This is Your Quest - Your Mission to Find Happiness
Author:Author_Joanne_Reed
Joanne Reed The Author
Author of "This is Your Quest". You can't buy happiness but you can buy books. Your mission, should you wish to accept it is to experience happiness
Point Nemo: A Spacecraft Graveyard in the Middle of Nowhere
According to the Law of Gravity “what goes up in space must come down to Earth.” Space is pretty big and infinite. But the same can’t be said of the Low-Earth-Orbit (LEO), which is cluttered with all kind of space junk. Scientists were asked to find a solution to dispose of all useless spacecraft carcasses instead of having them circling the Earth for eternity. They found that the best pace do dump space junk is in the middle of nowhere, far away from everything and everyone, at Point Nemo. You can read the whole story on History of Yesterday.
Women Warriors in the Kingdom of Dahomey -Source Wikipedia Commons
The Holywood Movie “The Woman King” shone a bright light on the Agodjies an all-female military regiment of the Ancient Kingdom of Dahomey. In this epic historical drama, African women take center stage in the most magnificient manner. Were the Agodjies female heroes or angels of deaths? To find out more about those phenomenl women, I invite you to read my article published today on History of Yesterday.
“If Turkey thought, they’d run away a week before Thanksgiving Day. But Turkeys can’t anticipate, and so there’s turkey on my plate.”
Jack Prelutsky
Happy Thanksgiving to all my American friends and followers! It is the occasion for the whole family to gather together around a Turkey dinner and show gratitude for all the blessings that came their way. This tradition started almost 400 years ago following an epic tale where pioneer spirit, courage, adversity, generosity, and gratitude took center stage.
For this occasion, I would like to serve you an article where la pièce de résistance is a turkey and for those who don’t like turkey, you can have swans instead. Not all turkeys end up on the dining table at Thanksgiving dinner, the wild types prefer to proudly strut their stuff, look pretty and be pretty wild.
Turkeys were considered as having a sacred nature in ancient Mexican Cultures
My thanksgiving message, be like the wild turkey
Be like a wild Turkey
Did you know that wild turkey can run at speeds of up to 25 miles per hour and can fly at 55 miles per hour? Domesticated turkeys lost their ability to run fast and to fly due to their selective breeding aimed to make them grow abnormally big and much less agile than their wild cousins. Captivity and laziness turned a fast-flying bird into a stagnant piece of meat
Wild turkeys are social, playful birds who are intelligent and have distinct personalities, and just like dogs and cats they can be quite moody. They are incredibly curious and inquisitive animals who enjoy exploring, they are really good at geography and can learn the details of really large areas which is especially good for finding food. They like flirting and when they see a female that they fancy they put up a show to impress her by showing off their beautiful feathers. Another interesting fact about wild turkeys is that their life span can stretch up to 10 years.
Message from wild-Turkey.
My feathers are easily ruffled. Every now and then I get broody. My favorite thing is to gobble-up attention and make it all about me. I proudly strut my stuff whenever I have the chance to do so. Keep your eyes on me, I like being the center of attention. Thanksgiving sounds great. What’s for dinner?
Wild-Turkey.
Turkeys were considered sacred by ancient Mexican cultures like the Aztecs and Mayans, who honored turkeys for their striking beauty and cocky confidence and pride. Certain Native American Tribes also honored turkey as a spirit of abundance, sacrifice, and fertility.
As a spirit animal, the turkey reminds us to honor ourselves, to honor the earth and to care for and nourish both. Cultivating a harmonious relationship with the Earth is one of the key teachings of turkey’s wisdom. And one we are surely in need of in the world today. Turkeys are also a strong symbol of the importance of community, sharing, and authentic connection and reminds us to be grateful and aware of the many blessings we have in our life.
Nasim Taleb’s thanksgiving message to all of us, let’s not be turkeys
Nasim Nicholas Taleb, the best-selling author of The Black Swan, told the story of a turkey who is fed by a farmer every morning for 1,000 days. Eventually, the turkey comes to expect that every visit from the farmer means more good food. He is quite comfortable with his lifestyle. He figures that he is living the good life, hanging out on the farm with his friends and being fed every day by the friendly farmer, who is looking after him quite well by making sure he eats well and continue to grow and put up on a good amount of weight. Turkey came to the realization that the bigger he is the happier the farmer seems to be. Hence, there is a bit of competition on the farm among the turkeys to put on as much weight as possible in order to gain the favors of the farmer.
