Its a Rainy Day at the Orchard... but rain is necessary to grow the seeds of WISDOM...Thank you, Roger Ebert.

Dear Reader,
When I started this blog to compile facts that were interesting to me(and basically to no one else), I assured myself that I would not veer too far off of the straight and narrow. However, today I digress. I admit to you, dear reader, that at times my mind becomes preoccupied with questions of an existential nature. I often end up, sometimes confusingly, trying to figure out, what is the purpose of this life that I have been given. How do I live in a way that makes my life truly worth while. I suppose I will wrestle with this question to the end. So today, their is a driving rain in the orchard and most people have stayed away and decided to come back another day. No Apple Chip Tidbits on the ground for Sho and I to grouse over. However, rain, even in great amounts, is necessary in order to make the trees that make up the orchard of life to grow fruitful and strong. In this vein, Roger Ebert(of Siskel and Ebert film review fame) has recently provided a much needed downpour of knowledge upon these fields. He recently wrote his book of memoirs, entitled "Life Itself". Ebert has been dealing with thyroid cancer which caused much him much physical pain and also took away his ability to speak. He is terminally ill.   In the last chapter of the book(re-published in his blog for the Chicago Sun-Times, he holds forth with this piece of wisdom,

"To make others less happy is a crime. To make ourselves unhappy is where all crime starts. We must try to contribute joy to the world. That is true no matter what our problems, our health, our circumstances. We must try. I didn't always know this, and am happy I lived long enough to find it out".

I write these entries because I find a certain degree of joy in learning about new facts and considering fresh perspectives, ideas  and thoughts which I have never before entertained. I do think Ebert is on to something. Whether it is in our personal or professional lives, giving joyfully and freely of ones time, talents and energy to give uplift, help, renewal or whatever grace one can give is one way to live the good life. I need to remember this myself and do better in my own life. Sorry for pontificating. Thanks for putting up with my ramblings and back to Tidbits next week.
Cheers...