You could be the cure! Smiling ladies in Balboa Park register potential bone marrow donors. And there are other ways that you can fight cancer, too!
During my walk today, I was reminded of an important fact. There’s a heroic decision that many of us can make to possibly save another person’s life.
I’m sure many of you have heard about how certain types of blood cancers can be successfully treated with a bone marrow transplant. And you’ve probably heard about the National Marrow Donor Program, a registry where cancer patients can be matched with an appropriate donor.
Have you thought about becoming a potential donor? You might save somebody’s life!
If you walk through Balboa Park and notice a sign concerning a Marrow Donor Registry Drive, take a moment to check it out! Or simply click the Be The Match website now to learn of several things you can do to help save a life!
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I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or Twitter!
I was going to post these beautiful photographs on one of my other blogs, A Small World Full of Beauty, but decided to feature them here! As I walked to the trolley station after work, the ominous, complex, wind-sculpted gray clouds above Mission Valley were so unusual and eye-catching that I had to pull out my camera. A few drops of sporadic rain couldn’t bow my head. There was so much beauty above in every direction!
Here are some photos.
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I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or Twitter!
I haven’t walked or blogged much in the past few weeks. I’m a bit under the weather. I’ll try to get out on Sunday to find something interesting!
I’ve been thinking differently about Cool San Diego Sights lately. So many hours have been spent–mostly pleasurable ones–in building my blog. But what does all this effort amount to? I enjoy walking and making cool discoveries. It feels good to preserve and share those discoveries. And to spread some sunshine. Happiness in this troubled old world is a good thing.
I enjoy the interaction with other bloggers and people on social media, even if I only sit at my computer for a short while each day.
I enjoy the occasional surprises, such as being contacted by artists and others whose work I’ve documented. That is really amazing!
I’ve also been fortunate in rare instances to do some significant good, or touch people in a way that can make a real difference. There are three achievements in particular that I thought might be worth sharing again.
The first was helping in a small way to uncover an important part of San Diego and United States Navy history. The Navy Bicentennial Commemorative Plaque is on public display on the Greatest Generation Walk, a few steps from the USS Midway Museum, and it is passed by thousands of people every day. But it seemed all knowledge of its origin had been lost. I merely posted a plea: help solve a mystery! And, mysteriously, thanks to the magic of the internet–and perhaps word of mouth–over time information trickled in. Finally I was sent several amazing old photographs of the plaque’s creators and its forging, and a typewritten article revealing the details of its origin. I titled that post Creating a plaque: Navy history in San Diego revealed!
A second achievement, the one that probably makes the biggest difference in the lives of people, was a post I wrote about how to help the homeless in San Diego. I am absolutely astonished at how almost every single day, people coming to my blog click the links to the charities and organizations that strive to assist the homeless. There have been hundreds of clicks. I seldom ask my readers to share anything on my blog, but if you are so inclined, I titled that post 20 Ways To Help the Homeless in San Diego.
And finally, I wrote a short story that seems to have touched many deeply. It has even gone a bit viral in surprising places all around the world. It’s about how to change the world. I titled that post A short story to make you smile and cry. Realizing short stories don’t really fit on a photo blog about San Diego, I created another blog for my short works of fiction. If you like to read, perhaps click Short Stories by Richard.
Thank you all for following Cool San Diego Sights. This blogging thing is a strange, mysterious undertaking. Hundreds of visitors each day, from everywhere around the planet, most coming from search engines, and I have no idea who those people are. The whole experience has changed my life in far too many ways to mention. For the better! When I first started the blog, I had no notion that I would arrive here.
Well, hopefully on to more adventures! Have a great rest of the weekend!
Serving others. Expressing true compassion with more than words: with actual deeds. Having a purpose that is larger than oneself.
I know quite a few people who are fundamentally unhappy. Of course, they are all self-centered.
Perhaps they should look beyond their own nose and think of others.
Here are some photographic examples of true love. These and hundreds of other unselfish volunteers gladly took to the streets of San Diego this morning to collect donations for Ronald McDonald House.
Ronald McDonald House offers families a place to stay near specialized hospitals where young children are battling life-threatening illnesses. Every year, about 1,400 families, who are undergoing unspeakable stress and worry, and possibly financial hardship, are freely given a place to stay and good meals to eat. Now that is love.
