Tag Archives: small things in life

A Match Made in Heaven

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Like people might know, this blog is eager to share positive new and hope. Look at our page “Let us change the world” for more on the same. Hope you like this reblog from “Hope”, a girl who has a really interesting blog and thoughts.

 

Find the Good Friday: A Match Made In Heaven

Posted on August 2, 2013by 

I love a good romance or friendship story. My heart has a special connection with those  the world sees as disabled or handicapped. I love dogs, and stories of rescues. My Enos was on his way to the pound, a high kill pound when we rescued him.

So you can imagine the feeling in my heart as I read the story of Eve and Dillon this morning in the Huffington Post.

So sweet.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/08/01/marleys-mutts-eve-dillon_n_3685072.html?utm_hp_ref=good-news

9 ways to make someone really happy and connected to you

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Make People Happy: 9 Ways To Make Anybody Feel Insanely Special

Posted: 07/20/2013 10:20 am EDT  |  Updated: 07/20/2013 10:26 am EDT

Need to help out bummed-out friends, spouses, bosses, coworkers, neighbors, siblings, parents or plain old acquaintances? Columnist Leigh Newman weighs in.

1. Order Them The Thing They Love Without The Thing They Hate
They adore martinis but not the olive. They’re mad for olives but not the pimento. They long for flowers, but not baby’s breath. In all these cases, when you show up — or send over — the thing that they usually have to special order (or fix, by picking out the all-too-often-always-included unwanted additions), you’re effectively making what some people might call a little dream come true. (Other people, myself included, believe that there is no such thing as a little dream. Dreams are all one size — larger than life.)

2. Origami Them A Heart
Yes, it’s so easy as to be considered cheap, but it’s nonetheless effective. Also the fact that you spent three, 13 or 73 minutes folding and refolding such an object for them proves, even if the rest of the world blows, they still have somebody who’s willing to endure paper cuts to service someone else’s happiness.

3. Pre-Pay Their Ham-And-Cheese
Nobody wants to pay for lunch. This is why everybody plans to bring leftovers, but forgets to pack them and then silently yells at themselves as they hand over six or seven or eight or 10 (ow!) dollars for a sandwich that they could have made at home. On this day, however, you will have snuck into the corporate canteen, or the sandwich truck in the parking lot, and pre-paid for a ham-and-cheese, as well as shown the cashier a photo of your coworker who was dumped by his fiancée, so that when he approaches, castigating himself internally about how he can’t afford lunch since neither the wedding venue nor the caterer will refund his deposit, he can enjoy the delight of the cashier saying, “That’s taken care of, sir!” Variation: Slip the cashier two extra bucks and have her say, “That’s taken care of, you handsome, smart, sandwich-eating devil.”

4. Make Them A Coupon Book Of The Things Nobody Wants to Hear
We all have things we want to express that do not help us. Worse, while expressing them, we usually don’t want help from anybody else, either. We want to scream with rage without having anybody commiserate. We want to talk about how our parents’ divorce at 80 is all our fault and not have anybody dispute this with facts, figures or clearer memories. Further, we want to do all this without feeling guilty for boring and exhausting our listener (or for wasting our own time and energy because even we know that all the ranting and complaining does nothing to change the situation). So should your best friend have to declare bankruptcy on her birthday, make her a homemade coupon book that entitles her to redeem one shame-free whine fest, rage attack, long baroque episode of self-loathing as well as two or three “it’s not fair” wail-a-thons to you via the phone or in person. P.S.: Be sure to specify a timeframe on each coupon. P.P.S.: The timeframe is 20 minutes (max).

6. Buy Them Wisdom From A Hedgehog
Some very, very dark times there is only one phrase that can help: “Don’t give up.“ Perhaps you have already said this to the person in your life who is underwater. I have said it to many, many people. In fact, I have advocated for the use of a magnet that says it for me. But if you really want to drive the message home to cousin Doreen who got transferred to Dubai, five thousand miles away from her girlfriend, have a hedgehog say it — in a manner of speaking. Bonus: It only costs five bucks.

7. Get Them To The Jean Machine
http://pinterest.com/pin/141230138287455018/Machines can’t fix the world. But they can make it more pleasant, despite the cat that ran away or the tax-audit letter that arrived. Which is why you must take your down-and-out friend directly to the Me-ality scanner at your local mall or department store and shove them inside. In 10 seconds, the device will scan their body and spit out the name of a jean that will fit perfectly. How bad can life be once too-tight, too-baggy and too-depressing denim has been banished from you life?

8. Dump Affection On Their Head
Make them a big bag of confetti using a hole punch and colored construction paper. On each dot, write a quality of theirs that you admire: Generosity. Humor. Very Straight Nose. Never Stinks. Smiles at Dogs. If you need to write longer comments such as Always Shares French Fries or Can Be Trusted With Secrets, you can just cut out bigger circles (trace a quarter) and mix them in with others. Pour confetti into pillow case. Show up at their house. Dump on their head. Wait for a minute, as they process what you are doing, which eventually will cycle from surprised… to annoyed… to grateful.

