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Archive for the ‘Helping Others’ Category

Friday’s Fresh Five! (12/9/11)

Posted in About me, Art and Crafts, Creativity, Gift Ideas, Health, Helping Others, Holidays, inspiration, Travel, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on December 9, 2011| Leave a Comment »

Rush, rush, hurry, hurry. Got to get here, got to get there. Life can be frenetically-crazy at times, but every now and then, some little “thing” reminds us to slow down and enjoy life. Driving on the freeway the other day, I felt hurried and stressed. It didn’t help that a handful of crazies were out there with me and my husband. Darting to and fro, changing lanes, and speeding seemed to be the order of the day. Then a trio of hot air balloons calmly floated into view. Watching them slowly and gracefully maneuver across the sky, I thought to myself, “Look at how blue and clear the sky is today.” And as the balloons floated out of view, so did my stress.

#1 – Emotional Tools
My dad is always a little sad during this time of the year. He left his home and mother in China when he was just a little boy. Even though he loves this country and the life he’s made here, the holiday season, with its celebrations of family and home, invariably reopens a hole in his heart. Good or bad, the holidays bring to surface emotions for many people. If you need a little emotional boost, read 10 Instant Emotional Fitness Tools. These tips are not going to fill that hole in your heart, but it may put some pep back in your step.

#2 – What Are We Eating?
The holiday season brings with it many delights and indulgences. With that in mind, check out this graph from Visual Economics that depicts what the average American consumes in a year. Did you eat your 192.3 pounds of flour and cereals or your 110 pounds of red meat this year? This may make you reconsider having seconds on anything!

#3 – Creative Architecture
This topic may sound boring to some of you, but wait to cast judgment until you look at this series of images titled, 50 Most Strange and Unusual Buildings Around the World. Even though not all of the titles are correct, you’ll still appreciate the design and architecture of these uniquely-shaped buildings. After viewing them, I wanted to get out my passport and travel around the world!

#4 – DIY Decorating with Epsom Salt
Who would have thought that Epsom salt could be used for holiday decorating? Here are two cute ideas from The Inspired Room. Check out the site for photos of these projects.

1. For a fresh “snow” effect, fill mason jars with about one to two inches of Epsom salt and place votive candles in the center. For the prettiest effect, cluster several jars together or line them up along a railing or on a table.

2. To make “crystallized” candles, paint your candle with Mod Podge and roll them in Epsom salt. I can’t wait to try this DIY decorating tip!

#5 – Going Out, Going In
“I only went out for a walk and finally concluded to stay out till sundown, for going out, I found, was really going in.”
John Muir

Have a great weekend!

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Friday’s Fresh Five! (11/18/11)

Posted in About me, Health, Helping Others, inspiration, Photography, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on November 18, 2011| Leave a Comment »

Autumn leaves turn color and drop not because the weather is cooler, but because the nights are longer. If the nights are longer, then the days are shorter. And with shorter days we have less time to enjoy the beauty of autumn. So don’t waste time! Get out there and revel in all that autumn affords us – clear blue skies, colorful foliage, leaves crunching under our feet, fresh apple cider, pumpkin pie and longer nights to enjoy our families!

#1 – Movember
One of my sons started to grow a mustache at the beginning of the month, but not to look older or more debonair. He’s doing it to support a good cause – the Movember campaign. As a “Mo Bro,” he and other men across the world are growing mustaches during the month of November to increase awareness of men’s health issues, particularly prostate cancer, and to raise money to fund research. According to the Movember website, “Mo Bros effectively become walking, talking billboards for the 30 days of November. Through their actions and words they raise awareness by prompting private and public conversation around the often ignored issue of men’s health.” To learn more about Movember or to make a donation to this inspiring men-helping-men effort, click here or to donate directly to my son’s team, click here. It all goes to a good cause! Although Tom Selleck he’s not (despite his “enhanced” photo), I’m still proud of my son!

#2 – Calcium in Food
Bone health or heart health? I can’t win. My ob-gyn wants me take calcium supplements, but my cardiologist wants me to stop taking them. I’m on a six-month trial period of eliminating daily calcium supplements and receiving calcium only from my diet. Why? I guess calcium can irritate the heart. Since going off calcium supplements, upping my ingestion of calcium-rich foods, and changing my magnesium supplement, the number of atrial fibrillation episodes I’ve had has diminished. Always check with your doctor before making any drastic changes in your diet or your supplements.

