Useless Knowledge

"There is much pleasure to be gained from useless knowledge." Bertrand RussellRead more at: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes_of_the_day.html

Useless facts really are fun. In that sense maybe they really aren't that useless. Anything that brings enjoyment definitely has a purpose! To that end here are some useless facts for today:

1. All polar bears are left handed. 
2. Elephants use the folds of their skin on their backs to kill mosquitos (If only humans could do that!)
3. If too many pistachios are shipped in one container they will heat themselves and spontaneously blow up! (I don't know how many pistachios is too many but I'd be amused to see them blow up-provided it's in a controlled setting of course!)
4. "Stewardesses" is the longest word typed with only the left hand.
5. Shakespeare invented the word "assassination" and "bump."

These facts came from: http://www.viralnova.com/useless-facts/

http://blablablablabla.com/facts/

Memorial Day

Benny Goodman was born today in 1909, why do I associate him with Memorial Day? Because he was famous during World War II and my grandfather fought in World War II in the air force. My grandfather was shot down twice over  the Pacific and survived. He went on to run a business and became a father to 8 kids with my grandmother. Anyway, when I think of that somehow it makes me think of Sing Sing Sing (With a Swing)  because it was a song that was played during the war and plus I think he had a lot of swing. 

Fun image involving a hug-see if you can figure it out

If you know me you know that I love hugs, it doesn't matter if it's an actual hug, sign about a hug, or a picture of an actual hug. Thus, naturally, I was taken by this picture of two people hugging which is an optical illusion. See if you can figure it out. The explanation for the picture can be found by following this link: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/this-hug-optical-illusion-is-going-to-make-your-brain-melt_us_574857d9e4b0dacf7ad4a3bd?utm_hp_ref=good-news.

A fun concert

I just got back from a lovely concert where my friends Sofia and Mara played flute and guitar respectively at a local retirement center. It was really a lot of fund and Sofia and Mara were able to engage the audience by passing out egg shakers (plastic eggs with rice inside) and scarves that people could wave if they wanted. Sofia and Mara played their instruments beautifully and it was so nice to see how happy the residents were to see Sofia and Mara play. One of the women watching the performance was from Nigeria and she started singing a song that she sang when she was a young girl in Nigeria. It was a lot of fun. I like seeing people so happy and I like spending time with people who are elderly just because I learn so much for them. I feel like they really are just a bunch of young people that have been around for a while. Sofia and Mara gave this concert as part of an organization they started together called MusiCaresforChange. The organization works to to provide unique educational, healing, Interactive and supportive performances. MusiCaresForChange establishes a new perspective of music and life for different audiences. For more information on MusiCaresForChange go to their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/Musicaresforchange-207371632762284/.

A cheerful song for a Friday!

I felt like I should end this workweek with a smile and I heard this song earlier in the week as part of a commercial accompanied by an old fashioned cartoon. It really did make me feel happy.  I hope you all had a good week and that you had reason to smile at some point during it!

Something sassy

Just because I'm feeling sassy today it got me thinking about the song "Fever" as sung by Peggy Lee. She was born today in 1920 and so I thought it was fitting that I'd share her singing the song in this post. I hope that everyone has a little passion in their lives. Life is just that much more fun with a little sizzle in it!

People have a friend in me

"There are no strangers here; Only friends you haven't yet met."- William Butler Yeats
Read more at: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/w/williambut383082.html

What I think I'd like most in this world is for people to feel like they have a friend in me. I've always liked meeting new people and I've always believed that everyone deserves to have friends. It's true that I may not agree with everything people say and/or do but I still care about people on a basic level. I like seeing people happy and whenever and wherever I can, I like playing a part in bringing about that happiness. It gives me a purpose and something to strive for. I am blessed to have many friends whom I care for very deeply and I feel as though I can't thank them enough for how they have enriched my life. I plan to continue to meet and hopefully befriend many more people in life and if I can play a role in helping them find happiness, then I know my life will be well lived. 

