When laughter dies.

My family tree lost one of its greatest branches today.  The one that made you tickled at life, the one that made you laugh at yourself and enjoy the ride of life.  He was the jokester.  The trickster.  He made me laugh until I cried and my entire abdomen hurt the next day...and THAT is a good laugh :)

So in honor of the soul that could make even a rock laugh...

I hope you laugh today from your deepest depths and I hope it makes you happy

and may these memories last a lifetime and more.

I never lose...

Such an excellent perspective.  

Don't lose it...USE IT!

You Have Purpose

No matter what you do, your life has purpose.  I've always believed this, though often wondering what my own is, but I've found it true in every person I've met.  They have purpose in my life, and so they MUST have an even greater purpose in the grand scheme of things.

Another reminder of this arrived in my email today from a friend...a shy postman from Long Island who rarely came out of his shell died recently of an incurable disease affecting his brain.  This man did his job, and used his time to write songs, leaving this world with over 100 unpublished musical works recorded in the comfort of his home.  His goal was never to be famous.  His goal was to share his life with whomever someday chose to listen, including mostly his close friends and family.  Songs to his children were among those shared at his memorial recently, where his daughter made her own lyrics to go with a song he wrote for her.

After finding out his diagnosis, he began a book about his life as a postman...which remains unfinished.  His wife recounts his life as that of a story-teller...at least amongst small groups of familiar faces.

And yet, this man, shy to the world, has given great gifts for the future.  I'd be willing to bet he never expected that his name would be published in Newsday, much less that he'd have an article written for him.  But there it is, showing us all that no matter what we do, our lives have purpose.  Make your life count!

See the original article here.

Look for the Light

"See the light in others, 

and treat them as if that is all you see." 

-Wayne Dyer

Turn out for WHAT?!

Why are YOU rocking the vote today?  No matter your reason, make sure you get out there and let our representatives know that you are alive, you are awake, and you are not going to let them continue to shut down the government, avoid agreements and waste the time, money, and votes of US citizens and residents.  

GO VOTE.

ROCK THE VOTE

Are you sick of paying high taxes so that people that were voted into office can twiddle thumbs and shut down the government on the salaries they are being paid?  Are you tired of the politicians NOT representing YOU?!  Are you tired of grown men and women not being able to come to agreements nor compromises?  You aren't alone.

I don't care WHO you vote for...but you should do your duty, inform yourself, and go vote tomorrow.  There are a lot of people who agree that changes have to be made on all sides and you have to take responsibility and make it happen.  It's kind of like the lottery, you can only win it if you play...except here, your vote goes in favor of your choice whether you win or lose, and that informs the "people in power" that those who give them that power are involved and educated and will not let them run amok.

As a good friend said,

"Choosing not to vote is not rebellious...it's surrender."  

She's right.  You surrender your natural born right if you choose not to vote. You surrender your right to complain about anyone elected because you chose not to take a stand.  You surrender your opportunity to be the change.  Don't.

Tomorrow is Tuesday.  ROCK THE VOTE, PEOPLE!

John Steinbeck gives a Letter Lesson on Love

Famous author, John Steinbeck's personal letters are available to the public and thank goodness for that.  When his son, Thom, wrote home about a girl he thought he was in love with named Susana, his father put pen to paper to respond as eloquently as one would hope on a topic of such depth.  See the letter below (font changes are mine for emphasis alone).  If you'd like to see the original article, click here.

New York
November 10, 1958

Dear Thom:

We had your letter this morning. I will answer it from my point of view and of course Elaine will from hers.

First — if you are in love — that’s a good thing — that’s about the best thing that can happen to anyone. Don’t let anyone make it small or light to you.

Second — There are several kinds of love. One is a selfish, mean, grasping, egotistical thing which uses love for self-importance. This is the ugly and crippling kind. The other is an outpouring of everything good in you — of kindness and consideration and respect — not only the social respect of manners but the greater respect which is recognition of another person as unique and valuable. The first kind can make you sick and small and weak but the second can release in you strength, and courage and goodness and even wisdom you didn’t know you had.

You say this is not puppy love. If you feel so deeply — of course it isn’t puppy love.

But I don’t think you were asking me what you feel. You know better than anyone. What you wanted me to help you with is what to do about it — and that I can tell you.

Glory in it for one thing and be very glad and grateful for it.

The object of love is the best and most beautiful. Try to live up to it.

If you love someone — there is no possible harm in saying so — only you must remember that some people are very shy and sometimes the saying must take that shyness into consideration.

Girls have a way of knowing or feeling what you feel, but they usually like to hear it also.

It sometimes happens that what you feel is not returned for one reason or another — but that does not make your feeling less valuable and good.

Lastly, I know your feeling because I have it and I’m glad you have it.

We will be glad to meet Susan. She will be very welcome. But Elaine will make all such arrangements because that is her province and she will be very glad to. She knows about love too and maybe she can give you more help than I can.

And don’t worry about losing. If it is right, it happens — The main thing is not to hurry. Nothing good gets away.

Love,

...but what if you FLY?!

Buddhist Life Lesson in Under 2 minutes

Fail.  Fail again.  Fail better.

