Wednesday, October 26, 2016

 

The Art of Living – Part 11

Continuing the tenets of the little gem of a book I recently found in a second-hand bookstore, here are some more interesting ones.

-          Happiness is like perfume—you can’t spray it on others without getting some on yourself.

-          Happiness is found in the little things: a baby’s smile, a letter from a friend, the song of a bird, a light in the window.

-          Happiness comes upon us unawares while we are helping others.

-          Happiness comes from keeping busy; it is the key to happy leisure hours and retirement years.

-          Happiness does not depend upon a full pocketbook, but upon a mind full of rich thoughts and a heart full of rich emotions.

-          Happiness comes from giving gifts of the heart: love, kindness, joy, understanding, sympathy, tolerance, forgiveness.

-          Happiness comes from learning to love ourselves, for only as we have the right attitude toward ourselves can we have the right attitude toward others.

-          Happiness is guiding our lives instead of drifting.

-          Happiness is measured by the spirit in which we meet the problems of life.

Wise words indeed.

 

Wednesday, October 19, 2016

The Art of Living – Part 1
 There’s a second-hand bookstore not too far from my house. I go in there from time to time to browse and see if I can uncover any gems. On a recent visit, I picked up a small book titled: The Art of Living which is essentially a depository of philosophical tenets to improve life. However, I have no idea who the writer and the publisher are since the page with that information is missing.
            In the book, I found the section Staying Young especially interesting, and I share some of it below.
<    - Stay young by remaining flexible, adaptable and open-minded. Do not permit your mental arteries to harden.
<    - Stay young by continuing to grow. You do not grow old, you become old by not growing.
<    - Stay young by keeping your mind alive and alert. Scientists have found that the ability to think does not decline with advancing age; the only difference may be a slight decrease in the speed of thinking.
<    - Stay young by forcing your mind out of old ruts. See new places, read new books, try new hobbies. Increase the depth of your life.
<    - Stay young by maintaining a cheerful attitude. Keep this verse from Proverbs in mind: A merry heart doeth good like medicine, but a broken spirit drieth up the bones.
      - Stay young by keeping constructively busy.
<    - Stay young by doing good. Work for worthy causes in your community.
<    - The art of staying young depends upon staying youthful on the inside, in mind, heart and spirit in defiance of gray hair on the outside. The Fountain of Youth is within us.
   Amen to that.                 

Wednesday, October 12, 2016

Darn Machine!
I think of myself as reasonably savvy when it comes to computers, however there are days when I want to scream. And I’m sure I’m not the only one! The screen freezes, the cursor doesn’t move, an on-screen picture disappears never to be seen again, or the printer tells me that I need a new ink cartridge although I replaced it a few days earlier, or so it seems. Computers may be able to do things we never imagined just a few years back, but they are machines, and as a truly computer savvy friend pointed out, “Machines break down. Period.”
Computers can have a mind of their own at times, and when I can’t solve the problem, I call a younger person, one born on the Internet as the saying goes, and I can usually find the answer.
Everything seems to be computerized these days from car engines to ovens while phones seem to be able to do everything but cook dinner! I still have a simple cell phone that I use for calling and texting when I’m away. I simply don’t feel the need, as most people seem to these days, to be connected to everything and everyone the moment I step out of my house. While it’s a simple unit, I still had been unable to set the time and date on it. When I told my grandson about it, it took him less than a minute to set everything by working some buttons. It amazed me. Of course, all the gadgets we have today are in no way mysterious for the young as they can sometimes be for the not-so-young.
To make our lives easier, we should all have a young child around to solve modern machine problems. Of course, children are not always patient with their elders, “Grandma, really? You don’t know how to do it?” And so it goes. Computers are second nature to them and are part of the school environment. In my day, way back when dinosaurs roamed the earth, I wrote essays by hand and studied Latin. A dead language is of little use to me today in my efforts to understand machines that may well take over the world!  



Wednesday, October 5, 2016



Healthy Silliness
I got an interesting e-mail the other day that I’ve decided to share with you. See if you don’t agree that being silly can be fun.
<            At lunch time, sit in your parked car with sunglasses on and point a hair dryer to passing cars. Watch them slow down!
<             In the memo space on the front of your cheques, write weed or pot.
<             When you’re at a fancy restaurant, order diet water.
<             When there are other people behind you at an ATM as the money comes out scream: I won! I won!
<             Pick up a box of condoms at the pharmacy, go to the counter and ask where the fitting room is.
<             In a large department store’s change room, drop your pants and yell out: There’s no paper in here!
<             Sing along at the opera.
  And then there is the cartoon caption that I like. One woman is telling her friend: I never thought I would get remarried at my age, but how could I refuse. He said: come and grow old with me. I’ve got lots of life insurance.