Tag: African Proverb

Jackie Chan, Harry Potter Series, A League of Their Own, Simon Sinek, and an African Proverb

Jackie Chan, Harry Potter Series, A League of Their Own, Simon Sinek, and an African Proverb

Published by Drew Alexander Ross on March 12, 2023

Sunday Supplement #96 (March 12th, 2023)

Below is another Sunday Supplement with a quote worth sharing, a book worth reading, a movie worth watching, brainfood worth consuming, and a spiritual passage worth pondering.

Please take something away from these recommendations that enriches your week ahead!

Quote of the Week:

“Sometimes it takes only one act of kindness and caring to change a person’s life.”

– Jackie Chan

Book of the Week:

Harry Potter Series – J.K. Rowling

The Harry Potter Series tells the story of a boy whose parents were murdered by a dark wizard. The boy is sent to live with his uncaring non-magic relatives, and on his 11th birthday, he re-enters the magical world.

There is much controversy around J.K. Rowling and her books, but it cannot be argued that they are some of the most successful novels in history.

The Harry Potter series was a fantastic addition to my childhood. I still often revisit the world of Harry Potter and find much to appreciate.

The story encapsulates the battle of good and evil over its seven books and has many wonderful lessons along the way.

If you have only seen the movies, you are missing out. The series is well worth checking out for anyone who loves adventure, magic, and an epic battle of good vs evil.

Movie of the Week:

A League of Their Own

The film, A League of Their Own, follows the fictional journey of two sisters who join the real-life first female professional baseball league.

Geena Davis and Lori Petty play the two sisters. They struggle to help the league succeed while their rivalry as sisters and players increases.

Penny Marshall brilliantly directs the film and gets the most from the story and the star-studded cast. In addition to Davis and Petty, Tom Hanks, Rosie O’Donnell, and Madonna shine.

A League of Their Own is a well-told glimpse at a side of American history not portrayed with much entertainment and heart packed in.

Brainfood of the Week:

The Power of Kindness | Simon Sinek

Simon Sinek is an inspirational speaker and the author of multiple best-selling books. In this video, he discusses the power of kindness.

Sinek starts by stating that acts of kindness/acts of generosity are how simple it is to make people feel good.

He discusses the science behind the chemical our bodies produce, oxytocin, and how that occurs through acts of kindness and generosity. Witnessing an act of generosity actually increases our levels of oxytocin as well.

I’ve featured Simon Sinek in a few other Sunday Supplements as well. If you like this short two-minute video, check out more of his work.

Closing Spiritual Passage:

“If you think you are too small to make a difference, you haven’t spent the night with a mosquito.”

– African Proverb

This African Proverb makes me smile and reminds me of the power one person or one action can have.

In the proverb, the mosquito obviously can be viewed as a pest one would not spend the night with.

The negative repercussions are clear, but it should also be a reminder of how one person can leave a lasting impression.

I paired this proverb with Jackie Chan’s quote because I believe small acts of kindness can positively affect someone’s life.

Look out for a chance to give a small act of kindness, and have a blessed week ahead!

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Arthur Ashe, The Martian, Whisper of the Heart, The Art of Improvement, and an African Proverb

Arthur Ashe, The Martian, Whisper of the Heart, The Art of Improvement, and an African Proverb

Published by Drew Alexander Ross on January 29, 2023

Sunday Supplement #90 (January 29th, 2023)

Below is another Sunday Supplement with a quote worth sharing, a book worth reading, a movie worth watching, brainfood worth consuming, and a spiritual passage worth pondering.

I hope you take something away from these recommendations that enriches your week ahead!

Quote of the Week:

“One important key to success is confidence. An important key to self-confidence is preparation.”

-Arthur Ashe

Book of the Week:

The Martian – Andy Weir

Andy Weir’s The Martian is probably most recognizable from the 2015 Ridley Scott movie starring Matt Damon.

The screenplay was adapted from Andy Weir’s bestseller about astronaut Mark Watney being left behind on Mars and his fight for survival using his skills and the supplies left to him.

Weir initially published the book in serial format on his website. He had a small following from his previous self-published stories and comics.

When Weir finished the novel, he listed it on Kindle for $.99. The book’s success and the subsequent film allowed him to pursue writing full-time.