The perks of being pleasant

"Be pleasant until ten o'clock in the morning and the rest of the day will take care of itself. " -Elbert Hubbard
Read more at: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes_of_the_day.html

This quote made me think about the perks of being pleasant to one's fellow humans Here are just a few of them:

If you are pleasant:

• People typically are nice back.
• You most likely have close friends who you can trust and who trust you.
• Your friends randomly buy you coffee/tea/something nice because they like you (and know that you'd do the same for them.)
• If when you go away for a bit or alter your routine and stop going somewhere for a while, people tell you they missed you and are glad when you come bac.
• People pay you complements.
• You get invited out to do things with other people.
• You have more reasons to laugh  and smile  (and more people laugh with you and smile back.)
• People are more likely to hug you.
• You help others feel happier.
• You give others a reason to smile.
• Life is more fun!

I like being pleasant because for me it really is the only way to be or at the very least strive to be. 

Happiness in wanting what I get

"Success is getting what you want. Happiness is wanting what you get." Dale Carnegie
Read more at: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes_of_the_day.html

I'm all for achieving goals and I have found that I feel that even if the goals I have weren't exactly reached in quite the way I meant them to be, I do feel successful. I think the things that I have are things that I really wanted most and love most now. This isn't to say I don't want to hope for better things to come, it's just that  I'm happy knowing that whatever happens, things do come out all right in the end, which is why I know I'll be happy with what I get. In the end, the things I get are ultimately what I'm meant to have. If I could give something to everyone, I'd give that sense of happiness to them, just because it's a lovely feeling to have. 

Hooray for a Busy Saturday!

Today was a really good day. I participated in a walk fundraiser for the Epilepsy Foundation which went really well and I also sang with the chorus I'm part of called Harbor Lights chorus which is a barber shop style band.  I think we sounded pretty good, if I do say (or rather sing) so myself.  I find that even though I'm a bit on the tired side now, I do like being busy if I'm doing something good for someone else and/or doing something I really enjoy. In that sense, I feel a good sense of tiredness. When I feel that my day has been fulfilling then I can go to bed knowing I did something good that day. My hope is that if people have to feel tired, that at least sometimes, they too can feel like they've done something good.  It's a lovely feeling to have!

Walk for the Epilepsy Foundation New England tomorrow!

The annual walk for the Epilepsy Foundation New England is tomorrow (5/21) and I'm super excited about it!! The walk will officially start at 10 AM but registration begins at 8:30 AM. The walk will take place at the Hallet Street Entrance of Pope John Paul II Park Dorchester, MA 02124. As I mentioned in a previous post, Epilepsy Foundation New England is an organization that is very close to my heart. Their programs like art therapy, support groups, and job readiness training have helped so many people, myself included. Being involved with the Foundation has been a very happy experience for me. I think the most important thing that they've done for me is provide me with a community of people who are so wonderful and supportive. Having a medical condition can be very isolating experience. So it's been very comforting to know that I'm not alone and that I can share my experiences with other people and feel safe doing so. For these reasons and many others (too many to write in one blog post), if you're in the Boston area I hope that you will come and join me at the walk.

As a further incentive to come, there will be great food, music, and face painting. (In addition to a lot of fun people you can hang out with!) Hope to see you there!

(If you can't come to the walk in person but would still like to support the Epilepsy Foundation New England it would mean a great deal to me if you could sponsor me for the walk by following this link: https://www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/maggie-sheets/BostonWalk2016.

Thank you very much for your support!

 

Hug Therapy!

I always knew that hugs were therapeutic and now there's a group that exists to show how healing hugs can be. The group is appropriately named "Hug Therapy" and exists to use hugs to help people become healthier. Apparently hugging someone for 20 seconds helps them develop a hormone called oxytocin which can decrease anxiety and increases empathy. Hug Therapy is holding an event in Cambridge, MA where people will give/receive hugs. All I can say is there's nothing like a good hug!

