In Honor of J.K. Rowling's birthday

Since it's J.K. Rowling's birthday and because she created a magical world through her Harry Potter, just for fun I thought I'd write a list of the things I'd do if I could magically become a character in a Harry Potter book.

*Be a witch and get a wand so I could do all sorts of things like do the make dinner, do dishes and get my clothes cleaned all in the space of 30 seconds.

*Learn how to ride a broom that actually flies- it just seems wicked fun!

*Go to Weasley's Wizard Wheezes- it seems like a most excellent store.

*Visit Honeyduke's sweet shop- I want to try a sugar quill.

*Go to see the Quidditch World Cup.

*Meet Hagrid- I can't help but love him!

*Get an owl and send funny messages to people with it!

*Take a Defense Against The Dark Arts class at Hogwarts- it's always good to be able to defend oneself!

*Fight off a Boggart- just so I can laugh in the face of fear.

*Go to a Hogwarts feast- they seem really fun!

A joke about a daiquiri

I happen to rather like virgin strawberry daiquiris so naturally I rather liked the joke below. Don't care if it's bad-I still thought it was funny!

A doctor worked on the tenth floor of an office building. In the building was a pub, where the doctor had a lemon daiquiri, every day at quitting time. The bartender's name was Dick.
One day Dick found out he didn't have any lemons and no time to get any. So he thought he would make up a hickory daiquiri instead and at the end of the day, the doctor would be too tired to notice.
The doctor sat down, took a sip and said "This isn't a lemon daiquiri, Dick!"...To which Dick replied, "No, it’s a hickory daiquiri, Doc!"

Source of joeke:  http://www.ajokeaday.com/ChisteDelDia.asp#ixzz390DKwZbZ

Does love need a reason?

"Do you have to have a reason for loving?" -Bridget Bardot

I think this is an interesting question. I do know that I love people and I find it interesting that when I think about that, I think about it in terms of  I love people because of something e.g. a reason. I suppose in that sense to me the "reason" I love people is because people are themselves and I like to think that everyone deserves to be loved. I do find that there are many reasons why I love people and I felt like writing down a few of the things I love most about people. Mainly, I love:

• That everyone has the ability to love and be loved.
• That people go out of their way to help someone else.
• That people making saving lives as some of their career goals.
• That people share love with each other and in doing so, they make love spread farther.
• That (at least I think) every language people speak has at least one word for "love."

 Even if love doesn't really need a reason, I still find many reasons to love people and I want to continue to do that. So, as always, I send my love to you.

I hope that there is always some sun in your life

"To love and be loved is to feel the sun from both sides."-David Viscott

I hope, wherever you are, that you know that you are very  much loved, by me and many others. I also hope that your life has many good (and sunny) days in it!

To my parents

It's Parents' Day! (A day established by President Clinton to recognize parents for raising children.) The fact that there is a Parents' Day makes me think of how I have so much to thank my parents' for. I'm really proud to be their daughter. Below is a short list of things for which I'm grateful to my parents. (If I wrote down everything I want to thank them for this blog post would go on for ages!) I'm thankful that:

• My parents always expected me to do my best. I think I worked harder and am more successful because of this. It means a great deal to me when they tell me that they're proud of me. 
• They never gave up on me.When they were told that I may not be educable they didn't stand for that. They saw to it that I did well in school and got all the way through college and a master's degree. If they hadn't done so, I probably wouldn't have been able to write this blog.
• They introduced me to new foods. I think that I'm a more adventurous eater because of their influence. (Although I have to admit I still hate peas!)
• My parents made a point of taking my siblings and I on trips to different countries. I've always liked traveling and learning about other cultures. We've had a lot of fun with that!
• My parents read books to all their kids before we went to bed.
• They gave me a love of music. There was/is always some sort of music playing in my house.
• They taught me that if I want to do something badly enough, then anything is possible.
• They always told me to keep a stiff upper lip.
• They taught me that life is short and I should enjoy every minute of it!
• They taught me that if all else fails read instructions....and make a cup of tea!

