There are many kinds of memory. Some things are remembered in the body, other in time, other in smells, the list goes on.

I see my dad — he doesn’t remember the past or has a hard time visualizing the future; however, he has knowledge of things — he can recall some things given the proper context and environment.

Context matters… especially when it comes to visualizing time.

“I have a good memory. I simply can’t visualize the past or the future. However, I see the present very clearly.” — Dad

It resonated.

Today is your day. It’s always your day.You get to decide what to do with your day.Don’t interpret the ability to decide as “every day is fun in the sun.”What makes each day awesome is that you got to decide.

Stanley Kubrick said (edited for clarity):I had one thing I think that perhaps helped me get over being a school misfit. I became interested in photography. I started out by getting a camera and learning how to take pictures, and learning how to print pictures, and so on and so on, and finally learning how to sell pictures and would it be possible to be a professional photographer. And it was a case of over a period of say from the age 13 to 17 of going through step by step without anybody really helping me the problem solving of becoming a photographer. This particular thing about problem solving is something that school’s generally don’t teach you. If you can develop a generalized approach to problem solving it’s surprising how it helps you in anything. I think that photography might have been more valuable than doing the proper things in school.

Made in 1908, Émile Cohl, created one of, perhaps “the”, first animation. Watch it. I love how the animation is like a stream of consciousness. “First I was here, then I did this, and then whoah this happened to me, and then… and then!” I have a bias for wanting the endings ruined — I want to go right to the end. However, there are times when I can suspend the mind and appreciate the absurd and surreal — that animation made my day. I enjoy Monty Python for similar reasons.Do you take enough time to enjoy the nonsensical?

If you’re a bear in Yellowstone park, your summer might suck. Finding food. If you’re a mother bear, preventing your cubs from being killed by a male bear. Hoping wolves won’t steel your skills. Bears have it hard.It’s said that most animals born in Yellowstone never live past a year. Death by mauling, starvation, abandonment, or something else.I can’t complain about a mosquito bite or annoying people. I’m in my 40s . Compared to a young animal in Yellowstone, I’ve got it made.

Dorothy got caught in a tornado and transported to Oz. In Oz she met a bunch of people, some animals that shouldn’t be talking, a tin man, she saw a yellow brick road, got high, met a witch, committed murder (first degree?), committed larceny, clicked some on fleek shoes, suffered from amnesia, and vaguely recalled the truth. Sounds like a net loss for Dorothy. And she barely remembered it. Don’t get caught up in your life’s tornado. Don’t be like Dorothy. There’s no place like home.

You can’t make something from nothing. Physics says no. However, you can make something from something.“Get better at making shrimp and eggs by noticing your spice cabinet a bit more. And get better at being creative by learning to stop, notice, take from what’s around you, and then start imagining what might be better.” — Me from a 2021 postNoticing is an act that allows you to access a world beyond your immediate perception. By getting better at noticing you see things you might not have seen before — then the work starts.Now that you see things, what will you do with them? The creative isn’t creative because they are mystical and can access energy plains you could only dream of. No. They are creative because they’ve developed the skill of noticing. Learning how to notice doesn’t require a complex process — it’s simple — observe more, judge less. Simple things aren’t easy, and anything hard is usually worth it. I don’t know anybody that claims greater returns to judgment. Rather, the returns they often tout come from stilling the mind and listening more.

When you hike barefoot you suddenly become very aware of the world around you.Even the ant crossing the path.The bottom of your feet send information to your brain via your nervous system. Your brain directs your eyes to become super aware of the world around you before you put your feet down. Shoes are like a great filter that prevent you from sensing and seeing the world around you.What are the metaphorical shoes you wear every day? And what might they keep you from seeing?

I sat across the table from my dad and asked, “what are you thinking about, Dad?”

Dad: “Nothing,” 

Me: “I wish I could think of nothing as easily as you.”

Dad: “You just try too hard.  When you try to hard at a thing, it’s hard to sit back and enjoy it.  If you can sit back and enjoy a thing, you can think nothing of it.”

After he said that, I imagined you might find the idea insightful.