Calcium can be obtained from these high-calcium foods:

Dried herbs
Cheese
Sesame seeds
Tofu
Almonds
Flax seeds
Yogurt, milk, and other dairy products
Green leafy vegetables (turnip, mustard, dandelion green, collards, kale)
Brazil nuts
Herring

Links to articles regarding high calcium foods:
Dietary Supplement Fact Sheet on Calcium
Calcium Foods Summary
Top 10 Foods Highest in Calcium

#3 – Grab Your Smartphone and Shape Up!
Here’s a review of smartphone apps that can help you get in shape! For example, download Fooducate to let your phone’s camera scan barcodes of foods and find out how healthy they are based on ingredients and nutrients or download Tempo Magic Pro to “adjust a song’s tempo to match your workout speed without making it sound at all weird.” Who would have thought that a phone could help you get in shape?!

#4 – Daily Dose
I love looking at interesting and well-taken photos from around the world and was happy to get my daily dose of photos from One Big Photo, which has 400 gorgeous high quality photos uploaded. Enjoy browsing through the categories of photos or submit one of your own!

#5 – Your Autumn Colors
“You can’t hide your true colors as you approach the autumn of your life.” Unknown

Enjoy these beautiful autumn days!

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Friday’s Fresh Five! (11/11/11)

Posted in About me, Creativity, Entertainment, Helping Others, Kids, Parenting, Recycling, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , on November 11, 2011| 1 Comment »

The sun was low in the sky on a crisp and breezy autumn day. It was the kind of day that beckoned for a stroll in the park. As the black lab puppy strained against his leash to see more, smell more, and play more, my husband and I walked and chatted. As we rounded a path leading down to the bay, I suddenly yelled out to him, “Stop! Don’t step on someone’s hope!” There at his feet, scrawled in the decomposed granite path, were large letters spelling out the word “hope.” As we continued our walk, my mind filled with questions. Who wrote that? And why? Does that person have hope or need hope? Or was it just someone’s name? I’ll never know the answers to my questions, but I do know that hope can be found everywhere.

#1 – Convoy of Hope
Recently in my small area of the world a Convoy of Hope came to town. Over 13,000 people attended this outreach to receive assistance ranging from “health and dental screenings, family portraits, groceries, clothing, shoes and employment – all of which were free of charge.” Convoy of Hope has ambitious plans for 2012; their plans include outreach events in every state. To read more about this charity that has won the Charity Navigator Four Star Award for seven years in a row and to learn about ways in which you can help, click here.

#2 – Flowers of Hope
My husband called me from work the other day and asked, “Do you have any use for a box of assorted flower vases, because if not, they are going to be thrown away?” He knows me too well. Since it is not in my nature to throw things away, I replied, “Bring them home. I will fill them with flowers and take them over to a senior care home.” Although vases are not required in order to give a bouquet of flowers to someone in a senior center or home, they certainly make it easier for the staff to distribute the flowers. I mentioned in a previous post, that glass jars work great for this purpose, too. So before you get rid of those inexpensive vases you get from the florist, fill them with lovely flowers from your yard or from a store and give a home-bound senior hope that someone still cares about them.

#3 – Is There Hope For Mom and Dad?
The text I sent my daughter read something like this, “@ emerg room. Dad mayb hd gdasu buvacj!” I admit that sometimes when I text, I inadvertently send jibberish instead –  thanks to clumsy fingers or that darn spell check program that keeps changing what I write! I’m sure I’m not the only one with texting issues. Read these amusing texts that appeared on the Huffington Post Parents page or read many more funny texts by going to When Parents Text. I hope my kids haven’t submitted any of my bloopers!

#4 – Hope For Creativity
This four minute TED video presented by Gever Tulley shows hope exists when creativity is fostered in children. His Tinkering School allows children to design, create, succeed and fail. Life skills are learned when they have to figure things out. I love this idea!

#5 – Words of Hope
“Men and women are limited not by the place of their birth, not by the color of their skin, but by the size of their hope.” John Johnson

Give thanks this weekend to the many people who gave hope to our country by serving in the military! Have a safe Veterans Day weekend!

