CHAPTER 8, PAGE 5

 

   

Just when we thought it was safe to sit back and take comfort in knowing exactly how bad things are, someone has come up with some tips to keep our spirits up in uncertain times.

1. COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS-we have so much to be grateful for. When we look at the pictures from afar we can be thankful for things like flush toilets, the remote control. Love those 32 flavors of ice cream and a dozen flavors of tooth floss. We can count our education, our knowledge and our opportunities. And we have much more freedom than our forefathers. When you reflect on these it gets harder and harder to focus on living in terror in the big, bad world.

2. SMILE AT A STRANGER-When the world outside shows us a threatening face, why not paint that face with smiles to make it less threatening. Let's face it, if I smile at you, you'll smile back. The more I smile, the more people will sm ile back. If everybody follows this advice my dentist will be too busy to fear world events.

3. LEARN A NEW SKILL-Why not master a new skill such as mesquite cooking. Like whittling. If you learn that skill in a classroom setting, full of other energized new-skill masters, you get the bonus of seeing that positive face of the world, complete with smiles and busy dentists.

4. STUDY HISTORY-Bad things happen. Good things happen. That's history. Today will one day be history that somebody reads about. So don't sweat it. Of course if nobody is left to read about it, scratch this tip.

5. VOLUNTEER-One of the scariest things about the world today is not just that it seems to be going downhill, but that we feel powerless to stop it. Worse yet, politicians and diplomats are in charge. But we CAN take control and send the world uphill in our own environs. We can help at the hospital. We can work at a food bank. You can help someone to cross the street. We can make a difference right in our own communities where the politicians and diplomats won't interrupt.

6. DROP THE PLAY BY PLAY. We have the opportunity to watch world events as they unfold. Launch that missile. Hit that target. You missed. So friend don't get too carried away. War is real. Avoid getting caught up in the play-by-play.

7. HAVE FAITH-God is our great comfort whether in times of war or otherwise. If you are a believer who has been distracted by other things in life, allow yourself to seek comfort in God.

Sorry about these happiness tips. If you wish to ignore them and return to the regularly-scheduled misery-wallowing, please go ahead. After all, in wartime nobody wants to be happy do they?

These tips are based on a book "Climb Your Stairway to Heaven by David Leonhardt

GOOD MORNING !

Yesterday evening it finally got cool enough to go for a walk. Due to the heat wave we had it’d been a week since the last one.

We walked up to the town square to see how they were doing on the new monument they are building. All the wars we’ve ever had men fighting in are represented on the stones of the monument and the newest war is …the War on Terrorism . It began in 2001. ,

Sometimes it is easy to forget that, yes, we are at war. I hope to remember my camera next time so I can show it to you all. It is impressive.

There is also a fountain in the middle of the square. It’s been there for as long as I can remember. It has been renovated from time to time, but it was there when I was a child.

Yesterday I saw something though, that I’ve never seen before. There were two boys swimming around in the fountain. What a sight it was to see. I laughed and laughed. I hope they made it out of there before some well meaning police officer spotted them.

Today I’m busy with the ‘ordinary’ tasks that always await me come Saturday. I do love those ‘ordinary ‘ days !

Thought for Today !

I have a personal mission for my life: To find joy in everything I do

The Fly Lady

May your day be blessed with a few SMILES and lots of SUNSHINE to warm you heart !

MA

 

 

 

 

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