More Wisdom from Pogo

Pogo, the Walt Kelly cartoon character, once observed that, "We have met the enemy and he is us!".
While others have told me that Walt was not the original author of this pearl of wisdom, it nevertheless rings so true in so much of what all of us do and who we are.
Earlier this week, as my heart was touched in sympathy for several friends whose choices and situations have created terrible lifestyle traps for themselves, the realization came anew to me that all of us do this to ourselves with disheartening frequency.
As I deal with prison inmates in my current work assignment, I often remind them that their unhappiness and frustration will continue, as a consequence of their choices, until they come up with a thoughtful framework of their own moral code and also make a determined
and persistent effort to live by it.
And so it is for all of us.
The fear of trying to move out of our own current "comfort" zones is a formidable and ongoing obstacle.
The risk of making new choices that we believe could lead to increasing our pain, embarrassment, and adding to our failures far too often keeps us mired in the same old behavior and choices.
For me, it was my conversion to the restored Gospel of Jesus Christ and the principle of Repentance that gave me an Eternal roadmap that gives me strength to keep picking myself up as I continue to stumble through life.
It also has taught me that happiness and peace of mind always follows right choices, regardless of the immediate consequences (and the opinions of others).
We all make mistakes.
We all make bad choices.
We all are reluctant to risk making changes.
Fortunately, Repentance is a life-long and eternal process, and we only fail when we stop trying.

Letter to the Editor of the "Ensign" Magazine

The July, 2008 issue of the "Ensign" article, "Cancer, Nutrition, & the Word of Wisdom", was a good read with good counsel, but I wish it had included more complete information about the bad effects of coffee and tea.
The article's sole focus on caffeine as the noxious part of those drinks could reinforce some members' belief that simply drinking decaffeinated coffee and tea is in accordance with the Lord's revealed counsel and admonitions.
In point of fact, coffee and tea include a host of harmful substances, including tannic acid, which is used commercially to tan leather.
It's important to emphasize that the Lord tells us not to use coffee and tea, period.

Seen This Morning on the Wall of my Dentist's Office

"Be careful who you marry.
Your relationship with your spouse will be responsible for 90% of both the happiness and misery you experience in life."

Personal Postscript: How hard you work on being a loving and supportive spouse no doubt also has a lot to do with the above