The Caring Catalyst

Who Cares - What Matters

The GREAT Maybe

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The short movie clip
is from the 2012 Movie,
NEW YEAR’S EVE.          .          .

It, appropriately asks us to
P          A          U          S          E
and reflect on all of the
GOOD and BAD
from the past
present
future

What’s   the

W          O          R          S          T

thing  that’s  ever  happened  to  you  that  ended  up  being  the  absolute

B            E            S            T

thing  that  has  ever  happened  to  you?

We  should  all  have  required  knee  replacements  for  all  of  the

KNEE   JERK   REACTIONS

we participate in

with every single event that takes place in our lives on a day-to-day basis!

I’ve never met anyone,

especially myself

who hasn’t thought that when it’s

O        V         E        R

GOOD

or

BAD,

IT     IS     OVER

But there is no real

O        V        E        R

No real beginnings

No real endings

just  this

C        O         N          T        I         N         U        I        N        G

that’s   seen   it   all   before.

Good?

Bad?

Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.     .     .

m        a         y        b        e .           .           .

and that only gets answered by

2    0    1    9

A  Brand  New  Year

and not how it defines you.      .       .

but how you will 

D         E        F        I        N        E              I       T
A          D          V          I          C          E
?
It has been years since
I’ve had resolutions
or even hard set goals.          .            .

Psssssssssssssssssssssst   of   the   y e a r s :
NO RESOLUTIONS
NO GOALS
NO SET TASKS
NO CHECK LISTS.          .          .

Just spend a few minutes
O          F          T          E        N
going over your purposes
meanings
reasons
destiny’s
FOR BEING HERE
N                        O                        W
and   be   able   to   explain   it
c                l                e                a                r                l                y
in           25        words
or
l   e   s  s.          .          .
And  in the mean time
as the year
l  i  t  e  r  a  l  l  y
tick-tock’s away

The NEXTING

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Unknown

The road was before him.       .       .

After taking such a long time to look at it and get advice on what steps to take, what was ahead and how it was to be best traveled; after getting detailed maps and marking off the best, most direct routes, firing up the most sophisticated of GPS Systems, he finally started off with one  s i n g l e   s t e p

M       O       M       E       N       T       O       U       S

One    Solitary   Step

was all it really took for the journey.    .    .and it was quite an excursion!

He walked and ran and then walked  and ran some more.

 One step sometimes was more similar than the one before,

but he walked on;

Sometimes, he ran faster;

Sometimes, he crawled slower;

Sometimes, he just stood still, not moving even an inch for days.        .        .

P       A       R       A       L       Y       Z       E       D

The road never much accommodated him.  It never took one step for him or moved him forward.  At times it would present him challenges.  Because of it’s flaws he would slip, fall, get scrapped and cut, bloodied and bruised.  Exhausted most of the time from his seemingly never ending wanderings, the road would never assist him, but it did just what a road was suppose to do:

P    R    O    V    I    D    E           P    A    S    S    A    G    E

U               N               T               I               L  .         .         .  

He came to that ominous  FORK  in the Road.        .        .

It wasn’t the first one he had ever seen or even had been confronted, but this was a  monumental fork;  

at least he made it be so.        .        .

Maybe it was out of frustration. Maybe it was inspiration or just plain desperation or exasperation, but he didn’t choose left or right this time.  He went straight
ahead.      .      .tore up his maps, unheeded his expensive advice, became deaf to the pleading-ever-rerouting-of the GPS; discarded his vast experience and he  trudged on.         .        .

His every step was a new road planted and his heart palpitated with excitement, adventure and purpose until he came to the

A  P  P  A  R  E  N  T       E  N  D

Before him was a huge cater.  It was wider than he could see across, deeper than he could his eyes could focus and longer than the horizon could swallow.       .       .

It was then, unfortunately, he discovered that with each step he had taken, not only had he advanced at least one more step, but he had also erased forever the step before.

R     E     T     U     R     N

and

G   O   I   N   G      B  A  C  K

were not even concepts, let alone, possibilities.

He waited.        .        .
w       a       i       t       e       d.            .            .
at the end of his next step with all of its
e n l i g h t e n e d    d a r k e n e d    p r o m i s e.       .       .

It wasn’t in a step taken or dared,
but he had the sense as he damned his foolish actions
of   not   staying   on   the   path,    

right at
T             H             A             T
precise  moment,

A L L        R O A D S

led to the place that he was standing;
that in fact,
it would have never had mattered
which road he would have ever taken
whenever because they would have all led him
to this exact same place.            .            .

