Soul Minds, 304 South Jones Boulevard, North Las Vegas, NV (2024)

04/04/2024

""I died today.
I was found by a kind, sweet woman who does wildlife rescue.
I was so sick, I could barely open my eyes.
She took me inside, cradling me in her warm arms, and made me warm and comfortable.
I opened my eyes and looked at her and thanked her for making my last few minutes as comfortable as possible.
But I was too sick to keep fighting anymore.
I had eaten a mouse that was poisoned, and it made me very sick.
I closed my yellow eyes for the last time and went somewhere else.
Please, all I ask is never use poison to kill the mice.
Poison kills owls, like me.
All I wanted was a mouse for dinner.

Stop the use of poison for rats or mice.
Live traps are the best to use. Catch and release.
It only takes one share to spread the word."

04/04/2024

The expert chainsaw cutter Jeffrey Michael
Samudosky used part of a dead sequoia to create his incredible octopus' sculpture. Wow! 🐙🪵
📸JMS wood sculpture

04/04/2024

READ THIS IT'S BEAUTIFUL 💗
The fate of a mother is to wait for her children. You wait for them when you’re pregnant. You wait on them when they get out of school. You wait on for them to get home after a night out. You wait on them when they start their own lives. You wait for them when they get home from work to come home to a nice dinner. You wait for them with love, with anxiety and sometimes with anger that passes immediately when you see them and you can hug them.
Make sure your old mom doesn't have to wait any longer. Visit her, love her, hug the one who loved you like no one else ever will. Don't make her wait, she's expecting this from you.
Because the membranes get old but the heart of a mother never gets old. Love her as you can. No person will love you like your mother will. ♥️

04/04/2024

–Your grandma wore very short mini skirts, thin panties, high boots, and no bra...
–She listened to Led Zeppelin, The Beatles, Janis Joplin, and Rolling Stones.
–She rode on motorcycles and fast cars.
–She smoked to***co and other things...
–She drank gin-tonics, whiskey, and whatever...
–She came home at 4 am and left for work in the morning...
Know that you will never be as cool as your grandma.
Excuse me but someone had to say it!
~Credit goes to the respective owner.

04/04/2024

I was the flight attendant on a memorial day flight. Speaking with the passenger in the front row, I learned that the dog pictured, was Corporal Kiddy. She had just earned her retirement after 12 years with the U.S Marine.
I made an announcement to congratulate her on her career. The cabin erupted into applause, upon hearing the sound the Corporal jumped on to the nearest lap to graciously accept. ❤️ ❤️ ❤️
Credit - Respective owner

04/04/2024

“My brother and I were both placed into foster homes at a young age. He was lucky—he went to a family called the Ripleys. I went through four different homes in three years, and each one was worse than the next. I’d get to see my brother every few months. Ms. Ripley would take us for lunch at McDonalds, and that’s when she first noticed the scars all over my body. She immediately made arrangements for me to join their family. Back then the word ‘family’ didn’t mean much to me. But the Ripleys made me feel welcome in their home.
Whenever I did something wrong, Ms. Ripley would sit me down and explain why it wasn’t OK. But then she’d say: ‘You’re not going anywhere. Because you belong to us now.’ Shortly after I joined the family, Mr. Ripley was diagnosed with cancer. And later that year he passed away. Ms. Ripley’s entire world fell apart. They’d been high school sweethearts. And now she was alone with two foster kids. Nobody would have blamed her for taking us back.
But instead she took us to court and made it permanent. The three of us moved into a single wide trailer in Mississippi, and that’s where she raised us. She worked whatever odd jobs she could find. We never had much, but we went to movies. We had family game nights. She kept us busy with little league and Boy Scouts. She must have been super stressed, but that’s not at all what I remember.
I just remember the affirmation that she gave me. It was always: ‘You’re smart.’ And ‘You’re handsome.’ And ‘You survived all that stuff because you’re strong.’ She cried when I joined the Marines, but she knew it was my best chance for a college education. And eventually I graduated from law school.
Last year I had a daughter of my own. And that really put me into an emotional tailspin. Because I realized how every little choice I make is going to affect her future. And then I started thinking about how different my life could have been. Because my early development had been the opposite of what a child’s should be. I should be broken, but I’m not. Because thirty years ago my Mom decided to keep me. And somehow, despite all her sadness and heartbreak, she poured enough love into me so that I could heal.”
Credit to the respective owner