Most of all I'm grateful to my parents for helping me and my siblings to have a pretty happy childhood overall. I believe I'm a happier woman because of this. If I know anything I know that my parents love my siblings and me and that's what matters most to me!

Why not?

"You see things; and you say 'why'? But I dream things that never were; and I say 'why not?'-George Bernard Shaw

It's George Bernard Shaw's birthday. If it were possible for him to still be alive today. He'd be 158 years old. I really like this quote because I like thinking about how to make the things I dream about become realities. The more I think about them the less far off they seem and the more I come to believe in them, the more possible they become. Once one goal is reached, it means I can reach for more! Therein lies the beauty of dreams for me- there's always something  new to go all out for!

Movies outdoors!

I love how in summer they play movies outside. This evening I went with a friend to see the cartoon movie The Incredibles which was playing in a park by her house. It was really fun! I think what made it more fun was that there were a lot of little kids there. I feel like I know that a kids movie is good if kids can sit through it and laugh at it at the right moments. I remember watching another movie called Finding Neverland which is about J.M. Barrie-the man who wrote the play Peter Pan. The movie shows him testing out how good the play is by inviting a group of orphans to see the play for free alongside adults. The children seemed to really enjoy the play which is how Mr. Barrie knew it was a success. That's one thing I like about young kids is that they're so genuine and when they laugh everything seems funnier to me. They remind me to enjoy life more because there are so many things to enjoy!

A sweet little drummer boy....

I always liked seeing kids play musical instruments. My parents got me to take piano lessons, alas I didn't take to it but I took up singing instead. (I'm considering going back to learning piano too-just have to set my mind to it!) Anyway, I saw this adorable video today of a 3-year-old playing drums with an orchestra. I liked how the kid just looked so happy playing the drums and he clearly didn't want to stop for anything! I hope every kid has some sort of music in their life, whether it's playing an instrument or singing. I could go on and on about the virtues of kids learning music but it's all been said before. So I'll just say that to me, music makes life happier and more beautiful and I think every kid deserves to have happiness and beauty in their lives.

Poetry that empowers!

I've sought to inspire people but tonight I was inspired by a really wonderful group of men and women who read poetry as part of a poetry slam as an early celebration of the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act. The individuals at the poetry slam spoke about their feelings about experiences living with a disability and about why the ADA is so important and how more work still needs to be done to ensure that buildings, streets, services, and jobs are equally accessible to people with disabilities. One of my good friends- Colin Killick performed at the event and did an amazing job speaking about disability history and how having a disability had impacted his life. The message I took away from the event was that having a disability can be extremely motivating and in that sense it can be an asset rather than a deficit. After all, without having such experiences, the men and women I saw tonight might not have written such amazing poetry that everyone can enjoy. I know that their words made me want to continue to work to be a better person and to live empowered.

The event was held at the Institute for Human Centered Design. The organization's mission is to improve people's lives through experiencing art and design. It's an international organization and they hold events and lunch and learn sessions about art and design. If you're interested in learning more about them check out their website: http://humancentereddesign.org/.

I'm happy and I don't doubt it!

"When unhappy one doubts everything; when happy, one doubts nothing." -Joseph Roux

I know that when I feel happy the good things I want to do or goals I want to attain, that may once have seemed out of my reach, do seem more possible than before. I find the happier I feel the more I believe in myself and I can see more clearly that I can accomplish a lot and be proud of the things I've done that are good. There are so many things in life that aren't certain so to me, finding the one thing that can be certain-happiness, is refreshing. I really believe happiness is a certainty because it can be found virtually anywhere. It may diminish but it doesn't really go away. If I can find one happy thing about each day (whether it's that I have a good meal in my stomach, the sun is shining, I saw a flower growing, I have people that care about me, etc), then I know things really aren't so bad. Even when things have been difficult in my life, somehow I've always found happiness again and I've felt better in finding that happiness. As long as there is happiness to be found I can't doubt that things will ultimately be all right in the end.That's the beauty of life! To boost your mood (and because I can't resist the urge!) listen to the song below. My wish for you is that your life always has at least one happy thing in it!

