Halloween Fun

My office version of Halloween-you can't take the kid out of the worker clearly!

Pieces of Heaven

"On earth there is no heaven but there are pieces of it."-Jules Renard

To me, a piece of heaven is some place where one feels happiest as well as the things and people in your life that make you feel happiest. Below are some pieces of heaven to me.

• My friends and family because I don't know where I'd be without them.
• The house where I grew up in Michigan because I always feel like I truly belonged there.
• Melrose Massachusetts because I really like living here.  
• This blog just because every time I write a post I feel happier.
• Giving and receiving hugs.  I always feel safest when I'm giving or receiving a hug because I somehow am certain that when I am giving or receiving a hug, nothing bad can happen and so far whether it's to do with luck or something else, I've never been proven wrong.
• My job. I really like the idea that I'm doing something good for someone else. I really enjoy research which is something I do most frequently on the job. Plus, I love the people I work with and that makes all the difference. 
•  Mangoes, trail mix and egg rolls (not all together of course because that would be gross) -they make me feel good. 

I hope everyone has things in their lives that are little bits of heaven for them because I think people deserve to have things in their lives that are really good. Those are things that make life worth living.

Happiness is....

"Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony."-Mahatma Ghandi
Read more at: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/m/mahatmagan105593.html

That's why I always liked music, there's always harmony in it! Here's a piece of music for today with lots of harmony in it. 

Happy Friday!

I hope everyone has a lovely Friday!!!! I wish everyone the very best! Celebrate! It's the weekend! Celebrate like a Minion!

A nice gift in the form of a sandwich holder

My good friend surprised me today by leaving a surprise for me on my desk at work, a Minion-themed sandwich holder! Not only that, she'd filled it with Kit Kat bars and Reese's Peanut Butter cups  as she knows I like them. (It's nice to have a box of candy, not because I want to eat it all at once, somehow I just like the idea that I can have them for a while -if I use restraint, maybe for a month or two. Then if I only eat one piece of chocolate every once in a while,  eating it feels like something special.) Anyway, It made me feel so happy just to see the box today! I love my friends so very much, they really are awesome people.

Just because I love dogs and babies

I must say that I love dogs and babies and so this video made me feel really good today.  Happy Wednesday!

Roar

Roaring

I think everyone should roar.
Find something you're really passionate about and roar it.
Roar when you're really happy and you want the world to know
Roar when you're sad or angry and you just want to get the feeling out

Roar and make some noise. Let people know you're there
Because you matter probably to more people than you'll ever know
And every voice deserves to be heard
If you have something to say, there's always someone who wants to know

So roar and roar loud
Because it's worth making noise in times of need
Although it's ok to be silent sometimes
Sometimes roaring is just more fun.

Sending lots of love to all

I wish everyone a happy Monday and send you all lots of love!

The lovely thing about a smile...

"A warm smile is the universal language of kindness. William Arthur Ward
Read more at: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/w/williamart190443.html

I always feel better when I smile. No matter what might be happening in my life, no matter what might be happening in the world in general, as long as I can smile, I have a strange sense of certainty that I can get through whatever comes. I find there are so many things that I can never be quite certain about but one thing I've always been certain of is that as long as I can be happy about something things are going to be ok. It's a very comforting thought. So today and every day I hope you can find a reason to smile. 

Girl's day out

I had a lovely day out today when my good friend and her daughter and I went out to lunch and then got our hair cut and got hot chocolate to drink afterwards. It was really lovely to do all that together. I hope everyone has a day where they just pamper themselves. It doesn't necessarily have to be getting one's hair cut (although that's fun), I just like the idea of doing something at least once a week that makes people feel really happy.  Just because it's nice to feel really good that way!

Smiling in the face of adversity

I saw this wonderful clip of a premature baby smiling. It just made me feel really happy because I know that premature babies have rather a hard time of it, even if they may not recognize it. Despite all that, this baby just keeps smiling. I really can't think of any better way to deal with things than to smile at least once a day. Anyway,  a reason to smile today is the clip below just because it's super cute!

Any Other Name

The composer Thomas Newman was born today in 1955. He usually does music for movie soundtracks. One song he composed called "Any Other Name" and when I listen to it I feel at peace. It doesn't matter what might be happening around me, somehow when I hear that music I can focus on it and feel good inside.  I hope everyone has something in their lives that gives them a sense of peace,  even if it's only for a moment. Life is made up of moments so a moment of peace to me makes my life just that much better!

