Filed under Favorite Quotes, kindness, Poohisms
My sister-in-law told me this morning that she and her Mah Jongg group helped their friend John celebrate his 80th birthday. She said, “He dressed up with a walker and shawl and scarf to get in the spirit of the moment. Lots of good chatter and neighbors honking as they passed. We think we gave him a “proper” 80th birthday.”
This is a beautiful example of the goodness of people even in the midst of the horrible pandemic, and I’m proud to be on the same planet. John’s wife was in the group originally. She passed away and her husband John was inducted into the group by this caring bunch of people. What a happy way to show John he is valued!
May we add our “HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JOHN!” to the celebration.
Filed under Friendship, giving, kindness
Friends and family are priceless; but maybe even more appreciated with all we are dealing with today.
When I got to the computer this morning, I had emails from two of my favorite people in the world. I don’t feel as if the day has started without hearing from them. They ground me. We can share anything and everything and don’t have to worry about judgment. And we CARE about each other. If that isn’t priceless, I really don’t know what is.
In about an hour, we will go to Lunch Bunch. Every Friday for over 17 years, we go and share a bite to eat and catch each other up on what has happened during the past week. We share hopes and dreams, help each other through sadness. Our core group remains the same, though Lunch Bunch changes on how many people come each week. I am so grateful I have two wonderful friends who mean the world to me.
When the world is hostile, angry, and dangerous – and we need to be careful about everything we do and say – loving, and having the love and care of friends and family, will help us through to better times. May we all “make our souls blossom.”
Filed under Attitude, Challenges, Encouragement, Family, Friendship, kindness
Filed under Attitude, Encouragement, I'm a slob, kindness
Filed under Encouragement, kindness
We have been stuck at home due to the weather the whole past week. It’s 9 degrees F. right now, with a biting wind, but nothing is falling from the sky at the moment. With the forecast of snow and more snow starting later today, we’re going to try to gather our mail from our mailbox at the bottom of our driveway (hopefully not ice-covered now, as it is 650+ feet down and STEEP.) We’re also going to try to get supplies before holing in again – probably until the end of NEXT week.
I am starting a petition to do away with February – completely. Just go straight from January to March. If you’re in, please let me know and I’ll add you to the list. (I’m not sure where I will send the petition, or how many we would need to make this change, but we have to start somewhere…
I continue to HOPE things get better regarding the pandemic, our country, and the people living in it. I HOPE that qualities such as love, understanding, compassion, kindness, and courtesy are not becoming things of the past, gathering dust due to disuse. Much like I tell myself on keeping moving and exercising, “If you don’t USE it, you LOSE it.” We never really know what’s happening to the people we care about. Let’s give everyone some extra slack.
I hope that you are able to stay safe and warm today. It’s a wonderful day to have a warm, dry home.
Filed under hope, kindness, Mother Nature, Seasons
Dog Waits 8 Months To Find A Home, Gets Adopted By Caretaker On Christmas
Meet Hiccup, We’ve Given Him A Home For Christmas
These signs of hope were provided by Inga Korolkovaite of BoredPanda.com
13 Years Ago Today We Found Her Hiding Under A Christmas Tree At Lowe’s. We Decided To Take Her Home “Just For The Night” To Feed And Warm Her
She’s been lying about not being fed ever since.
This Is Cyrus, My Girlfriend And I Adopted Her Today. She Was Surrendered The Day After Christmas For Being “Too Much Dog”
We took our new pup to a park for 30 minutes and played some tug-of-war, and she’s been like this for over an hour. Guess she’s the right amount of dog for us.
I Don’t Have Room In My Place For A Christmas Tree, So My Mom Made Me This Wreath With Built-In Lights And All The Ornaments From When I Was A Kid
Neighborhood Kids Were Using This Lady’s Yard For Sledding Without Asking. She Responded By Blasting Xmas Music Out Her Window, Putting On A Santa Hat With A Beard And Joining Them
Thanks to Inga Korolkovaite of BoredPanda.com for these examples of why we can still hope.
