3-Minute Mindfulness February 25, 2019
Posted by nrhatch in Happiness, Health & Wellness, Life Balance, Mindfulness.comments closed
Want to learn how to “keep calm and carry on” when life tosses you a curve ball?
David (at Raptitude) is offering a free mindfulness course with 5 simple lessons:
It will teach you:
- What mindfulness actually is
- Three ways you can practice it anytime, anywhere
- Why you might want to do that
Your homework is literally one minute a day.
Got that? Five quick lessons in five days.
Interested?
Sign up HERE by providing your e-mail address. The lessons will arrive in your e-mail box at no charge.
At the conclusion of the course, you’ll get information on signing up for Camp Calm (David’s 30 day meditation course), along with other tips and techniques to reinforce your new mindfulness practice.
There is NO obligation to enroll in Camp Calm. Per David: “If you just want to do the mini-course and leave it at that—no worries, and no hard feelings.”
Aah . . . that’s better!
Related: A Simple Trick For Becoming A Calmer Person (Raptitude)
It’s National Margarita Day! February 22, 2019
Posted by nrhatch in Food & Drink, Humor.comments closed
I have it on good authority that February 22nd is National Margarita Day.
Today is February 22nd.
Hence, ergo, ipso facto, today is National Margarita Day.
Now, the announcement I saw didn’t specify the nation . . . so I say “go for it!”
Aah . . . that’s better!
Three Zebras and an Ass February 21, 2019
Posted by nrhatch in Happiness, Humor, Mindfulness, Word Play.comments closed
Three zebras wandered a dirt road enjoying the day, convivial conversation alternating with companionable silence.
An enormous ass ambled over to them and began to bray. Loudly.
The ass, delighted to have an audience for his grievances, complained about the weather, the surface of the road, the cost of carrots, his mother-in-law’s tongue, the state of the barn . . .
As the ass dumped his ponderous pile of dung at the zebras’ hooves, the zebras did their best to cheer him up.
To no avail.
No matter what the zebras said, the ass insisted that HIS view of the world was the right view of the world.
Zion smiled, “At times, we must choose between being right and being happy.”
“Poppycock! I’m happy BECAUSE I’m right! It just annoys me when people are rude and don’t apologize for being boorish. Why just the other day . . . ”
With that, the ass launched another stale tale.
Ziggy grinned, “We see the world behind our eyes.”
The ass snorted, “What utter nonsense! I see things exactly as they are.”
Zodiac pricked up his ears, “I expect you’re right . . . most asses do see things exactly as they are.”
Satisfied, the ass ambled off in search of another audience. As soon as he was out of sight, the zebras burst into fits of convulsive laughter.
“What an ass!”
Aah . . . that’s better!
That’s Cool! February 16, 2019
Posted by nrhatch in Exercise & Fitness, Health & Wellness, Life Balance.comments closed
Some of you might be interested in this article from MIT Technology Review about a recently developed fabric that helps keep you in comfort:
A new fabric, developed by a team at the University of Maryland, is the first to automatically warm wearers up or cool them down as needed.
When you’re feeling hot and sweaty—when playing sports, say— the fabric lets infrared radiation (heat, to you and me) pass through. But when you’re colder and drier, it traps the heat in.
To read more: This new fabric will automatically cool you down when you get hot and sweaty
Aah . . . that’s better!
Stick With Chocolate! February 14, 2019
Posted by nrhatch in Food & Drink, Happiness, Humor.comments closed
Certain foods, like chocolate, may enhance your mood and relieve anxiety.
Other foods, like candy and carbohydrates, provide temporary feelings of euphoria, but may ultimately increase feelings of anxiety and depression.
My RX for this Valentine’s Day: stick with chocolate!
With a side of flowers!
But don’t take my word for it. To read more: 8 Scientifically-Backed Ways to Beat the Winter Blues
I’ll add a 9th Scientifically Backed Way to Beat the Winter Blues ~> LAUGH!
To get you started . . .
A guy wandering the beach found a bottle washed up on the sand. A genie popped out and gave him three wishes:
“I want a million dollars.”
