Dog and cat week continues at the NDD.
And humans try to be both, that’s why we like both dogs and cats, right? Which one do you like more, dogs or cats?
Drawing and questions by Marty Coleman, who was a golden retriever in a past life.
Quote by someone who won’t admit it.
It’s day #3 of Laws of Attraction Week at the NDD. I might have to spill over into next week, but not sure yet!
Is this true? Discuss.
Drawing and question by Marty Coleman, who likes blue eyeshadow (but not on himself).
Quote by Anonymous, who does not like blue eyeshadow.
Laws of Attraction week continues at the NDD
Have you ever tried to fall in love? It’s sort of like trying to enjoy the taste of food you don’t like. It’s possible you could end up liking it, that is true. Obviously from childhood to adulthood we like things that at first we really hated. Just watch a kid take a taste of wine or beer or eat a bite of brussel sprouts. It’s not very likely they will have a happy face. But given enough time they might come to enjoy it. Will they come to love the taste? Perhaps. Will the come to be IN LOVE with that substance? Probably not. Probably the substance they are going to have the deepest affection for is the stuff they loved as a small child, from the beginning. That is why comfort food is called comfort food, because we are so in love with that great feeling of security and comfort we find in that food from our childhood.
Love can be the same way. I once saw a report on arranged marriages and how statistically they have an equal or better chance of lasting than a typical western ‘fall in love, romantic’ marriage. Why is that? A lot of reasons beyond being in love, obviously. But the report did interview a number of long term married couples who started in arranged marriages. Their comments could be reduced to this; ‘marriage first, love later’. Western inclinations lean towards the opposite; ‘love first, marriage later’. But how many of our western marriage actually keep that ‘in love’ feeling alive after so many years? Doesn’t the marriage have to rely on something more than that feeling, which may or may not always be there?
So, in my head while you can’t, and shouldn’t, force love, you can build love. You can, over time, find things about the other person that cause you to fall ‘in love’ with them again and again, but in new ways you could not have anticipated because life and what happens to us is unexpected. The key is to always be open and available for that to happen at any moment now or into the future. It might be an event, it might be a change in your heart, who knows. But it can happen, and if you are paying attention, it might happen sooner than you think.
Drawing and commentary by Marty Coleman, a lover not a fighter.
Quote by anonymous
Is there such a thing as ‘good’ worry? If there is, could it be called by another name? Could it be called ‘concern’? Perhaps it could be called ‘problem solving’? Whatever you call it, good worry goes somewhere. It isn’t a rocking chair, moving but staying in the same place. It’s more like a vehicle that takes you to a solution or resolution. But if neither of those things happen, then it brings you to a place of peace with what is.
That, to me, is the only kind of worry worth worrying about.
Drawing and commentary by Marty Coleman, Publisher of The Napkin Dad Daily
Quote by Anonymous
The Story of Arm and Hand
Arm and Hand are at war with each other. Arm is lazy but Hand is not. But Arm find ways to stop the communication between Hand and her owner, Head. Head ends up thinking Hand is lazy too but it’s really just Arm’s message getting through, not Hand’s. Head feels like she can’t do anything since she can’t get Hand to do anything. Head needs help but Hand isn’t helping.
But one day Arm falls asleep and Hand gets a message through to Head saying, “I want to WORK, tell me what to do!” Head says, “OK! I want you to heal Mr. Sink.” And Hand goes and fixes Mr. Sink. Head then says, ” I want you to give Foot a massage” and hand does it.
Arm has woken up by this point but it is too late. Head and Hand have fixed the communications path and Arm must now obey whatever they decide to do. Arm is not happy about this but there is nothing she can do.
Head becomes very happy because she is able, for the first time, to see life through Hand. She likes the world she sees and lives happily ever after.
The End
Drawing and story by Marty Coleman, Publisher of The Napkin Dad Daily and Owner of MAKE Design and Photography Studio
Quote by Anonymous
One of the most important things for a parent to realize is they are smarter than their kids. Well ok, I know some dumb parents with smarter kids, but what I really mean is that you as a parent must be shrewder, subtler, wiser than their kid. Why? So you can teach and lead them without the kid consciously knowing it.