It’s too late this year to roll down your car window and drop some money into a big red shoe. But you can donate online here!
One of many unselfish volunteers who took to the streets of San Diego this morning, collecting donations for the Ronald McDonald House.The happiest people alive are the least selfish. Look at the genuine smiles. What more needs to be said.Money collected by this wonderful lady will provide families with a comforting place to stay while children who suffer from life-threatening illnesses are treated at nearby hospitals.
An event in downtown San Diego called Towerthon raised money for Father Joe’s Villages Toussaint Academy, which educates and assists homeless youth.
We all have the opportunity to help homeless kids in San Diego ascend to new heights–even if you didn’t participate in today’s Towerthon, where generous neighbors raised money for Father Joe’s Villages Toussaint Academy by climbing the stairs of the 20-story tall 550 Corporate Center building in downtown San Diego.
During my absolutely incredible morning walk (stay tuned–you’ll see why), I paused for a couple minutes to absorb the humanity of the charitable event and snap some photos.
Would you like to help homeless kids in San Diego? I don’t need to tell you how horrible life on the street can be. Being homeless can be depressing, highly stressful, dangerous–eventually breaking both body and spirit. Many youth became homeless because of unspeakable physical abuse and emotional pain.
Toussaint Academy has been providing homeless youth with a high quality education and other services since 1992. Please click the link above to learn more, about how Toussaint Academy not only save lives, but enables young people to heal, flourish and finally experience true happiness. You might feel inspired to make a donation or provide help in your own special fashion!
(I challenge other bloggers reading this to find charities in your own neighborhood, and help them out! Your efforts add up and actually help!)
Participants in the charitable stair climb check the standings board in the plaza in front of 550 Corporate Center.
I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or Twitter!
The Coronado Bay Bridge has seen far too many tragic suicides.
Would you please consider signing a very important online petition? The Coronado San Diego Bridge Collaborative For Suicide Prevention has begun a petition to help prevent Coronado Bay Bridge suicides.
Tragically, in the past 47 years, about 370 souls have jumped from the bridge. Most of these people felt driven to end their own lives because of deep depression. All could have been helped. The petition, addressed to the California Department of Transportation, asks that a suicide barrier be installed on the San Diego–Coronado Bridge. It would be similar to a intelligently-designed device now being installed on the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, which is a unique type of a net that is configured to safely catch jumpers and arrest them until help arrives.
Life can be very busy. Some days go by in a blur. So I often don’t have time to fully appreciate the enormous, wonderful world that surrounds me.
That’s one reason why I love to walk, haul my camera around, and write.
Unfortunately, one must constantly attend to life’s small stuff. You know–daily business, errands, dull routines. But I’ve learned that I can always–no matter where I am or what I’m doing–open myself to new wonder. Here are a few unusual mental exercises. They help to stimulate your mind, so that you can see the world more fully.
1. Name every object you see.
That’s right! As you go about during an ordinary day, find the word or words that describe every object you happen to see. In your mind, name everything that exists in front of your eyes. Add descriptive adjectives and adverbs. You’ll see more than you did before, and perhaps in a new light. You’ll have greater awareness of the world around you, even the small details.
2. Search for objects of a specific color.
Select a random color. Then as you move through your day, consciously search your surroundings for ordinary objects of that color. Do this and you’ll become acutely aware of the appearance of things–not just their color. You’ll appreciate the world’s richness and innate beauty. You’ll see how all things fit together. Try it!
3. Search the horizon, and imagine what’s beyond it.
From time to time, when outdoors, focus your eyes on the horizon. What can you see there? Can you imagine what probably (or possibly) lies just beyond the horizon? What do you think is going on in that unseen place? Or better yet, on a pitch black night look up at the stars. What is going on there?
This exercise broadens your view of the universe and helps you grasp its entirety with your mind. That is–to the extent we humans can grasp such immensity!
4. Examine the world inches from your eyes.
Standing next to something? Put your nose right up close and examine it! Do you find yourself in a boring old office building’s lobby that has a painting on a wall? Look at the brush strokes! Waiting on a sidewalk under an ordinary tree? Look closely at the bark or the leaves!
Closely examine those things that happen to be nearby. Analyze precisely. Renew your wonder. Perhaps pretend you’re a giant, surveying a fascinating, miniature world. Because in a sense, we all ARE giants–when the mind is stimulated, curious and growing.