But then day 1001 arrives. It is 2 days before Thanksgiving and when the farmer shows up, he is not bearing food, but an axe. Turkey learned very quickly that its expectations were catastrophically off the mark. On Thanksgiving Day, Turkey gets more attention than he has ever received before, he is taking center stage as the main dish at the dinner table.
Let’s not be turkeys. The moral of the story is not to use the observable past as an indicator of the future. Just because you never died before, doesn’t mean you are immortal.
Nassim Taleb.
And this my dear friend is your Quest.
PS: I am grateful for my family, my friends, my readers, and my followers. Thank you all for your love and continuous support. Happy Thanksgiving to all!
Cecil Chubb : The Man who bought Stonehenge for his wife
Buying one of the seven world wonders as a gift. Imagine being married to a man who uses his fortune to buy you a unique and expensive gift (that you didn’t really want) only to gift it to the public shortly afterward. You can read this fascinating story on history of Yesterday.
The most famous bird in the world tweets all day and all night long from every corner of the world. Love it or hate it, the world will continue to tweet. The history of Twitter is fascinating from podcasting to social networking, to political influencer to BIG money playground. Elon Musk’s takover of Twitter was yesterday’s news. There is a lot of buzz at the moment in the twittersphere regarding the collapse of FTX. Find out all about this in my latest article published today on History of Yesterday.
Imagine being so famous that your name is spoken around the world centuries after your death with a fan club that has been following your work since the 16th century. Would you like to know what your future holds? Read “The Prophecies” by Nostradamus and learn how to decode quatrains. If you don’t have time to read the whole book or decode cryptic verses you can read my article instead published on History of Yesterday.
What if the secret to a successful and fulfilled life resides in an ancient Sanskrit text known as the Kama Sutra? In the 4th century Hindu world that gave birth to the Kama Sutra, the cultivation of sexual pleasure indepedent of procreation was considered one of life’s highest calling, a sort of religious quest. Hindu sages and artists found the subject so enticing that it led them to immortalize the various teaching and practices of the Kama Sutra in writing and also in stone in various temples around the country.
If you find the subject enticing, I invite you to read my article.
Imagine being so toxic that you make everyone around you sick. Gloria Ramirez: A real-life medical mystery is solved by a team of chemists from a nucler weapons lab.
[Warning: Hazardous chemicals present in this article. Read with caution].
A government Agency or a banking cartel? The Fed is one of the most secretive organizations in the United States. It has been said that Congress is more aware of what the CIA does than what the Fed does. What does the Federal Reserve do? Would you like to know why inflation is so high?! All is revealed in my article “The Truth About the Federal Reserve” published today on History of yesterday.
I joined the team of History of Yesterday and will be publishing articles on their platform on a regular basis on forgotten history. My first article has just been published. I invite you to read it over there!
“The essential joy of being with horses is that it brings us in contact with the rare elements of grace, beauty, spirit and freedom.”
Sharon Ralls Lemon.
It has been said that the mind is like a horse, we should learn how to ride it. Horses are always ready to share an adventure with you, they stand firm and strong always willing to let you lean on them when life gets too rough. Horses are also hypersensitive creatures, they can sense fear, nervousness and they can react to that in unexpected ways. Some horses will test you. Some will teach you. And some will bring out the best in you.
History records the physical and emotional benefits of horseback riding as early as the days of the ancient Greeks. The concept of horses being partnered with humans in a therapeutic capacity was noted in “Natural Exercise” a text written 460-375 BCE by Hippocrates, the Greek physician, and philosopher. Fast forward to today, several studies have confirmed that equine-assisted therapy may help treat autism, PTSD, depression, and pain.
The mind is like a horse, learn how to ride it
The mind is like a horse, learn how to ride it. Photo taken by Joanne Reed featuring Maya Reed. The Savannah, Reunion Island.
