So much good today — Big picture! Knowledge! Conscience! — Angelic music!  Daily Stoic: Gotta eat the elephant one bite at a time. That's all I can do.  Today's Meditation: Today's Meditation III: Today's Music: Der Fischerknabe 'The Fisher Boy' from Songs Based on Schiller's William Tell by Franz Listz Daily Shakespeare: Othello , Act 4 Scene 3

Let Fate jump in lakes,  Still deep waters, consuming  Pease porridge hot? Nope.* Daily Stoic: Ride the wave. Find the Tao, the natural way, through the course. See ahead far enough to steer past obstacles in the now.  Today's Meditation: Today's Meditation II: Today's Meditation III: Today's Music: Violin Sonata in A major 4: Allegretto poco mosso (@22:45) by César Franck ============== * Iced cream, cold. 

The night is full of Hours each one sadder than the Last. Rest now your head. Daily Stoic: Make my own way, adapting to what life brings.  Today's Meditation: Today's Meditation II: Today's Music: I Lie by David Lang Daily Shakespeare: Sonnet 104

Hooky playing days — Eras of forgotten lore — Memories of peace. Daily Stoic: If I need a tool to accomplish my task, I reach for the tool.  If I need someone else's muscles or knowledge, why would I not ask for help?  Today's Meditation: Today's Meditation II: Today's Music: The Frog Galliard by John Dowland Daily Shakespeare: A Midsummer Night's Dream , Act 5 Scene 1

We're hunting wabbits! Listening for shuffles, steps. Shhh! Close my damn mouth. Daily Stoic: Never miss a good opportunity to shut up.  Man do I wish I'd listened to this advice more in my youth.  And my middle age.  And for the rest of my life.... Today's Meditation: Today's Meditation II: Today's Music: Eight Concert Etudes, Op. 40: I. Prelude: Allegro assa i  (up to 2:07) by Nikolai Kapustin

Oops!  A day missed. No! A season gone by, alas! Oh well.  Try again. Daily Stoic: The obvious approach to any given situation may be full of pitfalls and nettles.  If I bother to look, I will find that there is always a best option.  It may happen to be the obvious choice , but that is not usually so. Today's Meditation: Today's Meditation II: Today's Music: The Lark Ascending  by Ralph Vaughan Williams

Abracadabra!  Alakazaam! Ope your eyes!  How'd you that? Magic!  Daily Stoic: Will I have the judgment, fortitude, and courage to follow the Tao, to do what needs be done, to do the right thing?  Today's Meditation: Today's Meditation II: Today's Music: The Salley Gardens  as interpreted by Benjamin Bratton

Philosophies guide,  Paths through bogs and swamps and woods.  The way found. Land ho!  Daily Stoic: A heuristic to guide me through uncertain or difficult times: do the next right thing.  Today's Meditation: Today's Meditation II: Today's Music: Mi Teresita (Little Waltz) by Teresa Carreño

Flying highlighting  Lightning flashing across skies.  Fooling falutin'.  Daily Stoic: Act is haste, repent at leisure. I've been doing pretty well about controlling my anger responses lately.  Yeah me.  Today's Meditation: Today's Music: Morgen (Tomorrow) Opus 27 no 4 by Richard Strauss Daily Shakespeare: Sonnet 65

With just four notes. Yeah.  Rivers courses run through ways Different. Now. Yeah.  Daily Stoic: I can do it.  Today's Meditation: Today's Music: Isolde’s Liebestod – Love-Death from Tristan und Isolde by Richard Wagner The Tristan Chord  The Tristan chord is a chord made up of the notes F, B, D♯, and G♯: Stephen Fry on the Tristan Chord  Daily Shakespeare: A Midsummer Night's Dream, Act 2 Scene 2

Sudden stillness minds A store, full, everlasting. Playful teasing love. Daily Stoic: Nip it in the bud.  Bad habits are easiest to stop when small and infrequent.  My bad habits, on the other hand, have deep, deep roots. Time to do better. Today's Meditation: Today's Meditation II: Today's Music: Sinfonia concertante for violin and viola in E flat major, K. 364 1: Allegro maestoso by Mozart

Moments in a row, Seasons pushing onward so, A life created. Daily Stoic: Life is made of moments. Succeed in the moment, do the next right thing, conquer the obstacle, win the day.  Today's Meditation: Today's Meditation II: Today's Music: Abendlied (Evening Song)  by Robert Schumann

Zee zee zee zip zee Sitars and violins flash!  Zip zah bah zee zip Daily Stoic: I am crazy lucky in that my parents have both been excellent role models for me. Intelligent, kind, thoughtful, humorous, stern, gentle, faithful, loving, wise examples of well-lived lives.  If they had not been so good, I have other choices after which I might fashion my life. Be it friends' fathers, teachers, or ancient Stoics, there are many places I can learn how to live, how to be a man, how to pursue virtue.  Today's Meditation: Today's Meditation II: Today's Meditation III: Today's Music: Raga Piloo  as played by  Ravi Shankar and Yehudi Menuhin