Didn’t Get Any Gifts For Christmas Except From My Landlord. Has No Idea I’ve Been Struggling Lately
I Planned A Christmas Surprise For My Parents, It Went Better Than I Could Have Hoped
My Daughter Was Hospitalized Over Christmas Three Years Ago. Since Then, Every Year She Collects Toy Donations For Kids Who Won’t Be Home For Christmas
The Story Of How A Mysterious “Prowler” Saved His Family’s Christmas Nearly 40 Years Ago
We Spent All Our Christmas Tree Money On Adopting This Guy Instead
These examples of why there is still hope were gathered by Inga Karolkovaite of BoredPanda.com
“I’m Really Crying Right Now. I Thought I Was Calling My Mom. But I Had The Wrong Number And – ”
“My Father Has Alzheimer’s. I Brought My New Dog Home For Christmas, And He Said, “I Know I’m Going To Forget A Lot, But I’m Going To Remember This Dog For A Long Time”
“This Is What I Woke Up To On Christmas After I Broke Down & Told My Brother That I Couldn’t Afford To Buy Big Presents This Year Since I Could Barely Feed Myself”
I don’t think it’s Pollyanna-ish to choose to focus on what is good, rather than bad, in your life. A positive attitude not only affects how you feel and act, it’s contagious. (A very small example of this is when you choose to smile at people. I have found that most people smile at you in return.) People who answer phones as part of their work are taught to smile when they are talking to people on the phone because you can HEAR a smile over the phone lines or through the air waves.
Of course, you can’t be happy ALL the time. People have been squashed like bugs because someone wants their SHOES – and the same can happen with people who are TOO perky – TOO Smiley – TOO optimistic….
My point is that it is your decision – to a large extent – to be mainly happy with your life (growing, learning new things, embracing new ideas, finding fun ways to spend your time) or allowing your world to implode, (being interested in fewer and fewer things, being whiny, complaining, not trying to reach out and get help, etc.)
I have watched people I love folding into themselves, their worlds getting smaller and smaller, not bothering to try to keep up with what is happening in the world, giving up things that used to bring them joy, not taking care of themselves, becoming brittle in mind and body. It breaks my heart.
Each of us handles aging, changes, and outlook in our own way, and we should be free to do that.
I am choosing to embrace the good stuff – finding things that bring me joy and sharing them however I can. I love it when someone writes, telling me they love a picture I’ve posted, laughed at a joke, encouraged them to try something new. Each of us can try to take something positive and pass it on. Everyone is richer for it. Maybe ‘Pollyanna-ish-ness’ is a survival skill.
Filed under Attitude, Challenges, Encouragement, kindness
Filed under Challenges, empowerment, Encouragement, Favorite Quotes, kindness
When I was in college, I was invited to a yard party where a young college couple enjoyed a gathering of their friends and THEIR friends. I never felt so welcome, before or since.
Even as I was enjoying the feeling, I was aware that it emanated from the woman of the couple. Now I’m so old and doofus I can’t come up with her name, but I can STILL appreciate the way she made me feel.
The kindness simply flowed enveloping everyone. She had a lovely smile and a truly contagious laugh that made everyone around her smile, whether they heard what amused her or not. How beautifully unique and precious she was!
Now, more than ever, I appreciate kindness.
I have a beautiful friend. She’s wonky, with strong political views, but she makes an effort to do at least one kind thing each day. Something that may go unnoticed, but she does it anyway. A small example is when I was shopping with her. On the way to the store, she stopped the car by the side of the road in the neighborhood, picked up an empty garbage can that had blown across the road, found the lid, and put both beside the driveway of the owner. When we got to the parking lot of the store, she immediately offered to take the cart back to the store for the lady at her car. She leaps to help people carry stuff, or open doors. She is free with hugs (postponed with Covid) and big warm grins. I am trying to emulate her.
Filed under Attitude, Favorite People, Friendship, kindness
I am trying to look at things as ‘the-glass-is-half-full’ these days. (Sometimes the glass tips over, spills the contents, and then shatters on the floor, though.) I do believe that you can control your attitude about what is happening to and around you, putting the best face on it that you can, and then powering on.
Each person’s problems are different. The priority of dealing with them depends on how much they are affecting your life. Some vary in their intensity, allowing you to put some on the back burner to be dealt with some nebulous time in the future. Others are chronic, requiring that you either decide to essentially ignore them, or work steadily, day by day, on solutions. Still others require immediate action by you or help from others.
There are times problems are overwhelming. A quote by Brian Tracy is magnetically stuck to the side of a file cabinet by my computer. It says, “When you feel overwhelmed with too much to do and too little time, remind yourself that all you can do is all you can do.”
( I also include problems that are ‘overwhelming’ because they seem too large, too defeating for you to handle for some reason.) I am learning to handle these ‘one-bite-at-a-time,’ breaking the problem down into several steps or deciding to only handle one day at a time, dealing with things the best I can.
I am trying to learn to give myself a break, as well as give the same consideration to others who are ALSO dealing with problems. Certain words spring to mind – becoming more and more important the longer I live: listening; empathy; compassion; kindness. Some of my to-do lists are a compilation of ‘things-I-CAN-control’ offsetting all the things I CAN’T.
Filed under kindness, perspective, taking care of yourself
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