Saturday, October 22, 2022

Inspiration... Did You Know???





 tommyrawblog@gmail.com




Did you know that...



... inspiration can come in SO many forms AND hit you...

at ANY time???


I'm sure every single one of you

who just read that

answered back to the screen...

"of course I know that you idiot!"

but...

how many of you actually realize

then take the time

and allow...


that... moment

that... photo

that... sentence

that... word

that... quote

that... thought

that lightbulb... igniting over your head


... to sink into your being

to heat up your passion

and completely empower

your state of mind


In other words...


TO FUCKING...


INSPIRE YOU!!!!


How many of you???


And how many of you constantly

allow those moments

to just blindly slip away??


Thus missing out on that thrust

of positive adrenaline

when you come across...


that wonderful... moment

that spectacular... photo

that uplifting... sentence

that loving... word

that profound... quote

that creative... thought

that brilliant glowing... lightbulb


... and just move on with your day

totally unaware

of just how precious

that missed moment was.


I have to tell ya

I've done it a million times... lol

I've had my fair share of the

highest of highs

and

the lowest of lows

and at times

even as inspiration was damn near

punching me in the fucking face

I'd somehow let that awesome jolt of life

slip right the fuck by!


So..

 it's time for you and I...

to slow the fuck down

To jump off the treadmill

of a hectic daily life

whenever possible

and begin to relish

and utilize

those precious...


INSPIRATIONAL MOMENTS!


I have something I call my

Wall of Awesomeness!

Tommy Mondello's "Wall of Awesomeness" !!!

Tommy Mondello's "Wall of Awesomeness" !!!


Over the years

whenever I came across an item

that brightened my day

put a smile on my face

or just made me think...

I'd pick up anything that was around me

and I'd jot it down

then post it on my wall.

I only wish I'd saved

ALL

of those moments

But here are a few that I love and...

actually made the wall.

Maybe one or two

might even inspire

YOU!