04/03/2024

Very inspired story: A Year to Live.
Anthony Burgess was forty when he learned he had a brain tumor that would kill him within a year. He had no money at the time and nothing to bequeath to his soon-to-be widow, Lynne.
Burgess had never been a professional novelist in the past; but he was always aware that he had the talent to be a writer in him. So, just to be able to leave at least the copyrights to his wife, he put a piece of paper in the typewriter and began to write his first novel. It was not even certain that what he had written could be published; but he couldn’t think of anything else to do.
“It was January 1960,” he said, “and according to the diagnosis, I had a winter, a spring, and a summer ahead of me. That year, when the leaves began to fall, I would have died too.” With that speed and haste, Burgess had managed to write five and a half novels before the year was out. E. M. Forster could only write so many in almost an entire lifetime; J. D. Salinger, one of America’s greatest writers, managed to write only half of it in his entire life.
However, Burgess did not die. His cancer first regressed; then it disappeared altogether. In his long and full life as a writer, he produced more than seventy works, most famously A Clockwork Orange. He might not have written even one of these novels had it not been for the death sentence that cancer had inflicted on him.
Most of us are like Anthony Burgess; we hide a great talent waiting for an emergency to emerge from within us.
A useful exercise in self-motivation is to ask yourself what you would do if you were in Anthony Burgess’s place and found out that you would die of cancer within a year… “What would change in my life, how would I live my last year if I had learned that I would only live one more year? ? What exactly would I do? Considering the brevity of life is a useful exercise; it often brings up surprising thoughts in your mind that will reveal your unused talents that have not yet surfaced.

04/03/2024

The day my mother died I wrote in my journal, "A serious misfortune of my life has arrived." I suffered for more than one year after the passing away of my mother. But one night, in the highlands of Vietnam, I was sleeping in the hut in my hermitage. I dreamed of my mother. I saw myself sitting with her, and we were having a wonderful talk. She looked young and beautiful, her hair flowing down. It was so pleasant to sit there and talk to her as if she had never died. When I woke up it was about two in the morning, and I felt very strongly that I had never lost my mother. The impression that my mother was still with me was very clear. I understood then that the idea of having lost my mother was just an idea. It was obvious in that moment that my mother is always alive in me.
I opened the door and went outside. The entire hillside was bathed in moonlight. It was a hill covered with tea plants, and my hut was set behind the temple halfway up. Walking slowly in the moonlight through the rows of tea plants, I noticed my mother was still with me. She was the moonlight caressing me as she had done so often, very tender, very sweet... wonderful! Each time my feet touched the earth I knew my mother was there with me. I knew this body was not mine but a living continuation of my mother and my father and my grandparents and great-grandparents. Of all my ancestors. Those feet that I saw as "my" feet were actually "our" feet. Together my mother and I were leaving footprints in the damp soil.
From that moment on, the idea that I had lost my mother no longer existed. All I had to do was look at the palm of my hand, feel the breeze on my face or the earth under my feet to remember that my mother is always with me, available at any time. ~Thich Nhat Hanh

04/03/2024

Young man gives up first-class seat to an elderly lady after hearing her story
When 88-year-old retired nurse Violet boarded a plane following a visit to see her daughter, she was completely unaware that she was about to get one of the most magical experiences of her life.
She had hit it off with young man Jack and the two had chatted before boarding the plane, during which Violet had revealed it was her dream to travel at the front of the plane.
Unbeknown to her Jack and his family were traveling in first class and what he did when he boarded the plane has attracted the praise of people around the world.
When Violet got on the plane she was informed by the flight attendant that she was to swap seats with a passenger in first class allowing Violet to travel home in style and fulfill her dream.
“Of the hundreds of flights I’ve operated, I’ve had the pleasure of looking after footballers, supermodels, and some Hollywood movie stars but let me tell you about my two favorite passengers EVER!
“Jack and Violet. Jack and his family purchased seats In our upper-class cabin for a flight home, but when he got onboard, Jack went and found violet in the economy and swapped seats with her.
‘The kindness of his own heart
“He then sat on the row of seats directly next to the economy toilets and never made a peep or asked for anything the rest of the flight. No fuss, no attention, literally did it out of the kindness of his own heart, no one asked him to [sic].
“Violet is 88 years old and has been a nurse. She travels to New York to see her daughter but hasn’t been able to for a while because of a knee replacement. Her dream has always been to sit at the front, and Jack made that come true.
“You should of [sic] seen her face when I tucked her in her bed after supper. She said her daughter won’t believe her and wanted a ‘selfie’ to prove it."

