I have no factual basis for that, so I would never win a debate about it. I can’t prove it. Only time will tell. And through all that time, you have my sympathy and belief and hope. 
45. …this situation has taught me some important things too, about how to only worry about the things I have control over, and not to obsess over the things I can’t control. This has taught me to appreciate the good moments and focus on the times we do spend together, and not to dwell about the times where I’m here (in NY) and you’re in PA. 
46. Because in the end, whether it’s driving, or working, or providing, life is about remembering where you came from, knowing which direction you’re headed, and then just going: no excuses, no glory, all guts.
47. … it’s not a question of can or can’t; it’s a question of want and desire and passion. If you want something bad enough, you’re going to do whatever it takes to get to greatness. And if you do whatever it takes to get to greatness, you need to want that something bad enough. 
48. “If you’re not willing to change for the better for yourself, please change for the benefit of your children. Your children deserve for you to be at your best. Be responsible. Be thoughtful. Be selfless. Be mature”. – Antonio Maurice Daniels
49. I am a very generous person, generous with my time and effort and emotion and sympathy, and it definitely opens me up to situations and people and influences that are not good for me. And this is a tough call to make in a lot of cases, because I usually see the good in many people and situations...but I have to learn that just because I can see some good, that doesn't make that situation good for me.  
50. I find Michael Jackson – the life, the legend, the person, the entertainment figure – fascinating. Humanly fascinating, psychologically fascinating, musically fascinating. Not the “charming” definition of fascinating, but the “interesting” definition of fascinating. It seems to me that a study into Michael Jackson’s character and actions would be a study into a series of traumatic events and a stolen childhood, the combination of which stunted the psychological growth and development in several areas of his character.