Live the Joy
JOY ~ Journey of You August 13, 2010 |
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Past joy droppings feed the soul.
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Are you working on a dream?
Right now, Bruce Springsteen is on my TV singing "working on a dream." He has put himself out there and is still making his dreams come true. When I think of my dreams, I think of this Erma Bombeck quote:
"There are people who put their dreams in a little box and say, 'Yes, I've got dreams, of course, I've got dreams.' Then they put the box away and bring it out once in a while to look in it, and yep, they're still there. These are great dreams, but they never even get out of the box. It takes an uncommon amount of guts to put your dreams on the line, to hold them up, and say, 'How good or how bad am I?' That's where courage comes in."
Take out your box of dreams. Dust it off. Ask yourself: What am I waiting for?
The time is now. Take that first small step. One small step leads to another. One success leads to another, and to dreams coming true that you didn't even know you had in you.
When I first started writing my newspaper column, it took courage to put myself out there. But ohmy! Comparisons to Erma Bombeck were/still are high praise. This past spring, being selected as a judge in the Erma Bombeck National Essay Contest was a thrill, a JOY, another step in my dream come true.
What is tugging at your heart? Don't bury your dreams. Let your creativity soar. Be the misfit elf that becomes a dentist. Become the teacher, nurse, painter, runner, clown, karoke singer, world traveler, coach, novelist, skyscraper builder, rock star that has been in your box of dreams.
What are you waiting for?
Words to Ponder:
Nothing happens unless first a dream.
~Carl Sandburg
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| Have you ever seen... | |
a college girl in a cornfield?
My extreme pleasure hosting German exchange student Cindy for three fun-filled days. I gave her a whirlwind tour of Loves Park, my city with a heart; a bit of Rockford; and America's Dairyland, Wisconsin, our neighbor to the north. (Yes, I took her, as I do all out-of-towners, to Beef a Roo!) (We also did Anderson Japanese Gardens which she loved, kayaking at Rock Cut State Park, and she declared Der Rathskeller is indeed good German food, but should be spelled ratskeller. :)
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| Picks this week | |
Book Pick - Have a Little Faith by Mitch Albom
Flick Pick - no flicks (unless you find an outdoor drive-in theatre)
Your JOY assignment this week:
Give yourself a kiss, anywhere and everywhere you can reach.
Walk barefoot in the grass.
Play hopscotch, even if the squares are imaginary.
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What brings me JOY lately?
* Singing hip-hop songs with my sons in our rental car in Hawaii. The two competing radio stations played three songs over and over and over....
* Being host/tour guide to aforementioned Cindy from Frankfurt.
* Speaking gigs starting back up again after July break
* The brochures for the Italy trip
* Channel 945 on my comcast = Palladia = concerts. I don't watch TV, but I do watch music.
* breath mints
* 68 cent 2-liter bottle of Big K cola
* text messages
* Sending postcards bought in Hawaii from my mailbox here
* YOU
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WHAT I LIKE ABOUT ME:
For those new to the JOY letter, every night you are to jot down three things in your joy journal that made you smile/brought you peace/made you laugh/made you glow with appreciation/went your way.
ALSO you need to think of three things you like about yourself. Liking yourself and loving yourself leads to true internal happiness. Happiness has to come from within.
Let's see.... what I like about me...
* My teeth are fairly straight (teenage years of braces) and fairly white (with no strippy things).
* I'm not afraid to travel alone.
* I can hang a pretzel off the tip of my nose.
* I love my joy tattoo still.
* I wear a bikini at the beach and do not care that my stomach is not flat.
* I write a weekly newspaper column, a weekly newspaper blog, and a weekly joy letter.
* I get a thrill of learning something new every day.
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| Hawaiian beach.... paradise? | |
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| Birthday Love | |
HAPPYHAPPYJOYJOY BIRTHDAY WISHES TO:
SHERRI MEREDITH
JANET INGHAM
CHRIS WITHROW
LISA BATES
DENISE DAY
AND to
ALL who are celebrating this week!
