“If you cant laugh at your own characters, or shed a tear for them, or even get angry at one of them, no one else will either.”
~ Johanna Lindsey
Month: May 2020
COVID-19 Is a Bummer – It Can’t Stop Good Things From Happening
COVID-19 Is a Bummer – It Can’t Stop Good Things From Happening
Here are a few of the good things I witnessed or experienced today:
- I met two new friends on my walk today. We shared stories and lifted each other up. Thanks, Rick and John.
- A friend had to buy a new refrigerator and she ended up with a huge discount. She was happy and I was happy for her. Good things come to good people.
- San Antonio is a great city. The libraries are giving free WiFi to anyone in the parking lot. Drive in, park your car and fire up your laptop. Yah, we can make it by making it together.
- We’re another day closer to a solution. Knowing we’re a day closer is enough to make me smile. Don’t give up. Stay strong, keep practicing social distancing, and watch for the rainbow up ahead.
The little things are priceless treasures to me. They brighten my day. I hope your day is filled to overflowing with the little things that make life worth living.
Grateful for all the above.
If you’d like to share the good things you’ve witnessed on my blog, Email me (ray.brese@gmail.com) a short list (1 to 5 things. I’ll post and attribute them to you in the way you choose to be acknowledged (e.g., anonymous, name, Word Press blog (etc.).
🤗 Feel Good Hack ~ 8 Traits of the Happiest People
How Many of the Traits of the Happiest People Do You Practice?
- They devote a great amount of time to their family and friends, nurturing and enjoying those relationships.
- They are comfortable expressing gratitude for all they have.
- They are often the first to offer helping hands to coworkers and passersby.
- They practice optimism when imagining their futures.
- They savor life’s pleasures and try to live in the present moment.
- They make physical exercise a weekly and even daily habit.
- They are deeply committed to lifelong goals and ambitions (e.g., fighting fraud, building cabinets, or teaching their children their deeply held values).
- Last but not least, the happiest people do have their share of stresses, crises, and even tragedies. They may become just as distressed and emotional in such circumstances as you or I, but their secret weapon is the poise and strength they show in coping in the face of challenge.
🍎 Today’s Health Tip ~ Keep Your Connections Alive
We Need Each Other More Now
The biggest thing that most people can do right now to make a positive difference is to practice social distancing. Social distancing comes with its own risks. We’re hardwired for connection. Isolation and loneliness can exacerbate anxiety and depression, and even impact our physical health. It’s important to stay connected as best we can and reach out for support when we need it, even as we cut back on in-person socializing. Make it a priority to stay in touch with friends and family. If you tend to withdraw when depressed or anxious, think about scheduling regular phone, chat, or Skype dates to counteract that tendency.
👊 Today’s Power Thought ~ I Can Feel the Beat
]I’ll dance through life with hope, love, joy, and gratitude. Turn up the volume!
Today’s Smile 😃
Pete: “I went to the art museum this afternoon.
Jack: “Did you enjoy yourself?”
Pete: I asked a security guy there if I was allowed to take pictures. He said no, they had to stay on the walls.”
🌾 Today’s Poem ~ To-Day
To-Day
Douglas Malloch
Sure, this world is full of trouble—
I ain’t said it ain’t.
Lord! I’ve had enough, an’ double,
Reason for complaint.
Rain an’ storm have come to fret me,
Skies were often gray;
Thorns an’ brambles have beset me
On the road—but, say,
Ain’t it fine to-day?
What’s the use of always weepin’,
Makin’ trouble last?
What’s the use of always keepin’
Thinkin’ of the past?
Each must have his tribulation,
Water with his wine.
Life it ain’t no celebration.
Trouble? I’ve had mine—
But to-day is fine.
It’s to-day that I am livin’,
Not a month ago,
Havin’, losin’, takin’, givin’,
As time wills it so.
Yesterday a cloud of sorrow
Fell across the way;
It may rain again to-morrow,
It may rain—but, say,
Ain’t it fine to-day!
🌞 Today’s Inspiration ~ It’s All Going to Work Out
I love those who can smile in trouble. ~ Leonardo da Vinci
Today’s Smile 😃
Tim: “My girlfriend asked me if she could have a little peace and quiet while she cooked dinner.”
Jack: “” Did you turn off the streaming music?”
Tim: “No. I took the battery out of the smoke alarm.”
🤗 Feel Good Hack ~ Love and Forgive the Person in the Mirror
C’Mon Give Yourself a Break!
As Robert Holden puts it in his book Happiness Now! “Happiness and self-acceptance go hand in hand. In fact, your level of self-acceptance determines your level of happiness. The more self-acceptance you have, the more happiness you’ll allow yourself to accept, receive and enjoy. In other words, you enjoy as much happiness as you believe you’re worthy of[emphasis added].” Perhaps more than anything else, cultivating self-acceptance requires that we develop more self-compassion. Only when we can better understand and pardon ourselves for things that earlier we assumed must be all our fault can we secure the relationship to self that till now has eluded us.
