Here's a poem I wrote this morning (day off for me today) for a poetry challenge, a poem of grace (thanks at meal) mentioning an unusual food.

Variety

We thank you, Lord, our daily bread,
From deepest piety,
Before us now your table spread
With rich variety.

For common staples, beans and rice,
For tart umbu's white juice,
Our gratitude is as concise
As is your grace profuse.

As I explained later on the forum, umbu is a fruit from the northeast region of Brasil. You can see a shot HERE. The fruit has a sweet/sour taste, meat is white, greenish-white, makes a smooth, very pleasant juice. I've had it some at the fruit-juice stand near my office. Speaking of my office, yesterday I took a shot of a gorgeous tree near it. Don't ask me it's name, I haven't found out yet.

by Randal Matheny

Having duly read the tongue-in-cheek "Rules for Busy People," the Slow-Down Club and Hurryolics Anonymous turned those nine tips around and formed their 10 recommended rules for their members.

1. A job is a job is a job. It will be there tomorrow. Your kids won't, nor your mate.

2. Saturdays, Sundays, holidays, and evenings you'd better high-tail it home.

3. Travel light. When taking your briefcase home, don't ask, "What might I need?" Ask instead, "What can I do without?" On second thought, leave the briefcase at the office.

4. Stand in front of a mirror at least once a week and practice saying your special mantra word, "Noooo. Noooo. Noooo." Repeat it 100 times. For requests, say it with a smile, and add on, "Thank you."

5. Hide your agenda in the bottom drawer of your desk, so that when someone invites you to a meeting, banquet, or committee, you may say, "I'll have to consult my agenda, and I'll get back with you on that." That will give you time to find a good reason to decline.

6. Recreation: any activity that re-creates your spirit, your enthusiasm, your zest for life. Find one, find several. Indulge at least once weekly.

7. Whenever you see a task to be done, visualize somebody else's name on it. "Who would be a great person to delegate this to?"

8. Taking a work trip? Pretend you'll take it two days before it's scheduled, so you won't put everything off until the last minute.

9. Do one job, or two. Do it well. Focus on doing what you do best, and let someone else do the rest.

10. Take frequent time outs. To think, reflect, plan, tally blessings, give thanks, unfurrow the brow, wash away worries, and renew commitments to joy, peace, love, and good will.

I'm almost always inspired by someone's comment or thought, and today's couplet is no exception. The good moderator of a forum I frequent gave the first line, and I took it from there.

Accolades

Don't rain on other people's parades,
But shower dreams with accolades.

by Randal Matheny (in case it's not obvious)

In heaven's punctured velvet dome,
A single pulsing, throbbing star
Has fixed my gaze to say that home,
From here, is not so very far.

Some days just don't seem to produce much, others are fair and decent, then one comes along and you feel like you're really going lickety-split. Well, I just had one of those high-octane days today. Really good, got tons of things done, writing flowed well. All-around five-star.

Now, what do I do to have another one tomorrow?