Favorite Halloween memory

 As it's Halloween I thought I'd write about a favorite Halloween memory. I remember one year when I was younger I went over to my friend's house to go trick-or-treating with a group that my friend had gotten together and then afterwards we sat in the middle of my friend's basement and did a candy exchange while watching scary movies. I remember it even now because it was just really fun to get dressed up and be with friends. Aside from the candy it's just fun to be with friends and enjoy the spookiness! So, to all who celebrate it, I wish you a very Happy Halloween!

Funny business

 I needed a good laugh today and this video met my needs exactly. Wherever you are reading this, I hope you can always find laughter in your day. I send everyone best wishes and much love now and always.

In honor of Halloween

As it's Halloween this weekend, just for the heck of it, here's a quote to celebrate this holiday and I'm sharing it here because it made me smile. “There is a child in every one of us who is still a trick-or-treater looking for a brightly-lit front porch.” – Robert Brault

I hope everyone has a fun and safe Halloween weekend and I send everyone best wishes and much love now and always.

Just a quick note

 I'm just writing to send everyone best wishes and much love now and always.

He who laughs most

"He who laughs most learns best" -John Cleese

 I've learned a lot from laughter. Laughing has helped teach me more about the things and people I love most because laughter is easily shared. Wherever you are reading this, I hope there's a lot of laughter in your life and that you can learn many things from it. I send everyone best wishes and much love now and always. 

Some big band friendship music!

 The actor, screenwriter, producer, film director, singer, and animator, Seth MacFarlane's birthday and that made me think of a lovely song he wrote the lyrics for called "Everybody Needs a Best Friend. I really like the song because it's usually accompanied by a big band and I've always liked big band music. Plus the song is really pretty. Anyway, I found this clip of Seth singing this song with a live orchestra and because it made me happy to listen to it, I thought I'd share it here. I send everyone best wishes and much love now and always. 

All on the board

 I saw this lovely news story about an initiative started by Ian Redpath and Jeremy Chopra where these two men post encouraging/happy/personal messages on a giant whiteboard outside a London tube station. I just thought posting cheering messages for people to see each day was such a nice thing to do. Part of one of the signs created by these two men carries the message  which I also want to share here:"Just in case nobody has told you how amazing you are in 2021, we thought we would. You are amazing. Yes, YOU."  To read more about this initiative click here. I send everyone much love and best wishes now and always.

A mutual self giving

"Love is a mutual self-giving which ends in self-recovery."-Fulton J. Sheen

 

I like loving people because in many ways I do feel like the more I love people, the more something inside me is healing. In that sense, I feel like love is a wonderful medicine. Anyway, to all who read this, I send you much love and best wishes now and always.

A lovely evening out

 I just got back from a lovely evening out with a friend. We went out to Boston and had a lovely dinner of Middle Eastern food and really nice conversation with my friend. Then afterwards we walked around Boston Common and came upon a carousel. It was so nice to see children laughing on it and having a good time. It made me really happy and I was with a friend because happy times are even better when they're shared. Wherever you're reading this, I hope you have many good times and friends to share them with. I send everyone  best wishes and much love now and always.

Affirmations

I saw this lovely video of a toddler proclaiming affirmations that she had apparently heard her mother saying to herself during her morning routine. I felt like sharing it here because it made me happy. To all who read this, I hope you can always look in the mirror and say to yourself: you're bold, you're brilliant,  you're beautiful and you won't let other people's words affect you and you're worthy of greatness!

If things seem cold to you....

 "If the world seems cold to you, kindle fires to warm it."-Lucy Larcom

While I don't promote pyromania at all, I'm a big supporter of being kind and doing things that help other people. I know that I feel warmer and happier when I'm helping others. I hope that wherever you are reading this, that you always choose to be kind, if only because of the good feeling that being kind can bring. I send everyone best wishes and much love now and always.

On writing

 "Writing, to me, is simply thinking through my fingers." -Isaac Asimov

 I always feel better when I'm writing. There's something peaceful about it for me, I suppose because writing is something I've always known I could do reasonably well without much difficulty. That's not to say it's not challenging for me to write things, it's just that writing is a challenge I've always enjoyed. Plus, I find I think more clearly about things when they're written down. Wherever you are reading this, I hope you have many things in life that help you feel better in times of need. I send everyone best wishes and much love now and always. 

Good things that happened today

 In the spirit of finding good things in each day or things in each day that make me feel happy. Here are 3 good things in my life today.

• I woke up this morning feeling refreshed and that felt really good.
• I found an ice cream bar in my freezer when I thought I'd run out of those ice cream bars so it was a nice refreshing surprise.
• I was able to accomplish everything I set out to accomplish today which was very satisfying.
  

Wherever you are reading this, I hope that you can find many reasons to be happy each day. I send you best wishes and much love now and always.

I can

 " I can therefore I am."-Simone Weil

I very much like this quote because it reminds me of how people can do so many things and how the things we do make us who we are. If you're reading this and you're working on something difficult or you're thinking of doing something that might help other people, I hope you pursue that action until you reach your goal. I send you best wishes and much love now and always.

Biking happiness

 I was able to go on a bike ride yesterday and it was really nice because it just felt so good to go whizzing by on a bike. There's something very freeing about it and the weather was nice yesterday so that made it doubly nice to ride my bike. Plus, I find that I see more of life when riding a bike than I might otherwise see when I'm traveling some other way. If you're reading this, even if you can't ride a bike, I hope you get to do things that help you feel free in life. I send everyone best wishes and much love now and always.

Just sending love

 I'm just writing to send love and best wishes to everyone now and always.