Poof! A million dollars.
“And a Jaguar convertible.”
Poof! A Jaguar convertible.
“Last wish. Hmm . . . I know! Make me irresistible to women.”
Poof! The genie turned him into a box of chocolates.
Aah . . . that’s better!
The Green Book February 11, 2019
Posted by nrhatch in Health & Wellness, Life Balance, People, Travel & Leisure.comments closed
The Green Book: a Historic Travel Guide is now the focus of a movie about a black musician traveling through the country.
This video (by the National Trust for Historic Preservation) provides a fascinating backdrop to that movie:
Green means GO! Let’s keep going.
Aah . . . that’s better!
Time Flies! February 9, 2019
Posted by nrhatch in Humor, Life Balance, Mindfulness.comments closed
Times Flies!
Lucky for you . . . you’re the pilot!
Aah . . . that’s better!
Mindful Eating February 7, 2019
Posted by nrhatch in Food & Drink, Mindfulness.comments closed
Mindfulness can carry over to what and how we eat . . . with good results.
By paying attention, we tend to stop when we are satisfied rather than waiting until we are stuffed. We do a better job chewing and tasting our foods which gives our stomach time to tell the brain, “yup, we’re good.”
When we are paying attention to the choices we make, we tend to make better nutritional choices. We eat more fruits and veggies and cut back on sugar, salt, additives, GMO’s, fast foods, junk foods, etc.
And our bodies thank us.
We feel younger, more energetic, and we may even drop a few pounds.
Aah . . . that’s better!
“I’m Bored!” February 5, 2019
Posted by nrhatch in Home & Garden, Humor.comments closed
I learned early on that complaining to mom about being bored would back-fire.
Big Time.
Mom did not feel that it was her job to entertain us.
Her job was to feed us, clothe us, chauffeur us to doctor’s appointments, and admonish us if our moral compass fell short of the mark.
It was our job to entertain ourselves.
That’s why she had four kids. So we could amuse each other.
Want to know what happened if we vocalized “I’m Bored!” around mom?
She would give us a chore to do. Options on her hit list included: scrubbing toilets, weeding the garden, ironing handkerchiefs, cleaning up dog poop, etc.
Aah . . . that’s entertainment!
The Loneliest Number February 2, 2019
Posted by nrhatch in Home & Garden, Humor, Less IS More, Life Balance.comments closed
The other day, the rains reminded me of heading to the bus stop in the pouring rain during elementary and high school. Armed with nothing more than school books to cover our heads, we would stand stoically in the downpour until the bus came to pick us up.
Why didn’t we take umbrellas?
Umbrellas were few and far between in our house.
Six people. One umbrella. You do the math.
A few parents took pity on their progeny by driving them to the bus stop and allowing them to dwell within the confines of the car and avoid the relentless condensation just outside the window.
Winning a seat in one of those waiting vehicles was a big win! So it paid to be friendly with ALL the kids that shared the bus stop so they would be inclined to roll down the window and invite you to join them.
Yes! SCORE!
Umbrellas were not the only staple in our household that remained in perpetually short supply. We also had ONE stapler for 6 of us. And ONE tape dispenser. And ONE pair of scissors . . . too blunt to be of any real use.
When the power went out, as it was wont to do during summer storms, we had ONE flashlight . . . and lots of candles!
My mother also rationed tissues. Around the house, we had 4 tissue dispensers. One in the kids bath. One in the master bath. One in the powder room. One in the kitchen. But only the kitchen dispenser reliably dispensed tissues. The bathroom dispensers were empty more often than not.
Maybe my mother fixated on the number ONE because she was an only child? That could be it. Or maybe she just never stopped long enough to do the math?
No matter. I have just the opposite philosophy when it comes to household staples, even though I am in all other respects a firm advocate for the “less is more” philosophy.
Between us, BFF and I have: 6 flashlights, 5 tissue boxes (all filled), 4 umbrellas, 3 scissors, 2 tape dispensers . . . and ONE stapler!
Because, after all, it’s a rare household that needs more than one stapler at a time.
Aah . . . that’s better!
Spirit Lights The Way 