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Friday’s Fresh Five! (11/4/11)

Posted in Entertainment, Health, Helping Others, In The Kitchen, inspiration, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on November 4, 2011| Leave a Comment »

The ever-increasing tales of the world’s woes often overshadow the good in the world. The good in life isn’t always monumental and can be easily ignored compared to the attention-grabbing bad. Is it a matter of the “squeaky wheel gets the grease”? The good in life is often the sum total of everyday small joys, so don’t let it go by unnoticed.

#1 – Spread Kindness
Performing acts of kindness provides joy for both the giver and the recipient. To read stories of kindness, to learn additional ways to be kind, and to print up smile cards that can be passed around in a pay-it-forward style, go to the inspirational site Help Others.

#2 – Wake-up Your Brain!
Need help jump-starting your brain cells in the morning? Try playing one of the many challenging games at Sporcle. For example, the Road Game allows you only six minutes to answer thirty questions about “things and phrases containing the word ‘road.'” On your mark! Get set! Go!

#3 – Spot the Fake
A smile is a thing of joy, but not all smiles are created equal. Based on the physiological differences between real and fake smiles, Professor Paul Ekman of the University of California and Dr. Wallace V. Friesen of the University of Kentucky devised the Facial Action Coding System. How good are you at spotting a fake smile from a real one? Take the Spot the Fake Smile test and find out. No pressure, but I got 16 out of 20 correct!

#4 – Kitchen Tip

Here’s a kitchen tip that will make you smile. Earlier this week I posted a recipe for Wild Mushroom and Prosciutto Lasagne on this blog. In this recipe the porcini mushrooms must be soaked before cooking them. When soaking dried mushrooms, put them in a bowl with warm water and place a smaller bowl or plate over them to keep them immersed in the water and to prevent them from floating to the top.

#5 – Choose Joy
“Joy does not simply happen to us. We have to choose joy and keep choosing it every day.” — Henri Nouwen

Choose to be joyful this weekend!

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Friday’s Fresh Five! ( 10/28/11)

Posted in Art and Crafts, Creativity, Entertainment, Health, Helping Others, Holidays, Husbands, inspiration, Recycling, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , on October 28, 2011| 1 Comment »

She: “This photo is kind of gross.”
He: “What’s the photo of?”
She: “A close-up I took of a pumpkin.”
He: “What’s gross about a pumpkin and why’d you photograph it anyway?”
She: “Because it reminded me of something.”
He: “Reminded you of what?”
She: “Rolls of abdominal fat and stretchmarks . . . .”
He: “But it’s only a pumpkin!”
She: “Yeah, but it’s a pumpkin with PUMPKIN ROLLS!”
He: “No comment.”

#1 – Pumpkin Art
If you haven’t carved your pumpkin yet and you’re looking for inspiration and amazing examples of pumpkin carving, check out the galleries on the sites below. You’ll find yourself saying, “How did they do that?”

Ray Villafane and Andy Bergholtz
Pumpkin Gutter

#2 – Reuse It!
Don’t you dare throw away used aluminum foil – that is not until you’ve used it a few more times! Here are several ways to reuse aluminum foil:

Scrunch it up into a ball and use it to scrub baked-on food off of oven racks, barbecues, grills, pots and pans.

Wipe it down with soap and water and reuse it. Aluminum foil that has not been in contact with raw meat can be used to cover other foods again.

Sharpen scissors and garden shears by folding a piece into several layers and cutting through it with scissors or shears. Paper punches can be sharpened in this way as well.

Stuff clean used foil in your shoes and boots to help them keep their shape.

Deter birds, deer and other unwanted pests by hanging strips of foil around your garden.

Throw a crumbled piece of foil into the clothes dryer with your clothes to reduce static electricity.

Place some under your ironing board cover to reflect heat and iron more efficiently.

Save it for arts and craft activities: make cards, pretend jewelry for your kids; mold it into a sculpture; use it to create interesting textures in paint.

Stuff some around pipe holes to prevent rodents from entering your home.

Clean your silver by putting aluminum foil in your sink with salt, baking soda and hot water.

Wrap some around stripped screws before screwing it in for a quick, temporary fix.

Click on links to read entire articles:
Chasing Green
How to Make Silver Polishing Dip
SF Gate

#3 – Oh My Aching Back!

My lower back and hip area was stiff and achy from standing all day. I mentioned this to my husband and before I could finish my sentence, he ran out of the room to get something. A few minutes later he came back with two tennis balls duct-taped together. “Here,” he said, “Roll on this, it will really help!” I looked at him incredulously and said, “Seriously?” But he was right, after a minute or two of rolling on the tennis balls and enduring shiatsu-massage-type discomfort, my back pain significantly diminished. If you suffer from back and hip pain, don’t let the simplicity of this gadget fool you and do give tennis ball therapy a try!