My best wishes to Robbie Williams and his new bride. I am in full support of "mushy, gushy, cheesy kind of love." I was not invited to the wedding. I'm sure it was an oversight. Robbie, I forgive you.
(Send in your birthday. Each month a name is drawn for a JOY prize delivered via snail mail.)
JULY BIRTHDAY RECIPIENT OF SILLY SOMETHINGS IS>>>>>>>>
MONETTA YOUNG
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Big hugs, love and peace to my lifelong dear friend Tammi Day and her family with the passing of her dad, Dick Day. It's never easy to say goodbye.
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| joke of the day | |
What do you get when you cross an elephant and a rhino?
el-if-i-no
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| Lyrics to love | |
Accroches-toi � ton r�ve.
Hold on tight to your dream.
ELO ~ Electric Light Orchestra
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Kelly's newspaper column -
Kelly's blog for healthyrockford.com -
We never know
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| Quote Junkie |
"The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, the education, the money, than circumstances, than failure, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company... a church... a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice everyday regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past... we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude."
-Charles Swindoll
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| JOY Engagements | |
Keynotes/Presentations:
August 11 - NIAAA, Rockford
August 12 - Northern IL Consultative Council Regional Meeting/RVC, Anderson Gardens, Rockford
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| Now that's punny |
I wondered why the baseball was getting bigger.
Then it hit me.
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| Sage Advice | |
"Life's challenges are not supposed to paralyze you; they're supposed to help you discover who you are."
~Bernice Johnson Reagon |
| all a girl needs.... | |
a chandelier in every room
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UPCOMING JOY EVENTS |
Sometimes you gotta create what you want to be a part of.
--Geri Weitzman
JOY Dance Party!
FOR EVERYONE!!
(tentative Oct 1)
**JOY One-Day Retreat**
Get in touch with your soul, your essence
Find YOUR Joy OCTOBER 9
**Joy: A Luncheon**
December 2
A Celebration of Joy, Love, and Life
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Lago Maggiore, Italy May 4-12, 2011 | |
The only thing my grandma regretted on her deathbed that was that she did not take the trips she had wanted to. If the little voice in your head/heart is whispering to you in Italian, please call me/write me for a hardcopy full-color glossy gorgeous brochure to be mailed to you.
This is not the typical touristy kind of trip. We are going to experience moments and events that will resonate in your soul. Life should be like that.
Register before December 31 and save $200.
If you are a single traveler and want a roommate, let me know. We'll arrange accomodations.
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HAPPINESS CLUB, LOVES PARK, IL
(first Thursday every month)
You can learn how to be happy!
Tips, tools, techniques to implement into everyday life.
NEXT MEETING:
6:30 - 8:15 pm
North Suburban Library, 6340 N. Second St., Loves Park
Questions? Gimme a holler!
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| Word Nerd | |
yeuk \YOOK\, noun:
1. An itching sensation.
verb:
1. To itch.
An itching sensation caused by too much island strumming is a uke yeuk.
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| Beauty's where you find it... | |
windchimes on my bedroom ceiling fan
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joyfully,
xx kelly
JOY book is here!
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| SIGN UP FOR WEEKLY JOY AND PASS IT ON
Spread the word! Let's build an army of JOY Spreaders! | | parting shots...
Life is full of beauty. Notice it.
Notice the bumble bee, the small child, the smiling faces. Smell the rain, and feel the wind. Live your life to the fullest potential and fight for your dreams.
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BOOKS FOR SALE:
When Life Stinks, It's Time to Wash the Gym Clothes
365 Days of Joy - How to be Happy Every Single Day
Kelly Epperson
kel_epperson@yahoo.com
PO Box 2324 Loves Park IL 61131
Member AATH - Association for Applied and Therapeutic Humor
Member AHA - American Happiness Association
Founder - Happiness Club of Loves Park, IL
Member NSNC - National Society of Newspaper Columnists |
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