Love is love is love

As it's the last day of Hispanic Heritage Month, I thought I'd share these words of wisdom from Lin Manuel Miranda: “Love is love is love is love is love is love is love is love, cannot be killed or swept aside.”

In the spirit of this quote, I send everyone best wishes and much love now and always.

A sea turtle rescue

 I saw this great story about how some wildlife organizations in Massachusetts worked together to save a sea turtle that was stuck in the mud on a Massachusetts beach. Somehow it did my heart good to see the turtle getting back into the water and swimming away. It's nice to see animals go back to being wild and free.  Wherever you are reading this, I hope that you feel free and happy. I send you much love and best wishes now and always. 

Just a joke for today

 I saw this joke in an article today and it made me laugh and so I felt like sharing it today because laughter is more fun when it's shared. I send everyone best wishes and much love and best wishes now and always.

While robbing a home, a burglar hears someone say, ''Jesus is watching you.'' To his relief, he realizes it is just a parrot mimicking something it had heard.The burglar asks the parrot, ''What's your name?'' The parrot says, ''Moses.''

The burglar goes on to ask, ''What kind of person names their parrot Moses?''

The parrot replies, ''The same kind of person that names his Rottweiler Jesus.''

 Joke source: https://www.nytimes.com/2002/01/27/weekinreview/word-for-word-world-s-funniest-jokes-so-this-german-goes-into-bar-with-dr-watson.html?.?mc=aud_dev&ad-keywords=auddevgate&gclid=CjwKCAjwh5qLBhALEiwAioods44_v-yXNY2GGSzoi4_RVFKZu-NsX9EWA1d05CA3bX9zc0x2W3HfiBoC2m4QAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

Something of value but has less cost

 "Kind words do not cost much. Yet they accomplish much." -Blaise Pascal

I've seen the power of a kind word. It can be enough to help someone get through the day and that's what I like most about kindness. It doesn't have to be something really difficult to do, it can just be calling a friend on the phone who might be in need of cheering or opening the door for someone. If you ever feel the urge to be kind, I hope you act on that urge and brighten someone's day. I send everyone best wishes and much love now and always.

Just sending love

 I'm just writing this post to send much love and best wishes to everyone now and always.

The power of music

 I saw this piece about Tony Bennett and how he performed at Radio City Music Hall recently. It was so cool to see it because even though he's had Alzheimer's for a while he still sang a whole concert and sounded great and he just looked so happy singing at the event. That news story showed me how important music is and how happy it can make people and that's why I love singing so much. I hope I can grow old and wrinkly and sing like Tony Bennett and/or Cleo Laine and make people laugh like Betty White Most of all, I want to always be singing and have lots of music around me. Wherever you are reading this, I hope you have a lot of music, love and happiness around you. I send everyone best wishes and much love now and always.

Baking

 There's something nice about baking especially because I know that that the food I'm making can help other people feel happy. Plus, for some reason, for me, there's something relaxing about baking. It makes me feel happy to do it. I especially like making chocolate chip cookies to give to people, plus baking cookies makes my apartment smell heavenly. Wherever you're reading this, I hope you are able to do at least 1 thing each day that helps you feel happiest. I send everyone best wishes and much love now and always.

Love transforms

 "Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into a friend."-Martin Luther King Jr. 

There's something nice about the fact that even enemies can become friends. That's why I like love so much because it has the power to withstand so many negative things and unite people. In that spirit, I send much love and best wishes to everyone!

Music and culture unites all of us

 It's the cellist Yo-Yo Ma's birthday and to celebrate it I thought I'd share this lovely video I found that he made that shows how music and art can unite so many people. Plus, Yo-Yo Ma is playing a beautiful piece of music called Cello Suite No. 1 in G Major, Prélude by Bach. It always makes me feel good to hear this music and I like this video because it shows how even if/when people appreciate music and art differently, people can still be united in appreciating art forms generally and that's what I love most about the arts! I send everyone best wishes and much love now and always.

A malady I don't mind having

 "But love's a malady without a cure." - John Dryden 

If love really is like an illness, then it's an illness I don't mind catching or spreading. In that spirit, I send everyone best wishes and much love now and always. 

Funny cats

 I felt in need of a good laugh today and I found this video of cats being funny that made me chuckle so I thought I'd share it here in the hope it has the same effect on others. I send everyone best wishes and much love now and always. 

The best thing in the world

 "Love is the best thing in the world and the thing that lives the longest."-Henry Van Dyke

I hope that wherever you are reading this, that you have many people around you that you love and who love you. All I know is that it makes my soul feel good to love people and spread love. In that spirit, I send everyone best wishes and much love now and always.

Funny thought for the day

I don't know what's the whole point of having those old 1970s Airbus campers. They look like huge toasters. Every time I see one, I keep waiting for a huge piece of toast to pop out of it!

 I send everyone (especially toaster camper owners) best wishes and much love now and always.

Fragile

 It's the singer Sting's birthday and that got me thinking about a song he sang called Fragile. I like it because it reminds me of how precious life is and how it's  important to cherish the people we have in our lives. Plus, I think the song is pretty and rather soothing which is nice. I share it here to send love and best wishes to everyone now and always. 

Confidence

 It's the actress and singer Julie Andrews's birthday today and that got me thinking about this song that she sang in the musical The Sound of Music called "I Have Confidence." I like it because it's all about having confidence when you're about to do something that terrifies you. I feel like things seem less frightening when I can think of a song that cheers me up. Even if music isn't your thing, I hope that if something frightens you, you find the confidence that's in you and face it head-on. I send everyone best wishes and much love now and always.