James Pyles's Blog, page 113

Quoting: Breathe in Life

Often what seems to be a depressing situation is due only to the lack of fresh air. Get out into the air and breathe deeply, or at least open the window and fill your lungs. Your emotions become normalized when your body is invigorated by the influx of cool, moist and moving air. This often […]

The Ronnenberg Confession

  The Haunted Wordsmith proposed a challenge whereby participants would pick the book of their choice (hardcopy or digital), turn to page 62, select line 6, and use that as the basis for crafting a poem, short story, or some other creative work. Since I just checked out Philip K. Dick’s novel The Man in […]

I Voted!

Now before you freak out at the photo, no I didn’t vote for the Nazi party or the Axis powers. My son and I were discussing the television version of the late Philip K. Dick’s novel The Man in the High Castle last Sunday, and I realized I probably hadn’t read the novel since the mid-1970s. […]

Quoting: Take a New Look at Life

The Almighty creates everything anew, every single second. Each moment is like the very beginning of creation. Viewing the world in this light will preserve its freshness in your eyes. Sources: Bais HaLevi – Genesis; Rabbi Zelig Pliskin’s Gateway to Happiness, p.143 Advertisements

Seven Weeks of the Devil

I was working as a printer’s devil for old man MacPherson, me, an Irish boy of only sixteen, but it was good pay, through my hands became black as night as I sorted the cast metal type in the hellbox and put ’em back in the job case. I’d gotten used to the noise, but […]

Inescapable

Bavet police inspector Borey Seng stood in the market’s bathroom as coroners continued to examine the body of the 66-year-old Malaysian man, murdered by an object that gashed across his face and eyes. “Who would gouge out an old man’s eyes, and what was he doing in Cambodia in the first place?” “I might have […]

Quoting: Way to a Happy Life

The only way to have a happy life is to keep your eyes focused on what you have and not on what you are lacking. Sources: Chofetz Chaim; Kuntros Nefutzos Yisroel; Cited in Rabbi Zelig Pliskin’s “Gateway to Happiness,” p.354 Advertisements

Rainbow’s Edge

A rainbow is nothing magical, just the result of light shining through a lot of drops of rain and being dispersed into a spectrum of light in the sky. Okay, I’ll buy that as far as it goes, but why is it in the shape or a bow? Sometimes the bow forms a semi-circle with […]

Quoting: Don’t Spread the Insult

Some people become so upset when they are insulted, that they repeat the incident to others who would otherwise not know about it! By giving the matter additional attention, you are causing yourself additional embarrassment! Sources: Rabainu Yonah to Mishle 12:16; Rabbi Zelig Pliskin’s “Gateway to Happiness,” p.298 Interestingly enough, thanks to sharing, retweeting, and […]

Family Day

Yesterday, my son texted me at work and suggested spending Saturday together. He had a very specific agenda. So this morning, I met him at his house, and we got the kids ready to head into downtown Boise so we could attend the annual Boise Veterans Day Parade (hence the image above). The parade has […]