There's so much to be happy about

I heard this song by Natasha Bedingfield called "Happy" (not to be confused with the most excellent song with the same by Pharrell Williams.) I just like the song's refrain that goes like this:

Got my dreams, got my life, got my love
Got my friends, got the sunshine above
Why am I making this hard on myself
When there's so many beautiful reasons I have to be happy?

When I think about all the things I have to be grateful for (a lovely family, good friends, my basic needs more than adequately met, and the fact that I can keep writing this blog) I can't help but feel happy. There are so many reasons to be happy and as long as I can keep at least some of them in my mind, I know that I can face whatever life throws at me and I can and will come out stronger. For me, life really is all about the happy!

My life is better because of everyone in it

I was just thinking about the song You Raise Me Up as I saw a really inspiring video with this man singing it on the UK's X Factor TV show a few years ago.  It made me think of how I'd like to help people feel uplifted and to believe in themselves and their abilities. It also made me think of how my life is better because of all the people that have touched my life in some way. I found that I learned something from each person-even if I may not have recognized it at the time. Each experience has contributed to my desire to be a better person and to help improve people's lives just as my life has been made better by so many people. It's one way I can thank these people, even if I don't think I can ever thank them all enough!

A text from my Mum

I got a text from my Mum yesterday asking if I was all right and that she missed me and wondered why I hadn't called when I was on the metro. (For whatever reason I end up calling my Mum typically on a train on my way home from work each day -I don't know why I talk to my parents specifically when I'm on the train but it's somehow become a habit.) Anyway, I rather like getting text messages or voice mail messages from my family. I can save them and although I always know my family loves me and I love them, it's nice to be able to have them on hand to listen to when I feel the need. I'm really glad someone invented text/voice mail messaging systems. To me each message from a friend or family member is like a gift. They are also yet another way I can send my love to people and feel all tech savvy while I'm at it!

Housewarming

I've just come back from a housewarming party as some of my friends just moved to a new apartment. I like the idea of housewarming parties.To me those parties are kind of like blessing to a house.I think homes should be warm places (although perhaps not too war in summer of course) with fun people around you. I know that I had a lovely time at the party this evening as there were so many great people there and food and music. It was a really nice way to make a start in a new place and I feel sure my friends' apartment will always be a happy place.

Live it up!

"There is only one success-to be able to spend your life in your own way."- Christopher  Morley

I like this quote because it makes me think about how I live my life in my own way. While I am law abiding and I listen to people's advice, I still find myself doing things my own way in the end. Even though doing things my way can sometimes be a bit more complicated than necessary, for the most part I've had fun! I feel like I've felt the happiest when I did things in my own time and in my own way. If there is some positive thing I wanted to do and someone told me I couldn't do it, telling me that just makes me want to do it more. I feel I've grown to really appreciate being somewhat feisty like that. I hope that you live life you're own way and that you live it to the fullest!

What I can do

I used to think about the things I wish I could do
Like make people well again who are sick
End world hunger and wars too
I was pretty idealistic to say the least
The thing of it is, I still am too

 However I know I can feed people's spirit
With the happiness I can give
And help people feel better through laughter because it's the best medicine there is
I'll also continue to ensure that my space on Earth is always at peace
And filled with all the love that I can put in it

Sometimes the world's problems seem so damn big
But on a basic level I've found there's always something I can do
Sometimes I find some good thing I do that seemed so small at one time
Can make a big difference to someone
And it just feels nice to know I can do something like that

There's so much I can do and so much I want to do
There are gifts I have that I can give and want to keep on giving
I want to do this because I care about people very much
Caring about people empowers me
And with that power, there's no limit to what I can do 

Myths and legends

Today (according to tradition) is St. Swithin's day which is a day named after the Saxon Bishop of Winchester UK. There's a poem that goes with the holiday basically saying that if it rains on St. Swithin's day it's going to rain for 40 days afterwards. (I guess people were really into floods back then.) Anyway, even if they're not so nice, I do like some myths and legends and I thought today was just as good a day as any to write about one of my favorite myths. The myth that I really like that my mum read to me as a child is the story of Cupid and Psyche. The story goes something like this:

