Find Joy
JOY ~ Journey of You February 26, 2010 |
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Good Morning,
Many people are going through tough times right now. Facing loss, facing change, facing the unknown. That is the stuff of life. It's always there. And yet, so is the good stuff.
External events can turn our internal world upside down. No matter what, there will be always be highs and lows, and curves in the road. Some are scary as hell. Some change us forever. But it's not the end of the road. Learning how to cope makes the ride easier and less stressful. You can experience joy even in the hard times.
We can arm ourselves with tools to help us sustain our joy in the midst of our ups and downs. Reading this joy letter is one tool. Surrounding yourself with postitive people, reading material, and viewing material help as well. Writing in your joy journal really does help - you still doing that?? Some form of exercise is important too. And yes, eating well and getting enough sleep have a huge impact.
Paraphrasing a quote I recently read: Just because life is serious doesn't mean we shouldn't laugh, and just because we laugh doesn't mean our problems aren't serious.
Life is a journey - choose to make yours a joyful one. It is after all, the Journey of YOU.
Words to Ponder~
I have found life an enjoyable, enchanting, active, and somewhat terrifying experience, and I've enjoyed it completely. A lament in one ear, maybe, but always a song in the other.
~Sean O'Casey, Irish Playwright | | |
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| Lyrics to love |
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...I laid this suitcase on my chest
so I could feel somebody's weight...
"Looking Out"
Brandi Carlile
and when you feel like giving in
or the coming of the end
like your heart could break in two,
someone loves you
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| Give em the old soft shoe... |
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| Picks this week |
Flick Pick - Watch an episode or two of Cougar Town and let me know if it makes you laugh
Book Pick - Happy 4 Life, Bob Nozik, MD |
| Birthday Love |
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HAPPYHAPPYJOYJOY BIRTHDAY WISHES TO:
MINTA GIBBONS
BRYAN HACKER
AND
STEVE JOBS, MAN OF APPLE
"I would trade all of my technology for an afternoon with Socrates."
(Send in your birthday. Each month a name is drawn for a JOY prize delivered via snail mail.)
FEBRUARY BIRTHDAY WINNER:
DAR HINRICHS
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| Quote Junkie |
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"I was always looking outside myself for strength and confidence,
but it comes from within.
It is there all the time."
~Anna Freud |
| Sage Advice |
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If you awake to the possibilites of your journey,
it will lead you from isolation to connection; from ignorance to knowledge; from pretense to authenticity; and from fear to love.
~Susan Page |
| Inquiring Minds |
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Heels or flats?
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| Be encouraged |
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(Thank you, Writers Almanac)
January 1892 - the first official basketball game was played, in Springfield, Massachusetts.
Basketball was the brainchild of James Naismith, who was teaching physical education at the YMCA. He wanted something physically challenging that could be played indoors, in a relatively small space. He tried all kinds of new and old games, but nothing worked. He remembered a game he had played as a kid in Canada, called Duck on a Rock.
He took a few rules from that and adapted it into Basket Ball. He nailed peach baskets to the balcony on each side of the gym. The baskets had solid bottoms. If anyone got the ball in the basket, someone else had to climb up and get the ball down.
The rules evolved, and basketball caught on fast, helped by the spread of YMCAs. Naismith helped establish the sport at the college level, becoming head coach at the University of Kansas. By the time he died in 1939, basketball was an official Olympic event.
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| Gigs |
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March 6 - Write Your Personal Story, Sauk Valley CC
March 13-21 - IRELAND
March 30 - St. Bernadette's Seniors "Living in JOY"
Kelly's newspaper column - Get it done, bird by bird
Kelly's blog for healthyrockford.com - Eat, sleep, do something
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| Word Nerd |
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| Thesaurus: |
1. |
osculation - (mathematics) a contact of two curves (or two surfaces) at which they have a common tangent
math, mathematics, maths - a science (or group of related sciences) dealing with the logic of quantity and shape and arrangement
contact - the state or condition of touching or of being in immediate proximity; "litmus paper turns red on contact with an acid" |
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| 2. |
osculation - the act of caressing with the lips (or an instance thereof)
touching, touch - the act of putting two things together with no space between them; "at his touch the room filled with lights"
Thanks, Kathy Batzkall, fellow word nerd and joy spreader!!
