Summertime

The singer Lena Horne was born today in 1917.  One of the many songs she's famous for singing is called "Summertime" and as it is summertime where I am, I thought I'd share it here, just because it makes me feel happy listening to it.  If it is summer where you are, I hope that you're enjoying it!

Love with energy!

"Love is energy of life."-Robert Browning
Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/r/robertbrow118373.html

So in the spirit of this quote I resolve to love energetically! Wherever you are reading this, I hope your life has a lot of love in it and I send  much love and best wishes to you.

When in doubt be happy!

"When unhappy, one doubts everything; when happy, one doubts nothing." -Joseph Roux
Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/j/josephroux101363.html

When I'm in doubt I do find I'm very glad happiness exists, just because it really does help me not to feel so afraid. Thinking of how I have the choice of being happy has been helpful to me in that it's something i can always try to do even when everything else in the world seems out of control. So I choose to be happy and in that choice I find strength!

People and things we love are always with us

"What we have once enjoyed we can never lose. All that we love deeply becomes a part of us."-Helen Keller
Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/h/helenkelle133193.html

The author and activist Helen Keller was born today in 1880. I really like this quote from her. I find that at times, especially when I'm having a particularly nice time, and/or I'm with people I love, I try and store a memory of that time away in my mind so I can think of it when I find I need to think of something happy. So in that way, happy times and the people I care most about are always with me. Wherever you are reading this, I hope that you have many things and/or people in your life that you can be happy about when you think of them. 

Silly joke for a Monday

Since it's Monday and I was in a silly mood, I thought I'd share this joke because it made me laugh and it is my sincerest hope that it has the same effect on others!  I also hope that you had a very happy Monday and I wish you an even happier Tuesday!

"A cowboy was walking down the street with his new pet dachshund. The passerby asked him why a cowboy would own that kind of dog.

The cowboy answered, "Well, somebody told me to get along little doggie."

Read more on page: http://www.jokesoftheday.net/

Freedom!

The singer George Michael was born today in 1963. He sang this wonderful song called Freedom which I really like because I find I do feel free when I listen to it. Plus, it makes me feel like dancing and to me I always feel better when I dance, even if I look bizarre doing it. I hope that wherever you are, you have something in your life that makes you feel free!

Pirates in Melrose!

I just got back from seeing the Greater Worcester Opera perform Gilbert and Sullivan’s The Pirates of Penzance. It was part of a concert series in Melrose and it was a lot of fun! (The story is slightly complicated but the gist is that a former pirate decides he wants to not be a pirate anymore and marry the girl of his dreams, he is barred from doing this by the pirate gang he's part of that won't let him leave until he turns 21. Since his birthday is on February 29th so really he only has a birthday every 5 years.  The only consolation is that the girl of his dreams named Mabel agrees to wait for him no matter what. The story probably sounds kind of sad but it really is funny.) Anyway, I always like watching live performances and the actors and actresses who performed this evening had beautiful voices so it was a nice way to spend a Saturday night.  If you want to learn more about the Greater Worcester Opera, go to this link : http://www.greaterworcesteropera.org.

Funny joke for a Friday

One Friday a traffic policeman stops a Maisie and asks to see her driving licence.

'Lady, it says here that you should be wearing glasses when driving.' 
'Well,' replies Maisie, 'I have contacts.' 

'Lady, I don't care who you know, you're still going to get a ticket.'

(Joke from http://www.guy-sports.com/humor/jokes/index_fri.htm)

So if you're going out to have some fun, like my dad always says, have fun but don't get caught!

The same stars

The Royal Greenwich Observatory was opened today in 1675. I like the idea that there are places where people study stars. I grew up on a farm in the countryside and so some times I'd look at the sky and the stars would be really clear. It was as if they want on forever.  Now that I'm away from my family and living in the city, when I look at the stars sometimes, maybe there aren't so many but all the same it's comforting to see even a few. When I see them I think of my family because I like to think that we all sleep under the same stars and so we're all linked no matter where we are. They serve as yet another sign that people I love are always with me.

Things that made me happy today

Just because I feel like saying so, here are some things that made me feel happy today

• I got a hair cut which really made me feel good.
• I had a good laugh at some jokes my roommate told me.
• I had a nice dinner (just chicken and rice and vegetables but it tasted good so that's what counts.)
• I do research for my job and I was happy today because I finally found some information I'd been looking for for a while.
• It makes me happy to know that I have a comfy bed to sleep in and I'm going to bed now.