04/03/2024

”The famous Italian diver Enzo Mallorca dove into the sea of Syracuse and was talking to his daughter Rossana who was aboard the boat. Ready to go in, he felt something slightly hit his back.
He turned and saw a dolphin. Then he realized that the dolphin did not want to play but to express something.
The animal dove and Enzo followed.
At a depth of about 12 meters, trapped in an abandoned net, there was another dolphin. Enzo quickly asked his daughter to grab the diving knives. Soon, the two of them managed to free the dolphin, which, at the end of the ordeal, emerged, and issued an "almost human cry" (describes Enzo).
(A dolphin can stay underwater for up to 10 minutes, then it drowns.)
The released dolphin was helped to the surface by Enzo, Rosana, and the other dolphin. That’s when the surprise came: she was pregnant!
The male circled them and then stopped in front of Enzo, touched his cheek (like a kiss), in a gesture of gratitude and then they both swam off.
Enzo Mallorca ended his speech by saying: “Until man learns to respect and speak to the animal world, he can never know his true role on Earth." ~ Vangelis.”

04/03/2024

For this National Geographic photo shoot, Angelina Jolie did not bathe for 7 days because bees are sensitive to smells and will not sting when the smell is too strong.
Thousands of bees were flying around the actor during the photo shoot.
The session was held in honor of World Bee Day, with Angelina Jolie posing with bees for 18 minutes... a noble and risky gesture to honor the insects that play a fundamental role in our nature.

04/03/2024

"I heard my mother asking the neighbors for salt." But we had salt in the house. I asked her why she was asking the neighbors for salt. And she answered me: —Because our neighbors don't have a lot of money and often they ask us for something.
From time to time, I also ask them for something small and inexpensive, so that they feel that we need them too. This way they will feel more comfortable and easier for them to keep asking us for everything they need."
Respect for human dignity is undoubtedly one of the noblest feelings.
And that's exactly what I learned from my parents... Let's build empathetic, humble, supportive children and other values to be valued..!!!…"❤

04/02/2024

JK Rowling // "Fat’ is usually the first insult a girl throws at another girl when she wants to hurt her.⁣
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I mean, is ‘fat’ really the worst thing a human being can be? Is ‘fat’ worse than ‘vindictive’, ‘jealous’, ‘shallow’, ‘vain’, ‘boring’ or ‘cruel’? Not to me; but then, you might retort, what do I know about the pressure to be skinny? I’m not in the business of being judged on my looks, what with being a writer and earning my living by using my brain…⁣
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I went to the British Book Awards that evening. After the award ceremony, I bumped into a woman I hadn’t seen for nearly three years. The first thing she said to me? ‘You’ve lost a lot of weight since the last time I saw you!’⁣
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‘Well,’ I said, slightly nonplussed, ‘the last time you saw me I’d just had a baby.’⁣
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What I felt like saying was, ‘I’ve produced my third child and my sixth novel since I last saw you. Aren’t either of those things more important, more interesting, than my size?’ But no – my waist looked smaller! Forget the kid and the book: finally, something to celebrate!⁣
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I’ve got two daughters who will have to make their way in this skinny-obsessed world, and it worries me because I don’t want them to be empty-headed, self-obsessed, emaciated clones; I’d rather they were independent, interesting, idealistic, kind, opinionated, original, funny – a thousand things, before ‘thin’. And frankly, I’d rather they didn’t give a gust of stinking chihuahua flatulence whether the woman standing next to them has fleshier knees than they do. Let my girls be Hermiones, rather than Pansy Parkinsons."⁣
Credit:

