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 LIVING HAPPY     
UPLIFTING, THOUGHT-PROVOKING NEWS FOR OUR MIND, BODY,AND SPIRIT   

From Carole Kane


  Vol. I  No. 10                                                                   April 3, 2011

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in this issue
Parents and Children
Slice of life: Birthday Girl
Destination: Iceland
Classical music being used to deter crime
Think a little, laugh a little
Your space - for guest writers, ghost writers, and commentators

Dear Friends,

Carole Kane

Carole Kane 

M.A., N.C.C. ret.

Welcome to Living Happy,  a nice way to feel and be our best!  Rather than concentrating on all the "bad" news in today's media, Living Happy is  about good, interesting, and fun things for everyone.  

 

This week we're celebrating family.

 

In our "slice of life" Nancy Goshorn, shares the day before her little girl's birthday.

 

My article talks about parents and children.

 

Dr. Brad Holway brings us to Iceland, which he describes as looking like a different planet.  It is a very different type of trip!

 

The jokes, puns, quotations, and cartoon should keep you on your toes!

 

Please feel free to contribute, comment, or criticize to your heart's content.  Just look for the "Comments" link below. 

 

Happy reading!

Love, Carole XXX OOO

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Parents and Children  

 

Once upon a time there were a mom and dad  They gave up many of their own dreams to make sure that their children had as much as they could possibly give them - a comfortable home, clothing, toys, education, special trips and lessons.  They guided them and tried to pass on their values and beliefs, and when the children began their own lives as adults, they helped them out with babysitting, financial backup, and advice when asked.

 

With their children now grown, the mom and dad also continued to grow - volunteering, learning new skills, rising in careers, working and saving for the future.  Eventually they reached their seventies and eighties, with a lifetime of accomplishments and valuable experiences to share.  Their home reflected their life over the years - cherished furniture and collectibles that they described as "old friends."  And they were comfortable there.

 

One day their First Child visits.  "Where are the grandkids,?" the old woman asks.  "I love seeing them."  First Child says, "Oh, you know teenagers!  They have their own things to do.  We couldn't convince them to come."  After cookies and coffee, First Child tells the old people, "I noticed the shed is still filled with all that junk - and so is the house.  I've told you over and over you have to start getting rid of it.  And, Mom, stop eating so many cookies!  I don't want you to get sick!".....

 

A week later, Second Child comes to visit the old couple, along with Spouse and all their children.  As everyone hugs each other, Second Child smiles and says, "I love coming here!  I love the old furniture and things.  It reminds me of all the good times we had growing up here."  One of the teen-agers smiles between big mouthfuls of cake and says, "Grandpa - Mom says that you won a hula contest on your honeymoon - did you really??  And Grandma, I didn't know you got two college scholarships when you graduated from high school.  I hope I can win one!"  The old couple sigh contentedly, and they spend a happy few hours laughing, telling old stories, and basking in their family's love.   

old man and woman from back

Photo:  Simon Howden

 

 

So - Are you First Child or Second Child?  Do you feel you must tell your elderly parents how they should live; do you feel you know better than they do?  Do you think this is "for their own good"?  Or do you cherish them for who they really are?  Do you offer help without dictating what they must do?  Are you proud of them and what they've accomplished in life?  Do you tell this to your own children?

 

If you are still fortunate enough to have one or both parents, even if they are forgetting things lately, or their health is deteriorating, or they are widowed or otherwise alone, they are still the wonderful people who gave their all to make you the person you are today.  Why not tell them how much they mean to you! 

 

 

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Birthday Girl                                                       By Nancy Kane Goshorn
 
She had a busy day today - day camp, which included swimming from 9 to 3:30, then a doctor's visit for her older sister (where she sat very quietly and patiently, I might add).  We also stopped by her grandmother's house to help her download some pictures from her digital camera.  She played outside with the kitties and dog while we were busy.  Then we came home and put a cake together and baked it.  She played awhile with the neighbor's little boy while the cake was in the oven.
  
After that, we headed to the stores to find this year's birthday dress.  After two hours and three stores, we finally managed to agree on one!! Decided to head to McDonald's for dinner, as it was already 9 pm.
  
She's filthy from playing, spilled  a drink down her shirt while we were out, has sunburn and messy hair from being at the pool, her eyes are dark because it's way past bedtime.
  Aimee sleeping
She's tired, but smiling and happy.  We just finished icing that cake, and now I'm reading her a story... her bath will have to wait 'til the morning, since it's already way past 10 pm.
  