#4 – Sushi Cat
Halloween conjures up images of black cats, but Sushi Cat creates FAT CATS! Sushi Cat is a fun computer game that combines pinball-like skills with eating sushi! Drop a cat from the top of your screen and watch him eat sushi as he eats his way around obstacles. He must eat the prerequisite number of sushi pieces at each level to become a FAT CAT or else you must try again!

#5 – The Simplest Words
“All the great things in life are expressed in the simplest words: friends and family; purpose and meaning; love and work; caring and community; appreciation and gratitude.” – Dan Zadra

Enjoy this last week of October!

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Friday’s Fresh Five! (10/21/11)

Posted in About me, Health, Helping Others, inspiration, Organization, Parenting, Recycling, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on October 21, 2011| 1 Comment »

Are there only three simple rules in life? Is life really that straightforward and uncomplicated? I hardly think so, but these three rules command us to take action and to be in charge of our own lives. It’s a rather egocentric outlook on life, but we all know that thinking about things doesn’t make them happen and that the best intentions are often times just not good enough. Being proactive on all fronts of our lives pushes us to be better and helps us to strive towards the lives we want. After all is said and done, we can only blame ourselves if our lives didn’t evolve the way we’d hoped.

#1 – Commercial Break Workout
Take action while you watch television. This is the best of both worlds – watching television and working out. I don’t watch a lot of television, but after viewing Heidi Klum’s Commercial Breaks workout and breaking out the exercise mat, I won’t  feel quite as guilty on the days that I don’t hit the gym!

#2 – Sending Text Messages From Your Computer
If you’re sitting at your computer and need to text message someone, say your child who only communicates via texts or your boss who is in a meeting, there’s no need to get out your cell phone. You can send a text message from any computer to any cell phone that has instant messaging abilities. Practically all cell phones have an established email/text address, but you must know the phone’s service carrier first to figure out its email address. This is a great way for my parents’ generation, who are computer savvy, but not text savvy, to get in touch with family in a jiffy.

To set up an email contact for a cell phone:  Create a new contact/new address in your computer’s email program, e.g., Jane’s iPhone. Add the email address which consists of the phone’s 10 digit cell phone number (without spaces or dashes) and its service provider’s email information.*  Jane’s iPhone carrier is AT&T, so her cell phone’s email address looks like this: 5303214567@txt.att.net.

*Every phone carrier has a unique email suffix (all the information after the @ sign), so you will need to know the service provider for each particular phone. Click here for a link to service carriers’ suffixes.

Now when you want to send a contact a text message, just type in the name and the corresponding cell phone email address will pop up. Shortly after typing in your message and sending it, the contact will receive an instant message alert on their cell phone.

#3 – Reusing Floppy Disks
Got Junk? Help out British artist Nick Gentry by sending it his way. Check out these interesting portraits he made by reusing computer floppy disks. Mr. Gentry states on his website: “The life and personality of these objects are a big part of each artwork. If you’ve got some old junk or floppy disks, feel free to send them my way. I try to use objects that have come to the end of their useful life.”

#4 – Icy Wisdom
Recently my cousin told me her son was going to have his wisdom teeth removed. I shared with her a tip that one of my sons used to reduce his post-surgery swelling and then decided it was a tip worth sharing with all of you. After I brought my son home from the oral surgeon’s office, he went to his room and put on a hoodie-type sweatshirt. He then went to the freezer, grabbed a couple bags of frozen peas and settled himself down on the family room sofa to rest. When I checked to see how he was doing, I saw the bags of frozen peas nestled in between the outsides of his cheeks and the hood of his sweatshirt. He had pulled the drawstring of his hood tight, so that the frozen bags contoured around his face and stayed in place. He figured this way he could ice four quadrants all at once. Clever boy that son of mine!  Of course, frozen gel ice packs or bags of crushed ice would also work!

#5 – Your Lot in Life
“The important thing about your lot in life is whether you use it for building or parking.” – Unknown

Have a beautiful weekend!

