3 X 5's: Index Card Wisdom from Best of Books

LUCKY Dr. Seuss (1973). Did I Ever Tell You How Lucky You Are? Dr. Seuss is a pen name for Theodor Seuss Geisel who graduated from Darmouth college with a BA in English...he was planning to get a PhD from Oxford but he met his wife who encouraged him to write. This book is one of over 60 children's books written by Dr. Seuss. The book begins with an old man sitting on a prickly cacti in the desert, giving advice to Duckie, a young lad also sitting on a prickly cacti (see cover of book below). The theme on every page is BE GLAD you don't have it as bad as "so and so" who has to do "such and such" every day...the usual Dr. Seuss imaginative drawings accompany every page.  Disappointed with the negativity, presenting problems and reframing them as "aren't you glad this isn't you"! Why not FLIP IT? Tell about all the WONDERS of life, the MIRACLES of existence, the GIFT of being alive...now that's the kind of book i'd like to read (and h...

GUT-MIND CONNECTION Emeran Mayer (2016). Mind-Gut Connection:                                                How the Hidden Conversation Within Our                                                   Bodies Impacts Our Mood, Our Choices, and                                             Our Overall Health. Mayer is a medical doctor who has researched brain-body connections for 40 years...he specializes in  brain-gut microbiome interactions. While i appreciate the scientific descriptions and explanations of the brain-gut interactions and the neuroscientific mechanisms by whi...

NAPPING SARK (1999). Change Your Life Without Getting Out of Bed:                               T he ULtimate Nap Book SARK is a pen name for Susan Ariel Rainbow Kennedy. SARK is a self-made artist and writer (i could not find information about her education)...she became famous for a poster called, "How to be an Artist" (i have the poster hanging near my computer as i write)...she's authored 16 books as of 2024, many of which are best sellers...she is the CEO of a successful organization called "Planet SARK," a remake of a previous organization that didn't do as well in the early 1990's. In this book about naps (she never defines what a nap is, but after reading the book, i would say a nap is "resting"--not necessarily sleeping but could be--outside of the regular longer period of sleep that accompanies most people's nocturnal rhythm). SARK makes the following claims:  Naps are good for us Na...

FATHER SKY  Matthew Fox (2024). The Return of Father Sky. Fox is a theologian, former Catholic priest, now Episcopal priest, prolific writer, especially  in new creation spirituality. This book is a departure from his scholarly writing to a children's book about creation spirituality, emphasizing the departure and return of "Father Sky." The book begins with losing the connection to the Father Sky through machines and war; next, the cosmogenesis is introduced, beginning with the big Bang, where the Father Sky unites with Mother Earth, producing all of creation, a cause for great joy and gratitude. While i appreciate the trajectory of the story, and the perspective of unifying father sky and mother earth in the creation story, the words of the story itself don't flow for me, they seem disjointed, they don't rhyme, and the images of the artwork aren't consistent but seem disjointed as well...further, in the attempts in include all races, sexes, religions...a cle...

CAREFUL & PLAYFUL Steve Kissell (1993). Surviving Life with Laughter. Kissell has a Navy background and then went back to college to become an elementary teacher before embarking on his laughter career as a speaker and writer. Many of the suggestions for incorporating laughter, as the book was written in the 1990's, would be considered harassment today, underscoring the need to be careful and playful in applying "jokes" (especially pranks) on others, especially in school and work settings...read the context, situation, person(s) to decide if a gag, joke, riddle is appropriate Kissell has four pages of references at the end. He suggests laughter can distract us from stress, creates feel-good hormones to reduce stress, and is just plain fun. He also mentions Norman Cousin's claim that 10 mins of laughter equals 1 hour of pain reduction, a hypothesis that i invite you to test when you're in "pain." some of the humor ideas that resonated with me: read c...

IGNORE  Hugh MacLeod (2009). Ignore Everybody:                                                  And 39 Other Keys to Creativity. I couldn't find any information on MacLeod's educational credentials. His work experience includes being a copywriter for 10 years while creating cartoons on the back of business cards at bars before blogging and creating the website Gagping Void.com. The book is based on his blog and includes 2-4 page chapters with little drawings for each chapter...the format of each chapter begins with a principle followed by a personal story and advice, and a picture to summarize. some of the advice that resonnated with me: choose something you WANT to do--your personal mountain to climb, a hobby, your shtick, something soulful, meaningful, and fun...and don't monetize it or turn it into a "job." be totally f--king amaz...

LUMINOUS ENERGY Alberto Villoldo (2000). Shaman, Healer, Sage:                                                   How to Heal Yourself and Others with                                                   Energy Medicine of the Americas Villoldo is a PhD anthropologist who had a successful academic career before studying 25 years with Inka medicine men and women. He aims to reinterpret the ancient healing practices in ways that we can use to heal the body, mind, soul, and spirit. He proposes 4 levels of luminous energy fields that surround our bodies and 9 chakras (the 8th being above the head and the 9th extending out to infinity) there are several practices covered, including chakra cleansing, s...