Finding a Bright Spot
September 7, 2010 by thegreenchildrenfoundation · View Comments
Forced positivity has always made me deeply uncomfortable. “Smile!” “Just look on the bright side!” “It’s not that bad.”
Unfortunately, when you are feeling badly, those apparently well-meaning phrases can feel like a jab in your side. Not only do you feel down, but now you feel guilty for feeling down!
For me, I appreciate practical approaches to feeling positive. One lesson I’ve learned over the years is finding bright spots, literally and figuratively.
Literally speaking, finding a bright spot means getting outdoors and being in the sunlight. Being outside is a natural mood lifter. A friend of mine swears by this simple technique: look up. Look up into the sky for a moment or two. He believes it “opens up your mind and frees your spirit. It reminds you that your problems are small in relation to the vastness of the sky.”
Figuratively, finding a bright spot means noticing the smallest of things that lifts your spirits. Today, I saw a mimosa tree in bloom. The pink was so vibrant and eye-catching. Staring at it for a moment was like looking at a work of art.
Or perhaps its a positive interaction, albeit brief, with a person throughout your day; like a cashier or a passerby who smiles. If you take that moment in, for all it’s worth, you’ll be surprised at how much power a simple and seemingly meaningless interaction holds.
So find some bright spots today. They aren’t hard to find - they’re everywhere. But more importantly, take one moment to recognize that it lifted your spirits, even slightly.
by Beth Mann
Tekapo, NZ - a village among the stars
Beth
Paying it Forward at Trader Joe’s
September 3, 2010 by admin · View Comments
It all started with a trip to Trader Joe’s. Jenni Ware had just rung up her groceries, which came to a total of $207. But as she reached into her purse, she discovered that she’d left her wallet at home.
Ware was about to go home grocery-less when she received a kind offer from the stranger in line behind her, a woman named Carolee Hazard. Hazard offered to pay Ware’s entire bill, simply asking her to send her a check to cover the cost.
The next day, Hazard received a check for $300—$93 more than she’d lent to Ware.
“I didn’t know what to do with the money,” Hazard told USA Today. “I’d thought to mail a check back to Jenni, but in the day and age of Facebook, I turned to my friends to decide what to do with the money instead,”
A friend suggested donating the cash to charity. Hazard thought that was a great idea, and selected the Second Harvest Food Bank, matching the $93 with an additional $93 of her own.
Several of Hazard’s friends were so inspired by her actions that they decided to make their own $93 donations. Soon, their friends were following suit. The group of philanthropists created “the 93 Dollar Club,” and a Facebook page to go along with it. A year since that fateful day at Trader Joe’s, the club has raised more than $100,000 to fight hunger in America.
Now that their story is getting so much attention, Hazard has a bold new goal: doubling donations to $200,000. Want to help? Check out the Facebook page for more info.
Source: Gimundo
Beth
Positive Quote Wednesday - On Laziness
September 1, 2010 by thegreenchildrenfoundation · View Comments
Laziness is nothing more than the habit of resting before you get tired. ~Jules Renard
I like the word “indolence.” It makes my laziness seem classy. ~Bern Williams
All of the biggest technological inventions created by man - the airplane, the automobile, the computer - says little about his intelligence, but speaks volumes about his laziness. ~Mark Kennedy
Efficiency is intelligent laziness. ~David Dunham
People who throw kisses are mighty hopelessly lazy. ~Bob Hope
Tomorrow is the only day in the year that appeals to a lazy man. ~Jimmy Lyons
It’s true hard work never killed anybody, but I figure, why take the chance? ~Ronald Reagan
What is right is often forgotten by what is convenient. ~Bodie Thoene, Warsaw Requiem
There is no cure for laziness but a large family helps. ~Herbert Prochnov
Ambition is a poor excuse for not having sense enough to be lazy. ~Charlie McCarthy
We have produced a world of contented bodies and discontented minds. ~Adam Clayton Powell, Keep the Faith, Baby!, 1967
The time will come when winter will ask you what you were doing all summer. ~Henry Clay
How can a society that exists on instant mashed potatoes, packaged cake mixes, frozen dinners, and instant cameras teach patience to its young? ~Paul Sweeney
The present generation, wearied by its chimerical efforts, relapses into complete indolence. Its condition is that of a man who has only fallen asleep towards morning: first of all come great dreams, then a feeling of laziness, and finally a witty or clever excuse for remaining in bed. ~Søren Kierkegaard
Deep summer is when laziness finds respectability.
Sam Keen
Beth
Ana’s Vision
August 31, 2010 by thegreenchildrenfoundation · View Comments
Beth
Dealing with Disappointments
August 30, 2010 by thegreenchildrenfoundation · View Comments
Disappointment is the feeling that results when someone is let down or left with unfulfilled expectations. It can be something as simple as being stood up for a lunch date or as serious as a being deserted by a friend in the darkest hour of need. If not dealt with in an appropriate manner, disappointment can lead to bitterness and a host of other damaging emotions and behaviors.
