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Leroy Satchel Page, The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, Wind River, The Science of Happiness, and a Shawnee Nation Proverb

Sunday Supplement #81 (November 27th, 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:

“Don’t pray when it rains if you don’t pray when the sun shines.”

– Leroy Satchel Page

Book of the Week:

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao – Junot Díaz

Junot Díaz’s The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao follows a teen living in New Jersey who is a nerd and wants to be the next J.R.R. Tolkien.

The book delves into the history of Oscar’s family and the curse that has haunted them for generations. It jumps between Oscar’s life in New Jersey and his family’s roots in the Dominican Republic, where he was raised.

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao received critical praise and won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 2008.

Díaz’s book has a fantastic mix of generational family drama, magical realism, humor, and perseverance in the face of tremendous obstacles.

Let me know if you check it out and if you enjoyed the read!

Movie of the Week:

Wind River

Oscar-nominated Taylor Sheridan wrote many great scripts, including Sicario and Hell or High Water, and is the creator of Yellowstone. He wrote and directed Wind River

Wind River follows a veteran hunter who helps an FBI agent investigate the murder of a woman on a Native American reservation in Wyoming.

Sheridan gives an interview with Rolling Stone where he discusses his reluctance to let someone else direct his script because of his relationships with reservation communities.

Sheridan’s Wind River was able to explore topics about life on reservations and give attention to missing and murdered Indigenous Women without coming off as fake or “Social Justice Warrior-y.”

Wind River is a well-done Crime-Drama with much depth in the story and the characters. It’s well worth checking out.

Brainfood of the Week:

An Experiment in Gratitude | The Science of Happiness | Participant

Participant has produced over 100 feature and documentary films and episodic series that collectively have earned 82 Academy Award nominations and 21 wins.

This video starts with the host quoting how psychologists have scientifically proven that one of the greatest contributing factors to overall happiness is how much gratitude you show.

The series did an experiment based on the findings of these psychologists. They gathered volunteers and asked them to think of somebody influential in their lives and write down why the person was so important. 

Afterward, they had them call that person. The series gave tests before and after the experiment around happiness disguised so the participants wouldn’t know what the test was about.

Check out the video and see the results! It’s a fun video and worth exploring more of the channel.

Closing Spiritual Passage:

“When you arise in the morning, give thanks for the food and the joy of living. If you see no reason for giving thanks, the fault lies only in yourself.”

– Tecumseh, Shawnee Nation Proverb

This quote from Tecumseh reminds me to maintain a perspective of gratitude and that there is always something to be grateful for.

I think this mentality can be extremely difficult to have when you’re at your lowest, but accepting the situation and looking for positive holds can help bear tough times.

Whether asking and receiving help from someone or looking for what’s in your control, you can often find something worthy of giving thanks.

This proverb also connected with Leroy Satchel Page’s quote for me. I’ve expressed in Sunday Supplement #6 how I think prayer is often asking for help or giving thanks. 

Ask for help when you need it, but always try to find the things to be grateful for. And have a blessed week ahead!

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

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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