Psyche was a beautiful woman who was the youngest of 3 daughters and her name was Psyche. Psyche was so beautiful that people stopped worshiping Venus, the goddess of love. Jealous, Venus asked  her son Cupid to hit Psyche with one of his arrows and make her fall in love with a  monster. When he went down to Earth to carry out his Mother's wishes and he saw Psyche, he dropped one of his arrows which hit him instead of Psyche. Instead of making her fall in love with a monster Cupid made it so that no man wanted to marry Psyche. Her parents went to visit an oracle to see what they could do to help Psyche. The oracle told them that Psyche had to marry a monster and that they had to take her up to a high mountain and leave her for the monster. (Why her parents actually followed these instructions I still don't understand)

Anyway, Psyche's parents left their daughter at the top of a mountain and there she was picked up by the wind which took her to a palace and that night Cupid came to her and without telling her who he was, he proceeded to tell her he loved her and she could have anything she wanted on the condition that she never try to see his face. Everything was just dandy until one of Psyche's sister came to visit and persuaded Psyche to wait until this mysterious being was asleep and then try and see his face with a candle. Psyche did this and upon realizing that her new live-in boyfriend was Cupid, she gasped and some of her candle's wax hit Cupid waking him up. Cupid, (being the rather temperamental type) got rather ticked off with Psyche for disobeying him. He went back up to Mount Olympus vowing never to see Psyche again. Devastated Psyche searched for Cupid and finally broke down and went to Venus asking for help. Venus made Psyche complete a bunch of really nasty tasks which I won't go into for the sake of time. However, the last task she asked Psyche to complete was to take a box to capture the beauty of the Queen of the Underworld to take back to Venus. Psyche is told not to open the box before she gets to Venus again. Of course Psyche does open said box and promptly falls down asleep. Cupid, finally coming to his senses stops his mother from tormenting Psyche further and makes Psyche a goddess and drum roll please... they live happily ever after. (Yay!)

The word psyche that we use today literally means " the human soul, mind, or spirit" and to me the message of Psyche's story (apart from avoiding angry goddesses and opening boxes when told not to) is that the heart and the mind are happiest when they're united in loving someone.

Bastille Day memory

As it's Bastille day, I thought I'd share how one year my family had a very authentic experience with this French national holiday. My family and I happened to be in France on Bastille day one year as my mum has some friends who we were visiting at the time. I remember that we were in Paris and they had  shut down the main street. They had this big tablecloth stretched out up and down the street and people just randomly sat down on it and had a picnic. There were street performers there and live music and everyone had a lovely time. I'm glad I got to witness that holiday because to me there's something nice about people being patriotic. I like holidays like that because it seems to bring people closer-literally in the case of that Bastille day. I never forgot it because everyone was so happy and that happiness was infectious. So to honor that day again, I say hooray for France (Vive la France)! Although I must say I am rather glad the revolution is long gone!

Life Rocks!

Do you ever just want to rock out (e.g. pull down your window shades and dance with abandon because no one is watching?) Ok maybe it's just me me but I've found that I'm surprisingly fond of rock music (or at least some of them). I see it as a celebration of how life rocks! Here are some songs I just like to plain rock out to!

• In love With a Girl -The White Stripes (listen here). I just can't help dancing when I hear it.
• Are You Gonna Be My Girl?-Jet-(listen here) I like the beat plus I wouldn't mind being his girl.
• Stairway to Heaven- Led Zepplin (listen here) Ok-so this isn't such a "jump up and down" song but it's nostalgic for me because it was the music playing first "slow dance" and listening to it makes me happy because I remember how dancing to it made me feel good inside.
• Dream On -Aerosmith (listen here) It inspires me. Plus, dreams are good things to have.
• Stay With Me-The Faces (listen here). Just because it's fun to dance to.