Recognizing Disappointment
The world we live in is far from perfect and disappointment is easy to recognize. It manifests as a hollow feeling inside; the feeling of being let down and even betrayed. Feelings of hurt, disbelief and shock often accompany disappointment and the stronger the relationship to the person involved, the greater the disappointment.
Understanding Disappointment
Disappointment is a natural reaction, a normal response to being let down, especially by those who seemed trustworthy. In fact disappointment can be described as a breach of trust; the failure to fulfill a promise or an expectation. It is not something that should be laughed off or disregarded but rather something that needs to be worked through until healing comes.
Dos and Don’ts
· Don’t be eager to make new plans, change jobs or cut off relationships
· Don’t lay the blame entirely on the other person
· Don’t lash out and try and inflict pain as revenge
· Don’t say “I don’t care” when you really do
· Don’t assume that you know the whole truth behind what happened
· Don’t allow disappointment to develop into bitterness
· Do ask questions and try and understand the situation better
· Do examine your actions and see if you contributed in any way
· Do talk it over with a friend or counselor
· Do offer forgiveness even if it is not warranted
Long Term Effects of Disappointment
Repeated disappointments or even one big disappointment can lead to a miserable life if not dealt with. The important thing to remember is that disappointment is probably harming the victim more than the person who caused it. People who are unable to forgive are often bitter, self-centred people who trust no one. They are unpleasant to be around and their behavior perpetuates the problem. No one likes to be around people who ooze resentment and self pity.
How to get over Disappointment
After working through the dos and don’ts above, recovery is basically a decision. A choice has to be made to forgive and emotionally release the one who disappointed. The decision won’t necessarily remove negative feelings, but if stood by, will eventually bring healing and release. It does not mean trusting that person again, or doing business with them, but forgiveness will bring personal freedom.
Disappointment affects everyone from babies up to old people and it is important to deal with it in a constructive manner. When struggling with a particularly big disappointment, remember that forgiveness and mercy are essential for healing. Finally, remember that dealing with disappointment is a process and something that crops up in life on an ongoing basis. Victorious people are those who have learned to deal with it.
Beth
Positive Quote…Thursday?
August 26, 2010 by admin · View Comments
Okay, I had a contest yesterday. I didn’t have the chance to post our Positive Quote Wednesday. So here you have it: Positive Quote Thursday.
I didn’t win the contest…at all! So today, admittedly self-involved, I’m posting quotes on losing. We’ve all been there, right?
A champion is afraid of losing. Everyone else is afraid of winning.
Billie Jean King
A good balance of winning and losing is important. If you just win all the time, you won’t get anything out of it; having some tough losses can be really important.
Andrew Shue
A losing trade, I assure you, sir: literature is a drug.
George Borrow
About the only time losing is more fun than winning is when you’re fighting temptation.
Tom Wilson
As I said, I began losing confidence in my instincts, which is tough and very bad for an instinctive person.
Kim Novak
Bambi has a profound effect on children because it’s about losing your mother.
Christine Baranski
Baseball is like a poker game. Nobody wants to quit when he’s losing; nobody wants you to quit when you’re ahead.
Jackie Robinson
Being a decathlete is like having ten girlfriends. You have to love them all, and you can’t afford losing one.
Daley Thompson
Being an only child and losing both my parents at an early age, I have found that the friends I have made over the years are the people who help me get through life, good times and bad.
Fannie Flagg
Bjorn was a different breed, I threw my best material at him, but he would never smile, but that added to the charm when he played me and Mac. We were going nuts and losing our mind and he was sitting back like he was on a Sunday stroll.
Jimmy Connors
Extremely strong, effective, tenacious, and powerful political networks can be built when you fight losing battles as well as when you win.
Patricia Ireland
For myself, losing is not coming second. It’s getting out of the water knowing you could have done better. For myself, I have won every race I’ve been in.
Ian Thorpe
I also think stress is related to control. When you’re in charge of your life, you tend to not care about losing control of things that don’t really matter like traffic jams.
Marilu Henner
I don’t gamble, because winning a hundred dollars doesn’t give me great pleasure. But losing a hundred dollars pisses me off.
Alex Trebek
I have no fear of losing my life - if I have to save a koala or a crocodile or a kangaroo or a snake, mate, I will save it.
Steve Irwin
Beth
Greek Artwork brought to Colorful Life!
August 24, 2010 by admin · View Comments
A recent touring exhibition is turning a long held common belief on its head. The common perception is that the great statues and buildings of ancient Greece and Rome were all pure unpainted stone or green tarnished bronze, but researchers have been arguing that this may not been what these classic monuments really looked like back in the era of their creation.
That, in fact, these statue’s were quite alive and vibrant, full of color.
Researchers believe, particalurly Vinzenz Brinkmann who has been doing this research for the past 25 years, that artists used mineral and organic based colors and after centuries of deterioration any trace of pigment leftover when discovered, would have been taken off during any cleaning processes done before being put on display, washing the historical art clear of its true colors.
Beth
The Brooklyn Free Store
August 23, 2010 by admin · View Comments
The Brooklyn Free Store is exactly what it sounds like. The large white tent on Walworth Street houses a huge variety of items, along with a sign that says, “Take what you want. Share what you think others may enjoy (not limited to material items).”
