Robert C Slayton - Grief to Joy and Inspiration

Quote from George Henry Lewes: “The only cure for grief is action.” When I was in grief, action helped, right? Taking a walk, going to the gym. For me, it ultimately ended up going dancing. It's the one thing that would relieve all of this pain inside me for the two hours I was dancing. What do you do to allay your grief? Do you take actions? Do you meditate? Let me know. Robert’s Substack is a re...

Quote from Sacred Hoops book, page 67 of the print version. “Listening without judgment. Buddhists call this bear attention.” How many of us can truly listen without judging the other person or the concept that is being brought across in that statement? Let me know. For me, it's hard, right? It's hard just to listen. So, listen first, process what's listened, then respond. You'll actually seem a l...

This quote is from Country Magazine, submitted by Amy Riddell in the 90s. “Worrying does not empty tomorrow of its troubles…it empties today of its strength.” I 100% agree. If you worry, worry is just thinking about tomorrow. It has nothing to do with today. Regret is the past. If we can stay in the present, operate in the present, we're more likely to feel happiness, and fulfillment. The things t...

Quote by Miyamoto Musashi: Perceive that which cannot be seen with the eye. Nurture the ability to perceive the truth in all matters. We need to do this more than ever, because if we're just on social media and we just learn on social media, we only get the perspective of what we already believe. My personal opinion is we need to make sure we look at the opposite viewpoint and then confirm or deny...

Quote from Charles F. Kettering: Where there is an open mind, there will always be a frontier. It's pretty hard to do new things without thinking that there might be new things to do. There are a lot of people who are stuck in their ways and think this is the way it is, and these are the structures. It's the open mind that says, oh, yeah, this is the way it is; but it could be better, it could be...

Heard on an AM sports radio program in the 90s. “The University of Michigan football team doesn’t rebuild; they reload.” I'm a University of Michigan guy, third generation graduate. Also keep in mind, I was in the marching band. I marched in the Rose Bowl. I marched in the Fiesta Bowl. So this quote is more for me than you and this was said on AM radio. Yes, AM Radio was a thing way back when. Enj...

Quote by Alvin Toffler: The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn. If you haven't read Toffler’s books, you need to read them. They are really good and an important essay on life and how life could go. And I think the issue we have here, in my opinion, is that a lot of people learn stuff, but it's on social medi...

Quote by Henry David Thoreau: Be not simply good, be good for something. So you can be good and be quiet, but what are you trying to do? Are you good for something? Are you trying to help somebody out? Are you trying to forward a cause? What are your thoughts on being good for something versus just being good? Robert’s Substack is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my...

Written 8/10/2025. I just arrived home after spending the weekend in South Haven Michigan with a group of friends who are more family than anything else. We knew each other from high school but didn’t form up as a friend group until college. Since that time, we all got married, had kids, and got divorced (just me). We’ve had ups and downs. Parents dying, children having major cancer, job issues, y...

Quote from Margaret Lee Runbeck: Happiness is not a station you arrive at, but a manner of traveling. Happiness is a verb, in my opinion. It's not a noun. It's a verb. You create your own happiness. I had my birthday a couple of weeks back. And what did I do? Normally just kind of let it go by. Yeah, family makes a cake. We have a little birthday celebration. But the reality is I usually didn't le...

Anonymous: Live your life as an exclamation, not an explanation. Live it. Have fun. Do great things. Here's the thing. If you start living your life and doing something that you've never done before and it all goes south, you know what you have? A great story. Trust me on this. I have plenty of great stories. What are your thoughts? Robert’s Substack is a reader-supported publication. To receive n...

Here’s an American Indian proverb. Listen or thy tongue will keep thee deaf. This describes social media, right? The people who are spouting stuff aren't listening, are they? They're just saying what they think versus doing research and understanding what other people are saying. I found this in the dating world. I recently went on the Facebook dating app just to play with it. I've never been on a...

Quote by Sir Francis Bacon. Realize this is older language as he was born in 1561. There is wisdom in this beyond the roles of the physic. A man's own observation, what he finds good of and what he finds hurt of is the best physic to preserve health. I believe that. If you feel good, you're going to be healthier. If you're always bad and resentful, they say resentment from the metaphysical perspec...

Quote from Marge Piercy Life is the first gift. Love is the second. Understanding the third. Do you agree? Is there another thing in there that we should put in? Let me know. Robert’s Substack is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get...

Quote by Charles Schwab I've yet to find the man, however exalted in his station, who did not do better work and put forth greater effort under the spirit of approval than under the spirit of criticism. Think about it, when we train dogs, do we harass them? No, we give them treats to really correct them. And what do we do with our kids? Do we support them and give them approbation? But when they s...

Written 8/6/2025. As you probably know, I have been posting a quote a day around 7 am -5GMT time. These are cross posted across other social media platforms. The following quote got a lot of responses and interest. It was a quote from Sylvain of Athos. He was a Russian Monk. “For the man who prays in his heart, the whole world is a church.” This quote encapsulates what I’ve thought of a lot in the...

Quote by Albert Einstein Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds. I look at this as kind of like the trolls of the internet, TikTok, and all the social media platforms, right? So, you're out there, you are kind of trying to do things, you're having fun, you're creating content. And then you have this person, you know, troll you, say bad things, say things that...

Written 8/4/2025. As you know, I’m on the Facebook dating app along with getting out into the real world hoping to find that person who elevates me and where I elevate her. Sometimes it comes down to whether she’d make me a sandwich. Let me explain. I was at a party chatting with an older gentleman who was talking about his love life. He was engaged and told me the final part that showed him that...

Quote from Sylvain of Athos. For the man who prays in his heart, the whole world is a church. So, I think about this. Some people just only pray in church. Some people only pray at night. But for those people who pray all the time, to whomever they choose, everywhere is holy. What are your thoughts? Robert’s Substack is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, cons...

Written 8/3/2025. Robert’s Substack is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. I’ve been playing around with all the social media platforms, TikTok included. I get the most engagement from TikTok vs Substack actually. With engagement come the trolls. Those people who make disparaging comments. I’m okay with them because...

Quote by Samuel Butler. Friendship is like money. It's easier made than kept. What do you do to really keep your friendships going? Do you go out on a weekly basis? Do you phone them? I have a friend who moved to Florida. I don't really see him very often, but we do call. And it's important for me to call him and he to call me so that we can continue our friendship. Thoughts? Robert’s Substack is...

Quote by Anna Quinlan: We are defined by the people we've lost. For me, that would be my grandmother. She was always supportive, always there for me. And I still think about her often, but she and her attitude really kind of defined how I do my attitude too. What are your thoughts? Robert’s Substack is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a fr...

Quote from Charles Lindberg: Life is like a landscape. You live in the midst of it but can describe it only from the vantage point of distance. Is there something that you've been so in the middle of that a little bit later when you look back, it was different than what your first thought it was? Drop a comment. Robert’s Substack is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support...

Quote from George Carlin: You ever wonder if illiterate people get the full effect of alphabet soup? Robert’s Substack is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit rslayton.substack.com/subscribe

Quote from Alexander Wolcott: There is no such thing in anyone's life as an unimportant day. Think about it. That's what I'm going to have to reflect on. What are your thoughts? Robert’s Substack is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or...