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Friday’s Fresh Five! (10/14/11)

Posted in About me, Health, Helping Others, inspiration, Photography, Recipes, Travel, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , on October 14, 2011| 1 Comment »

Going to scenic Monterey, California, was no longer an option. Undeniably, I was coming down with some poorly-timed illness and my hopes of tagging along on one of my husband’s business trips were swallowed along with an Advil. Allowing myself only a half-hour-long pity-party, I decided to spin the situation into a positive one. I could prevent a few pesky pounds of weight gain by not dining out at all those wonderful seafood restaurants, right? And I considered the perk of being housebound as a gift of much desired reading time. Plus, I rationalized that nobody could oversee the recovery from Xylitol poisoning of Romeo, my neurotic dog, better than his mommy. Disappointment evaporated into gratitude.

#1 – Are You Rich?
Having a bad day? From Marc and Angel Hack Life comes another great list. This list is a reminder of how the ups and downs in life are a matter of perspective.

10 Reasons You Are Rich
1. You didn’t go to sleep hungry last night.
2. You didn’t go to sleep outside.
3. You had a choice of what clothes to wear this morning.
4. You hardly broke a sweat today.
5. You didn’t spend a minute in fear.
6. You have access to clean drinking water.
7. You have access to medical care.
8. You have access to the Internet.
9. You can read.
10. You have the right to vote.

#2 – Glowing, Night Show
A collection of photos titled Red Tide, Blue Surf depict an example of a natural phenomenon called bioluminescence. In these photos tiny red plankton “emit a light blue glow that can be seen in the dark” as a result of chemical reactions taking place in their bodies. Although, this phenomenon occurs in oceans around the world, the beaches of Southern California have been attracting a lot attention of late. In addition to the photos, check out the incredible blue surf in this video:

#3 – Autumn Is Here, Chili Is In The Air
As the weather changes, so do our menus. With football games and crisp autumn air come bowls of piping hot chili! If you are making a big pot of chili and run out of chili powder, mix up a batch of this quick substitute:

1 teaspoon cayenne or red pepper
3 tablespoons paprika
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
2 tablespoon oregano

#4 – Muscle Myths
From the Huffington Post slideshow on 7 Myths About Your Muscles comes this tidbit of information that may change your workout:

While cardio burns more calories than resistance training during your workout, lifting weights torches more fat overall. In a study published in The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, women who completed an hour-long strength-training workout burned an average of 100 more calories in the 24 hours afterward than those who skipped the weights. The more muscle owned, the more fat burned.

#5 – What Are You Waiting For?
“The greatest weakness of most humans is their hesitancy to tell others how much they love them while they’re alive.” Orlando A. Battista

Tell someone you love them this weekend!

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Friday’s Fresh Five! (9/23/11)

Posted in About me, Aging, Helping Others, inspiration, Pets, Photography, Recycling, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , , , on September 23, 2011| 3 Comments »

As I sat at my computer working on today’s post, I could hear Romeo, my twelve-and-a-half-year-old Cockapoo, snoring under the desk. At first glance, one would think he is much younger. His blond curly coat and his small dog attitude belie his age. But upon closer observation, Romeo’s old, soulful eyes and stiff back legs reveal the truth. He is really a mellow old guy now and is such a joy to have around. With that thought in mind, I wondered if I were to see an old dog like Romeo in a shelter, would I adopt him or would I want a younger, more spry puppy? Would would you do?

#1 – Senior Dogs
Check out the Senior Dogs Project, a site dedicated to “Looking Out for Older Dogs.” Learn about the joys of adopting or fostering an older dog. According to the website, the top ten reasons to adopt a senior dog are:

1. House-trained
2. Won’t chew inappropriate items
3. Focuses well
4. Knows what “no” means
5. Settles in with the “pack”
6. Good at giving love
7. What you see is what you get
8. Instant companion
9. Time for yourself
10. Get a good night’s sleep

Another site dedicated to senior dog rescue is Muttville.

#2 – Dalai Lama’s 18 Rules for Living
No matter your age, these rules for living are worth remembering.

1. Take into account that great love and great achievements involve great risk.

2. When you lose, don’t lose the lesson.

3. Follow the three Rs:
a. Respect for self
b. Respect for others
c. Responsibility for all your actions.

4. Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful stroke of luck.

5. Learn the rules so you know how to break them properly.

6. Don’t let a little dispute injure a great friendship.

7. When you realize you’ve made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it.

8. Spend some time alone every day.

9. Open your arms to change, but don’t let go of your values.

10. Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.