I featured the film version of The Martian in Sunday Supplement #7. If you’re interested, I go into greater detail in the post about the movie and why I love the story.

Movie of the Week:

Whisper of the Heart

Studio Ghibli is one of the top animation companies in the movie business. Their films have been continuously recognized by critics and audiences over the years.

While Studio Ghibli’s most famous films often feature a significant setting or background of fantasy, Whisper of the Heart is one of their more grounded films.

The film is based on a manga and follows Shizuku, a young girl who’s an avid reader and wants to be a writer. One day she notices all of her books have been previously taken out by the same boy, and she attempts to find that boy while she navigates her own journey.

There are many lessons from this film, and one of the things I value in Studio Ghibli’s films is that the female characters aren’t solely relying/focused on male counterparts.

I’ve featured Studio Ghibli movies in six previous Sunday Supplement. I highly recommend all their films. Check out the other posts if you want to see more of their catalog.

Brainfood of the Week:

How to Plan Your Week Effectively | The Art of Improvement

In this video, The Art of Improvement breaks down Ryder Carroll’s celebrated book, The Bullet Journal Method.

The principles explained in the video can aid your current planning systems or help you create new ones to maximize how you want to use your days.

An example of one of the tips highlighted in the video is taking a mental inventory of anything and everything you want to accomplish.

This exercise helps combat decision fatigue when we have too many choices of how to spend our time and no organization around what we want to accomplish.

Check out the video if you want to hear the other tips. I’ve also featured The Art of Improvement in previous Sunday Supplements if you want more recommendations.

Closing Spiritual Passage:

“He who doesn’t know where he is going doesn’t know whether or when he will arrive.”

– African Proverb

At first, I thought this proverb was pretty straightforward. Preparing a road map of where you want to go is vital to know if you have arrived.

However, I thought more about the wording of when in the proverb. I thought about how I’ve set goals in the past but haven’t always given myself a timeline for them.

This proverb reminds me of the importance of setting a course and giving yourself a timeline.

That doesn’t mean you have to achieve the goal by that time, but it allows you to check in and see if you need to make any alterations to your plan.

Prepare how you want your life to be, work on those plans, and have a blessed week ahead!

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Jane Howard, City of Thieves, Love Actually, Brené Brown, and an African Proverb

Jane Howard, City of Thieves, Love Actually, Brené Brown, and an African Proverb

Published by Drew Alexander Ross on December 18, 2022

Sunday Supplement #84 (December 18th, 2022)

Below is another Sunday Supplement with a quote worth sharing, a book worth reading, a movie worth watching, brainfood worth consuming, and a spiritual passage worth pondering.

I hope you take something away from these recommendations that enriches your week ahead!

Quote of the Week:

“Call it a clan, call it a network, call it a tribe, call it a family. Whatever you call it, whoever you are, you need one.”

– Jane Howard

Book of the Week:

City of Thieves – David Benioff

David Benioff is probably best known for adapting and bringing Game of Thrones to the screen for HBO. I was curious to look into his writing past, and City of Thieves stood out.

Benioff’s novel was a New York Times bestseller and recaptured his grandfather’s experience of World War II in Russia.

During the Nazi’s siege of Leningrad, Lev Beniov gets arrested for looting and thrown into jail along with an army deserter, Kolya.

Instead of execution, Lev and Kayla are given the chance of a pardon if they complete the impossible task of securing a dozen eggs for a Soviet colonel.

The coming-of-age story tells a tale of adventure, strife, companionship, and war and is excellently written by Benioff.

Movie of the Week:

Love Actually

Richard Curtis has a long screenwriting career which includes movies, including About Time, which I featured in Sunday Supplement #34.

That being said, Curtis has only directed a handful of movies. Love Actually is probably his best-known of those few and is a Holiday season classic.

Love Actually follows the lives of eight couples dealing with their various love lives in a loosely connected web of a narrative set during a frantic month of Christmas in London, England.

Not all the storylines involve happy narratives, but there are many laughs and memorable moments throughout the film.

There’s a reason this movie is considered a Holiday classic, and while it might not be a movie to sweep the Oscars, it’s worth checking out.

