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.

I am sharing something I came across recently.

Golden Rule for Living

<  1.      If you open it, close it.

<  2.      If you turn it on, turn it off.

<  3.      If you unlock it, lock it up.

<  4.      If you break it, admit it.

<  5.      If you can’t fix it, call someone who can.

<  6.      If you borrow it, return it.

<  7.      If you value it, take care of it.

<  8.      If you make a mess, clean it up.

<  9.      If you move it, put it back.

<  10.  If it belongs to someone else, get permission to use it.

<  11.   If you don’t know how to operate it, leave it alone.

<  12.  If it’s none of your business, don’t ask questions.

                 Miriam Hamilton Keare

Life is not a race, but indeed a journey. Be honest. Work hard. Be choosy. Say “thank you”, “I love you” and “great job” to someone every day. Take time for prayer. Love your life and what you’ve been given. It is not accidental; search for your purpose and do it as best you can. Dream; it allows you to become that which you aspire to be. Laugh often. Appreciate the little things in life. Some of the best things are indeed free. Do not worry. Forgive, it frees the soul. Recognize the special people you’ve been blessed to know.

Laughter

Laughter is definitely the best medicine, but especially when things are tough. The bad weather of late has been a source of problems and frustration for many people, but some simply took it in stride. A man who, I suppose, did not own warm headgear stepped outside during a cold snap wearing the horse head of a party costume. I wonder how many people gave him a double take wondering for a moment what specie was taking over the world. I’m sure he had a good laugh.

             As we add years to our years we face new situations that may make us nervous or uncomfortable. Getting a colonoscopy is certainly one of those, but it helps to have a sense of humor about it all. A physician has claimed that the following are actual comments from male patients while undergoing colonoscopies.

<     

     Are we there yet? Are we there yet?

<    You know, in Arkansas, we’re now legally married.

<     Now I know how a Muppet feels!

<     Hey Doc, let me know if you find my dignity.

        You used to be an executive at Enron, didn’t you?

<      Could you write a note for my wife to say that my head is not up there.

<      Take it easy, Doc. You’re boldly going where no man has gone before.

             It also helps to laugh at other situations we face as we age. One middle-aged man who began to have digestive challenges that resulted in excessive flatulence kept his cool even when others around him made a point of not approaching too closely in case a “bomb” was released. ”So I cut cheese, nothing unusual or lethal about it,” he told a colleague. “Just a burp deciding that travel could be fun.”

Empty Nesting

The last child has left the nest, what’s next?

          Raising a family is not an easy task, but like most things in life the many sacrifices we make are balanced with wonderful joys. We change diapers, but rejoice in those first unsteady steps. We help with homework, but applaud our children’s good grades. Higher education is costly, but we sing from the rooftops at the sight of the beautiful calligraphy on an offspring’s certificate.         

          We spend many years in our role as parents so it’s no wonder that we find it difficult to let go. If we have not prepared, there can be an overwhelming sense of emptiness, especially for the mother who has devoted so much time to nurturing.

          As we face the empty nests that our homes suddenly become, we may be tempted to forget that there is a whole brand new life ahead of us—we can redefine that nest and what goes on within its walls. We can now do the many things that family obligations prevented us from even thinking about planning in the past. Free from family responsibilities, we can forge our own future and have time to think of ourselves. No one will ask to borrow your car, and the laundry pile will melt away. There’s more time for friends, travel without worrying about the kids at home, time to take courses, devote more time to a hobby, set periods of time aside to pursue physical activities to counteract the effects of a slower metabolism, put in a hot tub in a now-empty bedroom, fly a kite, play the guitar, paint a beautiful sunset or simply smell the flowers along the way.

          But be forewarned, however, that doing your own thing as an empty nester may not always sit well with your children. No matter their age, they will remain intricately woven into the fabric of your life, and although they may praise your efforts to live life to the fullest, they expect you to be at home, with a home cooked meal being kept warm when they need your help or advice.

          And they want you around even more when the grandchildren begin arriving. Of course, by then you wonder what good deed you did to deserve such bounty. And, funny thing, before you know it your role as an empty nester changes without much warning. It just sort of happens. You find yourself accommodating the unfolding of life. You start looking for a second-hand crib for overnight visits and shop for diapers.

          And the cycle begins again. However, there’s no longer a need to rush. It’s now time to make time for the best of life, because the best is at hand.

Self-Driving?

Development of self-driving or autonomous cars is at a point where vehicle testing is now taking place on public road. My question is why? What real purpose will such cars serve?