11. Live a good, honourable life. Then when you get older and think back, you’ll be able to enjoy it a second time.

12. A loving atmosphere in your home is the foundation for your life.

13. In disagreements with loved ones, deal only with the current situation. Don’t bring up the past.

14. Share your knowledge. It’s a way to achieve immortality.

15. Be gentle with the earth.

16. Once a year, go someplace you’ve never been before.

17. Remember that the best relationship is one in which your love for each other exceeds your need for each other.

18. Judge your success by what you had to give up in order to get it.

#3 – Reuse It

If you have multiple electrical cords and plugs under your desk or elsewhere in your house, and you don’t have a clue which appliances they belong to, here’s a helpful tip for you. Instead of throwing away those little, square, plastic clips on bread bags that have product dates stamped on them, use them to help identify the plugs. On the unstamped side of the plastic clips, indicate (with a permanent ink marker or label) where the cord originates – computer, printer, toaster, lamp, sewing machine, etc. and you’ll always know which device you’re unplugging!

#4 – Real Love Photo
Photographs can often reveal a depth and breadth of emotion that words cannot do justice. This particular photo by Anze Malovrh was one of those types of photos and it tugged at my heartstrings.

#5 – Born to Stand Out
“Why fit in when you were born to stand out?”
— Dr. Seuss

Enjoy this last weekend in September!

Note: The portrait of Romeo was taken by my son Adam.

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Friday’s Fresh Five! (9/16/11)

Posted in About me, Entertainment, Health, Helping Others, inspiration, Photography, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , , on September 16, 2011| 2 Comments »

Being pulled in many different directions is something I am used to since I’m a mom with children who still need my help from time to time. The last couple of weeks have been crazy with activity and I tried to help all three of my kids through their recent transitions. That being said, I couldn’t do everything I wanted to do for each of them or do what I would have normally done for each of them, but I did the best I could. By focusing on the many things that could be accomplished, I did not let the few “unachievable” tasks stop me.

#1 – Makes Me Think
An aging brain and over 240 posts written make it difficult for me to remember whether I’ve already shared Makes Me Think. I’m pretty sure that I have, but it is a site well worth revisiting. Reading the often inspiring and often sad, but always thought-provoking, submissions validates my beliefs that life should be celebrated and that there is inherent goodness in man. Visit the site and read some submissions yourself, but if you don’t, here are a few examples:

Today, my cab driver showed back up at my house an hour later and knocked on my door to give me back my wallet, which another passenger found in his backseat. All of my cash and cards were intact.

Today, my dad saw the tears in my eyes and asked, “You’re not crying over him again, are you?” “Just let me be,” I said. He started walking out of the room, then turned around and said, “If someone won’t lift a finger to call you, see you and spend time with you, it’s time for you to lift five fingers and wave goodbye.”

Today, I ran into my favorite teacher from high school. He was my music teacher all four years. I saw him standing in line outside an unemployment office. I own my a small production company here in L.A. that does animated graphics, sound effects and background music for TV shows, commercials, and small-mid budget movies. I grabbed him out of the line, we chatted and I hired him on the spot. He’s going to be a priceless addition to the team.

Today, my cousin and I met for lunch for the first time in almost a year. He sat across from me with the biggest smile I’ve ever seen across his face and updated me on all the things going on in his life. He said all of his hard work was paying dividends and his small business was thriving. He also mentioned that he was thinking of proposing to “the most amazing woman he had ever met.” “I don’t know how else to say it,” he said sometime toward the end of our lunch, “I’m happy. I’m finally feeling comfortable in my own skin.” My cousin lost his life in a car accident on the way home from work this evening.

#2 – Osteoporosis
Concerned about osteoporosis? Read iVillage’s list of 7 Foods that Fight Osteoporosis and then check out these exercises in Good for Your Bones: Exercises to Prevent Osteoporosis.

#3 – Arctic Light
Sit back, relax and enjoy the beauty of an arctic light display as captured in a short video by photographer Terje Sorgjerd! While on this site stay awhile and watch his other beautifully soothing videos.

#4 – Make It Short
Short stories make perfect reads when you are short on time. It takes a great deal of skill to craft a short story, because the writer has far fewer words than a novelist in which to grab a reader’s attention and develop characters and plot lines. Read and appreciate the art of short story writing at East of the Web, where different genres of short stories are available to read for free. The Short Stories application for iPad, iPhone, and iPod Touch is free, so that you can read a short story anytime and anywhere you want!

