Oh, The Places You'll Go

Aug 15, 2008

May 16, 2008

May 5, 2008

There are happiness conferences, a World Database of Happiness
www.worlddatabaseofhappiness.eur, and a Journal of Happiness Studies www.springer.com.

Married people are happier than singles. People who attend religious services regularly are more likely to report being "very happy" than those who don't (43 percent vs. 26 percent). People with only a bachelor's degree report being happier than those with advanced degrees. People who remember events more rosily than they actually happened are happier. Wealthy people are marginally happier than poor ones.

45 percent of Republicans describe themselves as "very happy," compared with only 30 percent of Democrats and 29 percent of independents.

People with pets or children are no happier than those without.

Based on an article in the Washington Post by Eric Weiner, who wrote "The Geography of Bliss: One Grump's Search for the Happiest Places in the World"

The way sadness works is one of the strangest riddles in the world:

When someone is crying, the noble thing to do is to comfort them. But if someone is trying to hide their tears, it may also be noble to pretend you do not notice them, so they will not be embarrassed.
Unless you have been very, very lucky, you have undoubtedly experienced events in your life that have made you cry. So unless you have been very, very lucky, you know that a good long session of weeping can often make you feel better, even if your circumstances haven't changed one bit.

"Horseradish" by Lemony Snicket

Mud Floor or Antique Lavar?

Early one Saturday morning, Kevin Rowell dumped a bucket of dark mud on the floor of his bedroom. It landed with a plop, spreading out and merging with a blanket of wet earth that would eventually cover the entire floor. "It's beautiful," said Mr. Rowell, 28, as he stood back to take in the whole room. "It's just what we wanted."

The floor would take a few weeks to dry, a period when the couple would camp out in their living room.

Aesthetically, earthen floors are "really special," said Frank Meyer, a natural builder. "After a while they look like an old, cracked leather couch." Everyone gets down on their hands and knees to admire it." Mr. Meyer said some builders add the blood of oxen for maroon coloration.

Some aficionados see a spiritual aspect to earthen floors, too. Mr. Rowell said his floor would help create a "sacred space." Mr. Meyer agreed. "I think people are craving the earth," he said. "They want to be more primal."

But lest anyone get the wrong impression, dirt is neither easy nor trouble-free -- nor is it entirely practical. If you ever have a flood in your house, it's going to saturate it and you're going to have a big mess. Tressa and Esteban Hollander had such a mess when they forgot to turn off the irrigated system in their earthen-floored garden room and six hundred gallons of water seeped into the floor in two hours, soaking not only that room but the hallway, the dining room and a bedroom. The surface blackened and blistered, destroying the finish, and the entire floor had to be torn up.

Ms. Altenbach said their dogs were not house-trained and occasionally left stains, and their daughter, Eliza, enjoyed drawing on the dirt floor with markers. But like most true believers, the couple were not easily discouraged. "The imperfections just add to the character of the floors," Ms. Altenbach said. "We've had every kind of mess you can imagine."

May 4, 2008

Phorphorus

Mar 11, 2008

The Orange

At lunchtime I bought a huge orange -
The size of it made us all laugh.
I peeled it and shared it with Robert and Dave -
They got quarters and I had a half.

And that orange, it made me so happy,
As ordinary things often do
Just lately. The shopping. A walk in the park.
This is peace and contentment. It's new.

The rest of the day was quite easy.
I did all the jobs on my list
And enjoyed them and had some time over.
I love you. I'm glad I exist.

By Wendy Cope

Feb 21, 2008

The Middle Ages

Authentic Love

Love is not a feeling or a passing state of mind,
Love is not just simply being nice or kind.
Love is not an empty word, spoken or written down
Love is not discovered in the lost and found.

Love demands self giving, even when it’s hurts,
Love never counts the costs, or looks for special perks.
Love is a commitment; faithful to the end.
Love is always willing to forgive, forget and mend.

For love to be authentic, it must come from the heart,
This is where love begins and receives its start.
The windows of your heart are your eyes that will reveal,
If your love is strong and something truly real.

We have a great example in Jesus Christ our friend,
He promised to be with us to the very end.
Our mission is to love and I hope that this is clear,
To love the souls around us, souls that Christ holds dear.

By Father Michael

Entertaining

Entertaining a notion, like entertaining a baby cousin or a pack of hyenas, is a dangerous thing to refuse to do. If you refuse to entertain a baby cousin, the baby cousin might get bored and entertain itself by wandering off and falling down a well. If you refuse to entertain a pack of hyenas, they may become restless and entertain themselves by devouring you. But if you refuse to entertain a notion--which is just a fancy way of saying that you refuse to think about a certain idea--you have to be much braver than someone who is merely facing some bloodthirsty animals, or some parents who are upset to find their little darling at the bottom of a well, because nobody knows what an idea will do when it goes off to entertain itself.

"Horseradish" by Lemony Snicket

Feb 20, 2008

What to Wear?

Deciding on the right thing to do in a situation is a bit like deciding on the right thing to wear to a party. It is easy to decide on what is wrong to wear to a party, such as deep-sea diving equipment or a pair of large pillows, but deciding what is right is much trickier. The truth is that you can never be sure if you have decided on the right thing until the party is over, and by then it is too late to go back and change your mind, which is why the world is filled with people doing terrible things and wearing ugly clothing.

"Horseradish" by Lemony Snicket