ALL     OF     THEM !

He had discovered at that flash,
t     h     e
M y s t e r y    o f    L i f e :

There’s no turning
or going back
because everything leads to where he was standing!

and an even grander enigma:

Coming to the End of the Horizon is never a Conclusion so much as a Commencement!

Head head high,
air rushing through his nostrils,
blood pulsating through his veins liked a busted dam,

h e    d i d    i t.       .       .

The wait was over.       .       .

He stepped out

One  Step

O     N     E

It took him to
t            h            a            t
place of endless beginnings;

There were no
 goings-back  

nor desire to do so.       .       .

The Step Taken,

The Chance Seized,

The Day-That-Would-Never-End,

B          E          G          U          N

F           O           R           E           V           E           R

Pssssssssssssssssssssssssst   of   the   Day:

No   need   for   a   New   Year   when   Every   Step   Brings   You   Endless  

New   Beginnings,  

Always!

W  A  L  K       O  N
w a l k  o n
w a l k
on

MERRILESS

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RIGHT NOW.          .          .

WEDENSDAY,  DECEMBER 26,  2018
with  the  year  now  ticking  down
and   on   notice.          .          .

Are    You    H A P P Y ?

Are you HAPPY-LESS?

Everyone keeps telling us

‘Tis the Season.       .       .

I s       H  A  P  P  I  N  E  S  S

ever out of Season.       .       .

Isn’t  HAPPINESS

A Season that no knows beginning

sees  no  end.     .     .     ?

As we are quickly coming to the end of

2   0   1   7

it’s hard for us not to take a-not-so-quick-peek

in the rear view mirror and

r       e       f       l       e       c        t       i       v       e

.       .       .lots has happened

good and bad.          .          .

and as usual when the bad has taken place

some good has come from it:

The past few months, with a series of disasters seemingly one on top of another, have felt apocalyptic to many, but the bright side to these dark times has been the outpouring of donations and acts of generosity that followed.

From Hurricanes ripping through the Caribbean  and up the East Coast to wildfires burning in California, cities and charities have been flooded with donations and volunteers. The outpouring of support is critical for helping affected communities to recover. But acts of generosity benefit the do-gooder, too.

“Research suggests that these community social connections are as important for resilience to disaster is as physical material like disaster kits or medical supplies,” explained Ichiro Kawachi, a professor of social epidemiology at Harvard’s School of Public Health. “Voluntarism is good for the health of people who receive social support, but also good for the health of people who offer their help.”

The day after Cristina Topham evacuated her home as a result of the fires in Sonoma, Calif., she and her boyfriend immediately looked for ways to donate and help.

“I just felt like I had to do something. I love my town and my community, and the reach of the destruction was astonishing from the very beginning,” she said.

Why is the first instinct for many to volunteer and donate after a natural disaster? One reason is that as humans we’ve evolved to survive in groups, not alone. Rallying together makes us feel less alone in the experience, explained the sociologist Christine Carter, a fellow at the Greater Good Science Center at the University of California, Berkeley.

“When our survival is threatened, we are going to reach out and strengthen our connections with people around us. We show generosity. We show compassion. We show gratitude. These are all emotions that function to connect us with each other,” Dr. Carter said.

Scientific evidence supports the idea that acts of generosity can be beneficial when we volunteer and give back regularly — and not just after a natural disaster. Volunteering is linked to health benefits like lower blood pressure and decreased mortality rates.

Dr. Richard Davidson, a neuroscientist and founder of the Center for Healthy Minds at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, has been studying the effects of positive emotions, such as compassion and kindness, on the brain since the 1990s. He said the brain behaves differently during an act of generosity than it does during a hedonistic activity.

“When we do things for ourselves, those experiences of positive emotions are more fleeting. They are dependent on external circumstances,” he said. “When we engage in acts of generosity, those experiences of positive emotion may be more enduring and outlast the specific episode in which we are engaged.”

Helping others also gives us a sense of purpose. Dr. Linda Fried co-founded Experience Corps, a program that engages retirees as literacy tutors, after she discovered a strong association between a sense of purpose and well-being throughout life. Older adults who volunteered to help children with reading and writing tended to experience less memory loss and maintain greater physical mobility, one study suggested.

Giving back is a fundamental teaching of many religions. Jesus had the Golden Rule. Buddha said in order to brighten one’s own path, one must light the path of others.