Logic of hope

"Hope is independent of the apparatus of logic."-Norman Cousins
Read more at: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes_of_the_day.html

I know I usually go on about how I agree with certain quotes famous people have said in the past. However, in this instance I have to disagree with this quote. I think that in many instances hope is the only logical thing to do. I've found time and again that as long as I have hope then things make sense and I can somehow see that there is a way to go forward. As much as I've sometimes felt like giving up, I did find hope somewhere in me and having that hope kept me going. It seems to be the most logical thing to have in that sense.  I know that if I have nothing else, I have hope and to me, that's something worth celebrating!

Help! Sponsor Maggie!

The Epilepsy Foundation New England is having its annual Walk for Epilepsy this Saturday (5/21) and I am writing to support their cause. The Foundation has done so much for so many people, myself included. Their programs like art therapy and support groups, among other activities. I'm going to participate in the walk has helped me in so many ways. In that sense I think, looking back being diagnosed with epilepsy has been a blessing in disguise because it help connect me with so many wonderful people. I don't think I can thank the Foundation enough for all they do.

If you have a few dollars to spare and could sponsor me to support a cause for which I care deeply, I'd very much appreciate it! To sponsor me, follow this link: https://www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/maggie-sheets/BostonWalk2016 


Thanks so much in advance for your help!

A wonderful wedding

I just got back from a lovely wedding where my good friend Amanda got married to an awesome man named Glenn. The wedding was by a lake in Mount Dora, Florida and it was really beautiful. I liked how the couple had a close friend officiate the wedding and because the bride is originally from Brazil part of the ceremony was in Portuguese. I like weddings that include so many aspects of people's lives, things that made them feel happiest. I also like that weddings always include dancing. If ever there's an event where people should dance, it's a wedding.  Although I know Amanda more than I know Glenn, I can tell that they both complement each other well. They are both energetic, fun, and full of life and I think their happiness touches so many other lives. So I want to take this opportunity to wish both of them every imaginable happiness!

Just another example of how kids are wicked smart!

I had to share this clip of this little girl who is wicked smart. As Sunday always feels like homework day to me (even if I'm not in school anymore), I felt this clip was appropriate. She's too cute.

Things I learned from Facebook

It's Mark Zukerberg's birthday today and as he's the founder of Facebook it got me thinking about all the things I've learned from using Facebook:

• Of course you're not completely friends with someone until you're friends on Facebook. (That makes it official!)
• If you really feel something strongly and just want to tell the whole wold about it-Facebook is a convenient soapbox.
• If you want to have an event you can "rent a crowd" (e.g. invite everyone you've ever met in your life) to said event via Facebook.
• If you have pictures that are so good they just have to be shown to the whole world, post on Facebook!
• You know you spend too much time on Facebook when you write posts on your wall about every detail of your day, you actually like getting "poked" you play every game you can possibly play on Facebook, and Facebook chat is your main mode of communication!

Loving someone always

The singer Stevie Wonder was born today in 1950 and I'm reminded of his song "As" because my one of my good friends is getting married this weekend. The song "As" is all about loving someone very much and somehow I know my friend and her now husband will love each other always. I dedicate this song to them and wish them every imaginable happiness!

Never did I think I....

Today for whatever reason I started thinking of all the things I've done that I thought I wouldn't do, including:

• Riding a bike 500 miles. I like riding a bike, I just didn't think I"d ever ride that far...until I did it. I went on an Outward Bound trip with a group from my local YMCA when I was in middle school. I biked around Michigan and it took about 2 weeks to do it. It was actually  a lot of fun and something I'm really glad I did.
• Getting published. I've contributed to, edited, and written articles and papers throughout my work experience. My hope is that they help someone do further studies. I've always liked helping people. Some day I'd like to write a book. I think that would be really cool. 
• Moving away from Michigan. When I was younger I really loved being home and with my family because I always knew that I was protected, safe and loved. However, I'm glad that they influenced me to go out of state to school. It made me see that I could do really well on my own. It helped me grow up.
• Get laid off from a job. Although I didn't see it as a positive thing at first, I'm glad it happened because looking back now, I'm in a much happier position and although I miss the people I used to work with, if I hadn't left that former job, I wouldn't be in the job I very much enjoy now. It was a blessing in disguise. 
• Writing a blog. It's been a really wonderful experience and I'm glad its something I can keep doing. Writing something positive each day has really helped me. I always feel better after writing a post.