#5 – 18/40/60 Rule
“I like Dr. Daniel Amen’s 18/40/60 Rule: When you’re 18, you worry about what everybody is thinking of you; when you’re 40, you don’t give a darn what anybody thinks of you; when you’re 60, you realize nobody’s been thinking about you at all.”
Jack Canfield

Enjoy your weekend!

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Spread Joy

Posted in About me, Community, Helping Others, inspiration, Kids, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , , , on September 13, 2011| 2 Comments »

Spread joy. It doesn’t take much, really it doesn’t. There are no guidelines, no right or wrong ways to do it, no right time . . . . Occasionally, a little bit of planning is involved, but mostly it’s spontaneous. Do it and let your actions be joyfully contagious!

There is not a finite number of ways to spread joy, but here are a few suggestions:

Be Kind
When you perform acts of kindness, random or specific, you not only do something good for others, but you make yourself feel good, too! Whether your acts are acknowledged or not, you have the satisfaction of knowing that you sent positive energy out into the universe and that you may have made a difference in people’s lives. And if you are ever lucky enough to be on the receiving end of someone’s kindness, pay it forward. Don’t let the positive energy die – keep it going!

Listen
In our increasingly busy lives, we often don’t have the time or take the time to really listen to what those around us are saying. With a million distractions at our disposal, do we listen carefully enough to read between the lines or to catch innuendos? By listening to others intently, we are conveying to them that they are important to us and that what they have to say matters. Do not try to multitask, solve problems, interrupt, or even converse – just listen.

Encourage
I always say that words have power. In high school, a P.E. teacher gave me the grade of  “C” after performing the Cha-Cha in the ballroom dancing section of our P.E. curriculum. When I asked her about the grade, she said, “You have no rhythm.” For decades I shied away from dancing because I assumed I had no rhythm. Now, because I’m old and I don’t care what others think, I dance. In a world of “what ifs” I muse about the difference it might have made if the teacher had only tried to encourage me by saying, “Not too bad! With a little bit more practice, you could be good!” A word of encouragement here and there can create foundations of joy.

Share
Spread joy by sharing yourself with others. Share your time, your energy, your smile, your talents, your heart, your possessions, your money . . . . You are a multifaceted person, so there is much to share!

Reach Out
Reach out to a friend or relative that you haven’t seen in a while or with whom you’ve lost contact. Call, write, email, text – do whatever it takes to let them know you are thinking of them. Far too many excuses and assumptions prevent us from reaching out to others, but all it takes is a simple “Hello” or “I haven’t seen you in ages, but was thinking about you . . .” to reconnect.

Help Others
Helping others in any way, shape, or form is a guaranteed way of spreading joy. Yesterday in a grocery store, a disabled man in a wheelchair dropped his shopping basket and was unable to retrieve it. Those nearest to him ignored him. I went over and offered my help. The smile I received in return warmed my heart. Helping in large scale ways, such as donating and volunteering, are admirable, but the everyday small ways of helping others mean just as much.

Show Gratitude
Keeping a gratitude journal is a nice habit, but don’t keep all those good thoughts to yourself. Being grateful and showing gratitude are two different things. It doesn’t take much – a simple thank you, a little note, a small reminder to a loved one, a touch on the arm, doing something special – there are so many ways to show gratitude.

Compliment
A sincere compliment goes a long way to spread joy. Compliment someone in their workplace for good service received. Pay a compliment if you notice something different about someone. Leave positive comments for bloggers, newspaper and magazine columnists or any one else whose work you’ve appreciated. Thank your doctor for doing his best to provide you with good care. Why is it so much easier to criticize than compliment?

Celebrate
Celebrate life’s gifts everyday. Celebrate nature – spreading joy is not restricted to mankind. I receive much joy from feeding birds in my backyard. Watching them feed and bathe and listening to their songs always brings me back to the present and to a point of appreciation and celebration of life. Celebrate every occasion possible! Especially celebrate special occasions – don’t let them go by unnoticed. Don’t assume that others know you are thinking about them on their birthdays, graduations, weddings, anniversaries, etc. How can they know you are thinking of them, if you never tell them?  Don’t wait to celebrate!

After reading this post, I hope you feel inspired to go out and SPREAD SOME JOY!

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