Don’t go looking for anything in particular there: you’ll never find the same thing twice. Merchandise can range from canned vegetables to flashlights; books to fur coats. Along with taking what they like, visitors are encouraged to drop off items they no longer want. Because there is no need to hire a cashier, and no risk of theft, the store is never locked, and is open at all hours.
The store opened in early July, and is proving to be a smashing success, with customers coming in at all hours to sort through the collection and drop off their own donations. And, even though the Brooklyn Free Store is the first of its kind, it’s not likely to be the last.
“New York is world renowned for having the best garbage,” Myles Emery, an organizer of the store, told the New York Times. “There could be free stores everywhere.”
First New York—next, the world?
Source: Gimundo
Beth
Zoning Out - is it really that Bad?
August 20, 2010 by thegreenchildrenfoundation · View Comments
Most of us have heard that “TV is bad for you.” Perhaps because it disconnects us from ourselves - we “zone out.” During a particularly difficult period, I’ve come to honor that “zone out” time and don’t think it’s as detrimental as its often made out to be.
Going through a divorce is not for the weak at heart. Every day brings forth a new complication, a new dilemma. Here you are, trying to iron out major life decisions with a person who you innately have problems with! By the end of the day, I’m exhausted and drained.
So I’ve chosen a few TV programs that I watch in the evening. It’s my zone out time. But as an artist, it’s a zone out with some creative perks. Some programs offer me a chance to runaway to another time (such as The Tudors) or imagine myself in a strong, powerful position (such as Damages.) Others help me vent my frustrations (Breaking Bad) and others have simply educated me (Criminal Minds, Lie to Me.)
Sure, too much television is a bad thing. But for me, some of my programs have given me an opportunity to venture off into an imaginary world and take a break from my real life. Perhaps there’s a chance that some of the qualities I like in these televised characters enhances underserved parts of myself. Who knows?
But even if it doesn’t, that time out of mind feels good on an overworked, tired mind. I don’t overdue it - one show an evening. And I can’t help but feel some of these TV shows have become therapeutic - not the evil I’ve always heard they could be.
Beth
Positive Quotes Wednesday - Quotes on Loneliness
August 18, 2010 by thegreenchildrenfoundation · View Comments
No one would choose a friendless existence on condition of having all the other things in the world.
No my friend, darkness is not everywhere, for here and there I find faces illuminated from within; paper lanterns among the dark trees.
To dare to live alone is the rarest courage; since there are many who had rather meet their bitterest enemy in the field, than their own hearts in their closet.
Pray that your loneliness may spur you into finding something to live for, great enough to die for.
There is no greater sorrow than to recall in misery the time when we were happy.
- Dante
We’re all lonely for something we don’t know we’re lonely for. How else to explain the curious feeling that goes around feeling like missing somebody we’ve never even met?
The most I ever did for you was to outlive you. But that is much.
The end comes when we no longer talk with ourselves. It is the end of genuine thinking and the beginning of the final loneliness. The remarkable thing is that the cessation of the inner dialogue marks also the end of our concern with the world around us. It is as if we noted the world and think about it only when we have to report it to ourselves.
With some people solitariness is an escape not from others but from themselves. For they see in the eyes of others only a reflection of themselves.
It is loneliness that makes the loudest noise. This is true of men as of dogs.
I know the night is not the same as the day: that all things are different, that the things of the night cannot be explained in the day, because they do not then exist, and the night can be a dreadful time for lonely people once their loneliness has started.
- Ernest Hemingway, “A Farewell To Arms” ( $ ) ( ? )
“Don’t you want to join us?” I was recently asked by an acquaintance when he ran across me alone after midnight in a coffeehouse that was already almost deserted. “No, I don’t,” I said.
Ships that pass in the night, and speak each other in passing, Only a signal shown, and a distant voice in the darkness; So on the ocean of life, we pass and speak one another, Only a look and a voice, then darkness again and a silence.
Theres nothing terribly wrong with feeling lost, so long as that feeling precedes some plan on your part to actually do something about it. Too often a person grows complacent with their disillusionment, perpetually wearing their “discomfort” like a favorite shirt.
Oh, sweet sorrow, the time you borrow, will you be here when i wake up tomorrow?
Loneliness the clearest of crystal insight into your own soul, its the fear of one’s own self that haunts the lonely.
What should young people do with their lives today? Many things, obviously. But the most daring thing is to create stable communities in which the terrible disease of loneliness can be cured.
If you are alone you belong entirely to yourself….If you are accompanied by even one companion you belong only half to yourself, or even less, in proportion to the thoughtlessness of his conduct; and if you have more than one companion you will fall more deeply into the same plight
The loneliest it gets is when the wind begins to chill and when I sit atop of your old street, the church top brings a still ness to me, there’s nothingI would rather do, than have my heart broken by you.
- Lifetime
Life dies inside a person when there are no others willing to be-friend him. He thus gets filled with emptiness and a non-existent sense of self-worth.
Music was my refuge. I could crawl into the spaces between the notes and curl my back to loneliness.
Beth