I know that the things listed above aren't really earth shattering but I find a lot of strength and comfort in finding joy in every day things. I hope that something in each day brings everyone a sense of happiness. To me, life just seems better that way.

Music is good for the soul

"Music washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life. " Berthold Auerbach
Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/b/bertholdau106857.html

In the spirit of the quote above, I felt  I should share some music that really made my soul feel good. Happy Tuesday everyone!

More ducks in Melrose!

I was so happy because I saw a family of ducks again today down the road from my apartment. What I liked best was that the family of ducks was walking across the street and my neighbor was acting as a "crossing gaurd" for them. It was as if they were on parade. Seeing them lifted my spirit  no end. I just think it's lovely to know that people still make way for ducklings!

My Dad and my Friend

My dad and I have always been close. I remember that when I was really young and my sister had just been born, I'm slightly ashamed to say I was a bit jealous of the attention she needed. (I had been very used to being an only child. ) A day or so after my my mom and sister came home from the hospital, my dad took me aside and said that I'd always be his special friend.  This was actually really helpful to me and I and my sister and my brother, all became good friends. To this day, sometimes when I call my parents my Dad still calls me that sometimes. I'm glad I'm able to see my dad as a good friend as well as a father. He really is the only father I'd ever want to have. 

The most important things

"The most important thing in the world is family and love."- John Wooden
Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/j/johnwooden447007.html

I believe that everyone deserves to have family or at least people that care about them. Even if it isn't the family you were born into. I've been lucky to have a very loving family and to me it's really important that I am someone they can be proud of. I guess when it comes down to it, I hope everyone has people that love them very much because those are the best people to have around you. 

Just Try!

I saw this awesome video of a deaf woman  named Mandy Harvey singing on America's Got Talent, What I really liked about her was that she sang this song called "Try" that she wrote herself. It made me feel really good to hear it because it's all about keeping on going no matter what happens. I hope she wins the competition but regardless of the outcome I feel strongly she'll go far because she'll never stop trying and doing her best and that's what counts more than anything.

I feel like there's a little revolutionary in all of us

The revolutionary author Che Guevara was born today in 1928. Thinking of him and how he was a revolutionary makes me think of one of the things I like best about people and that is that everyone has the ability to change things for the better. There are so many good things people can do for each other and I'm really glad people still do things for others. I figure the best revolution or thing worth fighting for is love because I really believe it's the best thing there is.

Just because I saw a man tap dancing the other day

I was watching this movie the other day and I saw a man dancing on the table which for whatever reason inspired me to write the following short bucket list of slightly zany or random things I'd like to do one day.

At some point in my life I will:
*Go hang gliding
*Tap dance on a table (without falling off)-it just sounds fun for some reason.
*Write a play or book-haven't decided which yet-could do both-we'll see!
*Go to another country I haven't been to yet. (I haven't decided which one.)
*Get someone in Antarctica to read this blog.
*Go up on the flying trapeze.

I hope that wherever life takes you, that you have a lot of fun and zany happenings in it!

Everyone has good news in them

"Everyone has inside of him a piece of good news. The good news is that you don't know how great you can be! How much you can love! What you can accomplish! And what your potential is!"- Anne Frank
Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/a/anne_frank.html

As much as I write this blog to spread the happiness I feel, the thing I like best about happiness is the fact that it's something that everyone can be. Everyone has the greatness in them and happiness is the greatest thing there is!

Just because it's Sunday

I do consider myself a spiritual person, mainly because I see religion at its core, as guide to living an exemplary life. With that idea in mind, I really like this hymn called "Make Me A Channel Of Your Peace" because it speaks to how I want to live.  Anyway, I hope that whatever stage you're in in life, that you can find a sense of peace. That's something I'd wish for everyone.

Somewhere Over the Rainbow I felt free

The singer/actress Judy Garland was born today in 1922. I always liked the way she sang and acted. One of my favorite songs she sang is Somewhere Over the Rainbow. One day my Mum and I were eating dinner and a restaurant and there was this pianist and my Mum persuaded him to play Somewhere Over the Rainbow and because I felt like it, I started singing. It felt so good just to sing and for whatever reason I didn't worry about whether I sounded good or what other people felt about it, it was just nice to be in that moment and sing. I hope everyone has such a moment, maybe not about singing, just a moment where they feel really free. It's a wonderful feeling, worth getting to the end of rainbows for.