5. Imagine the world in the future, or in the past.
Where are you? Slowly turn to look all around. Now imagine your immediate surroundings in the near or distant past, or in the near or distant future.
San Diego, the bustling place I call home, is relatively new compared to most cities. A couple hundred years ago–which isn’t long at all–Southern California was essentially a wilderness. So it’s interesting to imagine San Diego with no buildings, no streets, almost no sign of human life. Just canyons and hills, covered with sagebrush and dry chaparral.
How did my growing city appear a hundred years ago? Fifty years ago? And why do things appear as they do today? How might things change tomorrow? A hundred years from now? A thousand years from now? A million years from now?
This unusual mental exercise helps you to appreciate the world’s fullness in both space and time. And it stimulates your imagination!
6. Imagine people around you at different stages in life.
You and I are alike in many ways. Living life, by definition, is all that we can know. By observing the people around you more fully, perhaps you can better understand humanity and yourself.
Imagine how strangers around you might physically appear at different stages of life. Do you see an elderly person? Try to imagine how they looked when they were a child. Do you see a child? Imagine how they’ll appear when they grow old.
This is an old trick many writers use when creating a character sketch. It really makes the observer think. It puts our short lives in perspective!
7. Ask yourself what a nearby person will do next.
Here’s another clever trick. Do you see a stranger nearby? Watch them for a bit from the corner of your eye. What do you think they’ll do next? Then afterward, ask yourself why your guess was right or wrong.
By gaining insights into human behavior, you’ll better appreciate the paths and turns of other minds. And you’ll see why humans have fashioned their world as it is. For better or worse.
And, of course, you’ll learn something about your own inclinations and perceptions.
8. Understand what people are thinking.
One more mental exercise that anyone can try. This is quite possibly the most difficult. Imagine or deduce what a nearby person is thinking. Can you see their thoughts in their eyes? In their gestures? In their actions?
How do you think they see the world?
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Do you like to read short pieces of thought-provoking fiction? You might enjoy checking out Short Stories by Richard.
These very short works of fiction attempt to dissect human life using sudden, sharp cutting edges. The revelations can be surprising.
Many endings are uplifting. Some aren’t.
Almost every time I reread one of my stories I make changes. New eyes–new dissatisfaction–new inspiration. So you might notice they’ve evolved a bit. Hopefully for the better. To read, click the links:
Superman cosplay at San Diego Comic-Con. This blog likes to have fun! Just one photo of thousands that you can discover on Cool San Diego Sights!
Welcome to everyone visiting Cool San Diego Sights! In particular, I want to greet those arriving from Pinterest! Thanks for checking out my fun photo blog!
Cool San Diego Sights has grown so huge, I now have thousands of photographs that you might enjoy, and possibly pin and share! I’ve got pics of public art, historic places, cultural attractions, tourist destinations, unique events, San Diego Comic-Con, Balboa Park, tall ships, surfers, street performers, crafts and hobbies, funny stuff, flowers and beautiful landscapes, and just lots and lots of diverse, inspiring and interesting stuff! I can hardly believe it, myself!
To see if your interests can be found on Cool San Diego Sights, simply use the search box in my blog’s sidebar. Or click on a tag. Chances are you’ll get lots of results!
Thanks again for visiting, and perhaps following along on my photo adventures! There’s a lot more fun ahead!
Richard
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I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk! You can enjoy more Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or Twitter!
I was walking along the Embarcadero today when I happened upon a super nice lady who was trying to raise support for the Helping Hands Foundation! What is this organization? They help parents and children affected by a very unfortunate circumstance. According to their website, “Every year, 1 out of 2,000 children in the United States is born with an upper limb anomaly. During childhood, many more lose hands and arms to accidents or disease.”
I learned from the volunteer that they’re sending 100 kids with developmental disabilities, autism and other very difficult physical problems to our world-famous San Diego Zoo! How cool is that?
Would you like to provide a little support for this worthy cause? You’ll make the lives of children and their families so much better. You will add a little needed sunshine to this sometimes difficult old world. What could be more important?
This wonderful, smiling lady is spreading sunshine. She’s trying to help unfortunate kids live a better life, with days full of joy and happiness. Can you help?
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