Although I have an accounting degree, maths was not my thing. Osculation, on the other hand...... | |
| Wit |
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(Dunka, Allen Penticoff)
Gausthof zum Lowen restaurant A group of 40 year old buddies discuss and discuss where they should meet for dinner. Finally it is agreed upon that they should meet at the Gausthof zum Lowen restaurant because the waitresses there have low cut blouses and nice breasts.
10 years later, at 50 years of age, the group meets again and once again they discuss and discuss where they should meet. Finally it is agreed that they should meet at the Gausthof zum Lowen because the food there is very good and the wine selection is also good.
10 years later, at 60 years of age, the group meets again and once again they discuss and discuss where they should meet. Finally it is agreed that they should meet at the Gausthof zum Lowen because they can eat there in peace and quiet and the restaurant is smoke free.
10 years later, at 70 years of age, the group meets again and once again they discuss and discuss where they should meet. Finally it is agreed that they should meet at the Gausthof zum Lowen because the restaurant is wheel chair accessible and they even have an elevator.
10 years later, at 80 years of age, the group meets again and once again they discuss and discuss where they should meet. Finally it is agreed that they should meet at the Gausthof zum Lowen because they have never been there before.
(I thought the punch line was gonna be the 80 year old go back for low cut blouses and big breasts.) |
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| Oh the joy... |
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> I am a judge for the Erma Bombeck Writing Competition! It's a national competition, hundreds and hundreds of submissions, and I'm among 30 first round judges. Thrilled, honored, and ErmaJoyed!
> Opportunity presented itself to do joy/writing workshops at Harbin Hot Springs retreat center near Napa Valley, CA. As I was considering what to pack (the springs are clothing-optional), the scheduling didn't work out, so no go this time. Who knows what the future holds. Stay tuned for more workshops through the GNEAF - Global Network of Expressive Arts Facilitators.
> I'm chatting with Dr. Aymee Coget, CEO and co-founder of American Happiness Association, and have been asked to start Happiness Club in Illinois. Coming your way this spring!
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| Poetry is good for the soul |
(richard vargas)
once
i saw my grandmother hold out
her hand cupping a small offering
of seed to one of the wild sparrows
that frequented the bird bath she
filled with fresh water everyday
she stood still
maybe stopped breathing
while the sparrow looked
at her, then the seed
then back as if he was
judging her character
he jumped into her hand
began to eat
she smiled
a woman holding a small god
Richard Vargas, Albequerque, NM
Facebook him and buy his books
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| YouTube addicts, unite |
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BNL - Bathroom Sessions (smartjim kudos!)
I dare you to not tap your foot, or bob your head. If you have mastered the lyrics, let me know. I'll send you a prize. One Week (3 minutes)
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If I had a million dollars... the joy party we would have!
WHEN I have a million dollars, the dance party will rock your socks off. Even before that happens, a dance party will come your way. Stay tuned.
joyfully,
xxkelly
Want to meet the author of Happy 4 Life? Go to Anaheim!
Disneyland in April - the Biology of HOPE!
Association for Applied and Therapeutic Humor
ANYONE can attend the conference. Humor is for EVERYONE!
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| SIGN UP FOR WEEKLY JOY AND PASS IT ON
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| parting shot...
"What you leave behind is not what is engraved in stone monuments, but what is woven into the lives of others."
~Pericles
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Kelly Epperson
kel_epperson@yahoo.com
PO Box 2324 Loves Park IL 61131
Member AATH - Association for Applied and Therapeutic Humor
Member NSNC - National Society of Newspaper Columnists |
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| JOY |
New book, 365 Days of Joy, is in the works and coming soon. $20
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| When LIfe Stinks, It's Time to Wash the Gym Clothes (collection of newspaper columns) $10
Shirts ~C'est Bon and JOY*US $10 |
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s
ky
-l
sh
