Monday, April 27, 2009
Friday, April 24, 2009
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Thoughts On Earth Day From Reverend Sandi
"Everything in nature has a trademark, God's trademark: the stripes on a shell and the stripes on a zebra; the grain of the wood and the veins of the dry leaf; the markings on the dragonfly's wings and the pattern of stars on a photographic plate; the panther's coat and the epidernal cells of the lily petal; the structure of atoms and galaxies. All bear God's fingerprints." Ernesto Cardenal's Abide in Love
Particularly today, honor Earth by paying attention.
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
More On Happiness & Relationships. Would You Arrange A Marriage For Your Daughter With This Lad?
In one test, the researchers looked at people's college yearbook photos, and rated their smile intensity from 1 to 10. None of the people who fell within the top 10 percent of smile strength had divorced, while within the bottom 10 percent of smilers, almost one in four had had a marriage that ended, the researchers say. (Scoring was based on the stretch in two muscles: one that pulls up on the mouth, and one that creates wrinkles around the eyes.)
In a second trial, the research team asked people over age 65 to provide photos from their childhood (the average age in the pictures was 10 years old). The researchers scored each person's smile, and found that only 11 percent of the biggest smilers had been divorced, while 31 percent of the frowners had experienced a broken marriage.
Overall, the results indicate that people who frown in photos are five times more likely to get a divorce than people who smile.. . . " Smiles Predict Marriage Success
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Only Two Types of Fighters -The Quick & The Dead. Better to Just Let Go.
Friday, April 10, 2009
Tree by Martin
I figured a tree would be appropriate on Good Friday, since that was the day Our Lord was nailed to one. This particular tree is a portrait of Cousin Jim. Martin did it after Jim came in one day about forty years ago screaming "The trees have inspired me." He had been depressed and upon seeing an oak just standing there taking what it needed from the sky and the soil and not fretting, had a satori experience. Martin started calling Jim "Tree," and everyone else followed suit for the rest of the year, and some to this day. Martin & Jim are older, but pretty much the same in a lot of ways.
Thursday, April 09, 2009
Happy Easter, But Read This Book Lest You Expose Our Children To The Devil.
Click here to order from landover-baptizon.com
Monday, April 06, 2009
Sunday, April 05, 2009
Ten Tips for Being Happier.
I had always scrupulously aired every irritation as soon as possible, to make sure I vented all bad feelings before bedtime. Studies show, however, that the notion of anger catharsis is poppycock. Expressing anger related to minor, fleeting annoyances just amplifies bad feelings, while not expressing anger often allows it to dissipate.
3. Fake it till you feel it.
Feelings follow actions. If I’m feeling low, I deliberately act cheery, and I find myself actually feeling happier. If I’m feeling angry at someone, I do something thoughtful for her and my feelings toward her soften. This strategy is uncannily effective.
4. Realize that anything worth doing is worth doing badly.
Challenge and novelty are key elements of happiness. The brain is stimulated by surprise, and successfully dealing with an unexpected situation gives a powerful sense of satisfaction. People who do new things — learn a game, travel to unfamiliar places — are happier than people who stick to familiar activities that they already do well. I often remind myself to “Enjoy the fun of failure” and tackle some daunting goal. The Happiness Project Tips: Ten tips for being happier.
Thanks to Anon 3:20's comment on Spanking away depression