So now you know one more thing about me-I like to rock out with the best of them! 

In a comforatable bed

I love how I can snuggle down in my bed and feel warm and safe. It's comforting to know that I have something like that to come home to at the end of a long day. I hope everyone has a comfortable place to sleep each night. On a personal level, I find the better I sleep the more I am able to live happier than before. So now I'm going to snuggle down in my bed and sleep. I wish you all a very good (and hopefully comfortable night!

With humor I know I can get through anything

Through humor, you can soften some of the worst blows that life delivers. And once you find laughter, no matter how painful your situation might be, you can survive it. -Bill Cosby

It's Bill Cosby's birthday and I like this quote because I have found that laughter has gotten me through so many things. I've found that as long as I can laugh at something somehow I know things will be all right. Often the funny thing is small but it means a lot. Laughter is a sign of happiness, as long as I can hold on to that,  to me it's also a sign to me that things will get better.  So I make a point of laughing at some point each day and I'm happier for it. 

Genuinely

There are things that seem so simple
That I like just because they are themselves
I like water because it's wet and sun because it shines
I like music because of its sound and art for its beauty

Liking things for what they are shows me
That there's so many merits to being genuine
I like people just the way they are
As I think there's a lot of greatness in people too

Although I may change in appearance or in the things I learn
And although I may not always like the same things
There is one thing I will always know
That I want to be myself no matter what life throws

So I'm sitting here writing this down for posterity
Just because writing is part of who I am
Because through my words
I can send love to you from me genuinely!

Spread the love!

"Spread love everywhere you go. Let no one ever come to you without leaving happier."

Mother Teresa

Enough said!

Things that make me laugh like crazy

I love  laughing and I don't know what it is, but every time I hear/see the following things, I just can't stop laughing. I hope at least some of these things help you laugh/brighten your day as well!

When this trailer gets to the part after the bear starts to use mouthwash I can't help laughing all the way to the end of the trailer. Plus, it's what's given me this strange urge to ride down some stairs in a bathtub!

I actually had really fun times at camp growing up but this song does make me laugh.

I am up, UP, and AWAY!

The best things since sliced bread

Today in 1928 Sliced bread was sold for the first time by the Chillicothe Baking Company of Chillicothe, Missouri. It is described as the greatest forward step in the baking industry since bread was wrapped!"-historyorb.com.

Sometimes I've found myself describing something that I like as "the best thing since sliced bread" just because I'm extremely pleased that particular item got invented. Those things make my life so much better! So thanks to all inventors! Who knows, maybe one day I'll invent something to rival sliced bread too! For the heck of it, here's a short list of things I'm glad were invented!

• Public transportation- I couldn't get around without it!
• iPohones because they allow me to have music wherever I go and of course communicate with people.
• Ice cream- love it!
• Air conditioning/central heating. Being cool in summer is lovely! Also, as much as I can light a fire...eventually, I have to admit I'm a tad lazy when it comes to things like that- it's just nice to be warm and cozy without a lot of effort.
• Airplanes! With their help I can fly!
• Libraries/books- I love reading!
• Winter hats with ear flaps! I love hats that keep your ears warm!
• Baths/showers- I always feel better after taking a bath/shower-although I'm sadly lacking in a rubber ducky! (which coincidentally is another thing I'm glad was invented.)
• Art-it's just so beautiful and  since pictures are easy to buy it's nice to have something pretty to look at!
• Blogs-my life is better because of this blog!  

The purpose of life...

"The purpose of our lives is to be happy!" -Dalai Lama

It's the Dalai Lama's birthday today and I like his quote above very much. I don't think I'd mind being happy all the time. It's something to strive for! Maybe I wouldn't walk on cloud 9 all the time but just to feel good each day for extended periods of time sounds is a lovely feeling! From now on I think that's what I'll keep in mind after if happiness is the purpose of life then I want to live purposefully!

