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Posts Tagged ‘acts of kindness’

Friday’s Fresh Five! (5/1/15)

Posted in About me, Community, Helping Others, inspiration, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on May 1, 2015| Leave a Comment »

April 24, 2015 Edition Movement caught my eye as I stood at the kitchen sink and stared out the window. Something landed on a nearby bush, sat for a while, and then flew away. I wondered if a hummingbird had built a nest there. When I went outside to look, a butterfly flew within inches of my face and landed on a leaf in front of me. She repeated the process – landing, resting, flying away – for more than 20 minutes. “She must be laying eggs,” I thought to myself. The fascinating metamorphosis of butterflies happens right in front of our eyes, but most of us don’t see it. In a larger sense, the challenges we encounter during our own metamorphosis oftentimes prevent us from seeing the transformations of others.

#1 – Proving the Butterfly Effect
Chris Rosati Since being diagnosed with ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, North Carolina resident Chris Rosati has become an inspiration to many people around the world. He created BIGG, Big Idea for the Greater Good Initiative, that challenges people “to change the world with just one act of kindness.” Watch the short video of how Chris is “proving the butterfly effect with a single act of kindness.”

#2 – Forge Meaning, Build Identity
Writer Andrew Solomon gives an inspirational and powerful TED presentation on “How the worst moments in our lives make us who we are.” Eloquently, he shares stories of adversity and encourages us to forge meaning from our struggles. Here’s one of my favorite passages from his presentation: When we’re ashamed, we can’t tell our stories, and stories are the foundation of identity. Forge meaning, build identity, forge meaning and build identity. That became my mantra. Forging meaning is about changing yourself. Building identity is about changing the world. All of us with stigmatized identities face this question daily: how much to accommodate society by constraining ourselves, and how much to break the limits of what constitutes a valid life? Forging meaning and building identity does not make what was wrong right. It only makes what was wrong precious.

#3 – Simple Things
Small things In Life That Bring HappinessCar rides, belly rubs, walks in the park – it’s obvious that little things bring joy to dogs. What types of things bring joy to humans? A United Kingdom healthcare group surveyed 2,000 people and asked them what types of things made them feel good. Check out 50 Simple Things that Make Us Feel Great and see how many of these feel-good activities are on your list.

#4 – Butterfly Blues
Tropical Morpho butterflies have beautiful blue wings. This three-minute video shows how the structure of their wings generates their incredible iridescent color.

#5 – Transformation
Change Makes the Butterfly More Beautiful

Now go and spread joy!

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Friday’s Fresh Five! (8/1/14)

Posted in About me, Art and Crafts, Creativity, Gardening, Helping Others, inspiration, Travel, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on August 1, 2014| Leave a Comment »

Seagull The bird soars through the sky, occasionally swaying to the left and swooping to the right. The cool ocean breeze flutters his feathers and lifts his wings. Other than eating, he has no plans for the day. He does what he wants, when he wants. Landing on a beach, he enjoys the warmth of the afternoon sun. He wanders across the sand, pecking for food here and there. A few of his colony friends approach and squawk-talk with him. After a bit, he bids them adieu and takes flight. Up, over the cliffs, out to the sea, and then back again. If birds could smile, this bird was smiling. Oh, to be free. To be free as a bird.

#1 – Be Real
Genuine Self? Do you “live life according to your true self” and how do you know if you are being genuine? Read 6 Signs You’re A Truly Genuine Person to find out.

#2 – Shut the Door!
Beautiful Doors from Around the World One of the first things someone sees as they approach your home is your front door, so why not make it interesting? Check out these 25 Beautiful Front Door Designs from around the world. Some are pieces of art and some are classically understated. I’m sure the homeowners remind visitors to “shut the door” so that their doors can be better appreciated.

#3 – Succulents 101
Succulents 101 With drought conditions in so many areas of the world, succulents are more popular than ever. People looking for low-maintenance and water-saving ways to bring color and texture to their gardens have discovered the world of succulents. Me included. Tired of unsightly drip lines running up into potted plants on my front porch, I started planting succulents instead. For those of you wanting to learn more about planting succulents, here’s a link to Succulents 101: A Beginner’s Guide.

#4 – Paying It Forward
This Thai commercial, made for a communications company, illustrates how kindness and giving goes around and comes around.

#5 – A Thousand Invisible Threads
“We cannot live for ourselves alone. Our lives are connected by a thousand invisible threads, and along these sympathetic fibers, our actions run as causes and return to us as results.”
Herman Melville

Go now and spread joy!