What I learned from all this is that I never know what I can do until I do something.  It's helped me see that my life is an adventure and I can't afford not to live it up! 

The language of friendship

"The language of friendship is not words but meanings. Henry David Thoreau
Read more at: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes_of_the_day.html

I'm very lucky to have really lovely friends. I think Thoreau was right about meanings. For example, my roommate and I have inside jokes and when we say certain phrases to each other we burst out laughing.   It's the meaning that counts. To us those phrases mean laughter and happiness which seem to serve to make so many situations a bit better. Friends make situations so much better in general, everything is more fun with them. Like the days when I managed to gather some friends together to give hugs to random people, they were willing to do that with me and that meant a great deal to me. All I know is my friends mean so much to me. I'm happy when I see them happy. I love them all so very much.

One Love

It's the singer Bono's birthday today and I love the song he sang with his group U2 called "One" and I just think its really beautiful. To me it's all about love and how people each other get through things that are difficult. There's an especially nice version with Mary J. Blige that I like because it's soulful and somehow it makes me feel good inside.  I feel like love does make us one with each other!

It's lovely to be who you are

It's the singer Billy Joel's birthday today and it reminded me of this song he sang called Just the Way You Are. I don't care how corny it might be. I just think it's lovely to be oneself and to be happy that way. If I could give one thing to everyone it would be to help them feel really good about themselves.  Although I think learning and growing is important I still feel people are great for being themselves. It is the way to be!

Why I'm lucky to have a lovely Mum

I'm lucky that I have a lovely Mum. I say she's a lovely Mum and that I'm lucky in that she's done so much and worked really hard to help make sure that her whole family is taken care of.  When my siblings and I were in school she'd go out of her way to learn as much as she could about what we were studying in school so she could help us.  She and my Dad would go to every performance, sports event, award ceremony we had. She's always been there when someone was/is in need and she's always been a very good listener in times of need.  Plus, she's always been there when we really needed someone even if it meant traveling thousands of miles to be there, my siblings and I knew if something happened to us, she'd be there. Since we live far away from each other now, I look forward to talking with her on the phone and even if we don't have a lot to talk about, I always find I feel better after talking with her.  Most of all I think my Mum is lovely because she's my Mum and I love her very much!

Beautiful music for a Saturday (just because I feel like it.)

The composer Pyotr Ilych Tchaikovsky was born today in 1840. In thinking about him I can't help thinking about a woman I once knew named Mrs. Carter who even if she was old in years she was always young at heart. When I was a college student I used to go to her house to read to her because she was legally blind. Really though we spent more time talking than reading, I think she just wanted the company. She was a lot of fun to be with so I quite liked her company too, so it worked out well.  Anyway, she liked classical music and the ballet and because she could see a little bit if she sat as close to the stage as possible she invited me to with her to see a performance of the ballet Sleeping Beauty. So we went to the Kennedy Center in DC and watched this beautiful performance of Sleeping Beauty and it was really fun. Mrs. Carter died a few years ago now but somehow whenever I listen to music from the Sleeping Beauty ballet I think of her. It's funny how things like music are able to remind me of people. I've always felt that people I care about are always with me, if not in body than in spirit and music symbolizes that for me. I dedicate this post to Mrs. Carter and all people who love music and art.

A hoodie that helps people hug more!

I saw this article about a new hoodie that is part of a clothing brand called Chukcha. This special hoodie has pockets in the front and back so you can have an even cozier hug.  It was funny because today when I was on the bus coming home from work, before I read the article  I was thinking about how I like giving and receiving hugs. I know that when I'm giving or receiving I somehow feel certain that nothing bad can happen during the time it takes to hug people. So far I haven't been proven wrong about that and it's a lovely feeling. Now hugs are that much cozier because of these new clothes. Apparently the hoodies won't come out until June, 2016 but if you're interested in getting one, keep following their website: http://togetherwear.co. Spread the hugs!