My all-time favorite quote... John Lennon said this...
Another one of my favorite quotes... the amazing Bruce Lee said this... easier said then done though!
Joey Marsh & me at Ronnie Gallo's 17th b-day surprise party in Ronnies backyard on Van Name Ave. This day will live in infamy for the two of us LoLoLoL So fucking great!! This reminds me that for about 18 seconds... I actually felt like one of the cool kids LoLoL A wonderful memory indeed! Here's the blog post that explains why... this was such a crazy AND fun memory... https://tommyrawtales.blogspot.com/2015/03/wait-ive-got-perfect-plan.html
Such a fantastic lyric... Jack White wrote this when he fronted The White Stripes. If you don't feel this way about YOUR chick... then she's NOT the right one for you!  Love this line!
This was one of those muthafucking days of true enlightenment!!! Life is nothing but peaks AND valleys my friend... and this day... I was standing upon one of those wonderful peaks! I read this... and still to this day, even though I can't recall what triggered my high... it still puts me right back up on that fucking peak. How cool is that!!!!!
French writer Marcel Proust wrote this... and it just knocked me on my fucking ass when I first read it!!!
This photo of Pete Townshend & Roger Daltrey ALWAYS makes me smile. It embodies my teenage years completely! Every single fun and amazing friend I was hanging out with at that time come rushing to the forefront of my thoughts.... fucking awesome!!! One fucking photo! THE WHO helped make our growing-up years so special!!! It was a fantastic show... as usual!
Love this one... but yet another one that's sometimes difficult to follow through on!! But it HAS pushed me several times to succeed! Eleanor Roosevelt said this. If we could all be as strong as this woman!
This was a note that one of my passengers handed me at work as we made it to her bus stop. It's always nice to know that yes... at times... you actually DO have an impact on someone else's life... however small it is. Thanx Chrissy! How could this NOT... cause you to smile!!!
Two guys that I absolutely love!!! That's my dad on the left. We lost him on May 16, 2016... he was ALWAYS there when you needed him... AND even when you weren't in need! I look back on all the things he did... like driving me back 'n forth to baseball practice at Susan Wagner High School every Saturday morning. You don't even realize how many things your parents did and do for you... while they're actually doing it. It's only years later that you understand the commitment they made to your success! So fuckin' great right!! And then there's Chef Gordon Ramsey! If this muthafucka doesn't inspire you to kick ass and try your best... then no one alive will ever inspire you! NOW GET OUT!!!!!! lololol
Steven Tyler wrote this lyric... it's from Aerosmith's last studio album. The song is called "Another Last Goodbye". It's fucking haunting! Love it to death... especially THIS line! Have you ever felt this way about someone?? I have several times. This isn't one of those positive peaks but... it's something that does make me stop... and think... about the present moment and to  take stock. To take a second and see if the moment is good for me... or is it going to be harmful! What a fucking line! "Caught up in the muthafucking sway... wow!"
Another incredible line! It reminds me of what Billy Joel sang in the song "Say Goodbye To Hollywood"... "Life is a series of hello's and goodbye's... I'm afraid it's time for goodbye again!" Love this song AND that line! These two always slap me in the back of the head... to remind me to just say "fuck it!"... try it again!! Remember... nothing in this life matters... try your best to forget the fuck up you just had... and try and try again until you get there!! Beginnings... are the fucking best!!
This one kind'a goes with the previous one. Don't be afraid to open up that fucking mind of yours... and find NEW dreams!! I still get stuck on some of the failed ones... but with this in front of my face... it helps me to push forward... most of the time lololol... shutup lol
Another one of my favorite quotes!!! Steven Tyler said this... and how fucking true is it???? Some days you're punching through every wall and obstacle in front of you... and then there are days when life just punches you in the face and you feel as though Mike Tyson just hit you lolol Hey... we can't all have a Tony Robbins day... everyday. Sometimes you can just feel comfort in the days defeat! That's why there is something called Carlo Rossi sangria!!! Or... if you will... Ben 'n Jerry's!!!
Love this line! Eddie Vedder... Pearl Jam front man... wrote the soundtrack for the movie Into The Wild. This line is from the song Far Behind. The entire album is SO fucking good. My brother Michael took me to see Eddie when he toured this album solo without the band... he was spectacular!! And the line... wow! Don't be afraid to be an individual! Don't ALWAYS fall into line and be like everyone else. It isn't easy to do at times... but try to always be yourself... be that different book... up on the shelf! Too fuckin' good!
I read this one a bunch! Definitely brings me back down to earth while things aren't going the way I want them to! Charlie Chaplin said this... and... he's fuckin' right. They DO... fade away!!
You really do need to find YOUR balance! Everyone has a different one! We define our ups and downs in many ways. None of us really define them the same so... what's good for you... ISN'T necessarily good for anyone else. Be on the look out for YOUR... balance.... muthafucka!
Birthday card from mom & dad... I always got a card... and of course mom always threw a few bucks in there lol... so funny! How could you not love... and smile with this!!
I love these incredible lyrics from Steven Tyler!! I've been caught up in "the sway" a few times... and it's those times that teach you how... to avoid that fucking sway! Those times are always a reminder to me to keep my feet firmly on the ground when matters of the heart are involved! Excellent lyric!!
Anything to do with THE WHO... always brings a smile to my silly face!! The top one is a drawing I did when I was a teenager. That second one is a drawing of Keith Moon. I had an idea for a wall poster after Keith died in 1978... of him looking down from the heaven's at the band on stage with their new drummer Kenny Jones. And then of course we have Pete Townshend... that photo of him is from his solo album Empty Glass that came out in 1980. I bled this album... and it always makes me smile... too good!
Roger Daltrey played Scrooge on stage... bet you didn't know that! We saw him perform this live at the Madison Square Garden theater... what used to be called The Felt Forum. It was really such a special night and always brings me back to a great childhood!! Fuckin' Roger!!