Things will happen.  It's life.  How you choose to react to those things and accept them in order to move forward or reject them, knowing that they've already happened and staying stuck in the mud, is your choice.  Choose to accept that things will happen.  Choose to allow yourself to break down, and then move on.  Everyone fails.  Learn to accept failures and negative moments as MOMENTS and not as an unending abyss.  It is only unending because you can not let it be just one negative moment in a positive life.  You fight its existence and extend its unwelcome existence in your own battle.  When it happens, and it will happen: Accept the moment.  Learn from it.  Move on.  Fail BETTER.

Katie's Krops Grows On!

Katie...YOU ARE INCREDIBLE!

Thank you for doing your homework.  For actually processing it and letting it sink in.  For analyzing the situation and recognizing a greater connection.  This is every teacher's dream.  This is every entrepreneur's dream.  You are a reminder that there is not only good in the world, there is GREAT!

May we find a lesson in our mediocre tasks.  May we find a connection with our world through those lessons.  And may we find a way for our lessons to meet our skills, talents and dreams in such a way that makes it a better place.

Grow on, girl! 
(and thanks to Upworthy for sharing this and giving us all a lesson)

"You never know what can grow from just one thing."

Give Peace A Chance

"You can bomb the world to pieces, but you can't bomb it into peace." - Michael Franti

The only side to choose is "good"

"I don't have prejudice against meself. My father was a white and my mother was black. Them call me half-caste or whatever. Me don't deh pon nobody's side. Me don't deh pon the black man's side nor the white man's side. Me deh pon God's side, the one who create me and cause me to come from black and white."-Bob Marley

There are no sides.  There are only attitudes and actions of individuals.  There is no need for separation or segregation of people based on any of their physical traits.  The content of ones soul and the character he or she expresses through actions and words is what can and must be counted.  See past the surface.

If you haven't seen "Marley" the movie documentary about the life of Bob Marley, I'd suggest it.  I learned a lot and was fascinated by the story.  They had a lot of good footage.  I don't agree with all that Marley did or stood for, but I cannot deny that he was far ahead of his time and even our time in some ways with respect to his desire forums work toward global equality and abolishment of poverty in the ways he was capable.  We should use him as an example of how to utilize our own talents to do "what we can, with what we have, wherever we can!"

Until the philosophy which hold one race superior

And another

Inferior

Is finally

And permanently

Discredited

And abandoned -

Everywhere is war -

Me say war.

That until there no longer

First class and second class citizens of any nation

Until the colour of a man's skin

Is of no more significance than the colour of his eyes -

Me say war.

That until the basic human rights

Are equally guaranteed to all,

Without regard to race -

Dis a war.

That until that day

The dream of lasting peace,

World citizenship

Rule of international morality

Will remain in but a fleeting illusion to be pursued,

But never attained -

Now everywhere is war - war.

And until the ignoble and unhappy regimes

that hold our brothers in Angola,

In Mozambique,

South Africa

Sub-human bondage

Have been toppled,

Utterly destroyed -

Well, everywhere is war -

Me say war.

War in the east,

War in the west,

War up north,

War down south -

War - war -

Rumours of war.

And until that day,

The African continent

Will not know peace,

We Africans will fight - we find it necessary -

And we know we shall win

As we are confident

In the victory

Of good over evil -

Good over evil, yeah!

Good over evil -

Good over evil, yeah!

Good over evil -

Good over evil, yeah! [fadeout]

Cultural Appropriation...

This dude ROCKS for multiple reasons.  He is witty, intelligent, and well-spoken...and he makes some excellent point in his video regarding racism or lack thereof and how to distinguish so that we can recognize one another without being told we are stealing from each other or otherwise bashed for our genuine interests in the "other..." after all, it's a big world out there...our natural human curiosity has to have some purpose if not to expand our minds.  Enjoy!

Practice what you preach...

In my speed-walking glory I nearly missed the opportunity to help someone today. I stopped myself from flying around a mother and her three children at the top of a 3 story flight of stairs when I realized she stopped abruptly with her carriage and looked around for help...or an elevator.  Muscles to the rescue!  I asked if she could use some help.  A few men and women paused on the stair, having walked past already, to make sure I could handle it and then they moved on.

Mom handed her backpack to the oldest child who happily took on the responsibility and she urged them to follow behind as we lifted and carried her youngest down about 50 steps to the lower level.  Victory was ours.  It felt great to take a minute and help out today.  My speed walk was even more enjoyable as I continued onward and I even found myself laughing and communicating with fellow commuters as we had a near collision in the tunnel.

It was a great reminder:  little things that might not be daunting to you could seem an impossible task to someone else...do what you can, when you can, wherever you can!

Change for a twenty

To the girl on the bus:

It was beyond kind of you to not only offer change to the girl who got on and asked for change for her twenty, but to give it to her and tell her not to worry about it.  The girl took it and sad thank you ecstatically, proceeding to say how much you made her day because she lost her wallet yesterday with her bus pass.

So many lessons here:

Ask and you shall receive.  Be kind to strangers.  Treat others as you would like to be treated.

The list goes on!  Thanks for being a positive example for all of the people who witnessed your kindness today.  You rock!