04/02/2024

"On April 3rd 1994, Autism was born into mine and my parents lives. It would happen again on July 27th 1999, and again on August 2nd 2001. Ten years ago, I would have had to explain to people what Autism was when they’d meet Michael, Anthony and Luke. Today it’s likely that you’ve known, loved or lived with a child or adult with Autism. The spectrum is wide, and is represented perfectly under one roof in my home. No two Autistic people are alike, and for many, Autism is just the beginning of the developmental and cognitive disorders they will have to deal with throughout their lives. My oldest brother is non-verbal, blind and epileptic. My middle brother is verbal, social and suffers from severe OCD. My youngest is mildly verbal and hyperactive. These traits though, they don’t define them at all. Michael lives for a good Disney movie throwback, and would be content with giving hugs and kisses all day, everyday. Anthony quite literally thinks he’s Michael Jackson and will destroy you in any performance related competition. Luke loves to run and hang outside, and will take every opportunity to mess with his oldest brother. That is who they are.
Above is a rare picture of everyone dressed up smiling. Something so simple to you and your family is virtually impossible for mine. This month, and everyday going forward do your best to be kind. If you see a kid flapping their arms, don’t laugh. If you see an adult having a meltdown, don’t stare. If they go for a hug or high five, don’t shy away. A smile from a stranger can quite literally change our day."
Credit: Ali Carbone

04/02/2024

I debated posting this picture but considering that today many of us are gonna be thankful for what we have and are gonna be spending it with those we love, eating very yummy food, I changed my mind. I didn't know my boyfriend had captured this moment. A couple of day's ago we went to eat late at night and as we waited for our order i saw this homeless lady walk in asking people that were throwing away there leftovers if she could have them. Not one person said yes, they all ignored her and threw it away it broke my heart...I have been volunteering with the homeless now for many years... they don't repulse me or make me sick to my stomach. I hold them all with so much love. So I told Fred if I see her before we are done eating I will give her my food. I looked for her as we were getting ready to leave and couldn't find her.....I felt sad knowing all the rejection she had that night searching for a warm meal. As I was gonna throw away my one leftover chicken strip and like 5 fries I heard a very quite voice ask me if I had anything left. I turned around and it was her..l gave her my food and watched her sit and eat it.....but something didn't feel right...I felt like a horrible human being feeding her my leftover chicken strip..she deserved so much more...so I bought her a whole meal..she deserved to eat a hot meal. When I ordered the meal I asked the employee for a huge favor to please do not kick her out as we waited...I could already see the disgust on people's faces as she sat at the table eating the leftovers I had given her....news flash people not all homeless people smell like roses. She was getting ready to get up and leave when I surprised her with this meal....the look on her face said it all...I have never felt something like this...pure, real gratitude. That hug she gave me was like a hug I had never felt....those tears she shed were felt deep in my heart...I held her tight and let her let it out. I wasn't repulsed by it....I just held her. And that is a moment I will never ever forget. So next time u judge a homeless person think twice...not all of them are homeless because of a drug addiction or because they are lazy.
Credit: Carmen Mendez

04/02/2024

This gentleman is getting out of his SUV and sees these two kids, one pushing his broken bike.
He stops everything he is doing literally in the pouring rain and spent 5 minutes getting drenched fixing it for little man… they rode off happy and he just left with a smile on his face.. gave us one too! 💙
Credit - original owner

04/02/2024

Today on my way home from work I found this kid in the middle of the road. I looked to see if he belonged to anyone, if he had other dogs with him... Nothing... He was alone and crying non-stop. We went to the vet, he didn't have a chip and so I decided let's be a family! We came home and I put him to bed...He's sleeping so deep, calm and happy. His first photo happy... And I want many more to follow. Thank you for coming into my life! Animals choose us.💝
- Author Unknown

04/02/2024

"Hello from Texas! I need to take a minute and brag about this girl right here. My daughter Meadow is a sophomore at Construction Careers Academy studying plumbing, pipe fitting, and welding. She’s one of only a handful of girls in her school.
On Monday, our pipes burst after having single digit temperatures in west San Antonio. We had no power and water and had to go stay at my mom’s for the past five days. It was 34 degrees in our house.
Today Meadow went with me to the hardware store, picked out all the parts we needed, and did the repairs completely independently! This girl is only 15 years old and thanks to her, her three younger Autistic brothers, and I can finally go home.
She even swallowed her social anxiety and knocked on the neighbor’s door to see if they needed help with their pipes. Everyone worried about us down here in Texas, just know, we have a whole group of amazing young people who are going to change the world!"
Credit: Tracy Sinha

