Virtue of the Week: Tolerance

The older I get the more I understand that nobody is perfect, least of all me, and it's important to keep an open mind in all situations. This is something I've been particularly mindful of the last couple weeks. When I was five days into my discovery of the Avett Brothers all I wanted to do was quit my job and listen to them all day and go see them as much as I could, and it was at that moment that I realized that I had become very much like people who are into Phish, people I have made fun of for years. Ooops. Lesson learned.

Twice in the past five days I've come across Plato's quote "Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle." And this week's Virtue of the Week from St. James the Greater's bulletin? Tolerance. Perfect!


The entire rest of the post is copied directly from the St. James bulletin, with no permission whatsoever.

Virtue of the Week: Tolerance

Tolerance helps us to accept differences and frees us from being judgmental. It is recognizing that all people have feelings, needs, hopes and dreams. Tolerance is an appreciation for diversity, whether of culture or temperament. It leads to unity. It is being patient and forgiving when others make mistakes, while calling on discernment to know when to stand up for justice. Tolerance is accepting things that we wish were different with humor and grace. It allows us to embrace the pain as well as the joys of life.

"Everything that irritates us about others can lead us to an understanding of ourselves." -- Carl Jung

The Practice of Tolerance
I appreciate differences.
I free myself from prejudice.
I refrain from judging myself or others.
I forgive mistakes.
I accept what I cannot change.
I balance acceptance with justice.

I am thankful for the gift of Tolerance. It broadens my horizons.

Dogtown Walking Tour, October Edition

Irish dancing girls (and boys) at the Irish Country Fair at St. James.

Gus' pretzels, also from the fair.

Stinky shoes


My mums are finally starting to bloom.




Dogtown sure is spooky this time of year, especially on West Park.

This is an Outrage!!

I'm disappointed to report that the St. James Carnival did not have funnel cakes. No funnel cakes, no meat on a stick. What kind of operation are they running over there?

Now, I realize that I can pick up some delicious (assumably, I haven't actually tried them) Funnel Cake Sticks from Burger King, or I could go straight to the contrived source and have a full-on carnival-style lunch at a new restaurant in Ballwin called Mr. Harry's Carnival Foods but that's not the point.

When I go to a carnival, I expect funnel cake. I shouldn't even have to be talking about this, carnivals should just know better. St. James the Greater, I'm talking to you. For shame. For shame.

It's sad to think that this year will not be a repeat of two years ago when I ended up sitting a mere table away from Francis Slay, the Mayor of St. Louis, at the carnival while he enjoyed some tasty meat on a stick. My brother Jonny, who was sitting next to me sharing some funnel cake (you know, because we were at a carnival), refers to it as "the time we ate lunch with the mayor."

I had to settle for a snow cone, and even that was a disappointment. I asked for blue, but was immediately jealous when I saw my friend's red one, and a tear came to my eye when I was hit with the regret of not asking for a blue/red mix. When will I learn?

I'm sure people enjoyed the carnival in general, what with the rides, games, live music and Wacky Shack. But all the Wacky Shacks in the world can't overcome a lack of proper carny food. St. James the Greater? You're not so great. Your carnival didn't even smell right.

Funnel Cake, Here I Come!

The St. James Carnival is this weekend!

I'm gonna eat funnel cake till I puke!

Keep on the sunny side

St James the Greater, the Catholic church in my neighborhood, has their weekly bulletin online and I read it every once in a while to find out about upcoming events like their flea market and carnival. Tucked away at the very end of the bulletin is my favorite part, the Virtue of the Week. I love the idea of focusing on a new affirmative and encouraging idea each week. The week I found a pack of cigarettes in a coat pocket a full year after I quit smoking the virtue was Accountability and that was just perfect for what I went through at that moment. This week's virtue, Optimism, is very fitting for what I'm going through right now.

Speaking of optimism versus pessimism, trust me when I tell you that you can skip Goldberg, the new Ben Stiller movie that just came out on DVD. I liked that Noah Baumbach (The Squid and the Whale) directed it and that he and Jennifer Jason Leigh came up with the story, but the main character is so painfully pessimistic that it's impossible to care about him and difficult to even get through the movie.

The entire rest of the post is copied directly from the St. James bulletin, with no permission whatsoever.


Virtue of the Week: Optimism

Optimism is a positive, cheerful outlook. When we are optimistic, we are hopeful even when others have lost faith. We believe that good has the power to prevail over evil. We do not allow ourselves to be victimized by setbacks or losses. We embrace challenges with confidence and vitality. We are solvers, not complainers. In the midst of dark times, we look to the future with a vision of what is possible. We trust that everything works together for good. Nothing can destroy our hope.

"The optimist sees the rose and not its thorns; the pessimist stares at the thorns, oblivious of the rose." Kahlil Gibran

The Practice of Optimism
I have a positive viewpoint.
I have faith in all circumstances.
I trust in positive outcomes.
I focus on solutions rather than problems.
I see a brighter future.
My hope is resilient.
I am thankful for the Gift of Optimism. It cheers me on.