Dr. Deepak Chopra tells us: “The moment you identify yourself as separate from other beings, or other people, or separate from life in general then you will suffer. And it all begins with initial anxiety because when you’re disconnected from people and life, you feel fear, and that creates the beginning of suffering.”

Would Western doctors ever prescribe acts of generosity? Dr. John Rowe, a professor of health policy and aging at the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, doesn’t rule it out.

“We have sufficient scientific information to justify a very significant public health initiative,” he said. “If there were a retiree in my office I would ask them, ‘Do you smoke? Do you exercise? What is your diet like?’ I should also be asking them if they volunteer.”

Now.     .     .

There’s your Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm   of  the  DAY

This Season

like so many other Seasons

in our lives

are not always filled with Happiness.       .       .

Being a Caring Catalyst understands

that YOUR SUFFERING

IS MY SUFFERING

and even at our most

B        R        O       K         E       N        N       E          S            S 

we still have within us

A    F L A V O R

that’s intoxicating

So how about

as the year comes quickly to an end

and even quicker to begin again a New Year

We literally

for an ON-PURPOSE MOMENT

and re-center our thoughts on the

    • Desiderata

Go placidly amid the noise and haste
and remember what peace there may be in silence.
As far as possible without surrender
be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly;
and listen to others,
even the dull and the ignorant;
they too have their story.

Avoid loud and aggressive persons,
they are vexations to the spirit.
If you compare yourself with others,
you may become vain and bitter;
for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.

Keep interested in your own career, however humble;
it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.
Exercise caution in your business affairs;
for the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;
many persons strive for high ideals;
and everywhere life is full of heroism.

Be yourself.
Especially, do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love;
for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment
it is as perennial as the grass.

Take kindly the counsel of the years,
gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.
But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.
Beyond a wholesome discipline,
be gentle with yourself.

You are a child of the universe,
no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

Therefore be at peace with God,
whatever you conceive Him to be,
and whatever your labors and aspirations,
in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul.

With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful.
Strive to be happy.

Max Ehrmann, Desiderata, Copyright 1952.

THE  DEAL:

In    2  0  1  9

The   World   doesn’t   need   another
H      E      A      R      T

It   just   needs   a

C A R I N G    O N E

It   just   needs

Y         O         U         R         S

The GIFTED GIFT

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I wait every year for the
John Lewis & Partners Christmas Advertisement. . .

This year John didn’t make my wait
worthless. . .
What a powerful story about the power of a gift. . .
and how
THAT GIFT
Inspired
Changed
Influenced
the course of a little boy’s life. . .
That the little boy happened to be Sir Elton John
is even more inspiring and awesome, huh?
The film magically begins in present day and works backwards
chronologically through Elton’s life
right until the moment on
CHRISTMAS MORNING
when he received the special gift
that changed his life. . .

You know the gift is 
THE GIFT

When it’s not so much
Given
Received
Benefitted
But 
SHARED
as it 
O n c e
Was shared 
FIRST 