But... here she is, my baby, the last day she will ever be six years old


 

 

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Destination:   Iceland                                            By Bradley Holway, PhD

   

Have you ever fantasized about visiting another planet?  Unfortunately, most of us will never live to see the dawn of off-planet leisure travel.  Luckily, there is a consolation prize just 4.5 hours by plane from New York, the wild, ruggedly beautiful nation of Iceland.  The minute you get off the plane you get the feeling of being on the surface of another world.  Because of the high latitude, the air is incredibly rich in oxygen, so rich that you literally get high from it.

icelandic volcanoes

Photo:  Pixdaus.com

 

 

That's just the air; wait til you see the place!  Iceland was formed by a collision of the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates; it is one of most geologically active places on the planet and is literally teeming with volcanoes, geysers, bubbling mud-pots and sulfur springs.  There are places where one can literally stand with one foot in America and the other in Europe.  Awesome waterfalls cascade down stark basaltic cliffs; you feel that you have visited another world in the last violent throes of its infancy. The interior of the island is almost totally uninhabited, mostly mossy tundra and barren volcanic scree, interspersed with glaciers reflecting the pale subarctic sunlight.  Little fishing and farming villages with brightly-painted houses are scattered along the rugged coast, wedged among mountains, fjords and empty beaches of black volcanic sand.  Offshore lay uninhabited rocky islets of dark basalt stained with the white guano of the puffins, jaegers, murres, auks and kittiwakes that glide overhead and swoop down to partake of the cold water fishery's rich bounty.   

icelandic icicles

Superstock.co.uk

 

 From a cultural standpoint, the imprint of the Vikings is pervasive.  According to linguists, Iceland's native son, Leif Erikson, would be able to understand the contemporary language, which sounds to my ear more like the archaic English of "Beowulf" than modern Swedish or Norwegian.  Though the Icelanders were converted to Christianity during the Middle Ages, belief in the old gods persists and temples dedicated to Odin, Thor and Surtur are still a going concern.  I visited the Thingvellir, site of the first popular European parliament; I also beheld the Dimmuborgir ("The Dark Citadels"), the site where those who were condemned to death by Viking courts had their legs broken and were left to be devoured by scavengers.  The vibes are pretty sinister!   

 

iceland houses

Akureyri, Iceland

discover-the-world.co.uk 

 On the brighter side, Icelanders are friendly and enjoy practicing their English.  They seem to enjoy meeting outsiders and have a good sense of humor.  Their cuisine, born of a sparse, rugged environment, is creative and rich in local fish, particularly salmon.  Breakfast, with its smoked fish and skyr, a tasty cross between yogurt and custard, is a particular treat.  The main draw, though, is the countryside, wild, rugged and imbued with a stark, otherworldly beauty.  Forget Mars and the moons of Jupiter.  You'll never get there anyway. 

   

 Note:  Tourists visiting  Iceland should know that tipping at a restaurant is considered an  insult. 

 

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Classical music being used to deter crime

 

In Oregon there is a pilot program to test whether classical music will stop people from loitering around light rail stations.  It is believed that this kind of "crime prevention through environmental design" may ward off  vagrants and vandals and the kind of crimes that happen when people just hang around.  Young people are not into classical music because it's not cool.  They usually don't like it. 

 

Strains of arias from operas "Carmen,"  "The Marriage of Figaro," and "Eine Kleine Nachtmusik" at transit stops seem to be driving the loiterers away.  When the trains arrive, everyone gets on - there's no one left on the platform.

 

The jury is still out as to whether this actually deters crime or just pushes it down the block.

 

-adapted from Associated Press story, Asbury Park Press, April 3, 2011 

 

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Think a little - laugh a little

Finally!  It's Spring!

 

 

What do you say to a Buddhist hot dog vendor?

 "Make me one with everything."

 

 

I know a frustrated photographer who is trying to get a close-up of the horizon.

 

  

A Psychiatrist's receptionist alerted the Doctor: "a man is out here who says he is invisible."

"Tell him I can't see him right now," said the Doctor.

 

 

 

It is bad luck to be superstitious.

 

 

When I'm playing music, I don't feel any age.  - Paul Simon 

 

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Your Space - For Guest Writers, Ghost Writers, and Commentators

 

Thank you to Nancy Goshorn and  Dr. Bradley Holway for their contributions this week.  


        Would you like to contribute an article?  
 

                      - Do you have a little "slice of life" to share?  

This Could  be YOU!

 

        - How about a review of your favorite book or movie?

 


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What would you like to see more/less of?

 
For Comments and to Contact Living Happy  click this link.
 

 

I'd love to hear from you!  And thanks!!! 

 

                                                                                   Carole  XXX    

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