CODA

 I was so pleased to learn today that the movie CODA, which is a movie about a coming of age story of a girl who can hear but is the child of two Deaf adults, received a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture. I though it was so great that actors who are Deaf were chosen to act in the movie. I feel that too often movies about people with disabilities often only include actors with no disabilities. That's why I'm so happy that in this movie, Deaf people are portrayed by individuals who are actually Deaf. Plus, I liked the acceptance speech that the actress Marlee Martin gave  for winning the award. I include it below because it was so nice.  Anyway, please check out this movie on Apple TV. I send everyone best wishes and much love now and always.

Music from Ukraine

 I was thinking about the Ukraine today and how they're fighting and I saw this song and thought I'd share it here as a small way of showing support. It's a Ukrainian folk song and I felt it was really beautiful. I send best wishes and much love to everyone, especially to the Ukraine.

A canine argument

Jus as human children might argue with their parents, I think the same is true for other mammals, including dogs. I found evidence of this in this really funny video below, where a puppy appears to be having a rather serious argument with its parent dog. It's almost as if you can hear the puppy saying No! to whatever the parent dog says when barking. Anyway, this video clip made me laugh so I thought I'd share it here. I send everyone best wishes and much love now and always. 

Strength in snow

 “Snowflakes are one of nature’s most fragile things, but just look what they can do when they stick together.” – Vesta M. Kelly 

This quote stuck with me today as there was a rather large snowstorm where I live. Anyway, I like this quote because it shows how even things that seem weak by themselves are strong when joined with others. Wherever you are reading this, I hope you use the strength that is in you to help others. I send everyone best wishes and much love now and always.

Sending love

 I'm just writing to send love to everyone now and always. I hope each day brings you many reasons to smile.

Three good things

 In keeping with my goal of thinking of 3 things that are good that happen in each day,  here are three things that were good in my day today.

• The weather was lovely so I was able to take a nice walk and enjoy the sunshine.
• I made plans to meet up with a good friend this weekend. It's always nice to have something nice to look forward to.
• I finished a good mystery novel that I've been reading for a while. It's called Moonflower Murders and I enjoyed it very much..
  

To all who read this, I hope you see the good things in each day and that you enjoy them! I send everyone best wishes and much love now and always.

Not wasted time

"That time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time." -Bertrand Ruse

I always thought it's interesting when people talk about "wasting time".  I feel like time is never really wasted, it's just spent doing things that you mean to do. Wherever you are reading this, I hope you find ways to enjoy all the time you have. I send everyone best wishes and much love now and always. 

On President's day

It's President's Day in the US and that got me thinking about how I'm glad I can vote and serve on my local Commission on Disability and thus, have a voice in decisions that impact others, hopefully for the better. In terms of getting anywhere near where a president might be, when I was in college, I was given the opportunity to get a tour of the West Wing of the White House with some friends. My favorite part of the tour was going to the press room. We all took turns standing at the podium in the press room and taking pictures and a lot of laughter was involved. Somehow, whenever I think of President's Day I also think of that White House tour because it was a really good time and it was lovely being with good friends. Wherever you are reading this, I hope that you have many good times and good friends to enjoy those times with. I send everyone best wishes and much love now and always. 

Writing letters

 Today in 1792 the US postal service created postage stamps for the first time in US. This fact got me thinking about how there's something nice about sending and receiving physical mail. As much as I do like emails, it's always cheering to send and receive something nice in the mail.  Thinking of all this got me thinking of a cool song called "Gonna Sit Right Down and Write Myself A Letter" sung by the Boswell Sisters. For whatever reason it makes me feel like dancing when I hear it. Anyway, wherever you are reading this,  I hope you get lots of nice mail, that you have a lot of music in your life and that you have many reasons to feel happy. I send everyone best wishes and much love now and always.

On record players

 Today in 1878 Thomas Edison was granted a patent for the gramophone. Learning this fact got me thinking about how much I love music and how when I was little my parents had an old record player that I loved. The first record I remember them playing for me was music from the movie The Sound of Music. I remember it being really fun to listen to. I don't actually know what happened to that machine in the end but I still like the music from the movie the Sound of Music. It makes me happy to hear it. So in a way, I think records started my love of music and so I'm grateful for gramophones, record players and Thomas Edison by extension. I hope wherever you are reading this, that there is a lot of music in your life. I send everyone best wishes and much love now and always.

Success

 “Success is liking yourself, liking what you do, and liking how you do it.” -  Maya Angelou 

I really like this quote about success. It speaks to how success isn't always about money or power. I've found that I do feel more successful when I'm doing things that make me feel happiest. I hope that wherever you are reading this, that you are able to do things that make you feel really happy and that help you feel successful. I send everyone best wishes and much love now and always.  

Finding courage in love

 "Because of great love, one is courageous" Lao Tzu

I like the idea that most things in life stem from love, whether it's love of self, love of life, or love of others, a lot of the decisions we make and the things we feel can be traced back to some form of love.  Sometimes I think it takes bravery to love but at the end of the day loving people is worth it to me.  I think the best thing about love is that it can be found almost anywhere. In that spirit, I send much love and best wishes to everyone now and always.