Brainfood of the Week:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TfOE5ykj7EQ&t=325s

Know Your Worth and Where You Belong | Brené Brown

I’ve featured Brené Brown in a few previous Sunday Supplements. She is the author of multiple number-one New York Times bestsellers and is an expert on vulnerability, courage, and empathy.

In this video, Brené discusses how our worth and belonging are not negotiated with other people but are carried inside our own hearts. Doing otherwise gives away your belonging.

Brown highlights Maya Angelou’s quote, “You are only free when you realize you belong no place—you belong every place—no place at all. The price is high. The reward is great.”

As a social scientist, Brown initially couldn’t grasp the meaning of the quote, knowing that there is suffering in the absence of love and belonging.

The rest of the video highlights Brené’s discovery of what it means to belong. It’s well worth checking out.

Closing Spiritual Passage:

“A family is like a forest; when you are outside, it is dense; when you are inside, you see that each tree has its place.”

– African Proverb

I find it interesting that there tend to be multiple layers with most spiritual passages or quotes from various peoples or traditions.

This African Proverb reminds me not to judge something by its outside appearance. Families, communities, and people, in general, all have sides you can’t see from one perspective.

I also find the proverb shows how a group or community can be strong when they are together.

To maximize the strength of the forest and each tree, I think it’s important to plant the seeds you want around you and to take care of the trees in your woods.

Consider the value of yourself and those around you, and have a blessed week ahead!

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John F. Kennedy, The Stand, John Q, Deepak Chopra, and an African Proverb

John F. Kennedy, The Stand, John Q, Deepak Chopra, and an African Proverb

Published by Drew Alexander Ross on October 30, 2022

Sunday Supplement #77 (October 30th, 2022)

Below is another Sunday Supplement with a quote worth sharing, a book worth reading, a movie worth watching, brainfood worth consuming, and a spiritual passage worth pondering.

I hope you take something away from these recommendations that enriches your week ahead!

Quote of the Week:

“As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.”

– John F. Kennedy

Book of the Week:

The Stand – Stephen King

I’ve featured Stephen King many times in previous Sunday Supplements. I figured a Halloween weekend post was a good excuse to feature my favorite author again.

King’s The Stand depicts a world as it falls to a deadly virus leading to a post-apocalyptic world that becomes divided by the good and evil people who remain.

The Stand received much attention during the pandemic, but much of that publicity focused on the McGuffin of the book (the virus) rather than the heart of the novel.

Themes like the power of community, transition, and vices are brilliantly explored in the massive 1000+ page novel.

I’ve read almost 50 excellent Stephen King books, but The Stand has always been toward the top of the list. It has also been on many more prestigious best books of all time lists like Rolling Stone, Time, Amazon, and BBC.

Movie of the Week:

John Q

Getting away from the Halloween weekend excuse from the previous recommendation is this entry of Nick Cassavetes’s John Q.

While Cassavetes’s most famous film is probably The Notebook, John Q deserves more recognition for the handling of a challenging story.

The James Kearns screenplay shows a father, John Quincy Archibald, making the decision to hold a hospital emergency room hostage when his insurance won’t cover his son’s heart transplant.

Denzel Washington puts in a masterclass performance as John Quincy Archibald. His acting carries the film and has the audience on his side as he tries to save his son.

John Q might not be the best film I’ve recommended, but the movie is worth a watch, especially for the acting of Washington.

Brainfood of the Week:

10 Min Meditation – Gratitude – Daily Guided Meditation by Deepak Chopra

The video here is pretty self-explanatory by the title. Deepak Chopra leads a ten-minute guided meditation around gratitude.

Deepak Chopra is the founder of The Chopra Foundation, a non-profit for research on well-being and humanitarianism.

He has written numerous New York Times bestsellers, has been featured by Oprah Winfrey, and was described by Time magazine as one of the top 100 heroes and icons of the century.

In this guided meditation, Chopra brings you into the present moment and cultivates a meditative state around gratitude opening the door to abundance.

I featured two other meditation videos in Sunday Supplement #31 and Sunday Supplement #41. Check them out if you want some other recommendations!

Closing Spiritual Passage:

“Ingratitude is sooner or later fatal to its author.”