Not happy at all!! These are just a few of the temporary I.D. cards that I saved from my days of service calls inside the world trade center complex! They just remind me how quickly... it could all end. And to TRY... not to sweat the small stuff!
Not happy at all!! These are just a few of the temporary I.D. cards that I saved from my days of service calls inside the world trade center complex! They just remind me how quickly... it could all end. And to TRY... not to sweat the small stuff!
A couple of wonderful birthday moments... that my friends gave to me. So so special... when you feel loved!! How could a birthday candle not make you feel good... and bring up fantastic memories with the people in your life!!!
A couple of wonderful birthday moments... that my friends gave to me. So so special... when you feel loved!! How could a birthday candle not make you feel good... and bring up fantastic memories with the people in your life!!!
I absolutely love this one!! Alan Turing said this. They made a movie called The Imitation Game... about how Alan built a machine (the first computer ever) to break the German Enigma codes during WWII. Strive... to be that person he is talking about!!!!
Many people have said this one... and I love them all! It's there just as a reminder for those moments... I forget! And to the left is a lyric by Jack White from The White Stipes... and it's gigantic! Those damn matters of the heart lolol... they kick my ass! And they are SO much more terrible... than any normal problem you deal with on a daily basis!
2 huge ones here!!! The first one is a photo of Denise Attilio's I.D. badge from when she worked at Perkins Pancake House on Forest Ave in Staten Island. She passed away in 1982... and will forever bring both a tear... AND... a smile to my face! Denise's sister Gail sent me that photo! The other is something that I try to do every second... of every fucking day but... it's very very difficult to pull off lol Eckhart Tolle writes about this in his book... The Power Of Now!! I've read it about ten times! Still tough to pull off... but you MUST try your hardest to push back on that past... both all the good memories and bad... and not... to think about the future! So difficult lololol... but try!!!
This is a very recent one here. But it is SO true isn't it!! Your family cannot be big enough!
This theme again huh!!! Can't be reminded of this enough!! Bring on Eckhart Tolle... The Power Of Now!!! But when I actually DO catch myself being engulfed by something fucked up... AND... consciously embrace the horror... it really DOES become more managable! It really fuckin' does. As crazy as that sounds... it just does! Puts your feet back on solid ground and gives you a starting point to begin attacking the issue... and get that train back on the tracks!!!!
My friend Susan wrote this in an email as we were getting each other through life shit... and the thought just made me so happy for her... that it actually made me... feel better about the shit "I"... was going through!! Chicks just have that power don't they lolol
Groucho Marx... wow such a powerful thought!! Several themes come into play here... always remember that YOU... and not the shit around you... decide how you feel!! Great great thought! ME... and not events... have the POWER!!!
A person I was dating at the time... was in the very same mindset as Groucho was... only when she said this to me... I felt a lot better lolol... sorry Groucho! Again... at times this really is so difficult to abide by... especially when an event or the actions of another are just SOOOOO fucked up... you really have to fight to keep that anger at bay! But... it's so worth it when you do!!!!
How amazing is that feeling you have when... you finally figure something out!!! When you finally realize... how incredibly lucky you are... to have family and friends that love you! It could be anything really... that causes the lightbulb to ignite over your silly head... to really feel that never ending appreciation!!! Awesome!!!
I'm guilty of this one for sure... as I imagine most of you are as well. I added this to the wall as a reminder... to focus on the "what I have"... AND NOT... on the "what I don't have"!!!!!!!! I wish I had a glass of sangria right now tho... oh wait... I just did it again lololol
Steven Tyler said the first two lines... so good... then I added the last one... I just had too!!! Simple thoughts as these sometimes just get lost in the moment! Sometimes... simple IS better! Simple can inspire just as much as a truly profound statement!!
Just impossible NOT... to love these two lines. The one on the left is Richard Gere from the movie... First Knight... "I dare not kiss so lovely a lady... I only have one heart to lose!" Wow... so fuckin' good! And the other comes from the one and only Bob Dylan... "If ever there were someone to keep me home... it would be you!!" So so fuckin' good! I'm still searching for... her!!
Another wonderful line from a movie... A Walk To Remember... "Love is like the wind... you can't see it... But you can feel it!!" How insightful is that... wow... love this line for sure!!
Fuck!!! I dare you to read this... AND NOT... be inspired... to just live a fantastic life!! It's impossible to read this and NOT smile and want to pick up the phone and get the ball rolling!! So so so fucking good!
Common sense rules towards a fulfilled life. Dream... think... decide... take massive action... monitor to see if adjustments are needed... THIS... is the path towards a successful life in EVERY aspect!!
Three fantastic thoughts... John Calvin... Ghandi... and many people have said this last line. Love ALL THREE!
LoLoLoL Holy mutha of FUCK LoLoL... Edgar Allan Poe said this... and it has haunted me SO SO MANY times whenever it comes to mind. Those matters of the heart really can cause insanity LoLoLoL... you just have to love this statement... you HAVE TO!! Because we've ALL been driven to insanity when it comes to love! Oh boy... lololol
Nailed it!! My horoscope... January 15, 2023.
Reba McEntire... boy she is right on it here... the three bones you need to excel in this incredibly winding road we call... life! Love this one tons!!!
Speaking of matters of the heart lololol... Yet another great beginning only to see me running for my fucking life 3 months later lololol Fuck... I'm gonna die alone lololol
Got this from the first person I went on a date with post divorce... Susan... awesome chick... but these words STILL make me think. Although again... very difficult at times to adhere to! But this note keeps me grounded when I begin to feel myself stressing and searching... so good!