Brrrrrrr is Never in Season

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images-1

It is THE Season of Lights.           .           .
Pssssssssssssssssssssssst:
L          I          G          H          T    
is    always    in    Season.
I   love   stories,
especially ones that start out:
THE      STORY      IS      TOLD.       .       .
that there were six people trapped by pure Chance in the darkest of darks and the coldest of colds– but not without a
G  R  E  A  T      S  O  L  U  T  I  O  N
Each person, all six of them, had a stick of wood.      .      .
SO   THE   STORY   IS   TOLD.        .        .
Their dying fire needed just one thing as they huddled around it:
L            O            G            S  !
One woman who had a Stick wasn’t about to give her’s up. As she shivered and huddled around that dying fire, that dimming light, she was still able to see the faces huddled/shivering being illuminated and because one of those faces was Black, there’s no way she was going to give up her stick to warm
T    H    A    T
face up.      .      .Uhhhhhhhh,  N O!
T  H  E     S  T  O  R  Y     I  S      T  O  L  D.     .    .                                                                                                                                                                        
There was another sitting around that dying fire and saw the face of one who’s mouth talked about a God he didn’t quite believe, there’s no way he was going to give up his stick to warm  THAT  face who’s mouth talked of a different
belief.        .         .
Uhhhhhh, NO!
The      STORY     IS     TOLD.         .         .
The third one sat there around that dying fire in tattered clothes pulled the well worn coat closer and more secure around him as he muttered under his breath, “There ain’t no way I’m giving my Stick to this fire to warm these Highfalutin rich folks,” .        .        .
Uhhhhhh, NO!
THE STORY IS TOLD.        .      .                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                There was a rich man who just sat                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               and thought of the wealth he had in store, and how to keep what he had earned from all of these lazy, shiftless poor. . .he would not be giving up the Stick he earned.        .        .
Uhhhhh, NO!                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             T H E   STORY  IS TOLD.      .      .
The Black man’s face was frowned all up in revenge as he held on to his stick even while the fire was flickering its very last flame; no way he was giving up that stick to people who had oppressed and kept he and his ancestors down. It was spite that made him hold that stick almost as a weapon; serves these white folks right.      .     .
Uhhhhhh, NO!
THE STORY IS TOLD.        .       .
The last man in this group, shivering harder now in the barely glowing embers, firmly believed you give
ONLY    IF    FIRST    GIVEN    TO,
so his cold hands held his even colder stick and would stay that way since no one else was going to offer up their sticks.     .     .
Uhhhhhh, NO!
THE STORY IS TOLD.        .        .
S        I        X            L        O        G        S .          .          . 
Six Logs held by six different
UN-SHARING
people who died.        .        .
w            h            o
WOULD   RATHER   DIE
than      to      
S       H       A       R       E.         .         .         

The Hmmmmmmmmm of the Season
is that they died not from the Cold and the Dark
but something the much,
much worse:
The Cold and The Dark
I            N            S            I            D            E
It      is      the      Season      of      Lights.       .       .
Pssssssssssssssssssssssssssst:
L     I     G     H     T  
is     always     in     Season
A single little ember can Light a miracle.          .          .

 

 
 
This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is IMG_0340-768x1024.jpg

There   are   many 
CANDLE    BLOWERS
OUT    AND    IN
T            H            E            R            E
Keep an inner Candle lit so that the Miracle in your life can find its way home again and not only
E N L I G T E N.           .           .
b  u  t
W   A   R   M         O  T  H  E  R  S
along the way.
Eliminate
B R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R
from      ever      having      a      Season.           .           . 

The Compassion Cure

By 2 Comments

shopping

It happens every year about

T  H  I  S      T  I  M  E,

doesn’t it?

We are all encouraged to get a Flu Shot

to keep down the chances of getting the Flu

and feeling worse than a bad Winter Day for days on End.      .      .

.      .      .and here’s the real frustration—

no matter how much we scrub,

no matter how much PURELL we bathe or lather ourselves.        .          .

we still get  THAT  Cold

or  THAT  Virus

or  THAT  Flu.     .     .

and oh by the way,

the Holidays have a way of really beating you up

even more

because we are  c e l e b r a t i n g,

l     i     v     i     n     g

out of our element.       .       .

How about trying a little  C O M P A S S I O N

on for some Immune System Protection?

Seriously?

Uhhhhhhh,

it’s  NOT  the what the survey says

so much as what the  S T U D I E S   S H O W

The data originated from Emory Collaborative for Contemplative Studies, whose researchers discovered that individuals who practice compassionate acts and empathy may benefit by reductions in inflammatory and biological responses from stress which might indeed, weaken one’s immune system:

‘WHEN EVENTS IN LIFE LEAVE US STRESSED, CORTISOL AND INTERLEUKIN-6 USUALLY INCREASE, ESPECIALLY IF THE SITUATIONS ARE LONG-LASTING AND WE CANNOT SHAKE OFF THE STRESS. BUT ENTERING INTO COMPASSIONATE ACTS OF KINDNESS AND EMPATHY BUFFERS THE EFFECTS OF STRESSFUL LIFE SITUATIONS, NOT ONLY PSYCHOLOGICALLY BY MAKING US FEEL BETTER, BUT ALSO PHYSICALLY BY REDUCING THE ACTUAL BIOLOGICAL AGENTS OF POTENTIAL ILLNESS IN OUR BODIES, THEREBY PROTECTING US FROM’

–w     a     i     t           f     o     r           i     t–

I L L N E S S

Beats taking the needle, doesn’t it?

Who would have ever imagined.       .       .

Opening a door

Smiling

Tipping

Complimenting

Listening

Giving

 Caring

and especially the E  T  C .         .         .

(which are  C O U N T L E S S)

had health benefits for the

G  I  V  E  R 

and the

R  E  C  E  I  V  E  R ?