Kids hate being lectured to, right? So don’t lecture, be smarter than a lecture. Put a napkin in their lunch with an intriguing idea written on it, for example. Put interesting, thought-provoking art up on the walls. Read books that help you understand something and make sure the book is out for them to see. Go to a play instead of a movie one night and tell them (briefly) about it’s content. Clip a headline out of the newspaper and put it on the fridge. Not the whole article, just the headline. Comment below with your own examples of how you lead and influence your children, ok?
If you want them to go in a certain direction the only way it will happen in the long term is if there is interest and curiosity on their part. Stimulate that curiosity for them to find out things on their own and guess what? They will learn what you want them to learn.
AND if you do it right, in the end they will teach you more than you taught them!
Drawing and commentary by Marty Coleman, Publisher of The Napkin Dad Daily blog
Commentary by Anonymous
You would think I would be all about the self-made man, being the creative, artistic sort. And in those areas I am. But the man or woman who thinks they really created themselves and their wealth all by their lonesome are usually overly ego driven and somewhat delusional. They can also tend to think that the ‘self-made’ label excuses them from being kind, respectful, well-mannered and appropriate.
I am reading the biography of Steve Jobs right now. He was brilliant and he was also a jerk. That’s ok, I have been a jerk myself. But the problem comes when a casual reviewer of his life thinks his accomplishments as a self-made man means that his jerkness was ok. That it was important to his success. I don’t believe that to be true. I believe he could have been a success while still being a kind and thoughtful person. Millions of people do it every day.
For every Picasso the jerk there is a Matisse the good. For every Bernie Madoff the criminal there is a Warren Buffett the good. They made their way in the world; making fortunes, families, empires of business and fantastic art all while being kind, respectful and good.
Don’t make your success an excuse for your idiocy and meanness to blossom. You might have an obligation (or obsession) towards your business or creativity. But you have a greater obligation, at least in my mind, to working just as hard to be the good and kind person you truly want to be. Work on that just as hard as your business, be obsessed with that in equal measure, and THEN let them write a book about your greatness.
Drawing and commentary by Marty Coleman of The Napkin Dad Daily
Quote by Anonymous
Some things I escaped, for which I am grateful.
What have you escaped for which you are grateful?
Drawing and List by Marty Coleman, Publisher of The Napkin Dad Daily
Quote by Anonymous
I coach a running group here in Tulsa. Many of these runners are running in their first half marathon this coming weekend. They raced 6.55 miles 5 weeks ago, 9.3 miles 3 weeks ago and Sunday they race 13.1 miles.
Six months ago most of them had not run a mile, much less 13. They started training for a 5k with runs that lasted 1 minute followed by 3 minutes of walking. It wore them out. They had little confidence they could do it but they tried anyway. And they did it. And they have continued to do it. That is confidence based on training and experience. It is a well grounded confidence that they have and that I have for them.
They are trained to have multiple goals. They have their optimal goal; their best case scenario. They have the goal they can adapt to; the goal that says everything is not optimal and I am going to adapt WITHOUT judging myself. Then they have the worst case goal; the goal that says nothing at all is going as it is suppose to and I am just going to finish this damn race no matter what. They don’t lose their confidence, they adapt their confidence.
So, what is the difference between true confidence and false confidence? After all, no one can see the future so how can we be confident about anything, whether true or false, right? True confidence is based on training and experience and is willing to adapt. False confidence is based on a wishful desire and is unwilling to adapt.
Drawing and commentary by Marty Coleman of The Napkin Dad Daily.
Quote by Anonymous.
I love this quote. Think about it. In truth many, if not most, of our blessings and our woes stem from who we have our main relationship with. I know in my life my wife puts up with a lot she wouldn’t have to if she hadn’t married me. Of course she wouldn’t get my charm and good looks but it still can be a pain for her, even with that fantastic benefit. haha.
So, this is a ode to my wife, Linda. She has been a wonderful companion for the past 8 years, 5 of them since we were married on 11/11/06 at 11am. I appreciate and love her for all she has done for me and with me and I hope I have given the same blessings back to her.
Drawing and commentary by Marty Coleman of The Napkin Dad Daily
Quote by Anonymous
