Today M5T considers the wisdom that can only be garnered from the passage of time, from all the Novembers and the other months of each year, and a willingness to fully embrace and experience all that life unfolds for us each and every day.
As we start this week leading up to Thanksgiving, I have spent a lot of time being just that. Thankful. Thankful for so many and so much in my life and yet I have this sense of restlessness as the end of the year approaches. A restlessness that, I think, is a healthy state of state. A state of mind of pressing on. Pressing on to affirmative attitudes, constructive changes, elevated expectations, and fearless faith. And so, this morning’s M5T Presses On.
As you start your week, this morning’s M5T offers up some perspectives for a passionate life, some food for thought, a veritable feast of wisdom if you would, from the Stoics.
So, it's the dawn of my sixth decade. I spent some time these past few weeks considering the most important things in my life. The people that I love. The work that I do. The ways in which I spend my time. This morning’s M5T, if you will bear with me, shares 60 snippets, personal perspectives on life if you would, all wrapped up in 5 Things.
And so, my fellow M5Ters, with an attitude of forbearance, this morning we consider the virtue of patience as October draws to a close and we head into November. And why is that damn car in front of me going so slow??? Don’t you know I have places to go, people to see, and things to get done???
I recalled a coffee shop conversation that I had interloped on a few years ago, as one friend asked the other; ‘What would you do if you only had a month to live?’ I remembered a previous M5T missive that I had written. This morning’s M5T asks, “If You Only…..?”.
The US government has taken over the economy, instituted heavy regulation and socialism, and the country is moving toward economic and social collapse. Hmmm. Sound familiar? Sixty-five years ago, on October 10th actually, Ayn Rand released her final and seminal book, “Atlas Shrugged”.
I took a trip down memory lane in my car listening to the Canadian band ‘The Northern Pikes’. Fond memories flooded my mind of friends and places from that time in my life north of the 49th parallel. As Canada sits down for thanksgiving dinner today, or perhaps is still full of dinner from last night, this morning’s M5T gives homage to all things Canadian, all whilst wishing I had a sandwich with leftover turkey, mayo, and cranberry in hand.
...I realized that as of today, there are 89 days left in 2022. Three quarters of this year are finished. And I asked myself some questions: What will you do with the days left this year? What have you left unfinished? What haven’t you started? What haven’t you stopped? Who haven’t you spoken to? Will you start now? This morning’s M5T looks at the power of doing things now for the remaining 89 days of the year.
We became friends when I was in high school. He was already an old man, a widower, yet there was something about him that I was drawn to, intrigued by, and respected greatly. As I grew older, he became all the more influential in my life. I was reminded of him again when I saw a dilapidated fishing boat on the Pacific Ocean a few weeks ago.
“What inspires you?” I felt I gave a somewhat quick, rather trite response to my friend that asked the question. I’ve since reflected on the question, rolling it around in my mind, pondering a better answer, perhaps for no one other than myself. Today’s M5T, postulates a more considered response to a seemingly simple question that, once we understand the complexity of the answer for ourselves, can shape a fulfilled life.
I was agitated. The morning did not start out as I had expected. And then it happened. The balloon began to rise over the distance mountains. Six shots changed my perspective for the day. Six shots changed my negative thinking to a mindset of thankfulness, gratitude, and peace. And as I thanked God for such a beautiful reminder, this morning’s M5T took shape.
Whichever country you are reading this in, Labo(u)r Day is meant to be a celebration of the work of so many who make these countries two of the greatest in the world and yes, I still believe that. Today’s M5T pauses to reflect on the importance of labor, no matter how you spell it.
What do GPS directions and a squirrel in the middle of a race track have in common? This morning’s M5T takes bearing on staying enroute in life.
For each Sunday that I’ve been fortunate to attend the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, I pause at the top of Hay's Hill before heading down to the storied 18th fairway...And once again, inspired by a most beautiful part of the world, M5T considers passions in our lives.
Our desire at Coastal Care Partners is to…
It’s that time of year again when I take my cameras and glass and head out for South Magazine’s ‘South Goes West’ at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance and Monterey Car Week. A week of photographing some of the most beautiful automobiles, old and new, in one of the most picturesque parts of the world, is definitely a highlight of the year for me. This year I’ve added Hagerty’s Motorlux to the coverage; luxury can’t even begin to describe this unique event. This morning’s M5T revisits some of life’s greatest luxuries.
“I’ll get around to it.” A phrase repeated by a precocious, barely mustachioed teenager who felt he had better things to do than the tasks that his mother wanted done around the house. In class one morning, I opened up a textbook, to find a sticker. A ‘Round 2 It’ sticker. Mom had a rather subtle way of getting messages across to me. It has stuck with me as reminder all my life. Thinking through some decision points recently, I mused where my mom’s “Round 2 It” sticker might apply. This morning’s M5T gets round to getting “Round 2 It’ in life.
For the record, I was not the buyer of the $1.28 billion ticket this week....I will confess to dropping two bucks down on the lottery and giving myself the time to have a few moments – to which I will also confess to wasting far too much time - fantasizing as to how I would use such funds. Those thoughts lead me to pen this morning’s M5T about things I would rather have.
The Weather Channel called for rain. However, the forecast failed to include the word “monsoon” levels of precipitation. I was at the photo-hole between T11 and T12 at the legendary Indianapolis Motor Speedway as the heavens opened with a Noahesque torrent. ...Waiting for the rain to stop, dripping all over the interior of the car (sorry Avis), the phrase, “Living Full” came to mind. I grabbed a pen and paper from my camera bag and this week’s M5T poured out.
Hang around me long enough and you’ll hear certain phrases that I use quite often. I can’t take credit for all of them, but I have embraced them, living the meanings behind them for years. This morning’s M5T shares some of these simple, yet profound perspectives on life that I’ve adopted as Graham’isms.
A good friend of mine has been going through a particularly tough valley at this point in his life. He mentioned to me that his daughter has ordered him a copy of ‘The Meditations’. It’s been one of my go-to books during challenging times in my life. Today M5T looks at some of the musings of an emperor who has been called a Philosopher King.
This past Friday, on July 1st, Canada celebrated 155 years of a self-governing country with a division of powers between federal and provincial governments. This morning, July 4th, the US will celebrate 246 years of independence as a representative republic. Today’s M5T straddles both sides of the 49th parallel to celebrate the two greatest countries in the world.
Aristotle wrote in his seminal tome, “Ethics”, that there are three types of friendship. The first is a friendship of utility or advantage. Each person may not even really like each other, but there is a mutually profitable relationship in which each person provides something that the other needs. The second is a friendship based on pleasure or fun. Once the fun stops, a deeper friendship can break through. The third and most profound, is what Aristotle called the “friendship of good-will”. A genuine friend that loves another for the sake of that other person. In a word, “true”. With a nod to Aristotle, and other lesser recognized philosophers Randy Newman, James Taylor, Bill Withers, and the Beatles, today’s M5T looks at true friendship.