Days of the week by Maggie

As it's Friday, it got me thinking about thoughts I have about each day of the week. So here are the days of the week according to Maggie:

Monday:-The "I have so much to do and so little time!" day
Tuesday- The "I'm most productive today." day.
Wednesday-The "Yay I'm half way through the week!" day
Thursday-The "Hooray tomorrow is Friday!" day
Friday-The "Yay it's Friday, let's celebrate!" day.
Saturday- The "Hooray it's the weekend!" day.
Sunday-The Day of Rest!

Happy Friday everybody!

Some advice for a Thursday

"Keep your nose out the sky, keep your heart to god, and keep your face to the raising sun."- Kanye West
Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/k/kanyewest452068.html

Just to add one more thing, I hope you keep a sunny disposition just to keep the darker days brighter!

Mambo Italiano

The singer Dean Martin was born today in 1917. One of the songs he's famous for singing, which I really love is called Mambo Italiano. It does really make me feel like dancing when I hear it.  I hope that wherever you are,  that you have many occasions to mambo!

Everyone is courageous!

"The only courage that matters is the kind that gets you from one moment to the next."-Mignon McLaughlin
Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/m/mignonmcla161632.html

I really believe that people have so much courage because people find ways to get through each day, regardless of what life throws at them. So I salute you for getting through this day and I wish you many happy tomorrows!

Maggie makes way for ducklings!

I was walking down the street and all of a sudden I saw this family of ducks and for whatever reason it made me feel really good inside. It didn't matter it was raining or that it was cold, it was just nice to see the ducks! I like finding joy in little things, which in this case is ducklings!

Places in Boston that make me feel happiest!

I feel like people should have places near where they live that make them feel happiest. Since I live just outside of Boston I thought I'd write about the things I like best in Boston.

• The Boston Public Library-It really is a beautiful building and when I was a student it felt nice to study there. 
• The Boston Public Garden-It's really pretty and they always seem to have buskers so it's like they always have live music there.
• The Boston Common-I really enjoy walking around there with friends. Plus they have Shakespeare and movies in the park in the summer which is really nice. 
• The Museum of Fine Arts-The art is beautiful there and I always feel at peace when I'm there.
• Fenway Park-I like the atmosphere there. Everyone gets so into the games and that's what makes it more fun for me.
• The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum-It's really quirky and fun. The lady who it's named after had really interesting rules like the art in the museum can't be labeled so people don't pay so much attention to who painted what and just enjoy the art and that anyone named Isabella can get in for free for life. 
• Frog Pond-I love ice skating there in winter. 
• Copley Square-I like the farmer's market that's always there.
• Newbury Street-I know it's touristy but I like walking down it. 
• Christian Science Center-I'm not a Christian Scientist but I liked walking down to see the buildings and the reflecting pool there. It's really pretty when the weather is nice.

Dancing 4Joy 2017 to help people with mental health issues

Since the video below makes me feel happy, I want to use this post to revamp my Dance4Joy2017 movement! If you would like to participate please post a video on the Dance4Joy2017 Facebook page. (It doesn't have to be you dancing it can just be a YouTube video of people dancing). If you feel so inclined, you can also donate to a mental health-related organization/cause of your choice in Dance4Joy2017's name. (As I turned 32 this year I'm hoping to raise $3,200 (USD) for mental healthresearch, treatment and programs.) Donations aside, the point of all this is to get people talking about mental health in a more positive way, that would mean so much more to me. If Dance4Joy2017 can accomplish that, even in a small way, I'll consider it a success! To all who read this: if you could spread the word about this movement, I'd be so grateful. Thanks everyone for your support! I send you all lots of love.

Please Note; the video is from quite a while ago and although it is religious, there is a lot of joy and dancing in it and if you watch closely you can see me dancing later on in the video. All I can say is that when I sang with that gospel choir it really felt like God was up there somewhere dancing with us. Whatever religion you are part of or whatever is happening with your life, I hope there's lots of dancing in it! Keep dancing everyone! 

Happiness is....

To me, happiness is:

• A nice cup of tea (which resolves all ills of course).
• Being with friends and family.
• Dancing
• Giving someone a hug/receiving a hug.
• Laughing (particularly at Minions!)
• Singing
• Reading a good book
• Waking up after a nice sleep.
• Fridays!

My parents read my mind in the best way

I was having a bit of a rough day and in the middle of it my parents sent me a text message saying they were thinking of me. They figured out how to make the text show in fancy writing so it looked pretty. It really made my day exponentially better. It shows me yet again  that even though they're far away from me physically, they still are always with me and that's always been a comfort to me. To whoever reads this, I hope you have people in your life who love you and who, in times of need, know what you need without you having to ask.