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Why Did Daddy Cry?

June 16, 2020 /0 Comments/in /by

A short story to honor all Fathers

 

Today is going to be the best day of my life!  Daddy didn’t need to wake me.  I’ve been looking at that worn-out curtain all night hoping to see daylight.  How can anyone sleep on their 6th birthday? Entering the kitchen, I hear Daddy’s beautiful voice singing Happy Birthday to me. I’m so lucky to have a father who loves me so much.  I know that not all kids are as lucky as I am.

Chocolate chip pancakes with mounds of whip cream are something I’ve always dreamt about, but I’m ok with my little bowl of Cheerios now while hoping for a treat later in the day. My friend, Valerie told me that some kids get cakes, balloons or even presents on their birthday. I didn’t believe her until I heard other kindergarteners at my new school bragging about what they …
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Stretching Our Kindness

June 1, 2020 /0 Comments/in /by

Listen                      Learn                         Love

 

Listen — let’s challenge ourselves to listen to someone with ideas different than ours.

Learn — we might think terms like white prejudice don’t apply to us.

Love — everyone!

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Learning About Happiness

May 12, 2020 /0 Comments/in /by

Interesting new insights about happiness are fun and free to explore in an online course from Yale —  https://www.coursera.org/learn/the-science-of-well-being. Includes a series of challenges designed to increase your own happiness. More than two million people are already enrolled in this course which is available whenever you are.

Upon completion, participants are encouraged to choose one area to focus on. I chose savoring.  It’s all about luxuriating in the moments, such as tasting a perfectly grilled burger, noticing fragrant lilacs, or remembering a walk on a sandy beach. After sharing my intent to savor with my family, I was pleasantly surprised when my brother mentioned how he was savoring his first golf game of the season. Then my daughter said she savored the buttery popcorn while watching an old movie. Simple reminders that we are happy.

There’s also a Facebook discussion group for those who want to see how others have …
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Boosting Your Well-Being In A Big Way

April 29, 2020 /2 Comments/in /by

Nothing beats human kindness and compassion to lift your spirits. While self-care is important, other-care can boost your well-being in a big way.

To increase your happiness, consider ideas like these:

  • Arrange for a local restaurant to deliver pizzas to a domestic abuse shelter
  • Send a variety of snacks to a homeless shelter
  • Email positive messages to an elderly assisted center
  • Send “The Book of Joy” to someone struggling with job loss or isolation
  • Make brownies and drop them on a neighbor’s doorstep
  • Check the list of needs at a local family shelter
  • Thank your spouse or partner for ____________ (you fill in the blank)

While funds are scarce for some, others can use their dollars saved from buying less gas or the cups of good coffee that are temporarily out of reach.  If you have a time windfall, use it to increase your happiness. Experience an act of generosity …
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What Will You Remember?

April 16, 2020 /0 Comments/in /by

Twenty years from now, someone is going to ask, what do you remember about 2020?  Will it be the only time in your life when you had too much time?  Or will you recall the unlikely people who became your heroes?

The people we lost won’t be forgotten and the unique challenges will probably last a lifetime.  But we may not remember the things we say and do today which we think we will never forget. Might be nice in 2040 if we can find that file we saved to share with future generations.

Keep scattering kindness…

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What A Wonderful World!

April 7, 2020 /0 Comments/in /by

I often wished we could hear about all the good things people did every day while watching the news, and now it has happened!  Fantastic to see things like a doctor singing for his patients or a police officer dancing in the street.

Cashiers in grocery stores are thanked by every customer just for being there.  And if anyone finds out you’re a paramedic, you are automatically their hero.

Seems like people everywhere are looking for ways to scatter kindness every day.  What a wonderful world!

 

 

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WORDS

March 16, 2020 /0 Comments/in /by

Today is a time when we can use words to remind our contacts how much they mean to us. We may not be able to shake their hand, join them for coffee or at a ballgame. But that doesn’t lessen the value we place on them.

If feeling at all isolated or overwhelmed with being confined to limited spaces, a few kind words might be the highlight of someone’s day.

Thinking of you!

 

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