            Let’s say you have such a car that drives you to work or to visit your mother-in-law, what is the advantage for you as you sit in the passenger seat and watch your car navigate the traffic? Will your car engage in conversation? And what about when it waits for you? What if it’s tempted to visit with a new model a couple of blocks over? Will your car return?

These are all questions that to me need answers because I believe that all artificial intelligence faces flaws at one point or another. Just take your computer, for example. Some days it simply decides to shut off and you have no idea why. Imagine if self-driving cars at some points decide to all stop working. Now, that would be the traffic jam from hell, would it not? And what about if someone finds a way of hacking your self-driving car’s program?  You may never find it again as you have to walk.

Of course, the worse scenario would be if self-driving cars killed people as it happened in Arizona recently. The poor woman was simply walking her bicycle across the street when the robot car hit and killed her. If, as proponents say, the purpose of autonomous driving is to make the operation of vehicles safer, an awful lot more work is required.

Cars have various degrees of automation. On a scale of 0 to 5, 0 is essentially cars as we know them where humans make the operating decisions, at 2 and 3 humans are helped by automatic components in the cars, i.e. automatic stopping in case of danger, while at 5 it  is totally autonomous, i.e. requiring no human involvement in the driving process.

While we don’t know how such technology would affect us, it is certain that there could be advantages for people with mobility problems or who are disabled. Self-driving cars would open up a whole new world of freedom for them. Certainly nobody could object to that.

 But until these cars become a reality, there are many questions that beg for answers.  One that comes to mind: would you trust your self-driving car to drive your young grandchild to a relative without anyone else in the car?

Perhaps that’s the first question we all need to ask.

On Stress

We all face stress at some point or another. And that stress is different for everyone. For example, some people are totally stress-free when giving a speech to a large audience, while for most people that would be a major source of stress.

          Whatever the cause of the stress in your life experts suggest to shift your focus and thoughts when you feel stressed:

·        Take three deep belly breaths. It’s something that can be done while walking or sitting.

·        Pick a spot for your keys and glasses and always put them there.

·        Allow yourself ample time to get where you are going.

·        Pace yourself. Athletes don’t play a whole game without a break.

·        Go for a walk. Get up, move and stretch.

·        Ask yourself: Will this matter in a hundred years.

·        Find something to laugh or smile about every day.

·        Learn to differentiate between what you can and cannot control.

·        Think of a current stress as a challenge rather than a burden.

·        Hug your child, your mate, your friend, your pet. Love and touching is good for your health.

·        Turn off the computer, the television. Read a book or listen to music.

 

Have a stress free day.

 

 

 

WALKING

Every year as the Irish get busy with preparations for their annual celebration, spring begins to poke its nose out, to give us a hint of the weather to come. There might still be snow piled up everywhere, but with the warming sun people come out to enjoy being outdoors again without freezing. But beware, an old friend tells me, the winter still has some clout and we’re bound to get a final snowfall. We might, but it does not deter anyone from thinking of the warm days ahead.

          I live near a lake where there are paths for walkers as well as for bikers and roller bladders. While at least one path is cleared of snow a few times during the winter, it is never clogged with traffic then as it is in the summer. The main reason is that the wind coming off the lake has an arctic feel to it most of the winter. However things change come March. In the last few days, as the snow has been melting and the winds milder, people have again been taking advantage of the beautiful scenery to get their exercise.

          It’s been proven that walking is a great exercise at any age, but especially for us who are no longer spring chickens. The idea, of course, is to do it regularly every day for about thirty minutes. Sometimes, of course, we simply don’t feel like walking outdoors and we try to convince ourselves that it’s too cold, too hot, too windy, too anything else that comes to mind. We forget that walking doesn’t have to be outside. Many large malls now have walking groups. In addition to being an opportunity to exercise in safety, it’s also an excellent way to meet new people and perhaps make new friends to say nothing of the shopping opportunities that follow.

          One of my sisters mall walks most mornings with a group that meets at 9 a.m. Since the stores don’t open till 10, the group doesn’t have to worry about shoppers. They are free to go at their own pace for as long as they want along the corridors of the huge mall. She finds it to be what she qualifies as a “social and bitching activity” because, since the members of the group all live in the same area, it is an opportunity to discuss the problems of the day in their neighborhood. And sometimes even propose solutions.

          What she likes best is that the temperature is always perfect whatever the season or the weather.  Since I don’t live near a large shopping mall, I have to be content with dressing for all sorts of weather as I enjoy the view of the lake on my walks. But, I’m never alone. The regulars are always there for social interaction, especially now that spring is just around the corner.