Compassion absolutely comes in many forms

and it enhances our lives and those around us.      .      .

That is why it’s one of the driving forces

behind people who go out of their ways

to take care of the environment and animals

and best of all—-

E   A   C   H       O  T  H  E  R

The best medicine there can be

won’t be found in a bottle,

a syringe,

an intervention or treatment but

Y    O    U

Unleash    The    Cure

May the Compassion Cure

begin with   YOU

(for the Health of it)

Do it.    .    .

Try it.    .    .

I DARE YOU

I Double Dare You.       .       .

I–CHRISTMAS  STORY–TRIPLE–DOG–DARE–YOU

TO

(B E)

F E E L      B E T T E R !

It   just   may   be   the   greatest

h o l i d a y   g i f t

you may give

or actually receive

this  (UN)  flu

S   E  A  S  O  N.       .       .

JUST L O V E

By 2 Comments


Beautiful little clip, huh?

This little video  is a Erste Christmas Ad that came out the beginning of the month.       .       .

Who would think that a little story 
about a Hedgehog
could ever be a 
S     T     O     R     Y
about the power of 
l  o  v  e
of believing in yourself
and.        .        .
and the simple
good of others.          .          .

Maybe it’s just a little hint
a quick glance
that no matter how
i n s u r m o u n t a b l e
an obstacle 
may seem;
LOVE
WON’T
FIND
ITS 
WAY
( it is the WAY)

What’s the deal?
Love
isn’t a day
a season
an event.     .     .

It’s a Lifestyle

s     o

L           O         V         E

Just 

L          O          V          E

(and then love a little more)


Earning Your BLINK

By 2 Comments

Outrageous   isn’t   it?

Just another attempt and usually

a feeble one

at me trying to get a laugh

or making some idle point.        .        .

No.     .     . No.     .     . not this time.          .          .

It’s me getting inspired

While trying to inspire

At least once a week Erin goes over to our daughters house and helps with our grandkids.        .      .

 As they pulled into our driveway to pick her up I thought would be a great idea if I would go out as a reindeer with my flashing red nose and my big antler ears just to do with every grandfather likes to do best:
make   his   grandkids   laugh

Of course grandma Erin made this possible by buying these cheap little flashing noses and big red ears. And after getting their looks of wonderment and their laughs, of course they wanted exactly what I was wearing;

They weren’t disappointed.          .          .
    
Why
Why was this done…?
To me
everything that I love about what this Season is
What this Season represents
How the Season is really personified
not just in children
but the children each of us.          .          .
It’s about not so much sharing
or giving
or even receiving
But inspiring
Cultivating
Igniting
Sparking
This ever present
Never ending
Always glowing
But often hidden
LIGHT
THIS GLOW
This unfailing flicker
That exists in all of us
Desperately wanting to share
And even more desperately
W A N T I N G
to be shared.       .     .
It’s what brings the
FA
to the
LA  LA  LA  LA  LAAAAH
AND ITS A SYMPHONY 
THAT NEVER STOPS PLAYING
BY AN ORCHESTRA 
IN EACH OF US
FINDING OUR PART
IN ANOTHER
AND PLAYING
G L O R I O U S L Y
Psssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssst:
And it’s not contained in a Season
Or wrapped in paper
Cooked in an oven
Toasted from a raised glass
It’s housed in a heart
Shared in a heartbeat
Received as the most precious of gifts
The one with no expiration date
Or shelf life
Just
L                   I                   F                   E
In  all  of  its  fullness
Becoming  even  grander
When  shared
And  it  happens
In  a  moment
So.          .          .

GET    YOUR   BLINK   ON

D     o     n  ’  t
M        i        s        s
I   t

Hap Hap HAPPIEST TIME OF THE YEAR

By Leave a Comment

Happy?

It’s not a hard to ask question.         .         .

It might be the toughest one to answer

or at least to try and understand

TO  ANSWER:

Are you HAPPY?

Brian Rea)

Johnny Mathis and a host of others have been singing for the 6 weeks IT’S    THE    MOST    WONDERFUL    TIME    OF    THE   YEAR

Charles Dickens wrote:
IT’S  THE  BEST  OF  TIMES, IT’S  THE  WORST  OF  TIMES

and even though it was from a TALE  OF  TWO  CITIES

and not

THE  CHRISTMAS  CAROL

it somehow seems that it could well fit,
doesn’t it?
The World is a huge

M   A   G   N   I   F   Y   I   N   G          G   L   A   S   S  

about now.          .          .

