Who would have thought we could herd cats?

Quotes for the book, Part 2

I hope one day soon I can ask the rhetorical question, “Who would have thought those cats were heard by so many other people?”

“The Tao of Blogging — a collaborative book of online wisdom” has been completed! Check out the spreads in the various submissions posts in our publication, The Air Inside the Donut’s Hole.

The next step is to do the final adjustments to get the book into a publishable form.

Each of our contributors will get their own personal copy of the e-book for free.

To get your copy, send me an email or a private note containing your email address and what type of device you use (Kindles need one kind of format; iPads and computers need another).

If you want a paperback version of the book please contact me.

For a limited time, we will do a private printing of the book through http://www.ingramspark.com. Because this is on-demand printing, we can add a custom bookplate inscribed with your name and the name of the person you are gifting to. This is a little extra work for me to create separate custom pages, so if there is too much volume, it will be a custom bookplate inscribed with a designated space to write in your name and the person you are gifting to:

And here’s the best part. We can get these books for $4 per copy plus shipping. I’m trying to set this up so each contributor can go directly to the publisher to buy their books.

Once I set up the paperback on Amazon, they charge more than twice the cost for a book with no customized book plate. And that’s assuming they allow everyone to buy the book at the author price.

Secret Bonus material you will not see here!

You know I don’t play by the rules when it comes to telling other peoples’ stories, and nothing has changed. For that reason, there is some secret bonus material that can only be found in the final book. Hopefully, that will encourage others who have read all of the quotes online will be interested in buying their own copy of the book.

And now, the second half of the quotes.

27. Maybe I’m questioning too much by questioning too much? Or maybe
I’m not questioning enough… Okay, time for a donut. Sarah Williams

Don’t ask, don’t tell

Sometimes a question is an accusation. Sometimes, it’s a response to a question. And sometimes it’s Valley Girl, where everything just sounds like a question. Surrender and let the truth fill you. It’s usually covered with sprinkles.

28. Why can’t they make a card that says “I love you, Mom, but you’re
a pain in the ass”? Jeannine Harris

Stop clowning around

No matter how good or bad your parents were, it’s on you to build a life. They’ll never change, so even an apology is unlikely. Anger is okay, boundaries are required, but forgiveness is the only way you will ever heal yourself.

29. When everything is awful, throw fried food and mashed potatoes at the situation. Alexainie’s friend KJ Harris

HUGS, NOT HOGS

America has a fine tradition of using comfort food to help others in a time of need. Bacon-stuffed maple donuts are great, but when will we provide emotional sustenance to people we care about? Our arteries thank you in advance.

30. If patience is a virtue, why does attempting to practice it make me want to commit murder? Alexainie’s friend Ginny Callahan

Be Brave, Heart

Sometimes you have to break things to get to a better place. Like a piñata… a bad relationship… or overthrowing the monarchy in medieval Scotland. It’s perfectly natural to express anger. Just put down the broadsword when you do.

31. I could tell this guy was a great DJ. It was as obvious as his lack of pants. Jennifer Brown

COLLEGE DAZE

Some survive college unfazed, living in a cloud of purple haze. Others ride a roller coaster of hormones and navel gazing. We look back on those days as the best of our lives, and recoil in horror at the thought of our kids doing the exact same thing.

32. Not only do I want to eat all of the carbs before me, but once again I am stunned by the recognition that the world is made of carbs. Gutbloom

Galileo was wrong

Even science has its limits. The edges of human knowledge continue to be cloaked in shadows, often covered in sprinkles. The search for meaning pushes us beyond those limitations to a place where we have to go with our “gut” instincts.

33. Girl on top? Excuse me, I signed up for sex, not CrossFit. Ellie Guzman

Joy

Up, down, top, bottom, front, back, inside, outside, upside down, it doesn’t matter how, when or why. Just find what makes you happy and do it. And if you can find that special someone to share the fun, that’s just gravy on the donut.

34. I need to either do do something drastic with my life or do nothing at all. Sometimes, they’re the same thing. Ryan Hussey

Lessons of youth

Desire is like a jar of pickles. You want those pickles so bad, you either break the jar or hide from it. Over time, you learn the trick to open the jar easily. And then one day, you decide you don’t really need that pickle as much as you thought you did.

35. Whenever I see you, I don’t know how many more times I can see you. Vincent Fulco

Free Will

We blindly swim through life, immersed in finding our way, but oblivious to the choices that are made for us by other people, our health, or the arbitrary, twisted hand of fate. Live fully in the present; there are no guarantees.

36. I am an introvert, hiding in plain sight. Insideout

Masks

Sometimes the saddest tears belong to the clowns. Sometimes, the life of the party suffers from depression. And sometimes the lonliest person is the one in the biggest crowd. Reach out and learn about the person behind the mask.

37. In the future the leading cause of death will be irony David Graham

Don’t worry, be happy

Someday, fire trucks really will burst into flames. Someday, Jager bombs really will be confiscated and defused by the ATF. And someday, killing time really could get you the electric chair. A good sense of humor will always be a saving grace.