– African Proverb

I started this post with a quote highlighting the importance of following through on words of gratitude, and this African Proverb reminds me of how detrimental ingratitude can be.

For me, gratitude is one of the best ways to fill your cup daily. Having a ritual around feeling and expressing thanks for the blessings in your life keeps your attention on the good in life.

False or insincere gratitude can be a slippery slope to emptiness and ingratitude.

Ingratitude leaves a person feeling many negative emotions that ultimately can turn the head down a path where all you see is darkness.

While there is much evil in the world, you get to choose the attitude you put forth each moment.

Express your gratitude through your actions, and have a blessed week ahead!

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Randy Pausch, The Chronicles of Narnia, Hot Fuzz, Catherine Price, and an African Proverb

Randy Pausch, The Chronicles of Narnia, Hot Fuzz, Catherine Price, and an African Proverb

Published by Drew Alexander Ross on September 18, 2022

Sunday Supplement #71 (September 18th, 2022)

Below is another Sunday Supplement with a quote worth sharing, a book worth reading, a movie worth watching, brainfood worth consuming, and a spiritual passage worth pondering.

I hope you take something away from these recommendations that enriches your week ahead!

Quote of the Week:

“Never, ever underestimate the importance of having fun.”

– Randy Pausch

Book of the Week:

The Chronicles of Narnia – C.S. Lewis

C.S. Lewis’s classic children’s series, The Chronicles of Narnia, has sold over 100 million copies in over 45 languages.

The series contains seven novels that delve into the magical realm of Narnia, where magic, mythical beasts, and talking animals roam.

C.S. Lewis initially had a photo of a fawn in his head at 16, which eventually developed into the world of Narnia.

Narnia has its own history, which throughout the series is added to by humans from our world traveling there by magical means.

The order of the series is debated, but I started with The Magician’s Nephew. You can look up the different orders for suggested reading and decide for yourself.

I didn’t read the series until my late 20s. The books might be classified as children’s novels, but the adventures and themes were something I feel everyone can enjoy.

Movie of the Week:

Hot Fuzz

The detective murder mystery is making a comeback in Cinema with the likes of Knives Out and the Hercule Poirot remakes.

However, most of these modern movies fall short through poor writing and sometimes conceited self-awareness.

In Hot Fuzz, a skilled London police officer irritates his superiors with his embarrassing effectiveness and is transferred to a simple English village.

The officer’s fervor for regulations rubs against the easygoing villagers’ lifestyles even when a string of grisly murders occurs.

Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg’s Hot Fuzz is an action comedy grounded in a detective murder mystery that is better than most recent films taking a serious stab at the genre.

Hot Fuzz’s genius comes from treating the audience as intelligent viewers and crafting a well-written murder mystery. It is well worth checking out.

Brainfood of the Week:

Why Having Fun is the Secret to a Healthier Life | Catherine Price | TED Talks

In this video, science journalist Catherine Price discusses what it means to have fun and shares ways to weave playfulness, flow, and connection into your life.

Price opens her talk by discussing how we often pack our schedules and find ourselves languishing in our free time, which leads to more of the former.

She points out how we can often use the word “fun” to describe things that we do in our leisure time but aren’t actually fun or good for us.

Fun is often attributed to a childlike demeanor or a fanciful experience. Price argues how this definition is wrong and belittles what fun can be.

In the next portion of the video, Price describes how fun should be viewed as a feeling and not an activity.

The latter half of the video delves into Price’s prescription of playfulness, flow, and connection as true fun and how you can incorporate more into your life.

Closing Spiritual Passage:

“Between true friends, even water drunk together is sweet enough.”

– African Proverb

This African proverb reminds me of the joy one can experience when connecting with another human being.

I think back, especially to times in college, when a prevailing attitude was that alcohol or other substances were necessary for good times.

While fun times can be had during times of intoxication, I think it’s a mistake to believe that intoxication or other outside factors are a requirement for good times.

I believe a good indicator of whether or not something is worth pursuing is when you can be entirely absorbed by the function and be happy.

Some of my favorite times are having engaging discussions or finding myself engaged in an activity that brings me joy.

The African proverb reminds me that those moments are sweet enough.

Recognize the moments that bring you unaided joy, and have a blessed week ahead!

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