E        N        L        A        R        G        I        N        G

especially those things that make us the most unhappiest:Loss
Disappointment
Unmet
Expectation
DeathIllness
Job Security
Money Woes
Health
Family
Distances
or
anything else you might want to place in this:_________________________________________________________________________

HAPPINESS has traditionally been considered an elusive and evanescent thing. To some, even trying to achieve it is an exercise in futility. It has been said that “happiness is as a butterfly which, when pursued, is always beyond our grasp, but which if you will sit down quietly, may alight upon you.”

Social scientists have caught the butterfly. After 40 years of research, they attribute happiness to three major sources: genes, events and values. Armed with this knowledge and a few simple rules, we can improve our lives and the lives of those around us. We can even construct a system that fulfills our founders’ promises and empowers all Americans to pursue happiness.
Psychologists and economists have studied happiness for decades. They begin simply enough — by asking people how happy they are.

The richest data available to social scientists is the University of Chicago’s General Social Survey, a survey of Americans conducted since 1972. This widely used resource is considered the scholarly gold standard for understanding social phenomena. The numbers on happiness from the survey are surprisingly consistent. Every other year for four decades, roughly a third of Americans have said they’re “very happy,” and about half report being “pretty happy.” Only about 10 to 15 percent typically say they’re “not too happy.” Psychologists have used sophisticated techniques to verify these responses, and such survey results haveprovedaccurate.

Beneath these averages are some demographic differences. For many years, researchers found that women were happier than men, although recent studies contend that the gap has narrowed or may even have been reversed. Political junkies might be interested to learn that conservative women are particularly blissful: about 40 percent say they are very happy. That makes them slightly happier than conservative men and significantly happier than liberal women. The unhappiest of all are liberal men; only about a fifth consider themselves very happy.          .          .

Mind you.        .        .

This story was op-ed was written by

Albert C. Brooks

in the New York Times

DECEMBER 13, 2014

but it could be

TODAY’S  HEADLINES

o r

T         O         M         O         R         R         O         W  ‘   S

So.          .          .

what      makes      you      happy?

It’s   not   answering

the   opposite   of

WHAT    MAKES    YOU    SAD?

Is  it  the  Hap

H  A  P

HAPPIEST   TIME  OF  THE  YEAR ?

Could it be?

Something tells me

you won’t need to consult the

Social Scientists

or house up in their

respective labs to

F I N D     O U T

and better.        .        .

provide that illusive feeling

for another.        .        .

Pssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssst:

You’re   the     R  e  a  s  o  n 

for      the         S   e  a  s  o  n

.          .          .Share   Excessively

(o   f   t   e   n)

BE    A    Producer    of    Smiles

infest

infect

others with

J          O          Y

Make it a neverending

incurable

epidemic.         .        .

E            X            C            E            S            S            I            V            E            L            Y

YOUR DANCE

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I love this short video

that many people have brought to my attention

for the past couple of weeks for 

TWO  REASONS:

  1. You don’t need to speak a foreign language (or any language to understand it)
  2. I could embarrass any one of my kids/grandkids or all of them at any given time just by breaking out in 

D            A            N            C            E

It didn’t matter if it was in the middle of an amusement park

It didn’t matter if it was in the middle of a restaurant 

It didn’t matter if it was in the middle of Church

It certainly didn’t matter if it was a Father/Daughter Dance

It didn’t matter if it was at a concert

My moves are drop dead

L            E            T            H            A            L

and I believe,

highly CONTAGIOUS

Maybe there was a not-so-small-

T H I R D     R E A S O N :

I’d do anything to connect 

F O U R T H     R E A S O N

Make them laugh

F  I  F  T  H     R  E  A  S  O  N

Make sure that the attention was never put on them in an uncomfortable situation.          .          .

Did I always achieve my objectives.          .          .

Not always;
Sometimes not even close to SOMETIMES

But no language was ever necessary 

TO  SHOW

I      l o v e     y o u

.          .          .that’s a MOVE

that needs no DANCING AROUND

and it’s COMMUNICATED

p           e           r           f           e           c           t           l           y

Every Time

Hey.          .          .

Can I have this Dance?

No Big Deal.          .          .

I’ve got a MOVE for you, too

Cue the Music
 ( or.       .       .n o t )

Professional Speaker, Author, Assurance Man