Funny quote for the day

"I like nonsense; it wakes up the brain cells." Dr. Seuss
Read more at: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/d/dr_seuss.html

Life is more fun with nonsense in it and that's all I have to say today!

Sometimes Dancing Is The Best Medicine

Sometimes I think dancing really is the best medicine. Apparently a series of hospitals in California think so as well because they're now giving free dance classes to their pediatric patients. I know that I always feel particularly free and happy when I'm dancing. When I'm dancing I don't mind what people think, I just have fun.  However, it's even better when dancing with other people. I'm glad these kids are getting dance classes together.  I figure if you have to go through something difficult like being ill, it's always nice to know that you're not alone. Ultimately, I hope everyone finds a reason to dance, especially when times are tough. To read more about the hospital dance classes project follow this link:  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/dancin-power_us_57f7b679e4b0e655eab39cf8?section=&section=us_good-news.

What I live for....

I heard this song called "What We Live For" by American Authors which is a really fun song. It also got me thinking of all the things I have to live for and how my life is better because of the influence of all the people in it.  I really believe everyone has a lot to live for and I hope that is something people never forget.

Say

I was thinking about the song "Say" by John Mayer today. I feel like I always had a lot to say and I'm glad that at least some of my words are heard and that they've meant something positive to people. I think the best thing to have is a voice that matters to people and that the voice is able to say things that might help other people.  I hope everyone can find a voice for good inside them.  It's one of the best things to have.

How I write my blog sometimes....

"I just sit at a typewriter and curse a bit." P. G. Wodehouse
Read more at: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/p/p_g_wodehouse.html

Sometimes even when I'm writing this blog I do find I feel like cursing beforehand and that may not be the best way to start writing something happy but somehow I don't know if there's a "best way" to start writing. All I do know is that there is a way to find happiness even if I'm angry, upset, fearful or whatever. Happiness keeps me going. It's the best thing there is, even if I end up swearing at my computer to get to it!

Everyone deserves to be happy

"Dedicate yourself to the good you deserve and desire for yourself. Give yourself peace of mind. You deserve to be happy. You deserve delight." Hannah Arendt
Read more at: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/h/hannah_arendt.html

To all who read this, I hope you find happiness in every day. Happy Friday!

Nothing is impossible

"Nothing is impossible, the very word says I'm possible." -Audrey Hepburn

I'm so glad that there are so many possibilities in life. From the beginning my parents believed that for me and for all their children. They didn't listen when doctors said I might never be able to learn. They didn't listen when my sister my brother or I said we couldn't do something that was good for us to do. The point is I didn't know what was possible until I did something. I've found it's the adventure of doing something that's fun. So I'll keep doing somethings and find new things that seem impossible and even if it takes a while, I'll do those things somehow, just because I can.

Music that makes my heart soar

The opera singer Luciano Pavarotti was born today in 1935 and I really like this recording I have of him where he sings Nessum Dorma. There's this part in the song where the music swells and when I listen to it my heart feels like it soars. Even if it isn't music, I hope everyone has something that makes their heart soar, just because it's a lovely feeling.

Happy today

"With the new day comes new strength and new thoughts. Eleanor Roosevelt
Read more at: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/e/eleanor_roosevelt.html

I hope that today is a happy one for you with new strength and good thoughts!

Nice thoughts for a Monday

I hope that everyone can find a reason each day to do one (or hopefully all of the following!):

Plant challenge!

I now am the proud owner of a zebra plant! My goal is to keep said plant alive as long as possible since apparently it keeps the toxins out of the air. In the past I managed to keep a poinsettia plant alive for about 3 years. I called that plant the tree that grows in Brookline because I owned it when I lived in Brookline, MA and I liked the book "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" so the name seemed appropriate.  The funniest thing about the plant is that almost as soon as a moved away from Brookline the plant died. (Well really, I know that it didn't die just because I moved,  I just didn't take as good care of it as I should have and I think I put it in a place with too much sun.) Anyway, I hope I can keep this plant going for longer than 2 years because I like seeing things grow. That really does make me happy!

Just because I can't get enough of this song....