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Friday’s Fresh Five! (5/17/13)

Posted in About me, Creativity, Gardening, Health, Helping Others, inspiration, Photography, Recipes, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on May 17, 2013| 4 Comments »

White Mum by Linnell Chang One thing always leads to another: While putting a colorful Mother’s Day bouquet in a vase of water, I decided I should snap some photos of the flowers before they passed their prime. The following morning, I got out my camera and looked at the flowers from different angles. As my camera lens zoomed closer and closer to the delicate chrysanthemum petals, I became intrigued with their spoon-shaped curves and concentric rows. Soon I found myself “Googling” chrysanthemums on my computer. I learned from Symbolic-Meanings that Dreaming of chrysanthemums indicates an unfolding of the inner self, during a tumultuous time of life. More specifically, it may represent a time of deep personal growth forged by hardship or conflict. The result leading to a stronger, more realized self. At another site, I found out that John Steinbeck wrote a short story in the 1930s titled The Chrysanthemums. After reading the story, I sought more information about Steinbeck’s use of symbolism and how they relate to the development of his characters. As the morning passed, and as one discovery lead to another, all I could think of was how the beautiful bouquet of flowers was a gift that kept on giving.

#1 – Humanity

Act of Kindness

A man giving his shoes to a homeless girl in Rio de Janeiro

Reading the newspaper or watching the news every day can be a depressing experience when story after story highlights crimes against humanity. View this series of 35 Photos That Will Restore Your Faith in Humanity and remember that acts of kindness can set a chain of positive events in motion.

#2 – A Two Minute Respite
Need to relax, unwind, take a break, de-stress, recharge, or refocus? If so, go to the Do Nothing For 2 Minutes site. Close your eyes or gaze at the photo of the sun peeking over the horizon. Relax and listen to the sound of ocean waves while the timer ticks down. Breathe in deeply and exhale slowly. The instructions state, “Just relax and listen to the waves. Don’t touch your mouse or keyboard.” If you dare ignore these instructions, a red “FAIL” appears on your screen. Give yourself a gift of 2 relaxing minutes.

#3 – One Sentence
After taking a 2 minute break and recharging your creative juices, how about trying your hand at writing a true story in only one sentence? That is the challenge of the site One Sentence. The site says, “One Sentence is an experiment in brevity.” The entertaining part of the site is to read what other people have submitted. If Ernest Hemingway could write a six word short story, you can write a story in one sentence!

#4 – One Recipe, Two Uses
The May issue of the Nutrition Action newsletter features a versatile recipe for a “Greek-inspired topping for grilled or roasted salmon or other fish — also doubles as a delightfully tangy salad dressing.” For more healthy recipes check out the “Healthy Recipes” section at Nutrition Action.

Yogurt-Dill Dressing:
Combine 6 oz. of fat-free Greek yogurt with 1 cup of fresh dill sprigs, 1 Tbs. of lemon juice, 1 Tbs. of Dijon mustard, 1 small shallot, and 1/4 tsp. of salt in a food processor. Process until smooth.

#5 – Happy to Be Grateful
In daily life we must see that it is not happiness that makes us grateful, but gratefulness that makes us happy.
Brother David Steindl-Rast

Wishing you a weekend of grateful happiness!

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Friday’s Fresh Five! (4/12/13)

Posted in Art and Crafts, Creativity, Environment and Ecology, Gardening, Helping Others, In The Kitchen, inspiration, Photography, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on April 12, 2013| 2 Comments »

Purple Violas

Purple Violas by Linnell Chang

Although small in stature, purple violas dominate a bed of flowers. Their deep rich colors and delicate yellow centers beg for attention and ask you to take notice. Do you stop to appreciate them or do you walk on by? Do you take their beauty for granted? Do you take the colors you see for granted?  Wake up your senses and adjust your attitude. Be grateful for the beauty around you.

#1 – Psychology of Color
There’s no doubt that color adds joy to our lives. Imagine how depressing it would be to live in a world devoid of color. This Psychology of Color infograph points out their different meanings and how they affect our lives.
Psychology of Color Infographic
#2 – Lemon Zest
Lemon zest adds bits of color and flavor to food. For recipes that call for any type of citrus zest, try using this method. Hold the microplane upside down while you lightly run it across the peel. This method catches the zest – which makes collecting it much easier than scraping it out of a bowl. Zesting a lemon

#3 – Random Acts of Kindness
If what goes around, truly comes around, then we all need to spread more kindness in the world. Be inspired to perform random acts of kindness today by reading 101 Ideas For Random Acts of Kindness.

#4 – Seeing in Color

phan Thu Trang

Painting by artist Phan Thu Trang

Artist Phan Thu Trang “always tries to use color and light to create different sensation for each piece of art.” Through her colorful and seemingly simplistic artwork, she tries to describe how she feels about everyday scenes in her native Vietnam, rather than just documenting what she sees. Check out this site to see more of her artwork.

#5 – Colors of the Day
“People observe the colors of a day only at its beginnings and ends, but to me it’s quite clear that a day merges through a multitude of shades and intonations with each passing moment. A single hour can consist of thousands of different colors. Waxy yellows, cloud-spot blues. Murky darkness. In my line of work, I make it a point to notice them.”
― Markus Zusak, The Book Thief

This weekend, admire and be grateful for all the color in your world!

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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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