04/01/2024

On this day in 1982, a line drive foul ball hits a four year old boy in the head at Fenway. The now Hall of Famer, Jim Rice, realizing that it would take EMTs too long to arrive and cut through the crowd, sprang from the dugout and scooped up the boy.
He laid the boy gently on the dugout floor, where the Red Sox medical team began to treat him.
When the boy arrived at the hospital 30 minutes later, doctors said, without a doubt that Jim's prompt actions saved the boy's life.
Jim returned to the game in a blood-stained uniform.
After visiting the boy in the hospital, he stopped by the business office and instructed that the bill be sent to him.
👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾💪🏾💪🏾💪🏾

04/01/2024

“When people tell me they don’t want to be a foster parent because they are scared, I always think of this night.
This was one of our little foster children’s first night in our home. She had just encountered us hours before. We were total strangers, and she was understandably afraid. As we introduced ourselves, we assured her that our home was a safe haven, just as we've assured all our foster children over the years.
When it was time for bed she cried & said that she didn’t want any monsters to get her. We didn’t know her whole story yet; we didn’t know if 'monsters' had indeed hurt her at night before. My husband calmed her down, said a goodnight prayer, and asked if she needed anything else before bed. She asked him again to promise no monsters would get her if she fell asleep. He promised, and to put her at ease, this is how they slept.
This is a child people are too scared to help?
Foster Care is scary, I would be lying if I said I don’t still get nervous sometimes, but I PROMISE you that it’s worth it! You too can help keep monsters away! You CAN do it.”
Credit: Rebecca Wagner

04/01/2024

Hannah's Class Has A Zoom Session Each Evening. Last Night She Got Really Sad And Kind Of Shut Down. Today Her Teacher Came Over And Hung Out For A Bit
Credits-kelley.close

04/01/2024

“The real definition of the love between a mother and son. When I saw this man pick his mom up in his arms, my heart melted and I was crying like a baby.. He came into this world with her holding him like that and now it’s his turn to baby his mom. She felt safe, I don't know ur name sir, but you are A wonderful MAN..”
Credit: Unknown

04/01/2024

Country singer Dolly Parton wrote the songs "I Will Always Love You" and "Jolene" on the same night.
When the first song was at the top of the charts in 1974, Elvis wanted to record his own version of the song. Dolly was interested until Colonel Tom Parker, Elvis' manager, said that it was standard procedure that when the king of rock and roll covered a song - half of the rights to that song would go to him in the future. She refused it.
"I said, 'I'm really, really sorry' and cried all night. It was terrible for me, on the one hand, it's Elvis. People told me: "You are crazy." It's Elvis Presley...' but I just couldn't do it. Something told me in my heart not to do it and I didn't. I know he would rock with that song. But I couldn't. And then Whitney Houston came along with her version and I made enough money from the rights to buy Dollywood."
She grew up in severe poverty and no one famous has done more for the education of the poor than her.
In 1990, the percentage of students who did not graduate from high school in her hometown was over 30%. She introduced the "Buddy Program", where all high school graduates received a nice sum when they graduated. It wasn't just a waste of money, she personally came and explained the concept to them - everyone should find a buddy, and whoever doesn't succeed she will find one for them. Everyone had to sign that they will graduate and do everything in their power to ensure that their buddy also graduates. She taught young people about friendship and helping. The number of school dropouts dropped to below 6% and has remained so until today.
When 900 families lost their homes in the 2016 fires, she paid each family $1,000 for the next five months. When she came to the bank to finish the paperwork, she gave each family another $5,000 to find. A total of nine million dollars.
Also, her work - Imagination Library from 1995, was inspired by her realization that young people in rural areas and poor families already fall behind when they start school and that this prevents them from pursuing higher education. The goal of her program was for every child in her district to receive one book, once a month, from birth to school, completely free of charge, without any conditions. It started as an initiative in her hometown and has spread to a huge number of countries around the world. By 2018, over 100 million books were distributed in this way.
She is also known for her witty statements, at the beginning of her career she said-"I'm not offended by jokes about stupid blondes because I know I'm not stupid... and I'm not really blonde either."