It's the singer Bruno Mars's birthday and I can't help but be reminded of his song "Uptown Funk." Plus I saw this clip of Minions singing it which made me like it even more. I hope everyone has had a fun and funky Saturday.

Finding peace on a Friday

It's the musician Yo Yo Ma's birthday today and it got me thinking about how he played a cello Suite by Bach. Somehow listening to it today gave me peace. I hope it has the same effect on others. Happy  Friday everyone!

What's in a last name?

I've always been interested to some extent in how people's names came about. I know that at some point in history people's last names had some relationship to what they did for a living-like Baker or Carpenter perhaps. I feel like my last name Sheets suits me because I like writing  a lot. Anyway, I started thinking about this today as I was watching Law and Order (a crime show) this evening. I noticed how the policemen on that show always answer their phone with  just their last name as their greeting. All of a sudden it got me thinking that if I ever answered the phone with just my last name people might think I was asking them to get me more bed linen or paper. I hope that everyone can find some part of their name to be proud of because I believe everyone should be proud of who they are. I'm still proud of my last name even though I couldn't keep a straight face if I used it by itself to answer a phone.

Finding Joy

"Find a place inside where there's joy, and the joy will burn out the pain. Joseph Campbell
Read more at: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/j/josephcamp384345.html

I like finding joy in something every day or at the very least something happy. It really does help keep me going especially when things are hard. Today the joyful things for me was I had rehearsal with the a cappella group I'm in and I got to hang out with my friends at work. I find great joy in being with  people I care about and in singing so all in all, today had a good dose of joy in it. I wish that everyone can find joy or happiness in each day. If I could wish one thing for everyone and be guaranteed that that wish would come true, that would be what I'd wish.

Thank goodness for slippers

Today when I came home and found that my feet felt cold. This is not to say that I don't have warm shoes to begin with but there's something nice about having slippers to step into.  Seeing them made me feel really happy today. They're warm and fuzzy and at the end of the day it's nice to have something warm and fuzzy to snuggle into. So here's to slippers, warm feet and general warm and fuzziness! So that's my happy thing for the day!

One Positive Thing A Day Challenge!

For whatever reason this song called "Just Do You" that I heard today made me want to start a challenge! In one part of the music video below, there's a blackboard with the words "I am" written in chalk and then there's a space for people to write in something positive about themselves to finish the sentence. I challenge all who read this post to write one positive thing about themselves every day. At least from my own perspective, the more positive things I can find in myself, the more able I'll be to see the many positive things in others and somehow I really believe I will be happier in gaining that knowledge! Today my positive thing about myself is that I am kind.

A song for my family

I heard this song today called "Still" by Sting and somehow the lyrics reminded me of my family, especially this part of the song that goes like this:

If I caught the world in a bottle
And everything was still beneath the moon
Without your love would it shine for me?
If I was smart as Aristotle
And understood the rings around the moon
What would it all matter if you loved me?
Here in your arms where the world is impossibly still
With a million dreams to fulfill
And a matter of moments until the dancing ends
Here in your arms when everything seems to be clear
Not a solitary thing would I fear
Oh, if I caught the world in an hourglass
Saddled up the moon and we would ride
Until the stars grew dim
Until the time that time stands still, Until...

I realize this is a romantic love song but these lyrics made me think of how my world has more light in it because of my family. It means the world to me to know that they love me and I will never stop loving them. I know that especially when I was younger and I was in my parents arms as they hugged me, time did seem to stand still as I felt so safe. I still feel that sense of safety now. They always encourage me to dream and never doubted my ability to reach my dreams as long as I was willing to put forth the effort. One hope that I believe I'll always have and that I'll always work for, is to be a credit to my family. I'm so proud to be my parents' daughter and sister to a wonderful sister and brother. They all mean more to me than my words and writing could ever express. 

What a little light can do!

I read this story today about how for one minute each night in Providence RI tugboats, skyscrapers and hotels all put on a light show so that kids at a local hospital can see it at around . It's a way the city says goodnight to all of them. If ever there's a time for a little bit more light in your world, it's when you're not feeling well. It's amazing how good people can be to each other! To read the full story click here (http://www.pressherald.com/2016/09/30/good-night-lights-bring-minute-of-magic-in-providence/) and if you're ever  in Providence, RI at 8:30 PM, show some light!