Wow... Bob Dylan does it again. After I got divorced way back when... THIS... was exactly how I felt!!! ALWAYS trying to find my way home... even when hanging out with my very own friends! Just felt as though I didn't belong. It was so very strange. Could you imagine feeling like this... since fucking birth!! Wow... fuckin' BOB!!! I read this when I feel as tho I'm losing my way a bit... it reminds me to just say "FUCK IT"... you're home bitch... now just enjoy yourself lolol Hey don't laugh... reading this helps!!!
Jennifer Lopez... such an amazing ending to a movie... Second Act!! Just read that again! Every fucking day my friend!!! Whenever I find myself forgetting that... I poke around the wall until I locate this... and just read it several times... then... pop the movie in and smile my way back into the "take no prisoners" attitude. A real attitude adjustment! Who ever wrote that line for the movie is fucking BRILLIANT!!!
Pure silliness LoL When I read this one it just ignites me! It reminds me just how much fun I have writing! I love this line LoL "verbal assaults"!!! I've been writing stuff ever since I can remember... and it's been mostly for the love of writing because not many people ever read what gets put to paper. And that's okay because getting the words and thoughts out of my fucking head... clears my mind and relaxes my entire being. SO FUCKING powerful... to pen a thought to paper!!!
This one meant SO much to me for quite a while! Read this somewhere when I was going through some emotional shit... and it made me focus on myself... until I willed myself back to emotional health... thus able to be with someone! So good! It's so easy to lose yourself along the way lol it really is! But these simple words... helped my train get back on the tracks and moving forward!!
So So special... These lyrics came from a song called New Song from the album Who Are You... by THE WHO back in 1978. This album was pretty much the center of our universe for a while lol And it's what I wrote in my high school yearbook when we graduated in 1979. So good. We began drinking way too early in life... but fuck it! And the yearbook people screwed it up... such a bummer lololol When I read this it just summons up so many incredible memories! It's an instant HIGH for sure!!
Just awesome... saw Bill Curbishley... THE WHO's manager... say this in a documentary about the band. And when he said it I just jumped to the edge of my seat!! How fucking profound! And I go to this every time I think I'm getting older (which I am) whenever I look in the mirror lololol It's just so funny how much we change physically as the years go by isn't it... crazy! But he's right... those lines, scares... that map... are all proof that we are living our lives... well!!!!!
A friend gave this to me... she's little miss positive!! And it's so true. It's the same theme as the "A Dream" one is... just expanded a bit. The meanings are both the same... dream... think... decide... take massive action... monitor in case you need to make adjustments!!!! So easy to forget this recipe for success!!!
Another thought-provoking statement! Bernard Malamud... an American author said this! And he's right. We ALL have hero's. And they can be ANYONE... from ANY walk of life! Hell... a kid... can be your hero! We do indeed... need hero's!!!
Charles Schultz said this...and it's another one to help me wake up and shake off that malaise... that stagnation... and remind myself to change those fucking gears and get the most out of every inch... of yourself!!! So cool right! Who would'a thought the guy who invented Charlie Brown... would say something so amazing lolol
Love these two! The top part is a line from something I was reading... can't remember what tho... but it creates such a vision... "bursting through the clouds... beams of light"... wow!!! It automatically causes a smile to erupt!!! And the bottom part is from one of my favorite movies... The First $20 Million... a geek movie for sure! But these three words keep the material side of life in check! In reality my material daze are over and behind me! I'd rather spend $500 on a great meal with friends instead of buying something! Love those three words!!!
Wow... this one!! I've heard several people say this over the years... but doesn't really matter who said it... just read those words. Wow... THIS always keeps me on my toes... being on the lookout for that moment... that takes my breath away! It happens more often than you think if... you're on the lookout for them. Keep those eye's open bitches!!!!
One of my favorite lyrics from the song Locomotive... by Gun's & Roses back in 1992. Anything can cause that awesome dream to fill your head... but to purchase a piece of illusion art... hang it on the wall... then dream... wow... the lyric paints such a picture doesn't it!! And... no drugs needed LoL When I first moved into this place I found a piece of art that just engulfed my every thought... it wasn't illusion art... but like I said... ANYTHING can brighter your brain and mind!!! The entire double album is amazing... but this line... wow!!!
Two very very special lyrics! Top one is from The Beatles... HELP! This fuckin' song got me thru SO many moments of emotional stress along the way!! "But every now & then I feel so insecure... I know that I just need ya like... I've never done before!" Wow... fuckin' John Lennon!!! And the second is my favorite lyric of all time!!!! From the song "Bellboy"... written by the man... Pete Townshend!! "A beach is a place where a man can feel... he's the only soul in the world that's real!!!" I've been writing since I'm a teenager... and I'll never write anything... so incredible!!!
Bob Dylan strikes again... he IS amazing!!!! "Life would be SO simple... if I only had you to please!!" SO good... from the song Dirty World... by The Traveling Wilbury's... Dylans mind... and voice!!! And the second is one of the greatest movie lines ever written!!! From the movie Braveheart!!! "Every man dies... but not every man lives!!" These words just open up your entire mind to possibility!!! FREEEEEDOMMMMMMM!!!!
From my friend Susan... so good... for the short time our moment was. Think about it... it's true! Amazing right!!
From John Taffer and the Bar Rescue show... so powerful!!!
Words to fuckin' live by. Mind you... not always easy but... taking that metaphoricle punch to the face once in a while to have a break-thru... is so worth it!!!!!
Two photo's that just bring me right back... to EVERYTHING!!! Top is a degraded pic of the Orchard Inn softball team in 1980 after we won the Miller Beer Tournament. And of course the second is my Doorsmobile!!! My 1970 Pontiac Tempest that I got from my brother Joey! Too fucking great lololololol




ANYTHING...

can inspire!!!



What inspires YOU??