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Be silly

I found this wonderful quote in the gift shop at the Amon Carter Museum in Fort Worth. It was printed on a tote bag! “Be silly. Be honest. Be kind,” Ralph Waldo Emerson once said. –Joy

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Good-bye summer

It’s almost autumn. I hope you have had a summer like the one Ray Bradbury describes in his book Dandelion Wine. A summer “where flowers were suns and fiery spots of sky strewn through the woodland. Birds flickered like skipping stones across the vast inverted pond of heaven.” I hope you’ve had a summer with […]

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To be loved

I just returned from attending my nephew Will’s engagement party in New Mexico. Attending the party reminded me of a quote from George Sand: “There is only one happiness in this life—to love and be loved.” –Joy

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Moments to remember

I am trying to remember what we did each day during our vacation in Bellingham, but the days are jumbled together in my mind. I remember sitting on a picnic table near the water while we ate pastries for breakfast, eating Polish crepes and pierogies at Magdalena’s in Fairhaven and watching a man fly 67—yes, […]

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Unanticipated souvenirs

We’re back from a wonderful trip to Bellingham, Washington. I am comforted by my memories as I recuperate from the COVID I brought home with me. I remember seeing a deer resting peacefully outside the window of our bedroom at our friends Mark and Eva’s house. I remember cracking crabs on a cruise and then […]

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Throw all the paint

We just returned from Bellingham, and now we’re planning another trip. Why not? As Danny Kaye once said, “Life is a great big canvas. Throw all the paint on it you can.” –Joy

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Are you unhappy?

Try to discover why you are unhappy, suggests Dr. Laurie Santos, a Yale professor. “Negative emotions are really good,” Dr. Santos stresses. “They’re useful signals that I think we ignore in the modern day. But we really ignore them at our peril.” I read about Dr. Santos and happiness in the January 16/January 23 issue […]

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Can you be happier?

Dr. Laurie Santos, a Yale professor, says money and status don’t make you happier. Instead, she suggests things that contribute to your physical health, such as sleep, exercise and nutrition. And, things that contribute to your mental well-being, such as community, gratitude, mindfulness and finding meaning in everyday life. I read about Dr. Santos’ suggestions […]

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Are you happy?

It isn’t feasible or even desirable to be happy all the time, Angela Haupt concluded in a January 16/January 23 issue of Time magazine. The experts agree, Haupt said, that happiness comes from a sense of control autonomy over one’s life, being guided by meaning and purpose, and connecting with others.

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Happy flowers

I didn’t inherit my father’s green thumb, and I don’t have a yard full of flowers. However, I did buy an Easter lily, and it has a new flower that just appeared—almost a week after Easter.  And, the yellow roses I bought before Easter are still pretty. Whenever I see my store-bought flowers, I smile. […]

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