Live the JOY: Be a Fool

Live the Joy

JOY ~ Journey of You April 1, 2011

Quick Links

www.kellyepperson.com

JOY Letter Archives

Past joy droppings feed the soul.

JOY every week!

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ITALY MAY 2011

I have a gazillion topics bouncing around my head, including focus, which is what I need right now, but the date is telling me to talk about fools.

April 1, April Fool's Day. A fool is usually thought to be a silly or stupid person, someone who can be taken advantage of. No one wants to be played a fool, or so we think. What's wrong with being silly? And if someone takes advantage of you, it's a reflection on them, not you.

We fear looking foolish, and yet jeepers creepers, sometimes we miss out on a lot of fun. Dictionary.com provides another definition for fool: an ardent enthusiast. If you call me an ardent enthusiast, I'll take that as a compliment.

To be enthusiastic about happiness and living in joy does cause some eye-rolling among some folks. There's nothing I can do about that. My ardent enthusiasm also uplifts others. That fulfills me. Some may call me an idiot; some call me an encourager. "Fool" is in the eye of the beholder.

"I have been a fool for lesser things." Billy Joel sings about love. If ever there is a risk, giving your heart in love is a biggee, but who doesn't want to be a fool for love?

If you hear someone described as "he was nobody's fool," what does that convey? Maybe he was wise; or maybe he was not letting anyone close and he lived his life in fear. That is not how I choose to be wise.

Today is the day to be a fool. Be silly. Do something you never thought you would. Sing karoake. Wear bright bold shoes. Dance. Buy wild underwear. BUY THE BIKINI. Dye your hair or cut it off short. Get the tattoo. (Write me for a fake joy tattoo. Mention "fool" and it's free.) Whatever it is, big or small, that you have cut yourself off from because you didn't want to look foolish, today is the day to give it a try.

It's fun to be a fool.

Send me your foolish successes.

Words to Ponder:

Wanna fool around?

;)

JOY DROPPINGS

What brings me JOY lately...

* Boxes from the mailman

* Dancing in my office BangBang

Send in your Joy Droppings for compilation book to come out end of year.

I LOVE what you are sending in. PLEASE keep them coming.

What I like about ME

In your JOY Journal, record daily joy droppings, quotes that speak to you, books you want to read, movies you want see, songs that grab you, things you want to do, AND "Things I Like About Me." The greater your self-confidence and like of self, the greater your level of happiness. What I like about me...

* My swirly girly joy tattoo

* My lip sync ability for songs from the 70s and 80s

* My lips

I love my lips --Silly Songs With Larry

Quote Junkie

If one does not understand a person, one tends to regard him as a fool.

-Carl Jung

Testimonial

"I do want to follow your
suggestion to evaluate this past year and see how far I've really come.

My story involves the death of my husband of 47 years on June 2009."

(.... this reader who wishes to stay anonymous shares the details of her life, the challenges and the choices of the months following his death, including surgery, farm life, and buying a shiny new red Mustang.)

"It was all one big shock of what to do next, but I chose to "live" the life I have been given. I want to have a little joy in my years left."

She bought a frame with the Winnie the Pooh and Christopher Robin quote:

Promise me you'll always remember

                             you are braver than you believe,

                                stronger than you seem,

                               and smarter than you think.

"I added a picture of my husband and me laughing at some silly thing.

It reminds me what he'd wish for me each day.

There are bad days to learn from, there are many good days to remember, too.

So, I

thank you for your JOY thoughts and writings. We all need more joy in our days! And,

there is much out there to discover if we look for it. Thank you for doing what you do."

Mrs. S

AATH = Association for Applied and Therapeutic Humor

Do you believe in the power of humor?
Come to Orlando for this conference. ALL are welcome. You will be enlightened, in awe of what all is going in humor research, and in wonderful surroundings with wonderful people.

Birthday Love

HAPPYHAPPYJOYJOY BIRTHDAY WISHES TO:

BECKY HOGAN

GLORIA VALDIVIA

JOAN PFEIFER

CONNIE FRAZIER

CAROLYN POOLE

ALICIA BURKES

HAPPYHAPPYJOYJOY TO ANYONE ELSE WITH A BDAY THIS WEEK/MONTH, THIS YEAR, LAST YEAR!

**IF I MISSED YOU, SEND TO ME AGAIN. I'M SYSTEM UPGRADING AND DON'T WANT TO MISS YOU!**

(Send in your birthday. Each month a name is drawn for a JOY prize delivered via snail mail.)

March winner -----

PHYLLIS LEE, DUBUQUE IOWA

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SAGE ADVICE

Every man is a fool in some man's opinion.

Spanish proverb

Click and read

last week's newspaper column -

DO WHAT YOU LOVE

healthyrockford.com blog -

lost art of love letters

All a girl needs: A HBM (Hair Brush Microphone)

All a girl ever needs....... Elvis .... only fools rush in

Some people want to fill the world with Silly Love Songs. What's wrong with that?

Fool in the Rain just a fool waiting on the wrong block....

WORD NERD

gimcrack \JIM-krak\,

noun:

1. A showy but useless or worthless object; a gewgaw.

adjective:

Tastelessly showy; cheap; gaudy.

The origin of gimcrack is uncertain. It is perhaps an alteration of Middle English gibecrake, "a slight or flimsy ornament."

dictionary.com

It would have amused me if the only definition would have been gewgaw. Never heard that word before and I love it. A house filled with gewgaws is not what I want, but it's fun to say.

I however have a house filled with jim-cracks (noun; corny one-liners).

JOY = Writer/Author Events

Best selling author Joan Anderson, A Year By The Sea, is the guest at this year's Womanspace Luncheon, April 16.

The big value (but cheap ticket) raffle prizes are AMAZING! Like a trip to Sedona. Want to buy a ticket? Ask me.

If you want to donate a mystery prize ($20 value), please contact me.

Get your tickets now!

The new local writers' group, In Print, an affiliate of Chicago Writers Association, had a very successful kickoff party. If you like to write, check them out online at www.inprintwriters.com and in the flesh, the second Saturday of every month, 1 pm, Cherry Valley Library.

HAPPINESS CLUB

First Thursday of every month

All are welcome. If you have been wondering about H Club, come check it out.

Free. Fun. Food for thought.

HAPPINESS CLUB, LOVES PARK, IL

6:30 - 8:00 pm

North Suburban Library, 6340 N. Second St., Loves Park

April 7 = Roni Golan LAUGHTER CLUB

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A short video clip of me and H Clubber Marie chatting up the H Club!

JOY BOUTIQUE

JOY Boutique