Three things that happened today

 In the spirit of writing about the good things that happen each day, here are 3 things that were good that happened today in my day.

• I was able to talk to a friend I hadn't been able to talk with in a while so it was really nice to catch up with her.
• I was able to listen to part of a book on tape that I'm very much enjoying.
• I had fun cooking a nice chicken dish which tasted really good.
  

Wherever you are reading this, I hope that you can find many good things that happen in your day and I send you best wishes and much love now and always.

Happy birthday to my Dad

I want to take this opportunity to celebrate my Dad's birthday and write about one of the songs he likes called "Daydream" by The Lovin' Spoonful. Every time I hear that song it somehow reminds me of when I was really little and my Dad would take me out in his old MG car and we'd go get doughnuts for breakfast on Saturdays. I think at some point he must have played that song when we were driving along, at any rate, when I hear it,  it reminds me of being in to car with him and feeling like I was flying which was really fun. Anyway, I share it here to wish my Dad a happy birthday and a very happy birthday to everyone whose birthday happens to be today. I send everyone best wishes and much love now and always.

 

Show love to yourself

This Valentine's Day, show some love to yourself. Here are some self care tips to use today and every day to be kind to yourself. https://www.distractify.com/p/self-care-for-valentines-day.

I send everyone best wishes and much love now and always. 

Good things about snow/cold weather

 It snowed again today where I live and than got me thinking about things I like about snow and the cold. Here are a few things I like about snow/cold weather:

• Hot chocolate always tastes better when it's really cold outside.
• With cold weather, when you're cold you can always put more clothes on to get warm, whereas, when the weather is really hot, you can only take so much off.
  
• There's something nice about building snowmen/people. I don't know why, but doing that sometimes makes me feel happy. 
•  There's also something nice about being able to wrap up in a warm blanket and feel all cozy. 
• Snow can look really pretty. 

Regardless of the weather, I send everyone best wishes and much love now and always. 

How things are beautiful

 "Things are beautiful if you love them."-Jean Anouilh 

I was thinking the other day of how people sometimes say things that they put a lot of effort into are done with love. I find doing things (especially cooking or singing or writing) with people I love, either in person or in mind, things do taste, feel and seem better. Things do seem more beautiful if you love them or if the action you're taking involves love in some way. In that sense, I think love in some ways, is a gift you give yourself as well as other people. So I hope that wherever you are reading this, that you do things with love and have many people in your life love you and thus, you can see the beauty in life. I send everyone best wishes and much love now and always.

As it's almost Valentine's Day

 I think music has a lot to do with love and so, because it's almost Valentine's Day I thought I'd share a song I like that is all about love and it makes me feel at peace. I send every best wishes and much love now and always. 

 

Make someone happy

 The singer Jimmy Durante was born today in 1893 and one of the songs he's famous for singing is called "Make Someone Happy."  I thought I'd share the song here because it does my heart good to listen to it. I send everyone best wishes and much love now and always.

Some beautiful music

I found this piece of music by the composer Bedřich Smetana called "The Moldau" and I really liked it because it's music that has all these different emotions. Parts of it are sad, parts are happy and parts seem just fun. It made me feel happy to listen to it so I had to share it here. I send everyone best wishes and much love now and always. 

Good things for today

 I'm sticking to the idea of thinking of at least 3 good things that happen in my day because doing so reminds me of why life is good. So, here are some good things that happened today in my life.

• I was able to attend an online trivia night with some friends which was really fun.
• I had a nice dinner involving Thai food which was yummy!
• I was able to talk with my parents on the phone an that makes me happy. 

Wherever you're reading this, I hope you are able to find the good in each day. I send everyone best wishes and much love now and always.

Believe in the good will of people

"I just believe in the goodwill of people, the power of people to do something positive." -Eddie Izzard

 One thing I like best about people is their capacity to do so many good things. I hope wherever you're reading this, that you've had (and continue to have) many opportunities to receive good will and also that you choose to take many opportunities to do good things for others. I send everyone best wishes and much love now and always.

 

So excited

I found this lovely video of clips from old movies of people dancing all strung together so it matches the song "I'm So Excited". Watching it  did actually make me feel excited so I had to share it here. I send everyone best wishes and much love now and always. 

Dreams are necessary to life

 "Dreams are necessary to live."-Anais Nin

I hope that wherever you are reading this you always have dreams and that you pursue them until you reach them. I send everyone best wishes and much love now and always.

May you always see the good

 To whoever reads this, I hope you always see the good in your life and the good in other people. I send everyone best wishes and much love now and always.

Always hold your head high

 "Never bend your head. Always hold it high. Look the world straight in the eye."-Helen Keller

Wherever you are reading this I hope you always hold your head up as much as you are able because you are worthy of great things and each day you have lived is a victory to be proud of. I send everyone best wishes and much love now and always.  

A step to success

 "Every failure is a step to success "-William Whewell

Reading this quote helped me feel better today. It's strangely comforting to know that when I make mistakes, it is possible t see them as steps to success. Mistakes show me what I shouldn't/don't want to do again and so it helps me figure out better things to do to be successful. Wherever you are reading this, I hope that if you make a mistake or feel like you failed at something, that you can see them as opportunities to get closer to a success. I send everyone best wishes and much love now and always.