9. Call Them Up And Say, “I Have Nothing Important To Discuss, But I Just Wanted To Hear How You Are Doing.”
As with most things, it’s the simple but believable gestures of support that work every time — no fireworks, jelly beans or cartwheels needed.

Leigh Newman is the deputy editor of Oprah.com and the author of Still Points North: One Alaskan Childhood, One Grown up World, One Long Journey Home.

Ways to help others and yourself Part 1.

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It can be very annoying when people talk about doing something good for others, because sometimes we know that it`s good, but just not WHAT to do. So, what about making a list over small things one can do for others ? Feel free to supplement this list. More parts are coming later

1. This girl donates her hair for people with cancer.

In the next few weeks, I will cut off 8-12 inches of my hair and donate it to Pantene Beautiful Lengths. This is an amazing cause where women grow strong, together. Check back for pictures by summer’s end. I originally donated my hair to honor CMD who was diagnosed with spinal cancer when I was in high school. This will be my third time donating to Pantene Beautiful Lengths and it is my way of changing someone’s life, for the better. At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter how much hair I have or how I look without it. What matters is that someone is benefiting from the wig that my hair contributed to and feeling beautiful again (http://jhemway.wordpress.com/2013/07/01/10-change-someones-life-for-the-better/).@

write a donate organ card! Or donate blood

Stories about people saved by organ donation:

  • A little six-year-old boy regained his eyesight and an ex-fireman has a younger and healthy heart.
  • I have corresponded by mail and e-mail with the 37-year-old man who has one of James’ kidneys.  I hope someday we can meet each other, but right now we live too far away to do that.
  • Last year at the annual Giving and Living Celebration at the Southwest Transplant Alliance, we met a woman who was 47 and near death when she received James’ liver and other kidney.  She told me when she was in her coma for over two months, she felt like she was on a ship in the middle of an ocean alone.  She could hear people talking but they were far away.  How can I adequately describe the feeling when we met?  She was like meeting a long lost relative that I had never met before. It was wonderful and overwhelming.  She is a precious lady who has had to battle with a tremendous amount of physical problems and has a young child at home.

 Small Changes Which Can Make a Big Difference

small changes
Photo by Shermeee

 Set Your Alarm Half an Hour Earlier

The next tips by Ali Hale

There’s never enough time in the day – especially when you want to start something new. Maybe you’d love to write a novel, take up exercise, or have time to pray or meditate.

simply setting your alarm half an hour earlier? An extra 30 minutes in the morning, before you go out to work, could make all the difference. Write a plan about how you can do something good for someone that day. If 30 minutes is to rough, get up 15 min. before

One of the simplest tricks for drinking more water is to keep a bottle of it on your desk. It’s easy to take a swig regularly if you’ve got water in arm’s reach – and if you keep the cap on the bottle, there’s no chance of a spillage.

Hide the Television Remote (and Keep a Book by the Couch)

reading a book on the couch
Photo by Helga Weber

There’s nothing wrong with watching television. But for many of us, the TV becomes a default activity. It’s all too easy to come home, slump on the couch, and reach straight for the remote without even thinking. Increasing knowledge really can help you become more aware and conscious, which in return will make you more able to think for yourself

If that’s a habit you’re trying to break, put the remote somewhere else. Hide it in a cupboard or on a high shelf. That way, you’ll have to make a real decision to watch television.

You can go even further with this by putting a book that you want to read, or something else you want to get on with, next to the couch.

1. Say “Good morning” to a person standing next to you in the elevator.
2. Put a coin in an expired meter.
3. Help a mother carry her baby stroller up the subway stairs, or hold a door open for her. Read more: http://www.oprah.com/spirit/35-Little-Acts-of-Kindness#ixzz2XoULqvjz
4. Pay the toll for the driver behind you.

5. Vote. While the Presidential election comes around only once every four years, elections happen every year. Check out the candidates for local and state elections.

6. Encourage your employer to sponsor local events, join a civic organization or allow employees to volunteer during work hours. Many businesses have volunteer programs to reward employees for volunteering. Local news

 Switch Your Light Bulbs for Energy-Saving Ones

Suffering eco-guilt? A lot of us want to do our bit for the planet – but we don’t know where to start. One of the simplest steps is to switch all your standard light bulbs for energy-saving ones. It’s not only much better for the environment, it’ll also save you money on your electric bill.

Be a good example!

(http://www.thechangeblog.com/gratitude)  Last year millions of people took the challenge proposed by Will Bowen, a Kansas City minister, to go 21 days without complaining, criticizing, or gossiping. To help condition the participants to stop complaining, they each wore a purple No-Complaint wristband. Several authors in the self-improvement genre have suggested that people do something similar to help condition themselves to be constantly aware of the things in life that they’re grateful for.