03/31/2024

The storm is out there and every one of us must eventually face the storm.
When the storm comes, pray that it will shake you to your roots and break you wide-open.
Being broken open by the storm is your only hope.
When you are broken open you get to discover for the first time what is inside you.
Some people never get to see what is inside them; what beauty, what strength, what truth and love.
They were never broken open by the storm.
So, don't run from your pain — run into your pain.
Let life's storm shatter you.
Bryant McGill

03/31/2024

"DAD! Stop the car!!!"
That was the cry from my son in the backseat as we were leaving the Panera parking lot.
I hit the brake and Harrison suddenly rolled open the side door of the van and raced over to three men sitting outside.
The men are veterans, and my son has made it his quest to thank veteran...wherever they may be...for their service.
He got back in the van, excited and out of breath. "Dad, those three men were at D-Day. One was a paratrooper, one was a pilot, the other stormed the beach. Isn't that awesome?!"
So here’s to my now teenage son, who is showing me every day how to be a man."
Credit to the respective owner ✍️

03/31/2024

My heart is incredibly heavy today, in the wee hours of the morning my beautiful daughter got that knock on her door that no military spouse wants to get.Her strong, handsome, incredibly brave husband of less than a year was one of the 13 Marines that gave his life yesterday in Kabul. She’s 36 weeks pregnant and she lost her love.I never got to meet him, but I will meet his baby, and I will love and spoil that baby forever. 💜 please hold her in your heart and soul because she needs it, this mama knows exactly what she’s going though.
-RJ McCollum & Jiennah Crayton

03/31/2024

War's Lament
-LoraLee-©️10/28/2023
War – with its Fiery Breath, does Burn, Its Echoes in Time, Forever Turn, A Symphony of Sorrow, the Bell does Churn, Lessons, it seems, we never Learn.
Upon the Field, where Flowers once grew, Now stand Men, their Hearts askew, Beneath the Sky of Eerie Hue, Their Souls, to Peace, they bid Adieu.
With Thunderous Roar, and Flash of Steel, War spins its Dark and Dreadful Wheel, Upon its Loom, it begins to Reel, A plethora of Wounds, that never Heal.
Yet, in the Midst of Despair and Strife, Peaks the Precious Seed of Life, A Mother’s Song, a Child’s Mirth, Speaks of Love, and Hope's Rebirth.
For Even in War's Gruesome Throe, The Heart of Man continues to Glow, In its Depths, it continues to Sow, Seeds of Peace, that one day,
I hope, may Grow.

03/31/2024

Here’s an interesting read: Johnny Cash Once Demanded that Kris Kristofferson, who was a janitor at the time for Columbia Records, be allowed to sit in on one of his recording sessions. And it all started with Kristofferson being banned from Johnny’s recording sessions…Kris in his own words.
Kristofferson: “I almost got fired one time because a couple of songwriters crashed the session, and they were trying to pitch him a gospel album. And for some reason the woman who was the secretary to the producer blamed me for letting them in there and tried to get me fired.
And so the next night my boss came down and said, “I don’t think you should go to John’s session tonight,” which was heartbreaking for me because I lived for those recording sessions….But I understood it.”
Johnny was not happy to hear that Kris wouldn’t be sitting in on the recording session.
Kristofferson: “I hid down in the vault of the recording studio and was erasing tapes down there or doing some kind of busy work, and John appeared down there in the basement.
He said, “I understand you’re not coming to the session.”
I said “No, I’ve got a lot of work to do down here, I can’t.
He said “Well I just wanted to tell you I’m not gonna record until you come up there.
So, I had to go up there and sit on the floor.
Kristofferson: “And here I was, the janitor, and I’m sitting on the floor and this woman who tried to get me fired was watching me and the whole session. It was the most uncomfortable I’ve ever been in my life.
But I thought it was the measure of the man. He always stood up for the underdog…. And that’s something I’ve tried to live up to. He’s been a good example.”
Kristofferson said this whole experience was an example of who Johnny Cash really was."

03/31/2024

Anthony Bourdain said: "Eat at a local restaurant tonight. Get the cream sauce. Have a cold pint at 4 o’clock in a mostly empty bar. Go somewhere you’ve never been. Listen to someone you think may have nothing in common with you. Order the steak rare. Eat an oyster. Have a negroni. Have two. Be open to a world where you may not understand or agree with the person next to you, but have a drink with them anyways. Eat slowly. Tip your server. Check in on your friends. Check in on yourself. Enjoy the ride."