Blue skies from now on

O bluebird, welcome back again. Thy azure coat and ruddy vest, are hues that April loveth best. John Burroughs

Yesterday I woke to the cheerful and incessant call of my neighbourhood kingfisher, who for a little bird has a mighty voice. The cloudless blue sky inspired a jaunty lilt to my gait as I made my way to the studio.
 
Blue skies
Smiling at me
Nothing but blue skies
Do I see – Ella Fitzgerald
(listen here)

Bluebirds are the first birds to return to the northern climes after winter. Their colourful plumage offers hope that winter is soon gone.
 
In 1934 Edward Heyman wrote ‘The Bluebird of Happiness’ which sold over a million copies.
Listen here
Lyrics here.
 
It’s a life of smiles, and a life of tears,
It’s a life of hopes, and of fears.
For every bit of darkness,
There’s a little bit of light.
If you will— hold your head up high,
‘Til you see a ray of light and cheer.
And so remember this, life is no abyss,
Somewhere there’s a bluebird of happiness.

May you find yours. 

Simplify continued

Simplify - to make something less complicated.
Determination and an unbiased assistant made my closet cleanse painless. The empty space is liberating. I am on a roll.  Over the years I asked ‘is it beautiful, is it useful, can I live without it’ as a basis for decision making. The reality is at each stage in our lives there is a time and place. We outgrow fashions, we cling to the past, we validate memories through accumulated possessions.  How much do we need?

All I need is the air that I breathe.

There is no doubt that A simple life gives birth to more clarity, inner peace and meaningful relationships. Margo Vader. Then contentment has to come. Dalai Lama

I will continue my quest one day, one shelf at a time and invite you to do the same. So that we too may Manifest plainness, embrace simplicity, reduce selfishness, have few desires.  Lao Tzu

Happiness is a state of mind, a message from Pope Francis

A recent message from Pope Francis

*You can have flaws, be anxious, and even be angry, but do not forget that your life is the greatest enterprise in the world. Only you can stop it from going bust. Many appreciate you, admire you and love you.

Remember that to be happy is not to have a sky without a storm, a road without accidents, work without fatigue, relationships without disappointments.

To be happy is to find strength in forgiveness, hope in battles, security in the stage of fear, love in discord. It is not only to enjoy the smile, but also to reflect on the sadness. It is not only to celebrate the successes, but to learn lessons from the failures. It is not only to feel happy with the applause, but to be happy in anonymity.

Being happy is not a fatality of destiny, but an achievement for those who can travel within themselves. To be happy is to stop feeling like a victim and become your destiny's author. It is to cross deserts, yet to be able to find an oasis in the depths of our soul. It is to thank God for every morning, for the miracle of life.

Being happy is not being afraid of your own feelings. It's to be able to talk about you. It is having the courage to hear a "no". It is confidence in the face of criticism, even when unjustified. It is to kiss your children, pamper your parents, to live poetic moments with friends, even when they hurt us.

To be happy is to let live the creature that lives in each of us, free, joyful and simple.

And when you make a mistake, start all over again.

For only then will you be in love with life. You will find that to be happy is not to have a perfect life. But use the tears to irrigate tolerance.

Use your losses to train patience.  Use your mistakes to sculptor serenity.

Use pain to plaster pleasure.  Use obstacles to open windows of intelligence.

Never give up .... Never give up on people who love you. Never give up on happiness, for life is an incredible show.*

A new epidemic

Life is a mirror, smile and it will smile back at you. anon

Almost all emotions are contagious and we mirror them all in our self-identity. This evolved power of mirroring was given to us at birth for the survival of the fittest and psychologists have discovered six facial expressions that have universality transcending time and place.  Everyone smiles in the same language.- George Carlin.  Smiling expresses joy, it's welcoming, and lifts spirits.  Overcome our daily challenges and fake it until you make it.   I love those who can smile in trouble. - Leonardo da Vinci   For sharing  A gentle word, a kind look, a good-natured smile can work wonders and accomplish miracles.– William Hazlitt

This week I invite you to start a new epidemic. 

Smiling is infectious; you catch it like the flu 
When someone smiled at me today, I started smiling too. 
I passed around the corner and someone saw my grin 
When he smiled I realised I passed it on to him. 
I thought about that smile and realised its worth 
A single smile, just like mine, could travel round the earth.
So, if you feel a smile begin, don’t leave it undetected. 
Let’s start an epidemic quick and get the world infected. 
- Spike Milligen (via Don Conreaux)

“Let my soul smile through my heart and my heart smile through my eyes, that I may scatter rich smiles in sad hearts.”– Paramahansa Yogananda. You never know the difference it may make “It was only a sunny smile, and little it cost in the giving, but like morning light it scattered the night and made the day worth living.”– F. Scott Fitzgerald

Treat the weekend like a vacation

A vacation is what you take when you can no longer take what you are taking. Earl Wilson
 

According to recent Gallup staff engagement polls, only 13% of employees globally are actively engaged at work. This translates into huge losses of productivity, customer service, decreased sales, increased medical bills, increased presenteeism, absenteeism etc. To make matters worse  More than 50% of Americans leave their paid vacation days unused each year! 
 

You can always make money, you can't always make memories. anon

HBR published an article recently that summarised findings of a study of how people felt on Mondays. In repeated trials random subjects were told on Friday to treat their weekend either as a vacation or as a regular weekend. Consistently the results showed those who felt they were on holiday, even without spending additional money or traveling, had higher levels of happiness on Monday morning.  The others had no change. And, results from the 2014-16 Gallup Daily Poll found that people who prioritise vacations show more positive emotion, less negative emotion, and are more satisfied in life.

Time you enjoy wasting was not wasted. John Lennon

 Research shows that slowing down and paying more attention to your surroundings, the activity at hand, and the people who are involved allows you to enjoy the activity more. This simple shift in mindset was sufficient for the vacationers to be more mindful of and attentive to the present moment throughout their weekend’s activities.

No matter where you go there you are. Buckaroo Banzi

I invite you to consider this weekend a holiday. Change your mind set. Slow down, listen to music and let your hair down. Sleep in, read in bed, do whatever you would do on holiday and see for yourself how you feel Monday morning.  I will be at my cabin on a mountain top if you care to join me.

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you did not do than by the things you did to.
Mark Twain

WARNING.  This increased state of happiness and wellbeing come from a break in routine.  It will lose its effectiveness if IT becomes routine.  Therefore save the mental vacations for when you really need the break!

SOURCE: Mogilner Holmes, C. (31 January 2019) “Treat Your Weekend Like A Vacation” (Web Blog Post). Retrieved from https://hbr.org/2019/01/treat-your-weekend-like-a-vacation