Daily: Random Reflections
Here are some of the things I read and the random thoughts or bits of information I came across this morning. I shared the process I’m currently trying out.
1. Every tough task that comes your way—the ones you’d rather avoid because they’re hard, painful, or a big struggle—carries a blessing with it. If you choose not to face it, no matter the personal cost, you’ll miss out on that blessing.
2. And they are blessings you will never receive unless you travel the steep and thorny path.
3. I was thinking about the times I hiked up to Half Dome. The view is something only those who put in the hard work to hike up get to see. Of course, I’m not talking about people who can just fly there in a helicopter—haha!
4. Isaiah, a prophet from the Old Testament, lived several centuries before Jesus. His writings contain many prophecies that Christians believe point to the coming of Jesus, such as the prophecy of a child who will be called “Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6). These prophecies are seen as foretelling the Messiah, whom Christians identify as Jesus.
5. KFC Canada has introduced a unique holiday promotion called Kentucky Fried Carols, featuring limited-edition bucket lids that double as playable vinyl records. These special lids are made from the same paper used for regular KFC bucket lids but are coated with vinyl and etched to play music. Each record includes four remixed Christmas classics—We Wish You a Merry Christmas, Jingle Bells, Deck the Halls, and The Twelve Days of Christmas—infused with sounds from KFC’s kitchen, such as the sizzle of frying oil and the rattle of herbs and spices. Only ten of these collectible bucket lids were produced, and KFC Canada held a giveaway contest on Instagram from December 9 to 16, 2024, for a chance to win one. Winners were announced on December 16. Currently, there are no plans to release these vinyl lids in other countries.
6. Praise publicly and criticize privately.
7. In 1665, a terrible plague swept through London, killing nearly 100,000 people.
8. Daniel Defoe: A Journal of the Plague Year
9. . . . the way we tend to stick to our own groups and focus on ourselves.
10. . . . thinking about and imagining their passing . . .
11. Take time to understand other people’s struggles with pain and mortality, not just your own.
12. Many times an old man has no other evidence besides his age to prove he has lived a long time.—Seneca, On Tranquility of Mind, 3.8b
13. Hey, I really made the most of my time.
14. What if you could look back and say you really made something out of the time you had? What if you could show that you didn’t just live for those # years, but truly lived them to the fullest?