Photo from: http://tinyurl.com/zadt6gy

Celebrating!

I celebrate today because it's today
I celebrate tomorrow because it's coming!
I celebrate the now because it's here!

I want to celebrate each day from now on
Because celebrating is fun
Even if that day doesn't feel like the best one
(That's when you have to celebrate most-to cheer up!)

Each day is worth celebrating
Because life can be really good
And even if I didn't always see it that way
I see that now somehow

Not just because things are going well
But because I know how far I've come
And how far I still have to go
So why not celebrate while I'm going?!
SO YAY!!!!

Babies laugh in the best way!

I saw this clip of babies laughing and it really brightened my day. Laughter really is the best medicine, especially when babies are the ones making you laugh! 

Just a thought for the day...

I was thinking today about how nice people can be even to complete strangers. What made me think of it was some comments on Youtube videos I've seen. Here are a few of the most positive and kind ones I've read. (Disclaimer: I did not post any of the comments below.)

• From a post "Sleeping At Last-I'll Keep You Safe": "Hello person who is reading this, i hope you have a great life, keep smiling and never give up even if your depressed don't worry, life is like a game your age is your level and you go up every year and you have to survive and not get in accidents or get injured. Just have a wonderful day and hope you the very best. Much Love" 
• Posting on the video for "Keep Holding On" by Avril Lavigne- "Keep holding on to your dreams and don't be afraid." 
• Posting on the video "F***in' Perfect (clean): "It is okay to be yourself. It is okay to be 'different'. It is okay to be an individual. There is no real 'perfect'. If you love yourself, you are perfect the way you are."

These quotes show how great people can be to each other. These individuals didn't know exactly who would read their messages, they just wanted to send a bit of cheer out into the world in the hope it reaches someone in need. All I have to say is people rock and keep spreading the love everyone!

Just so even God can hear I'm happy

I hope that at some point in their lives (hopefully many points actually) people can feel so happy they feel like shouting! All I know is that for whatever reason when I'm really happy I shout "OH MY GOD!" and in my head I imagine I'm just shouting so even God can know how happy I feel.  Some OH MY GOD shouting moments include:

• When my boss and a coworker chipped in to give me a t-shirt and bandaids with Minions on them. (They know me too well-that I love Minions and I can be accident prone.)
• When I found out one of my really good friends got engaged.
• When I'm going home and I get to see my family after getting off the plane.
• When I got into a mentorship program and learned I was going to be a mentor.
• When a friend randomly calls just to say hello. 

So here's to OH MY GOD moments!

Thriving women!

I just got back from a conference with some amazing women. It was called the THRIVE conference and it's the kickoff event for a mentoring program that I'm part of, where women with disabilities mentor younger women and girls with disabilities. I'm paired with an awesome young woman and I think we'll have a great time. The conference was a really wonderful way to start the program, we all met up at a hotel and listened to motivational speakers talk about different topics relating to things that effect women with disabilities (employment, what it's like to be a mom with a disability, dating, etc.) We also played Family Feud and decorated giant letters to form the word "Empowerment." It was really fun! Plus, I was able to get to know the woman I'm mentoring and to learn more about what she and I hoped to gain from the program. I'm glad this program exists because I have a disability and when I was younger such a program didn't exist where I grew up. So I'm glad I can do this for someone else. I was a mentor through this program before and very much enjoyed the experience. I learn a lot from being a mentor, the women I've met with always made me want to be a better person so that I can be a better mentor for them. Being a mentor is something I hope more people do. Being part of the program makes me feel happy in any case. If you're a young woman living in Massachusetts and would like to participate in the THRIVE mentoring program next year please follow this link:  http://www.easterseals.com/thrive/.