Sunday, January 1, 2017

On this First Day of #2017.....

A new year is upon us.    I spent the final day of 2016 on a "daycation" as I visited some of the old neighborhoods and spent the afternoon in Pasadena working on the Sikh Float for a couple of hours:



As I was in Pasadena, it was heart breaking to see the homeless right in the shadow of the beautiful Westin Hotel on the eve of the New Years--as Pasadena was gearing up for New Years' Eve.   It was also heart warming to see how volunteers yet again came together under one roof to create art that the World would again be blown away by.   The care shown and the artistry is a sight to see and I recommend it to all who have yet to see it.

When I picked up Tweets late last night about the attacks in Istanbul, reality struck on how our World continues to be ever so dangerous and challenging as we begin 2017.      I did some "rounds" on the Grid this morning as I also picked this up from the White House as the White House looked back on the 8 years of the Obama Administration: 


2016 Photos of the Year



This is as I hope folks never forget this admonition from Thomas Paine which I hope we at Outsiders can be a conduit for throughout 2017: 


“When it shall be said in any country in the world,
my poor are happy;
neither ignorance nor distress is to be found among them;
my jails are empty of prisoners, my streets of beggars;
the aged are not in want, the taxes are not oppressive;
the rational world is my friend,
because I am a friend of its happiness:
When these things can be said,
then may the country boast
of its constitution and its government.” 



As the adventures of 2017 is before us, I finish off  w/this I picked up while on the "virtual run" on this first year:

“A beautiful day begins with a beautiful mindset.
When you wake up,
take a second to think about
what a privilege it is to simply be alive and healthy.
The moment you start acting like life is a blessing,
I assure you that it will start to feel like one.
Time spent living is time worth appreciating.”

~ Author Unknown


Onward to 2017 with all its' possibilities!!!




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