Bob's Almanack

I don't make excuses ~ I make myself.

~ Robert

A Note from Robert V. Ussley

The pieces this week ask a plain question: Where does your attention belong? One piece stops guessing what other people think. Another opens a clenched hand. A third looks past the wallet and counts love, rest, and useful work. The last follows a walker who turns the corner before the street shows what comes next. The lesson is practical. Own your choices, keep your promises, and listen when someone tells you the truth. Let other people carry their own weather. You cannot choose every result, but the next move is yours.

New from Outside In Print

An anonymous person rounds a quiet neighborhood corner at dawn, moving from deep blue shadow toward the warm sunlit street ahead.

I Make Myself

Responsibility starts with the next choice. This affirmation keeps your attention close to home: on your promises, your actions, and how you respond when plans go wrong.

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Rich in Spirit

A wallet can count money, but it cannot count love, useful work, rest, thanks, or help from a friend. Wealth needs a wider measure.

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Open Hands

A clenched hand cannot receive much. This affirmation asks you to choose, knock on the door, and then stop throwing your whole body against it.

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Pay Attention to You

Trying to read other people's minds pulls you out of your own life. This affirmation brings your attention back to the ground under your feet and the next move you can make.

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This Week's Virtue

Industry

Industry begins with the work that is yours, when it is time to do it. Put down the phone, make the call, open the notebook, and take the walk. Leave other people's thoughts with them. A day takes shape when your attention and your work are in the same place.

One Number

-23,000

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimated that total nonfarm payroll employment fell by 23,000 jobs in July. The unemployment rate stayed at 4.1 percent, and revised figures cut May and June job gains by a combined 103,000. source

One Document

Visas: Visa Bond Program

U.S. Department of State, 2026-08-03

The final rule makes the visa-bond program permanent. It lets consular officers require selected B-1/B-2 applicants to post a bond of $10,000, $15,000, or $20,000. source

Results

Shiho Kuwaki beat Esther Henseleit on the second playoff hole to win the 2026 AIG Women's Open. source

Records

On July 29, Chad le Clos won his 21st Commonwealth Games medal and passed Emma McKeon to become the most decorated athlete in Games history. source

Final Bows

Glenn Hughes retired from touring and live performance on medical advice. Doctors said he needed another open-heart operation. source

Obituaries

Sir Anthony Kenny died at 95. The philosopher wrote A New History of Western Philosophy and served as president of the British Academy. source

God helps them that help themselves.

~ Poor Richard

Worth Reprinting

Standard of Living vs. Quality of Life: What the Numbers Miss

This archive essay returns because money and output tell only part of the story; rest, close ties, control over your time, and a life that feels whole need a wider measure.

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My focus is my domain.

~ Robert