Category: Choose Happiness

Insights on Friendship

Be a friend indeed to someone in need.

Want to be a great friend? Check out this article from Emma Pattee, writing for the NY Times. Then, read the inspiring story after that.

“If you want closer friendships, the first step is to decide you’re going to do something about it. ‘We think about relationships as things that happen to us, but the truth is that we make them happen,’ psychologist Dr. Sue Johnson said. Getting closer to your existing friends requires making the time and being intentional.”

“Before we can attempt closeness, we need to have security. Through his research, Dr. Amir Levine (a psychiatrist and a neuroscientist)  has identified the five foundational elements of secure relationships, which he refers to as CARRP.”

        • Consistency (Do these friends drift in and out of my life on a whim?)

        • Availability (How available are they to spend time together?)

        • Reliability (Can I count on them if I need something?)

        • Responsiveness (Do they reply to my emails and texts? Do I hear from them on a consistent basis?)

        • Predictability (Can I count on them to act in a certain way?)

Click the image to read a lot more from Pattee.

Insights on Friendship
Image by Jan Robert Dünnweller

A Terrific Story of an Act of Kindness

Good deeds sometimes get recognized in a big way. Consider this heartwarming story. As reported by Alexandra Deabler for Fox News:

“A Denny’s waitress is feeling very thankful after a generous couple of diners gifted her a car.

“Adrianna Edwards of Galveston, Texas, used to walk 14 miles a day to get to her job at the diner chain. The entire journey took her more than four hours. ‘You’ve got to do what you’ve got to do,’ Edwards said to KTRK of her long trek.”

“Edwards was in the process of saving to buy a car when a kind couple took matters into their own hands. The pair, who reportedly requested to remain anonymous, visited the restaurant last Tuesday morning for breakfast. It was then they learned of Edwards’ long trips to and from work each day.”

“After eating their meal, the couple left. Only to return hours later with the surprise of a lifetime — a 2011 Nissan Sentra they had just purchased, KTRK reports. The couple was happy to help Edwards out, but requested that she pay it forward to others in need, which the woman has said she intends on doing.”

Insights on Friendship
Adrianna Edwards of Galveston, Texas, used to walk 14 miles a day to get to her job at the diner chain before a couple gifted her a 2011 Nissan Sentra. (KTRK / KHOU)

 

Feeling Down, Watch This Video

Here’s a quick pick-me-upper. Enjoy.

When we’re feeling down, we need something that will make us chuckle.

Here is a very fun video featuring a little kitten who runs on the beach and  swims. The kitten is adorable. And the video will give you a short reprieve from what is troubling you.


 

Alone Time May Be Good

Sometimes, we may benefit from time by ourselves.

In this blog, we have talked a lot about the value of our community. As well as socialization.

For example, look at these two posts: Social Interactions and Our Health. And We Are NOT Alone.

Now, we consider the benefits of sometimes being alone. Yes, we can be both a socializer and also pursue some alone time.

As Micaela Marini Higgs observes for the NY Times:

“Being lonely hurts. It can even negatively impact your health. But the mere act of being alone doesn’t have to be bad. In fact, experts say it can even benefit your social relationships, improve your creativity and confidence, and help you regulate your emotions so that you can better deal with adverse situations.”

“An online survey called The Rest Test showed that the majority of activities people defined as most restful are things that are done solo.” 

“Despite the social stigma and apprehension about spending time alone, it’s something our bodies crave. Similar to how loneliness describes being alone and wanting company, ‘aloneliness’ can be used to describe the natural desire for solitude, Dr. Robert Coplan [a developmental psychologist and professor of psychology at Carleton University] said. Since we’re not used to labeling that feeling, it can easily be confused for, and feed into, other feelings like anxiety, exhaustion, and stress, especially since ‘we might not know that time alone is what we need to make ourselves feel better,’ Dr. Coplan added.”

Click the image to read a lot more from Higgs.

Alone Time May Be Good
Image Credit: Filip Fröhlich

 

Podcasts to Help You Relax

How to chill out. 🙂

Being able to relax should be an essential part of our quest to be as healthy as possible.  With this in mind, we turn to the AAA for several appropriate podcast links:

To read more from Sarah Hopkins’ tips for AAA, click the image.

Podcasts to Help You Relax

Time with Loved Ones

Treasure every moment. Be inspired by “Time in a Bottle.”

As we have shown before, music can be inspiring. And we can reflect on the lyrics.

One of my favorite musical artists of the early 1970s was Jim Croce. His best-selling song (and number one hit) was “Bad, Bad Leroy Brown.”

But, unfortunately, Croce died at age 30 from a plane crash. He was just entering his prime. And he left a wife and a very young son.

Today, I dedicate another popular Croce song to my wife Linda — “Time in a Bottle.” Here are Croce’s lyrics:

If I could save time in a bottle
The first thing that Id like to do
Is to save every day
Till eternity passes away
Just to spend them with youIf I could make days last forever
If words could make wishes come true
I’d save every day like a treasure and then,
Again, I would spend them with youBut there never seems to be enough time
To do the things you want to do
Once you find them
I’ve looked around enough to know
That you’re the one I want to go
Through time withIf I had a box just for wishes
And dreams that had never come true
The box would be empty
Except for the memory
Of how they were answered by you

But there never seems to be enough time
To do the things you want to do
Once you find them
I’ve looked around enough to know
That you’re the one I want to go
Through time with.

 

Croce in 1972, photographed by Ingrid Croce

 

An Inspiring Book of FREE Poetry

Set a goal and go for it. You can do it.

It was my honor to assist David Fox in publishing a free book of poetry.  This is another excellent example of what we can do regardless of our limitations. As Nike says, “Just Do It!”

David is a true inspiration. Despite being born with Cerebral Palsy and having suffered from mental illness in his 20’s, David has written poems for children and adults for over 20 years. His poetry has appeared in Bell’s Letters, Ceremony, Great South Bay Magazine, Humoresque, The Oak, Opossum Holler Tarot, Performance Poet’s Association Literary Review, Poetic Expressions, Poets’ Roundtable, Reflections, SMILE, Tale Spinners (Canada), Visions, Wanton Words, Whispers of Poetry and Write On!! Poetry Magazette. He is still a participant at UCP Long Island.

Click the image to access his book. Note: A free, simple login is required. 🙂

An Inspiring Book of FREE Poetry