What I learned from watching sad movies-and yes this is a happy post

I just came back from seeing The Fault In Our Stars which is a very sad movie about people dying of cancer but it did get me thinking of how I can still find positive things about even sad stuff. I ended up watching the movie twice because the first time I watched it, all I could think about was how when I die someone better keep writing this blog for me (and believe me, I'd find out!) or I'd come back and write it as a happy ghost and carry on writing.  A little creepy I must admit but desperate times require desperate measures! Anyway, I felt that thought was so funny I had to restrain myself from laughing until the appropriate moment in the film when everyone else was laughing as there were some funny moments to balance out the sad. At the end of it I was the only one in the theater not crying.  Never fear though, the second time watching it I did cry (I felt the need to see it again to prove once and for all that I am in fact a sentimental human being!) All that aside, I've learned quite a bit from watching sad films, mostly that there are in fact some positive things I've learned from watching sad movies-consider the following:

• Crying induced by watching sad movies can be healthy. Case in point: from watching the movie I am Sam, (about a mentally challenged man who is trying to regain custody of his daughter) I found that as it tends to make me cry hard, I should watch that movie whenever I want to clean out my sinuses really well.
• Sad movies shouldn't be seen alone-if you watch it with someone else you can share a box of tissues during it and get ice cream and commiserate about it afterwards!
• Sad movies sometimes come out with rather profound quotes for thought. Example: in The Fault In Our Stars a character named Augustus says (after putting a cigarette in his mouth but not lighting it): "They don't kill you unless you light them. And I've never lit one. It's a metaphor, see: You put the killing thing right between your teeth, but you don't give it the power to do its killing. A metaphor."
• Sad movies can act as examples of how you can come out stronger after a really bad experience. Even if they are just stories, to me they still reinforce the idea that going through hard times can help make you stronger.
• If even people in the movies can get through nasty things than I can too! After all, if it's on the silver screen it must be true right? :)

Things I've done to declare my independence

Today is Independence Day in the US and to mark the occasion I'm writing about things I've done that have helped me to be a more independent person. I'm listing them here just because I want them all written down for posterity and because I want to!

• Went to college out of state- although it was suggested by my mother I do this just to reinforce to me that there is life outside of Michigan, I still see it as an independent decision to go out of state. 
• Got my ears pierced-again independent decision.
• Move to an apartment with people I didn't know. I made more friends that way!
• Gave hugs to random strangers on my birthdays.-it was just something I wanted to do so I did it!
• Started keeping this blog-it has been a very freeing experience as I can write what I want and I don't really mind what people think of it. 

I still have many independence-claiming things to do-haven't figured them all out yet but when I do, I'll do them. Even if it isn't a holiday for you, I hope that you have many ways to assert your uniqueness to the world! 

Everything seems more beautiful when someone says I love you

I was watching a rather sappy movie (just because sometimes I find it necessary to do so) and one of the things it reminded me of is how things in life (like the movies) seem so much more beautiful when someone says I love you. It's like a ray of sunshine into people's lives and you can see that in the way it makes people so happy.  It seems like their faces even shine. There's a lot of beauty in happiness. I think that feeling is contagious too as I know that when I'm around people who are that happy, I feel happier as well. So I send my love to you in the hope that that happiness can spreads!

The things we really love

"The things we truly love stay with us always, locked in our hearts as long as life remains." -Josephine Baker

I like this quote because it reminds me of how as long as people love each other they are connected and never have to be apart. For me at least, I know that the people I love are always with me in my heart. It's an idea that is a great comfort to me in times of need. To all those who read this, even though I may not know you personally, somehow I feel that you are in my heart as well. I write this blog I'd like nothing more than for you to be happy and since that idea is in my heart, you are as well.

Happy 36th Anniversary to my parents!

It's official my parents have been married for 36 years as of today! To me, one of the best things about my parents is that they've never stopped loving each other. In good times and bad they've been there for each other and have also been a strong support system me and my siblings. I'm really proud of them and I'm proud to be their daughter. My parents have always found ways to be happy and I know that my life is happier because of their influence. So I want to wish a very Happy Anniversary to my Mum and Dad as I know it's the start of many more happy days yet to come!