38. I am and have nearly always been a feminist, transgender, gay, black loving white liberal. Which is really to say I was trying to approximate something close to a decent human being. Todd Hannula 🤓

The Frog Prince

Once upon a time there was a frog prince, but no princess would kiss him because they didn’t believe he could possibly be a prince under that hideous green skin. So he left the pond to become a civil rights activist. THE END

39. Embracing diversity means acknowledging an innate variety in humanity that’s a whole lot more complex than a bag of Skittles. Braveen Kumar

Skittles are racist

Everyone wants the red ones, so the “Man” make sure he gets to choose first. One the other hand, if you scrape the candy shell off an M&M, everybody still get chocolate. And that, my brother, is the sweet taste of justice.

40. Magic is the hot sauce on top of a burrito you made with your decisions and actions. Devon Henry

The burrito of life

You’d like to make your own burrito, but friends, lovers and parents always throw in a few surprise ingredients. Then that burrito guy Fate adds a bunch of junk you never asked for. The magic comes when you learn how to savor every bite.

41. I don’t know how to send selfies… I can’t figure out how to smile like not a serial killer Jing Jing Li

Misinterpretation

That makes me think of my sons. They pounce on anything I bring home and kill it… Captain Crunch, Rice Crispies, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Frosted Flakes, Lucky Charms… Oh… it’s “serial,” not “cereal?” Well, never mind.

42. “Yes but…” is just a nice wrapping paper for excuses. And I am a pro in wrapping gifts Emilie Remiette Nérieux

Presents and pasts

Some gifts you toss, unwanted, untried. Some gifts you want, come along for the ride. But some gifts, desperately desired though never received, uncover the treasures that stay by your side. Give thanks for the gifts you didn’t get.

43. Stopping yourself during a fall into anxiety takes Spiderman-esque reflexes and the self-awareness of a cockroach in a room full of old brown women wearing sandals Nerissa Naidoo

Watch your step

Sometimes, you take one step forward. Sometimes, you take two steps back. And sometimes it’s all you can do to avoid getting stepped on. Consider yourself lucky when life wears sandals instead of jackboots.

44. Mum could put tissues down her top and they would stay there. What else is that, if not a special gift from God? Letterwriter

Miracles

As children, we’re amazed at the miracle of adult bodies. As adults, we’re amazed at the miracle of creating a new life. As parents, we’re amazed at the miracle of limitless patience with kids who would try a saint.

45. The story will meet you halfway, if you let it. Joel Leon.

Called or Chosen?

A faded line from a half-eaten fortune cookie… the corner of a subway car… the reflection in someone’s eyes… miracles surround us and whisper our name. Will you heed the call of this adventure? To be the Chosen, you have to choose.

46. I felt in the spirit of full disclosure, it was only fair to let loose with one of my most heinous farts before the nuptials. Sherry Caris

True Love

For better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, even after those spicy burritos with extra beans and cheese that produce gas that could melt a Nazi in that scene from Raiders of the Lost Ark.

47. There’s probably room enough for me to join her in there someday, but the problem is the shape. I can just hear her. “Does this urn make my butt look big?” Thom Garrett

State of Grace

There’s a million ways to make love. Sometimes, it’s a 3 a.m. dream come true, bathed in the clock’s glow. Sometimes, it’s shared smile, fully dressed. And sometimes, it’s just me, carrying your love and laughter in my heart ’til we meet again.

48. maybe… just maybe… double spacing after a period is why we can’t have nice things Luke Trayser

Zero Sum Game

Don’t curse the donut with a bite taken out; somewhere in the world, someone in need rejoices to find life-saving nourishment. Consider instead the overcrowding you cause because you choose to horde all that extra space.

49.Why do men want to change the world but can’t change a roll of toilet paper? Rachel Thompson

Rolls and Roles

He offers his life for country and wife; she fixes his uniform’s seam. She carries the baby, he never says maybe to 3 a.m. runs for ice cream. Big things… little things… things for which you laugh or scream. Ah, what a team… Ain’t love a dream?

50. Every Time I Look In The Mirror I See A Different Person Zac Chapepa 💫

Rolls and Roles

He offers his life for country and wife; she fixes his uniform’s seam. She carries the baby, he never says maybe to 3 a.m. runs for ice cream. Big things… little things… things for which you laugh or scream. Ah, what a team… Ain’t love a dream?

51. Avoid standing directly under loose wrecking balls Hassan S. Ali

Survival is Good

In this crazed, distracted age of social media, do the simple stuff: breath; perform basic biological functions, and, as tempting as it is to text or look at Facebook or Twitter while 5000-lb objects are hurtling toward you, chose not to.

52. Write on, you beautiful bastards, no matter what. Universes won’t create themselves. Thaddeus Howze

Imagine

A single sentence sings an aria of angels, even if it is just once a day. A paragraph that paints the world with an economy of brilliance. And a story where each word houses within it, the potential of a universe. Another blank page awaits.

Thanks again to every person who contributed quotes and to my little team of quote finders, editors and counselors. I hope everyone makes the effort to publicize this book so we can raise money for literacy.

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Don’t worry, I won’t bug you guys with more of these letters.