It has been said that the mind is like a horse, we should learn how to ride it. The analogy helps us understand how the mind and body work together. The sensations, impulses, and reactions in our bodies are like the untamed instincts of an animal, in this particular analogy our sensations, impulses, and reactions are the horse. When we get on the horse and ride it we learn how to ride this energy.
The horse within us is the animal-like part of our being. Like a horse, we have instincts, lust, and passions that drive us. Those impulses are part of what makes us human we are driven by impulses of self-preservation (i.e., food), self-gratification (i.e., pleasure), and power (i.e., money). Sometimes those impulses can go unchecked and run wild; that is why it is important to have a competent rider to ride on the ‘horse’. The rider within us can direct these passions and animal instincts. The rider can decide which passions to pursue, which to delay pursuing, and which not to pursue at all. The rider within us allows us to discern between worthwhile and less-worthwhile activities.
As the rider of the horse, we can determine what and when we eat, and what career we wish to pursue, we can control our inner passions and desires. We can control our horse-like tendencies. And we should remind ourselves every day that it is we who are in the saddle. Therefore, we can direct ourselves to meaningful activities because we are in control of the reins.
As good equestrians know, the best way to ride a horse is not to try to control it with fear, force, or frustration, but by confidently offering a partnership. We should listen and respond to the horse’s need for reassurance, guidance, and gentleness, as well as recognize its natural animal inclination to follow its instincts and act in a horse-like way. Based on what the horse tells us, we should adjust our journey as needed, not lose sight of our intended destination. In this way, riders and horses can travel in perfect harmony.
This horse analogy helps us better understand how the mind and body work. When we encounter danger our body’s response is to fight, flee or freeze. At this point, our thinking mind comes into the frame to analyze the situation and make a rational decision as to whether the situation really puts us in danger. By noticing what’s going on in our bodies and mind we ride the horse steadily instead of riding it like a horseman or woman in a frenetic and futile battle with a frightened mount. Instead, we relax and settle in our saddle, bumpy though the ride may be, and we take control of the reins. We may talk to ourselves softly just like a horse whisperer would do and find the right words to appease our fear and calm our nerves. We can train our minds to do things differently, and the more practice we get the better at it we become. Life becomes less like a crazy rodeo, and a little more akin to Olympic showjumping; with plenty of hurdles, but a bit more poise.
Riding lessons for your mind
The mind is like a horse, learn how to ride it. Photo taken by Maya Reed featuring Joanne Reed. The Savannah, Reunion Island
Saddle up: Mount the horse, stay mounted, and enjoy the ride.
Listen to the horse. If you want a stable relationship, get a horse. If you are not a humble person, your horse will make you one. If you don’t have your own horse, go and check next door. What do you call a horse who lives next door? Neigh-bor!
Acknowledge the rider. If the horse tries to buck you off, hold on tight. Chat with your horse and ask him to be nicer to you. Stay in control of the reins. As a peace gesture offer your horse some bread. What kind of bread does a horse eat? Thoroughbred!
Notice the terrain. Be aware of the terrain, your environment, and of the forecast. If the weather is rainy, stormy,or icy best to postpone the ride. Don’t take a chance, it is not worth it. Be aware of those horses who like traveling around the world. They can be a handful. What do you call a horse that’s a world traveler? A globe-trotter!
Come back to the center. Check your posture and state of mind. Is your mind present, awake, and attentive? If needed, re-settle by focusing on your breathing, and ask yourself why the horse was feeling so stressed. It was saddled with responsibility!
Ride into the sunset. Now, ask yourself: Based on what’s here, in this body, mind, and the world around me, what course would be helpful to take right now? In which direction, toward what or whom, shall the onward journey take? Listen to your gut, your heart, your head, and the feedback you receive from the environment and people around you. Recognize that there may be more than one course to take, and remember that you can re-navigate at any time, by checking in again with the rider and horse. Allow yourself to be still, and not make a move, if this is what’s most needed for the moment.
Advice from a horse by Ilan Shamir. Take life’s hurdles in stride. Loosen the reins. Keep stable. Be free-spirited. Gallop to greatness. Keep the burrs from under the saddle. Carry your friends when they need it.
